Cages

Duo 90
“Get the hell away from my slaves!”
It was kind of hard to hear, with the blood rushing through my ears and all, but I could faintly make out the demanding words. And, I’ll tell you, I’d never been so glad to see that asshole in my life.
Well, I suppose hear would be the correct term, because my vision was still dark and blurry. That changed in a moment, though, as the goon holding me dropped me to the floor. I think he might have charged Zechs, but I was too focused on coughing up my right lung to really tell. All I knew was one minute the guard was running away from me, then next minute he was flying backwards passed me.
Now, I don’t want anyone to get the idea that Heero and I were weak or anything like that. Heero, from what I saw, was a damn good fighter, and if it had been one on one, or even a fair fight, he probably would have kicked their asses. But me ‘n Heero are both short and scrawny, though I’m a good bit scrawnier than he is. Neither of us have any weight to spare, and it’s hard to work up muscle mass without calories to sustain it. That’s why the strongest guy in the gang gets fed first; not because he pushes anybody out of the way, but because if he doesn’t eat he’ll get weak and then the gang falls apart. That’s life.
Zechs was that strongest guy. When me ‘n Heero went at those guards it probably looked like a pair of five-year-old trying to take on a high school bully, but Zechs was just as big as them, maybe bigger. He had skills, too, although I don’t know where he woulda learned to fight like that. He took the big one down with no problem, and the little one just freakin ran away when he saw the ass kicking his friend got.
And no wonder. Damn, was Zechs pissed! I’d never seen him so mad, not even after I dropkicked him in the stomach for no reason. He was literally shaking with rage, his chest heaving, and teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Man, he was territorial. There weren’t many masters who’d get so ticked if someone roughed up their slaves. Although, this was going a little far by anyone’s standards.
And Heero was almost as roughed up as I was, though he probably didn’t think so. Heero was really, really good at completely ignoring his injuries. If I hadn’t seen him get them myself I probably would have thought they were painted on or something. But, despite ignoring his injuries, he did have them. All that smashing of his head against the wall had nearly caved it in; he was bleeding pretty bad from the side of his head and the whole right half was swollen and bruised. He’d bitten his tongue at some point and there was blood dripping from his mouth and his nose, accentuating his black eye. I know his stomach must have been bruised, because he’d been kicked there several times, and his ankle was probably damned sprained from all the times it’d been kicked out from under him.
So, I was glad Zechs had come to help Heero and I wished I could spare a little more worry for him, but things were graying around the edges of my world and I decided that needed my attention as well. The air smelled like blood, so I could tell that my nose was bleeding even though I couldn’t really tell it from the blood coming from my mouth. And it tasted just as bad as it smelled, too. But that wasn’t my biggest worry anyway. No, I wasn’t worried about a little nosebleed when my breath was coming in short, sickeningly wet gasps through a bruised and swollen throat and into a severely abused abdomen. It hurt really, really bad. So bad that I almost wished I could just stop breathing, because it was simply so hard to do. But we all know the end result of not breathing and I wasn’t too keen on that one either.
Zechs was with Heero, I could see through part of my swollen eye, looking critically at his slave‘s damage. Probably estimating the price of it already, damn him, but at least I could trust that he’d take care of Heero. If anyone could bring him through this, that old bastard Zechs could.
It was, I thought, a nice parting thought on my behalf, a wish of goodwill toward Heero and at least nothing ill toward Zechs. I had seen a decent amount of deaths in my day and figured I was all but done in. It was terribly hard to breath, and I was really tired, so I figured I’d just... you know... stop.
But fate wasn’t done with me yet, and in the next moment I felt hands on my face, hands that suddenly turned me to my side. Panicked and confused, I struggled against the hands, sucking in a breath that was slightly deeper and marginally less painful than the last as I did so.
“Duo, be still!” I heard Zechs snap, and let my body go limp. The last thing I wanted was another beating on top of the last one. Of course, it really wouldn’t make a difference, would it?
“Will he live?” I heard Heero ask, his stoically masked voice tinged with a timid reluctance. As though he already knew the answer.
“I don’t know,” Zechs admitted, “but if he’s going to have any chance at all we need to get him to the hospital wing.”
“I’ll call them.”
“He’d be dead before they got here. Just point me in the right direction.”
“I...” Heero hesitated and if I would have been able I’d have yelled at him not to tell. The location of the hospital was never to be known to masters, as it was the only way to really keep the slaves safe. The Owner himself protected the right of the slaves to have the hospital and would punish any master who forced his slave to tell. But if Heero just blurted it out... it could be the end of the only safe haven any slave could have.
“I can’t tell you,” he said finally and lowered his eyes to the floor. I would have cheered, if I weren’t so preoccupied with dying.
“What do you mean, you can’t tell me?”
“Masters are forbidden. You must understand...”
“Damn it, Heero, if you didn’t care if Duo lived or died you should have never let me buy him!” Master roared, “You should have just given him a humane death! Now, I know this isn’t because you don’t trust me, because I’ve earned your trust several times over and I’ve never done anything to betray it. So, you tell me, do you want Shinigami to live or die? He doesn’t have much time!”
“It’s that way!” Heero said, closing his eyes as he pointed, as though he couldn’t stand to look at himself. I would have said it served him right, but Heero didn’t deserve my anger. Zechs didn’t leave him much of a choice, and he really just wanted to help me. But... I couldn’t even bring myself to think of all the damage he might have just done. It was immeasurable.
But all those thoughts were lost in the next moment, when Zechs scooped me off the ground and began to run full tilt down the hall, Heero following just behind. All the movement must have knocked me for a loop, though, and I think I passed out.
I was forced to wake outside of the hospital wing doors, though for the life of me I couldn’t tell you exactly what woke me. I kinda thought Zechs might have yelled for help or something, but I don’t remember hearing it, so I couldn’t be sure. Whatever the reason, immediately upon waking I felt myself tip back as Zechs leaned backwards to give a powerful kick to the swinging doors in front of us. They slammed against the wall on the other side and startled every occupant in the room, making sure all eyes were on us.
An entrance worthy of Shinigami, even if Shinigami wasn’t quite up to code at the moment.
Of course, I doubted if anyone would even recognize me as Shinigami in the state I was in. I probably looked like any other abused slave that walked through the doors, and wouldn’t have garnered nearly as much attention if a strong, intimidating master hadn’t been holding me in his arms.
“Can I get some god damned assistance!” Zechs yelled, and I would have smirked if I hadn’t been hurting so bad. I guess he’d gotten tired of yelling, “Help!” all the time. The guy had style, if nothing else.
A pair of doctors hurried toward us, as well as a pair of startled looking guards. Guess they weren’t going to get the easy shift they had been hoping for, not with Zechsy-poo around. The doctors started poking at me and I raised a hand to try to wave them away. If they couldn’t see what was wrong with me I really didn’t want them working on me. Meanwhile, the guards were trying to both get an explanation out of Zechs and drag him out of the middle of the doorway. Unfortunately, I was still in his arms, so Zechs was not moving, no matter what the guards insisted.
“Can we get a wheelchair or something?” Zechs snapped at one of the harried looking doctors.
“Uh... Oh! Yes!” he said, and stumbled off in his rush to find Zechs something to drop me on so he could get out of the waiting room and stop scaring all the injured slaves. Not that Zechs was trying or anything, just that having a master in the slave’s sanctuary... it was terrifying.
