The nap I managed to sneak while Wufei was recovering gave me the energy to finish the party without anyone being the wiser to my exhausted state. Unfortunately, I still had to deal with Shinigami when I returned to the apartment. I didn't relish the idea.

I worried about Wufei for the rest of the party, but despite my concerns he seemed to have bounced back rather quickly. I couldn't help feeling more than a little guilty for missing the tell-tale signs of dehydration in him, and my only excuse was the paralyzing exhaustion that taking care of five teenage boys, going to back to back parties, and breaking a slave ring could cause. I did manage to use his fall as en excuse to leave early, though, so at least one good thing came of the night.

Back at the apartment, Quatre was already asleep, resting against Trowa, who was watching TV as he gently stroked the small blonde's hair. It was a touching scene, one I hoped that my next slave would replicate with Heero, but I had little hope that the Shinigami would show such tenderness toward him. I regretted now that I had not refused him the minute I saw him huddled in the cage, and could only blame a lingering sense of guilt from being helpless to save him at the Duke's party for my momentary lapse of judgement. I had wanted to alleviate some of Heero's stress, not add to it tenfold by putting the responsibility for a demon on his shoulders. If I hadn't known Heero's strength and tenacity, I would have been surprised the apartment was still in tact, with Shinigami inside.

Which it was so surprising for me to open the door to the slave's quarters to find Shinigami, not only asleep, but haphazardly thrown across Heero's lap, snoring slightly without a care in the world. They were both on the floor, and Heero's back was resting against the edge of the bed. Two empty plates of food sat beside them. As I entered, I just barely caught sight of Heero running his fingers through Shinigami's bangs, watching the colors of the strands dance together. When I entered, he pulled back, as though he had been caught doing something wrong. If I hadn't been so amazed, I would have laughed.

I motioned and slowly, carefully, and with great reluctance, Heero slid out from under Shinigami, who yawned and rolled over, but stayed firmly asleep as Heero gently settled him to the ground.

Once in the hall, I couldn't seem to find the words to speak to Heero. He seemed to grasp my problem, though, and spoke first.

"He... He's really not so bad," Heero said, staring decidedly at his feet. Did he feel guilty about liking someone who was so uncontrollable, ill-tempered, and bad mannered? Or was he simply ashamed that he had let himself get so close to someone so quickly? Did he think I'd be angry?

"I..." and for once, words utterly failed me. How to express that I wasn't angry, while also expressing my disapproval of the other's actions? For certainly I didn't mind that Heero got along with the wild slave, but I couldn't condone that slave's actions, nor would I allow Heero to mimic them.

Heero took my silence for disapproval, and clenched his fists at his sides. His body tensed and he still would not raise his eyes to me, but I knew that they would be filled with pain. I couldn't bare to have him so upset, and pulled him to me. He came unresisting, and raised his arms to cling to me after only a moment of uncertainty.

"I'm not angry," I said softly against the top of his head. "Merely confused. He was so... so vicious before I left. What did you say to quiet him?" I wondered. Heero tensed again, and remained quiet for a moment.

"I... didn't do anything. As soon as you left... he calmed."

"But... why?"

"He hates masters. That's why he's so wild around you, and aggressive toward you. Once you were gone... it was like he was a completely different person. He still talked a lot, but he was very friendly. He still cursed, but it was much milder. We had lunch together, then I sat with him while he talked himself to sleep."

"I see," I told him, moving away to look into his eyes. "Perhaps, since he's here for two days anyway, you can try to convince him to... tolerate me, at least for the two days he's here."

"I can try," Heero responded, but didn't sound very hopeful. I moved closer again, bringing him back into my arms and kissing the top of his forehead.

"I appreciate what you're doing for me," I told him. "I don't even want to think about what Shinigami would be like if you weren't around to keep an eye on him," I said, nuzzling the top of Heero's head. Somehow, though, my words didn't make him feel any better, and instead he suddenly looked sadder. I opened my mouth to say something, but the door to the slaves' quarters suddenly flew open.

Shinigami stood in the door way, looking suspicious for only a moment, before his eyes filled with pure rage.

"Get your filthy hands off him!" he roared, yanking Heero from my grasp.

"Duo, no!" Heero gasped as he was roughly shoved behind the irate boy.

Duo?

"Look, you sicko, I don't know what you and all the other jerks think, but you can't just go around doing whatever you want! You...!"

"Duo!" Heero hissed, spinning the other boy around and grabbing his face. "He wasn't hurting me. He wasn't trying to do anything. We were just talking," he said firmly.

"But... But I saw... But he was..." the long-haired teen stuttered. "A.. Are you sure?" he asked, looking deeply into the other's eyes, trying to see if Heero were lying for my sake.