A wheeled bed came around the corner in the next second, and it was a hell of a lot faster than I’d ever gotten one before. Still, I was bleeding all over their floor, so maybe the rush wasn’t quite so strange. Zechs let me down, carefully, but it still hurt like hell when he moved me from his arms to the bed. My ribs screamed as my torso stretched from the curled position I had been in as Zechs held me to lie flat on my back.
Everything faded again and the next thing I knew I was being wheeled quickly down the halls and into an operating room. Damn. I had hoped I’d be dead before they could slice me open.
“Let’s get an IV in him people, we don’t have all day,” one of the medics yelled as three or four others bustled around, setting up instruments and cutting me out of my clothes. One came over with an IV and a bag of fluid and I immediately recognized him as the orderly I’d become chummy with in one of my first stays.
“Mac!” I managed to whisper, harshly and filled with the wet sound of blood. He grinned down at me as he swabbed my arm and stuck me.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again. I’m not sure whether to be glad or not, but I guess alive is alive, huh?”
“For now,” I whispered just before the drug pulled me under.
I had to wonder if they’d be the last words I ever spoke.

Zechs 91
Once Duo was out of the way, I turned my attention toward getting Heero some help. I was aware that the guards were not happy to have me there, but it was more important to get Heero seen than to comply with them. After what I had just witnessed, I really didn’t feel bad about making life harder for a pair of guards.
How dare anyone lay a hand on one of my boys? How dare they? Did they think I wouldn’t notice? Did they think I wouldn’t mind they fact that they had beaten him nearly to death? Even if it was Shinigami, and even if he was a nuisance and my newest slave, did they really think I wouldn’t mind?
But that was in the past, and there was nothing I could do about it now. It was a lesson well learned, for I would never allow my slaves so far from real protection again, and I could only hope that Duo would not have to pay for the lesson with his life. But, in the meantime, I still had Heero to see to. So, knowing full well that Duo’s fate was now out of my hands, I turned my attention toward getting someone to see Heero, who was much less injured than Shinigami but injured none the less.
“Sir, I need you to follow me,” one of the guards told me.
“If you hadn’t noticed, I have two slaves that need medical attention. I will be happy to follow you after a doctor has seen my second slave and reported on my first. If you wish me to leave before that, you may remove me bodily, but I warn you that I will go neither peaceably nor quietly. Do you understand?”
“Uh... yes, sir. I’ll see if I can find someone,” he said, then walked away, leaving his partner to keep a steady eye on me.
I was much relieved, a few minutes later, to see Dr. Hutch, the same doctor who had treated Quatre, come bustling out of a pair of double doors. He seemed harried but composed as he waved for us to follow him, then led us into a small examining room.
“You have a knack for trouble,” Dr. Hutch commented as he signaled for me to help Heero onto the examining table as he got out his instruments.
“It would seem so,” I replied as I finished with my task and stepped back to allow the doctor to begin his examination. Heero was exhausted and submitted easily to the doctor’s probing. The Dr. Hutch, for his part, seemed to realize how tired the boy was and attempted to make his exam quick but thorough.
“It would seem that buying the Shinigami is merely asking for trouble,” he said to me as he shined a light into Heero’s eyes.
“I suppose, but I don’t quite think that Shinigami is beyond redemption. Ornery, and certainly a pain in the ass, but not bad enough to warrant the death penalty,” I told him. Of course, that was only part of the reason I had taken him. Beyond that, he had also formed some kind of bond with Heero, and I hesitated to let that bond slip away, for Heero seemed to be shy and unable to connect with most of his peers in a friendly way. Everything was business to Heero, and everything was a game to Duo, so perhaps they could learn from each other. And, on the off chance that they did learn, I might find myself with a highly prized slave who could potentially aide me in Collar. I doubted it, but it was worth a shot.
“Ah. And yet he is closer now than every before,” he said, a hint of disapproval in his voice as he finished examining Heero’s head and began to wash the gash on the side of his head. It stung, to have him so readily point out that I had failed my slaves once again.
“Yes, and I take responsibility for that, but I was not aware that the guards would be so cruel or bold,” I said. The doctor nodded even as he picked up a spray and generously coated Heero’s gash with it, then immediately began to stitch it up. Heero didn’t even flinch, though, so either the spray had some kind of numbing effect or the day was catching up with him. Or a little of both.
“They are always cruel, but not so often bold. You may sue them for damage such as that done to your slave as long as you saw it, so they usually do small cruelties. Actually, we have to hand pick guards for the hospital to make sure they will not abuse patients,” the doctor said, finishing the stitches and beginning to bandage his work. “You know that you caused quite a stir today, don’t you?”
“Yes. I suppose there aren’t many slaves that come in such a state.”
“That wasn’t it. We have bloodied slaves come through that door every day, but we never see a master walk through there.”
“I don’t understand. Why is it such a problem?” I wondered. What would a master want with an injured slave?
“Because the only time a slave is safe is when a master can’t get to them, and the only time a master really can’t get to a slave is when he doesn’t know where it is. Slaves are merely pawns in the master’s world, but by chance or by accident they can suddenly become important pawns. No master is supposed to know where the hospital wing is, because what’s really to stop them from sending someone to kill that slave? What’s to keep him from taking the slave before he’s ready? They drive them so hard, with so few breaks and so little compassion, that half the slaves here are suffering mostly from exhaustion. We hid them here, and now there is no where to hide.”
“You know I would never...” I protested, but he cut me off.
“I know, and I think that you’ll keep the secret and keep from abusing this knowledge, but that is what they see. All they can see is the end of their sanctuary. Which is why I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You can take Angel with you as long as you wake him up every hour and make sure he takes the pills I give you, but Shinigami will have to stay.”
“Obviously,” I told him, rolling my eyes and a little annoyed, but in complete understanding of why he would throw me out. I was, after all, upsetting his patients, even if I didn’t mean to. “But first I want to know Shinigami’s condition, and I want you to call me every two hours with an update or any time anything changes.”
“Alright, but I’m not going to sugar coat it for you. Shingami’s in bad shape. They had to put in a tube to help him breath until the swelling in his throat goes down, and they can’t get a good picture of his ribs but we’re fairly sure they’re cracked. They won’t trying anything else until the swelling in his chest goes down so they can see what they’re getting into. If the ribs are just cracked, we could do more damage by trying to fix them. He’s listed as critical right now.”
“I see,” I said and was about to say more when Heero suddenly closed his eyes and began to tumble forward off the table. I cursed and caught him, laying him back down while the doctor jumped into action taking his medical signs.
“He’s fainted,” the doctor sighed after a minute. “I really can’t let him go with you now. He’ll have to stay over night for observation and probably a fluid drip to help him bounce back.”
“Can you put him in a room with Shinigami?”
“Huh? Oh, sure, I guess.”
“They’re rather fond of each other. Heero might be able to keep Shini a little calmer,” I said, looking down at Heero’s swollen and emotionless face. I felt a pang, knowing I would leave him in just a few moments, but I knew he was in good hands with Dr. Hutch.. “But, other than that, please just take good care of them and call me if anything happens.”
“I will. And, Zechs? Thank you for understanding. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
“It’s more my fault than yours,” I told him with a smile that didn’t make me feel any better. “I was supposed to be watching them. I turned my eyes, and look what happened.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
“Ah, but I do. It was my job, after all,” I told him, then headed for the door, knowing that if I waited much longer I would not have the guts to leave either of them again.
I can’t remember the walk back to the apartment, just Trowa opening the door and leading me to the bathroom so I could wash Duo’s blood off. I’m pretty sure I terrified Quatre, but I can’t seem to remember the face he made when he saw me. Just his gasp of shock. I remember the phone calls the hospital made word for word, but they all said pretty much the same thing, “Heero is doing well, but Duo is still touch and go. We’ll keep you posted.” By the time they got Duo stabilized enough for me to dare to sleep it was well into the next day, and we were supposed to leave in only a few short hours. In the end I had to tell Trowa and Quatre to finish packing, answer the phone, and to wake me if there was any news about Duo or Heero. I went to sleep with the knowledge that our flight arrangements had yet to be made, but I managed to go to sleep, because I knew I’d be useless tomorrow if I didn’t. And when I did finally sleep it was uneasy and restless, but I took what I could get, knowing the next few hours would be take all of my strength to get through.

Heero 92
Once I knew for sure that Duo was safe and in the care of doctors who could help him, I let myself go. Perhaps it was not the best choice to let go while sitting up on the examining table, but I wasn’t sure my strength would hold up long enough for me to lay down. Besides, I knew master would catch me.
When I next woke up I was in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. Duo was in a bed next to mine, hooked up to several machines that seemed to be doing everything but sleeping for him, and he was probably only doing that because of the medicine in his IV. He was helpless, completely done in, and looked nearly dead. His eyes were sunken and his face was bruised, his long hair dirty and thrown into a haphazard ponytail to keep it away from the machinery. He was sleeping like the dead, which did less to comfort me than it should have.
“Finally awake, I see,” someone said to my left, and I looked to find Dr. Hutch in the doorway. He was an understanding man, and I was glad that he had taken over my care and Duo’s. Not that he was any more skilled than the other doctors, simply that he was less of a stickler for the rules than them. With a master like mine, there would have to be some exceptions, or he would drive himself crazy with worry.
“How long have I been out?” I asked, my voice scratchy and my throat dry.
“Several hours. We’ve been waking you every hour because of your concussion, but I don’t think you were aware enough of your surroundings to remember.”
“How is Shini?”
“Better. Still not quite stable, but he’s doing better. The swelling in his throat he lessened somewhat and while he’s not really showing improvement yet, he’s not slipping away either. He needs rest right now, and time to heal.”
“Where’s Master?”
“I had to ask him to leave. He was upsetting the other slaves. However, Kitten asked if he could come see you they finished packing and I said it’d be alright.”
“Packing? What day is it?”
“Tuesday.”
“But... we have to be off of the satellite by tonight or it will be closed. How will we...?” I trailed, looking at Duo. It would be dangerous for him to travel, but he couldn’t stay here. The satellite closed once the banquet was over and would open as a resort in a few weeks, once every room was carefully checked for signs of the station’s true purpose.
“If he is not ready, we will keep him here until he is better, but your master will not be able to reclaim him until next year’s banquet.”
“And knowing Shinigami, he won’t even be here by then,” I said distastefully. If he didn’t come with us now, we’d probably never see him again.
“Which is why if all goes well I will authorize him to leave with you as long as I am assured he will receive medical attention as soon as you get earthside. I’m not as crazy as your master, I don’t want the responsibility for Shinigami on my shoulders, or the blame if he should happen to get away.”
“I understand,” I told him, relaxing against the pillows. “What are his chances of successfully making it to Earth?”
“About as good as his chances of surviving here, honestly. Maybe better, if he gets top notch care on the ground. We have a lot of good doctors here, but we’re really not equipped to take care of this kind of beating. Broken bones and gashes, yes, but internal bleeding, punctured lungs, and a collapsed windpipe? No. It’s rare to see a beating of this caliber, and rarer yet for the slave to survive.”
“He’ll survive,” I assured him, a smirk on my face as I closed my eyes. “He is Shinigami.”
“That he is. Now, why don’t you go back to sleep? You’re all clear of the concussion, so we won’t have to wake you every hour, and I’m sure you could use some real rest,” he said, then departed. I fell asleep again before he was even out the door.
The next time I awoke, it wasn’t Quatre sitting with me, but Master.
“Isn’t Quatre coming?” I wondered, in a nearly lucid manner.
“What kind of greeting is that?” Master asked playfully.
“Uh... I’m sorry,” I mumbled, blushing. Master only laughed.
“Quatre was here earlier, but you slept right through his visit. It’s alright, though, because he couldn’t be here long anyway. We’ve been quite busy lately, trying to arrange transport for Duo and the rest of us,” he told me, a tiny, goofy smile on his face. I thought, for a moment, that perhaps that I was seeing it wrong, but looking closer I found that the problem was not with myself, but with Master. His eyes were sunken with deep, dark bags under them, and his face was looking almost gaunt and haggard. I had watched the constant parties and social pressures of Collar wear at him, but never had I seen him this bad. It seemed that our hospital stay had caused him to worsen drastically over night, and I could only hope, as I had with the pressures of Collar, that being home would cure him. And now it was even more desperate that we get home, for I wasn’t certain how much more of this Master could take.
“How will we transport Duo?” I wondered, glancing at the bed, where he seemed no better than he had been.
“I’ve chartered a private shuttle and purchased the same equipment that the hospital is using on him now. It’s being installed, but should be finished by this evening. Once we land an ambulance will meet us to take Duo to an earthside hospital for proper treatment. The rest of you will be transported to a secure location.”
“The house.”
“Uh...”
“What is it?” I wondered, his hesitation causing me to become nervous. “Aren’t we... aren’t we all going to the same place?” I wondered. I didn’t want to separate from any of the others, not when we were so close to being whole.
“No... That’s not it... It’s just that... the villa is so tiny. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and it’s really not big enough for five teenage boys, and there’s very little to keep all of you occupied.”
“So what are you going to do?” I wondered tentatively.
“I... I mean... It’s not like that’s the only house I have. There’s one farther to the west that’s just had the house completely redone. The barn needs some work, but it’s got lots of ground. And the house is state of the art, though the pool is a bit smaller than the last one. Of course, if we’re looking for a bigger pool there’s always the one in...”
“Master,” I interrupted, trying to stay awake as he rambled on. “I don’t really care about the house, as long as we’re all together. The villa was nice, but it was only the people in it that made it nice. I’m sure whatever house you choose will be fine.”
“The west house is closer to the hospital where Duo will be treated.”
“Then we should go there,” I said with a yawn. “How long until we leave?”
“A few hours. Go back to sleep while you can. I’m sure you’ll be too sore to sleep once they take you off those painkillers,” he said, and that brought me awake.
“Painkillers?”
“Mm-hm. I okayed them to let you sleep. They’ve been going into your IV since you got here, both to help you rest and to bring down the swelling.”
“I... wish you would have told me,” I said slowly. To have something put into my body that I was unaware of made me... unnerved. Suspicious. Scared.
“Why? I made sure it wasn’t anything detrimental, there was no reason to concern you about it.”
“Still...”
“Heero, I’m still your master,” he said, his tone serious. “There may be times that I okay things like this without your permission. You’ll simply have to accept that,” he said, then smiled brightly, if only for my behalf. “So don’t worry so much,” he said as he rose from his chair and headed to the door. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Never again.”

Wufei 93
I arrived to chaos. Oh, it was a quiet chaos, but chaos none the less. The slave’s quarters were completely packed, along with everything in the slave’s bathroom, but the master bedroom still had personal items scattered haphazardly everywhere, and the master bathroom was untouched. No one person’s belongings were in any of the suitcases, and it was impossible to tell which room any suitcase came out of. Quatre and Trowa, meanwhile, were debating whether it was more important to pack, to find Zechs’ clothes, which had all accidentally been packed, to wake Zechs, or to make flight arrangements themselves.
I took things in hand. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, not with Quatre and Trowa looking so worried and strained. With precious few hours left before the station closed, I knew we had to move quickly.