"I'm sure," Heero responded.

"Well," Shinigami said, turning to me, "then I guess I'm sorry or whatever. But you're still a jerk," he said, then proceeded to storm into the slaves' quarters and slam the door.

Which left me in the hallway staring, agape, at Heero.

"What was that?" I finally managed to snap.

"I don't know! I don't understand half of what he does! He just... he was nice... for a while," Heero finished lamely, staring in hurt confusion at the door.

"Well...!" I tried to snap, but simply couldn't hold onto my anger with Heero looking so forlorn. "Just... see if you can get him to calm down in the next half hour. Then he will have a bath," I told him firmly. No slave in my household was going to look like a gutter-rat. Heero nodded, then entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Which left me huffing another sigh and heading for the medicine cabinet and a well-worn bottle of aspirin. Dryly I noted that I should probably buy stock in the company, because I was likely to triple their output by the end of this mission. If not more.

Wufei had joined Trowa and Quatre in lazing in the den, but unlike the other pair he was reading a book instead of watching the comedy on the screen. It caught my interest, as I had not had time to buy or bring any books, so it could not be one of mine.

"What is that?" I asked, sitting down beside Wufei.

"A book," he replied, flicking his eyes over the tops of the pages toward me.

"I can see that. What of?"

"Ancient Chinese proverbs."

"Ah. Are any of them good?"

"Good as in wise? All of them. Good as in nice? Very few."

"I see. Since I don't need anymore bad news, I'll leave you to your reading," I said. I moved and sat on the loveseat to give Wufei his space, but I couldn't seem to stop looking at him. Something was tickling the edge of my conscious, and I couldn't figure out what.

I spent several minutes staring blindly at the TV before sighing and giving up. It was at this moment that I chose to glance at Trowa, which made me realize what I had been thinking, for Trowa was staring longingly at the book in Wufei's hands. If Wufei had been a teacher, perhaps...

But it was all moot. Wufei would be gone in a few days, and there was nothing I could do about it. I would merely have to run the risk of hiring a tutor for Trowa, and hope that he wasn't too nervous to learn.

Fifteen minutes later, I heaved myself out of the chair and headed for the slaves' quarters, hoping that I wouldn't regret it.

"Heero?" I called, opening the door. "It's time for Shinigami's bath."

"F you!" came the snarled reply.

"Duo!" Heero snapped. I wondered, for the second time, what a Duo was.

"What? I'm not going!"

"Yes, you are. You smell bad."

"Well who made you such a wussy? If you can't stand my smell, leave!"

"You're both leaving," I snapped, "because you are getting a bath and you are going to help me with him," I told them, then grabbed Shinigami by the arm, tossed him over my shoulder, and proceeded to the master bathroom. Once there, I dropped Shinigami into the empty tub and turned on the tap. When he tried to scramble out, I pushed him back down forcefully, accidentally making him hit his head on the wall. He became dazed enough to sit still, which was a blessing.

I probably made it sound like this was all very efficient. In truth, it was the sloppiest mission I had ever carried out. Not only did Shinigami thrash the entire way to the bathroom, but he also screamed like a banshee and tried to grab anything to knock me off balance. Which he did at least three times before we got to the bathroom, where he fought to stay out of the bathtub. It wasn't until he hit his head that he calmed, and I didn't dare hope that it was more than a temporary quiet.

Heero arrived a moment later, and we both set to the task of cleaning Shinigami. Surprisingly, the boy remained fairly docile as we washed him, sulking on his knees in the water. Heero scrubbed his arms and fingers while I grabbed a bucket and began to wash the dirty mass that was his hair. After a few minutes of silence, I finally felt that words probably wouldn't spook Shinigami into another attack.

"What's a duo?" I asked Heero, who was scrubbing at a particularly dirty fingernail.

"Ah... it's his name."

"But you still have to call me Shinigami!"

A gave a sharp tug to the boy's hair. "Behave yourself," I warned. He growled in frustration, but settled back into the water. Meanwhile, Heero had moved from fingers to toes, and I was starting to shampoo the long strands of Shinigami's hair. It was beautiful, if only he didn't have such terrible dandruff.

"'M I just gonna stay naked all the time?" Duo huffed moodily.

"I should make you earn clothes. We'll find something of Heero's for you to wear and...

I trailed off, scrubbing harder at the little spots on the boy's hair.

"Master?" Heero asked, bringing me back to task.

"What-... Oh! Sorry, I just can't get this dandruff to come out. Anyway, I think Heero is about your size and..." I trailed again, peering more closely at the boy's scalp. "Oh hell."

"What is it, master?"

"Lice."