I put Quatre to the task of reorganizing the suitcases so that we could find something if need be. Trowa I sent to round up all the stray items that had been left behind. Which is when I realized that we were missing two of four slaves that had previously been in residence.
“Where are Heero and Duo?” I wondered. Quatre stopped in his packing, his hands hovering over the items he had so swiftly been arranging.
“Haven’t you heard?” he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Heard what?”
“They... They got hurt. The guards that were watching Duo... They tried to do something, and there was a fight. They’re both in the hospital. Duo’s in critical condition.”
An icy rage stole through me at the thought of two of my companions at the hands of merciless bruits, but, as many times before, I could only let it run it’s course. There was nothing I could do about it, even if I had been there. I had taught myself, out of necessity, to let the rage course through me and then to release it. To keep from feeling it would deaden me inside, and to hold it within would probably kill me. I had to let it go.
Taking a few breaths to steady myself, I asked fairly calmly, “What steps has Master Zechs taken in retribution?”
“I know he ran them off when he found them. He probably hurt the guards pretty badly, knowing how upset he gets when one of us is hurt.”
“No, I mean what grievances did he file? Did he not take legal action?”
“I... I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Quatre admitted quietly.
“He hasn’t had time for any of that,” Trowa informed me, bringing an armful of items for Quatre to pack away. “With Heero and Duo in such states Master hasn’t done anything but worry about them and consult with doctors and technicians about getting Duo to the ground.”
“I will have to speak to him of this matter,” I told them.
“Oh, Wufei, don’t!” Quatre implored, taking my wrist in his small hand. “He only just got to sleep a few hours ago and he’s had such a terribly hard day. Can’t we let him sleep just a little longer?”
“I wish we could, but if the grievance isn’t filed before the guards leave the station we will probably never find them.”
“Someone should have told me this earlier,” Master Zechs said, leaning against the kitchen doorframe and still rubbing his eyes from sleep. It was obvious from his unkept hair and unshaven face that he had just awakened, probably from the sounds of our voices. “I have to check on the flight arrangements anyway, so I’ll just make the call when I do it. I think I need a shower first, though, and a cup of coffee would be insanely appreciated,” he said, before trudging back toward master bedroom for his shower. I could see why Quatre didn’t want me to wake him, for the man looked like hell. I could barely imagine what strain the last two days must have put on him to sink him to this level.
But, even in such a weakened state, Zechs was still formidable, and I had to swallow hard before I could dig up the courage to face him in private. It didn’t help that I could hear him taking his clothes off in the other room. I was grateful that neither of the other slaves questioned me as I followed Zechs into the bedroom.
But Zechs was not in the bedroom, and I was again grateful to hear the sound of running water, meaning he had already gotten into the shower. Thus, when I followed him into the bathroom, there was a solid wall of glass between us, and the fog impaired my vision of what would otherwise be a very nude master. I cleared my throat, and Zechs looked up, surprised, from washing his hair.
“Wufei? What in the world are you doing in here? Is something wrong?”
“No, of course not. I merely wanted to...”
“Yes?”
“I wanted to tell you the Owner’s response.”
“Response?”
“Yes, to your inquiry. Your inquiry about me.”
“Oh, about having you play for us at Collar. Did he turn me down?”
“N-not exactly.”
“What then?”
“Well... he cited his earlier promise. The promise that said any master who could bed me could have me as their own.”
“Oh. I see,” he said, becoming very still within the bath. He seemed to deeply consider his options, and it was a long time before he spoke again. “We have six months before anything must actually be... consummated. We can worry about this more at a later date. For now... For now we will run under the assumption that you will belong to me at the beginning of Collar, understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, greatly relieved. I had been almost sure Zechs wouldn’t try anything right away, and he hadn’t looked like he had the energy for anything of that nature, but somehow I had still been worried that he would want... immediate consummation. I was not a very... consumptive person, I suppose.
“Oh, Wufei?”
“Yes?”
“If you’re not too busy, could you call the shuttle for me and find out if everything’s finished? I’m terribly busy at the moment, and it would be a big help. The number is on the refrigerator.”
“Of course,” I said, then bowed and left. Even though that was off my chest, there was really no time to slow down. There were still many things to do, and I would have plenty of time to rest on the ground.

Heero 94
I was getting tired of the drugs in my system. More specifically, I was getting tired of the long lapses in consciousness these drugs caused. When I went to sleep, the doctor had yet to decide if he would allow Duo to travel, and by the time I woke up he had already been loaded into the plane. We still had about an hour to takeoff, and the doctor said that they wanted to make sure Duo would stabilize before they took off, but it still unnerved me that all this had happened while I was asleep. I couldn’t help but wonder what else I had missed.
Of course, Wufei was back as well, but I had known he was coming, so it wasn’t such a shock. I was glad to note, as they wheeled me on the shuttle and secured me next to Duo, that Wufei seemed to be lending Master the support he needed. I was not able to help him myself, and was glad to see that someone else had stepped in to fill the job.
Liftoff was rough, and Duo’s vitals became somewhat unstable, but quickly settled as we moved out of the satellite’s gravity. It was Master who I thought might need medical attention, for he nearly had a melt down when Duo’s monitors went off. Sometimes, I wondered if he didn’t care too much, but it was better to have a Master who cared too much that one that didn’t care at all.
Sometime during the long ride from the satellite to Earth, Duo woke up. I saw his eyes open and mover leerily around the cabin, then to finally settled on me. He relaxed the tiniest bit, and extended his fingers, the only thing he could move, out to me. His neck was swollen from the strangulation he’d had, and there was a tube in his throat to keep him breathing, so he could not call out to me. Still, his eyes called to me, and I took his hand in mine. He smiled, then closed his eyes in sleep. I rubbed his fingers, held gently in my own, and contemplated his face, before finally noticing Master standing behind me, smiling sagely at our actions. Somehow, Master was always three steps ahead of me, even when it came to puzzles within myself.
I couldn’t be with Duo all the time, though. Even I knew that I’d have to leave to use the bathroom, but Master was adamant that there was someone watching him at all times, so Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa took shifts. Master forbid me from watching Duo alone because I was just out of the hospital, and I didn’t push him when he commented that he was three steps from assigning someone to watch me. And, of course, Master had been adamant that he take the longest shift, but Wufei had put his foot down and sent him off to bed.
“You’re no good to any of us if you’re too tired to be lucid!” he huffed, physically pushing Master toward the ship’s small quarters which contained six narrow bunk-beds. But I had little doubted Master would have trouble sleeping, for he was practically dead on his feet. I was glad that Wufei had managed to get Master to take care of himself.
I was less than thrilled, however, when Wufei came back and demanded that I and the other two also go to sleep. Quatre, who had earlier slept late because, much to his consternation, Trowa refused to wake him, managed to wheedle Wufei into letting him stay up, but Trowa and I were sternly ushered into sleeping quarters and I was warned not to come out in the next six hours.
But I could really only huff, because I knew Wufei was right. I myself still felt the strain of injuries on my body, and I had been assured that they would looked worse than the felt. I caught Trowa smirking as I glared at the door and had the sudden inclination that he wouldn’t be in here long after I was asleep. He probably only came in to be sure I went to sleep.
But how could I really get angry with them? After all, they were doing more work so that I would be better taken care of. How could I get mad at any of them? And, knowing that I couldn’t get mad, I sighed, changed my clothes, and went to bed. Before my head his the pillow, I was out.
I didn’t wake again until a few hours before landing, which meant I probably slept nearly twenty hours. But this, of course, was due mainly to the fact that my body was still dealing with the drugs injected into me just the day before, along with the trauma I suffered. Which is why it worried me so to find Master still sound asleep.
“Hasn’t he woke up at all?” I asked anxiously, concerned that the stress might have done something to him.
“No, but I wouldn’t worry,” Quatre told me. “Wufei slipped him a sleeping pill, just a mild one of course, but we think it might have been unnecessary. And so, he sleeps. Still, I’m sure he could use the rest. He was looking pretty awful near the end of our stay.”
I nodded in agreement, then took up a chair on the other side of Duo’s bed. Quatre told me that Duo had been sleeping soundly off and on for the past few hours, and had even woken up enough to look around the room.
“He’ll get the very best care once we’re on the ground,” Quatre assured, though I already knew it. “I just know he’ll be better in no time.”
I could only hope for the same.
Master woke up half an hour before descent, looking refreshed and better than he had in days. He was in bright spirits, and tousled Quatre’s hair before going to the helm to see how the flight was progressing.
I was about to ask Quatre for something to eat, when I noticed Duo’s eyes were open and staring at me, his hand once again outstretched. I smiled at him, hoping to chase the fear from his eyes, and took his hand, sitting down beside him in the seat Trowa vacated for me.
“Hey Duo,” I said softly, stroking his bangs from his forehead. “We’ll be on the ground in a little while, and you’ll be back to the hospital where you belong.”
I could only assume Duo heard me, but he did smile as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep, so I was pretty sure it was more than just wistful thinking.
Quatre brought me a sandwich, and I ate it without ever realizing what kind it was. There was a drink, too, and I think it might have been some kind of soda, because I vaguely remember the fizz. I’m pretty sure a good amount of time passed in silence, but it went like a blur. Master returned, still in high spirits, and sat down beside me. Then, the next thing I knew, we were descending.
I gripped Duo’s hand in my own, not because I was scared, but because I was afraid he’d become frightened and have some sort of attack. But, for or despite my help, Duo remained calmly asleep as we headed downward and even as we depressurized. It was only when we began to move him onto the moving bed that he awoke. I think he must have been confused and tried to call out to me, because he suddenly started shaking and reached his hand toward his throat. I went for him, but Master was faster, and quickly unstrapped him and turned him to his side, then held him steady as his breathing slowly regulated. When Master turned him back, he was pale and sweaty, his eyes muddled and confused. I took his hand, hoping to console him, but had to step back as Master and the others worked to transfer him to the other bed. Then they wheeled him out of the shuttle, hurrying to get him to the hospital, and into an ambulance. I made to follow, but Master stepped in my path.
“You and the others will ride in the van,” he instructed, pointing to a plain black van.
“Where will we meet you?” I asked, knowing Master would ride with Duo in the ambulance.
“I’ll meet up with you at the house later. Wufei has my cell number. Call if you need anything.”
“But...”
“I have to go, Heero,” Master said, already heading toward the ambulance. “You’ll be fine, and I’ll keep an eye on Duo. Don’t fight over the rooms. Goodbye,” he said, just before the ambulance door was slammed shut. In the next moment, they were speeding away.
I think, if I had been alone, I might have cried. The emotions Master had allowed me to get in touch with permitted that, but common sense would not allow me to be so weak in front of others who I did not yet trust completely. So, instead, I hardened my heart and climbed silently into the van, uncertain if I would ever see Duo again. I know Quatre tried to make small talk with me, but I ignore him, unable to focus on his words, only thinking of Duo and if he was alright. What if he panicked again? Who would calm him? Who would hold his hand?
But there was nothing I could do. We were quickly approaching our new “home” and, with no way to return, I had no choice but to wait for Master and news of Duo.

Zechs 95
The ambulance didn’t have to turn its lights on for Duo, but it certainly didn’t go the speed limit. But then, what cop would pull over an ambulance? And I knew the man behind the wheel was capable, and his partner seemed just as reliable as he tended to Duo. Still, I was anxious to get my slave to the hospital and into Sally’s hands.
This operation, as with most covert operations, was painfully complicated, but with good reason. The only reason I was admitted to Collar was because of my background, my wealth, and because I had no visible connection with Preventers. I was, more or less, a spy. And, because I could not have any visible connection with Preventers, only those undercover agents who were not known to be from Preventers and those who only had a known passing association with Preventers were allowed on the case. The agents who surrounded and guarded myself and the boys had no backgrounds and no way to identify them. They had changed names months ago, changed their looks, and joined my staff. Sally, who had worked briefly for Preventers, had put in for a transfer to a private hospital that I frequented. But she and I had been friends for a long time, so it wouldn’t seem unusual for me to trust her. Even the men who had remodeled the house had been specially selected by Preventers before my staff could contact them with the details of the project. It all had to be done quietly, secretly, and stealthily.
As Duo’s eyes opened and he looked anxiously around, I could only wish Heero were around. But I knew he could not be, because I could not risk that kind of exposure to him. It was imperative that no one asked questions about them, and the safest way to keep that from happening was to keep them hidden. If some haphazard journalist should take a snapshot of them and start asking questions about their backgrounds, the results could be disastrous. I wasn’t like the corrupt officials who could pay off or assassinate those who got in their way. On a mission of this importance, the utmost caution was taken.
Still, I knew Heero could have vanquished the nervousness from Duo’s features in a heartbeat and put him right back to sleep. I, on the other had, was uncertain if my presence would calm him or panic him. We didn’t have what you would call a solid relationship, he and I. But I had to do something, so I leaned into his range of vision and waved my hand, hoping to get his attention without startling him. His eyes jumped to me, and I could see him trying to swallow around the awkward tube in his throat.
“We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes,” I told him calmly. He nodded, which was really the only thing he could do at the time, then looked around pointedly. “Heero couldn’t come with us. I had to send him to the house with the others. You’ll see him in a few days, when you get out of the hospital.” At this, Duo glared pointedly at me. “There’s no use getting angry. It was too risky to let Heero come, and, anyway, Heero doesn’t do well with crowds. You wouldn’t want him to get hurt, now would you?” I asked. Duo tried to stay mad, but, whether due to conscience or exhaustion, he soon lost the strength needed for a proper glare and settled on giving me a huffy mope. It was actually kind of cute, and I smiled and shifted his bangs away from his eyes. I’d have to remember to tell Sally not to cut his hair, or she would be likely to shave his head instead of dealing with that mop. Sally was too straightforward to deal with anyone but soldiers, but she was one hell of a medic. She could fix anyone with rubber bands, horse hair, and a pint of vodka.
I sighed as Duo began to fall back to sleep. We were out of the woods now, but the worst was far from over. Now was simply the calm before the storm, while Duo rested from the trip and Sally waited, impatiently, for hospital staff to clear out so she could send Duo for the myriad of tests she would undeniably want done. Of course, Duo was under the same restraints as Heero in that I needed him to be seen by the least amount of people possible. Then, once the hospital was clear, would come operations, medication, and a possibly extended stay in the hospital. Finally, once he was home, there would still be medications and therapy sessions for months, possibly up until we returned to Collar. So, while I was extremely optimistic about Duo’s recovery, I knew just what a long a rocky road we would be on.
But, really, I was faced with the same road for all of the boys. Slavery was a disease, and it had infected them, and now it was up to me to make them better. They had been stripped of any sense of self, stripped of a sense of play, stripped of choice. All that they understood was money, power, looks, and sex. It wouldn’t be easy or quicky to take that out of them, but it was my responsibility to do so.
So, it seemed I was at a sort of paradox. For it was my mission to make them better slaves, in order to win Collar and destroy the practice of human slavery. On the other hand, could I fight enslavement, while allowing those closest to me to be enslaved? Would I be worthy of the position I held, if I could stand such injustice even for a moment longer? I would make them my companions, my soldiers, and my lovers, but I would not enslave them. I could not.
But they would never know, at least not until it was too late. What would happen after Collar was something that I would prepare the boys for, but I could not prepare myself. I would attempt to normalize them, with hopes that they would survive this battle, but I could not plan. To plan for a normal life with them, only to have one of them die, would certainly undo me. Already I was too close to them, and were this a normal mission I would remove myself at once, but it was not a normal mission, and abnormal tactics were required.
Duo would be the hardest to teach, if he were teachable at all. He was both afraid and angry when it came to me, and there was nothing I could do to completely alleviate these feelings. He needed to be somewhat afraid of me, afraid of the punishments I could give him. Not terrified, of course, but all good soldiers were somewhat afraid of their commander. It kept them in line and on their toes, respectful and alert. And I couldn’t very well expect him not to be angry with me, for I was almost angry at myself. I was his master, his overlord, and his jailer. Without blowing my cover I could not change his perspective of me in that sense. I could only hope that the other slaves, especially Heero, could convince Duo that not all masters were bad. Just most... Almost all of them... All except one. And sometimes, I wasn’t certain about myself either, for how easily I could stumble and become a monster like the others. How fragile each of the boys were in some ways, yet like tempered steel in others. Heero’s determination, Duo’s spirit, Quatre’s sympathy, Trowa’s gentleness, Wufei’s pride. A thousand pounds of weight had been put on each of their shoulders and they had survived, and yet I knew I could break them in a heartbeat.
“You seem deep in thought,” Sally said, a small grin on her face as I jumped. I had been thinking so deeply that I hadn’t noticed her come in.
“Just thinking of what a long road it will be with him,” I replied, and her grin faded at once.
“We’ll know just how long a road in a few hours. I really want to get his chest x-rayed and see what the damage is. He hasn’t been coughing up blood lately, has he?”
“When he was first injured he did, but I think he suffered some minor strangulation, so there might have been some damage to his throat.”
“Hm. I’ll have to take a thorough look.”
“With the camera?”
“No, I have x-ray vision. Yes, with the camera.”
“He won’t like that. Having someone stick a tiny camera down your throat is bad enough, but Duo is also afraid of suffocation.”
“He’s not going to suffocate.”
“I have no fear of that, but I am afraid he’ll struggle.”
“We’ll see. When he wakes up I’ll explain it to him, and if he seems too upset we’ll sedate him, but I’d really rather not. There’s no need to put extra drugs in his system if we can avoid it. But it doesn’t really matter right now. We’ll have to get his chest x-rayed first, and then we’ll go from there. I have to fix his lungs before I can worry about his throat.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“For now, just brief him about what we’ll be doing. I’m sure you know about chest x-rays and I’d rather not waste time explaining it to him if I don’t have to. Other than that, just try to keep him calm, and don’t let him pull out that tube. There’s no way I can know, but it might be the only thing that’s keeping him breathing. We’re lowering drugs he’s being given as well, since it seems the doctor put him on a higher dose to keep him calm on the plane. Hopefully he’ll be a bit more lucid now.”
“Any pain?”
“There shouldn’t be much, if any. I can’t guarantee complete comfort, but if he seems too bothered we’ll give him something stronger.”
“Alright then. I’ll make sure he knows about the x-ray procedures.”
“See that you do. Now, I’m off to harass some employees into taking the night off early.”
I smiled as Sally left, knowing that she would do exactly as she had promised. Still, the smile faded quickly. It was hard to feel happy with Duo so badly hurt. There hadn’t been much love lost between us, but he was still one of my boys. It had been my job to protect him, and I had failed.
It wasn’t long before Duo woke up, and he did seem more lucid, though I couldn’t tell exactly how lucid without his voice, for we had only really ever interacted through the exchange of barbs and punishment. Heero would have been able to tell instantly what Duo’s condition was just by looking at his eyes, but I already knew the reasons Heero could not be present. So I would have to take it upon myself to care for Duo.
“Are you awake?” I asked, wondering from his glazed eyes if he might not be truly conscious. At my words, though, his eyes cleared and focused on me, so I knew he was now, if not before, conscious.
“Don’t try to talk,” I warned him quickly, knowing how effortlessly the boy before me could speak. “You still have a tube down your throat and we can’t remove it until after your x-ray. So, first I want to ask you some questions, and you can squeeze my hand once for yes and twice for no,” I said, and reached to take his hand. He, however, had different ideas, and pulled his hand away before I could touch it. This annoyed me, mainly because I was trying to help him but also because it showed he still didn’t trust me. Still, looking in his eyes I saw almost a sheepish kind of nervousness. It seemed almost like he was embarrassed about it. In any case, I decided to let it go, mainly because it wouldn’t do any good to get upset at a sick person.
“Alright, then, how about one finger for yes and two for no. Can you do that?” I asked. In response Duo extended one finger. I had to look down at his hand, because he was not yet strong enough to lift it, but it seemed a clear and deliberate movement, so I decided it would be alright to proceed.
“Firstly, are you in any pain?” I asked. His hand went back into a ball and then he again extended one finger.
“Is it more than you can handle?”
Two fingers. No.
“Is there any particular place that hurts?”
One finger.
“Is it your chest?”
One finger.
“Is there any where else that hurts significantly?”
Two fingers.
“Have you ever had an x-ray before?”
At this, Duo hesitated, then held up a completely open palm. Either he didn’t understand the question or, more likely, he didn’t know if he’d ever had an x-ray done before. I doubted the doctors at Collar, as good as they were, had followed proper hospital procedure when working on their patients.
“Have you ever had a broken bone?” I asked instead.
One finger.
“Do you remember how they took pictures of the bone to see that it was broken?”
One finger.
“Have you ever broken a bone in your chest?”
Duo started to put out two fingers, then abruptly stopped, hesitated for a moment, then opened his palm. I wondered at it for a moment, but it wasn’t hard to see what he probably meant based on his treatment at Collar. He may very well have broken ribs, but it was unlikely his masters would have let him be treated for it.
“Has a doctor ever looked at your chest to see if you had broken a bone?”
A solid two fingers, which wasn’t technically true. The doctors at Collar had done an x-ray on his chest, but he probably hadn’t been conscious. Still, their equipment hadn’t managed to see anything through the swelling anyway, which was the main reason for this second x-ray.
“Alright then, can you listen while I explain the procedure?” I asked him. I received one finger in response, but it was the middle finger. Duo must be feeling better.
“The first thing they’ll do is to inject an ink into your I.V. It won’t hurt you, but it will make the x-rays more visible. Then comes the worst part; they’ll have to wheel you down the hall and transfer you to another bed. You may feel pretty good now, but there aren’t a whole lot of drugs strong enough to touch pain when you’re moving, and Sally’s got a rule about whining. The good news is once you’re on the table they just have to turn on the machine, you’ll hear a bunch of clicks, and then it’s over. Honestly, the worst part is going to be getting you down there and back.”
Duo seemed to ponder that for a moment, blinking lethargically, then took his hand and deliberately pointed toward his throat.
“No, I don’t know when they’re going to take that out, but I’m sure it won’t be until after the x-ray, so don’t play with it.”
He pouted as well as he could given the circumstances, but our “talk” had exhausted him and his eyes began to slip shut. In a few moment he was sound asleep. Feeling like a weight had been lifted from my chest, I decided to get a coffee. I was quick about it, despite my sudden surge in confidence for Duo’s condition, because even seeing that he was improving could not totally wipe out the fear that I would fail him again.
The x-rays went well, despite all the machinery and tubes Duo had been hooked up to. It was, as I had promised, somewhat painful for Duo, though Sally and I attempted to make it as comfortable as possible. Once it was over, I returned with Duo to his room while Sally went to develop the pictures. Duo, upon arriving, fell immediately asleep, and I was left to wait anxiously for Sally.
“Well, let’s see what we’ve got,” she pronounced, barging in and hanging the pictures on the light screen, just as anxious as I was to see what had been dome to him. She flicked the light on and we each spent a moment examining the damaged torso in front of us.
“Isn’t that strange?” Sally wondered. “None of his ribs have broken, but his left lung collapsed.”
“Not so strange, considering that amount of damage done to his chest. More strange is the fact that his ribs didn’t break under that much stress. But we should have known it was the lung.”
“Ah yes, because it would be so easy to see a small lowered spot and a slightly blue tint under the large swollen spot and blatantly purple section.”
“I suppose you’re right. Still, if that’s all the damage this really won’t be as bad as we thought.”
“There’s still a long track ahead of him, but granting that the operation to get his lung inflated goes well and we can repair the damage to his throat, it won’t be nearly as long a road as previously suspected.”
“When will you operate?”
“Tomorrow morning. I can’t do a procedure like this alone and you aren’t cleared to help me. So, until then, you should go home. I’m sure your other boys need you.”
“I think I should stay,” I told her, leaning over the rail of the bed to look at Duo’s bruised face.
“Here isn’t like there. He’s no safer anywhere else in the world than he is here. There’s a security camera in his room, and two guards and three nurses watching him at all times. He’ll be fine. Besides, you can’t leave the others alone the entire time he’s in the hospital.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I said, and with one last look at Duo, I headed out, knowing there would only be more problems to deal with once I got home.
When had my life gotten so complicated?

Quatre 96
The house was... homey. More so than any of the mansion I had lived in or the expensive cottages I had stayed at. Or, perhaps, I merely appreciated it more because I had been without a home for so long. Whatever the reason, I thought it was probably the best home I’d ever seen, though I had to admit I was probably bias.
It was old, ancient even, but not in any state of disrepair. It seemed like a sturdy oak, which only grew stronger with time. There were pillars in front of the door, and stairs leading up to it, giving the house a regal feeling. But the part that still struck me the most was its age. The house seemed almost... wise.
It was massive, too, three stories high with a balcony on the third story. I had yet to go inside, but it seemed almost as wide as it was tall. And the grounds were huge as well, from what I could see. The estate was surrounded in dense forest, so I could only assume that the cleared ground was yard. I wondered how far into the forest the grounds extended. It wasn’t uncommon for a master to buy all the ground around their estate to keep nosey neighbors from moving in.
“Zechs has asked me to show you all to the house, and then you’re on your own until he gets back,” the driver informed. He was older than master, but still pretty young. He had a relaxed air about him, although it felt to me that he was also very serious about his duties. Still, he seemed genuinely nice. And, because I of my empathy, I was pretty sure of myself when it came to knowing people.
“Do you work for Master Zechs?” I wondered, causing the driver to look at me as he turned off the car.
“Not exactly. I work for Zechs’... business. He called ahead to tell us he would be moving to this location, so we made sure the house was up to code. It’s a pretty neat place, I think you’ll like it. We’ve installed some things to help you train for your... competition.”
“I know you,” Heero blurted suddenly as we all began to exit the van. “You’re the same person who drove on the first day I came to master.”
“Uh...” the man hesitated. “Yes, I am.”
“But why did you come so far?”
“Well... Zechs is very particular about who knows about you boys, as I’m sure you can understand. You’re not likely see many new faces around this place, except for maybe some teachers.”
“Teachers?” Wufei wondered as he climbed out of the van.
“Zechs mentioned getting some tutors to train you for Collar once he found out what the tasks would be. Anyway, to your left will be the den, and to your right the kitchen. Now, your luggage will arrive once it’s been unloaded from the plane, so until then you’ll just have to entertain yourselves. Zechs will be back later this evening, and you can dial one on any phone if you need something.”
“When will Duo come?” Heero asked, his face gloomy and pinched with worry, though if you didn’t know him you wouldn’t be able to tell.
“They’ll be keeping him at the hospital until Sally releases him. Other than that, I couldn’t say. All I can tell you is Sally’s the best, and your friend is in good hands with her.”
“What should we do in the mean time?” Wufei asked.
“Just explore, I guess. As long as you don’t go outside of the grounds you can do whatever you want. Just don’t break anything. Oh, and don’t fight, either. I’m sure Zechs wouldn’t be pleased if you did. Now, if there are no more questions, I’ll be leaving. There’s food in the kitchen and, as I said, if you need something just dial one on any phone.”
And with that he got back into the car and drove away, leaving the four of us staring at the huge house in front of us and wondering what to do.
Wufei moved first, opening the front door and stepping inside. Heero followed next, then myself. Only Trowa hesitated on porch. I turned, wondering what was keeping him, only to find him looking upwards.
“Trowa?” I wondered.
“There’s a balcony on the third floor,” he answered cryptically. “I’m sure the view is beautiful. Do you think...?” he trailed, staring at it with longing.
“Well, the man did say to explore,” I replied bravely. “Let’s go find it.”
The stairs were all the way in the back of the house. We tiptoed to them like thieves, as though the house was not our home. Wufei was in the kitchen preparing tea, and Heero was in the backyard already, looking for something or another, so Trowa and I were alone as we ascended the steps. The upstairs was ghostly silent, compiled of two halls that intersected in a slightly off center T. There was another set of stairs right across from the first. The one we were on led from the first floor to the second, while the other seemed to lead from the second to the third. We didn’t stop to look at the many rooms on the second floor, too intent on our quest to find the balcony.
At the top of the next set of stairs we encountered a huge, gothic library. At the end of the library was a pair of french doors, and beyond them the balcony. Trowa set off immediately for the balcony, while I hesitated a moment to look around the library. I took a deep breath, smelling the dry, musty scent of books and knowledge. It had been a long time since I had been given the luxury of being in a library and not being naked, chained, in pain, or any combination of the three.
But I only spent a moment enjoying the library, because Trowa was waiting on the balcony and I was eager to join him. There was something kindred between us, something that attracted us to each other, but neither of us had been able to delve further into the relationship because of the others. Now, in this big house, almost completely alone, I hoped we could at least talk. I wanted to know more about the mysterious boy who had so captivated me.
Trowa was already outside on the balcony, leaning on the rail and letting the wind tousle his long bangs. His closed his vibrant green eyes as the wind caressed his face, the gentle summer breeze bringing a smile to his face. I paused at the sight, longing to see that smile more often. He sensed my presence and opened his eyes, turning that soft grin to me. It brought a smile to my own face as I stepped out beside him.
But, as I went to cross the threshold from the library, a sudden wave of vertigo overcame me and I nearly fell, managing just barely not to stumble. I reached out, my hand grabbed the rail in a strong grip, and the wave of vertigo passed. I quickly looked over at Trowa to see that he had looked away, luckily missing my slip. I took a deep breath and the vertigo quickly passed, and I could only wonder what had caused it.
Trowa and I spent a few moments in silence. He contemplated the surrounding grounds while I tried to get my bearings from that sudden onslaught of my senses. The vertigo was gone, but it had left me feeling queasy, lightheaded, and generally ill. But I didn’t want to cause problems, not for Trowa, not for Master, and especially not so soon. Duo was in the hospital, and my pain certainly didn’t compare to that.
“It’s peaceful here, don’t you think?” Trowa asked, his quiet voice ringing in the silence.
“Huh? Oh... uh, yeah, it’s great,” I replied, unable to focus through the scattered feeling in my head.
“Quatre? Are you alright?” he wondered, turning to me.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said quickly, swallowing the bile that rose in my throat.
“Oh. Alright. When do you think Master will be back?” he wondered.
“Um... I don’t know,” I admitted, fighting not to pant. My stomach was rolling and I just wanted to sit down, but I didn’t want Trowa to think I didn’t want to be around him, so I took slow deliberate breaths and thanked my lucky stars that he wasn’t looking at me.
“I hope we stay here for a long time,” Trowa commented, staring out over the landscape.
Meanwhile, I was still feeling terrible. I held my breath and counted to ten, but all I managed to do was make myself dizzy. I took a slow breath and closed my eyes, leaning against the railing heavily. I thought, for a moment, that I might be okay, because my head began to clear, but my knees suddenly gave out and I knew I was done.
“Quatre!” Trowa gasped, hurrying over to kneel beside me. “What happened?”
“I don’t feel so good,” I admitted, biting my lip as tears came to my eyes.
“Alright,” Trowa said, his voice forced calm though I could tell how upset he really was. “Do you think you can stand?” he asked. I nodded, biting my lip and hoping I didn’t throw up. I grabbed the railing and tried to pull myself up, but it took Trowa helping on the other side to get me on my feet, and even then I was wobbly. I felt incredibly weak, so much so that I had to lean on Trowa while I walked.
“Here, sit down,” Trowa said, propelling me to one of the couches in the library. I moaned in pain as I sat, the movement causing my stomach to lurch. “Alright, just stay here,” Trowa said as he darted to the door and yelled for Wufei. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I was just too sick.
I leaned on the arm of the couch, putting my head down on my hands as I wished today had gone better. I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up to see Wufei and Trowa returning, the former looking worried and the latter looking close to panic.
“What’s wrong?” Wufei asked, his brown eyes looking over me and taking everything in.
“I think I’m sick,” I told him sorrowfully.
“I can see that,” he replied, smiling. “Can you tell me why?” he asked, reaching out to touch my forehead.
“No. I just suddenly got dizzy when I went out on the porch. I tried to ignore it, but then my stomach got upset and I got this terrible headache, and then I fell,” I replied as he lowered his hand, a frown on his face.
“No fever... When’s the last time you ate?”
“Um... On the plane, I think,” I told him.
“No,” Trowa contradicted, “You said you were too upset to eat on the plane, because of Duo. Remember?”
“Oh. Well, then it must have been the day before,” I tried again.
“Neither of you ate the day before,” Wufei cut in. “You were both too busy with packing to worry about eating,” he reminded us as he tilted my head back to peer in my eyes.
“So what’s wrong with him?” Trowa asked as Wufei finished.
“I’m not a doctor, but my best guess would be stress. I’ll make some tea and toast, and with a little rest he should be fine. Just put him to bed in one of the guest rooms downstairs. If you can keep an eye on him tonight I’ll be sure to tell Master Zechs what happened when he gets home, but I don’t think it will be anything to worry about, alright?” he asked. We both nodded and Wufei turned to the stairs but halted just before he reached them. “Oh, and Trowa? You had better carry him down. We don’t want him to get dizzy and fall going down the stairs,” he said, then descended out of sight.
I glanced at Trowa, completely mortified. I couldn’t ask him to carry me down the stairs like a child. And Trowa must have felt like a pack mule, being ordered to hall me around!
But, somehow, he really didn’t look all that offended as he smiled and leaned down to pick me up. He gently scooped me into his arms as though I weighed nothing, then descended the stairs as lightly as a jungle cat. Wufei had opened one of the doors, and Trowa carried me into the room. Inside was a small bedroom with a pair of twin bed and two dressers. It was a normal bedroom, which was far above what most slaves were given.
Trowa placed me on the closest bed, then helped me change and tucked me under the covers. I was blushing brightly by the time I got settled, but it didn’t faze Trowa. He simply pulled the covers up to my chin and knelt next to me.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked.
“A little,” I said truthfully. Laying down was helping me, although it was also making me sleepy.
“I brought some aspirin as well,” Wufei said from the door as he entered with a tray a few minutes later. “I thought perhaps it would help.”
“Thank you,” I said, somewhat weakly. I just wanted to go to sleep, but I knew Wufei and Trowa wouldn’t let me go to sleep without eating something. And, true to my belief, Wufei came over and plopped a tray of tea and toast in front of me, insisting that I take the pills and eat at least two pieces of toast before he would let me lay back down.
“I really think it’s just stress and maybe a bit of jetlag, but it’s best to keep an eye on him. You will, I suppose, be sleeping in here?” he asked Trowa, who nodded. They were both ignoring me, but as I was having terrible difficulty keeping my eyes open I wasn’t at all offended. “Then you can keep an eye on him tonight, and be sure to wake me if he gets worse. I’ll make sure to tell Master Zechs when he gets home, but otherwise I don’t think we need to concern him.”
“Alright,” Trowa agreed, raising the covers to my chin. “Is there anything I should look for?”
“Fever, mainly, or any kind of sweating. Or, more likely, if he tells you he’s feeling worse. Just stay close in case he feels ill again.”
“I will,” Trowa said, and his soft voice was the last thing I heard as I drifted into sleep.
It was morning before I woke again, and this time it was to the feel of someone sitting beside me, softly stroking my hair. I expected to open my eyes to see Trowa, but instead found Master sitting beside me, with Trowa no where to be found. Still, Master smiled at me so gently that I found it impossible to be disappointed.
“Master?” I wondered.
“Awake, finally?” he asked in response, smiling brighter. “Wufei tells me that you were feeling ill last night, so I let you sleep late. Wufei also tells me that you haven’t been eating lately.”
“I’m sorry, Master. It was just so busy that I guess I forgot.”
“Well, don’t let it happen again. I expect you to have a big breakfast this morning, then relax for the rest of the day. Come on then,” he said, pulling me to stand beside the bed. “I believe the others have finished making breakfast, so let’s go get something to eat.”
Master helped me out into the hall, keeping a hand on my elbow. I could feel that he was worried I would fall even though I felt a million times better than I had last night. I could smell breakfast even from the stairs and my mouth began to water. I was glad to find breakfast already laid out when we reached the kitchen, because I was starving. The others probably thought it strange how eagerly I set into my bowl of porridge, but I was too hungry to care.
About half way through breakfast the phone rang, and Master jumped up to get it. I was too focused on my food to notice the first half of the conversation, but everyone stopped to stare when Master’s voice went from annoyed to irate.
“...What do you mean you already did it? Damn it Sally, you knew I’d want to be there!... No, I trust you... No, I know I wouldn’t have been any help but... Damn it, that wasn’t your call!... The other boys were fine... They’re still fine... I’m coming down right now, and damn you, if you pull something like this again I’m going to kick your ass, woman or not. Where is he?... Yes, I know where recovery is. I’m not senile... What are his signs like?... Alright, I’ll be there soon,” he said, then hung up the phone and rushed to get his shoes.
Heero was the first to move, while all the rest of us sat frozen at the table. He jumped up from his seat, almost knocking over his chair in the process, and darted to where Master was heading out the door.
“Master, are you going to see Duo?”
“Huh? Oh, yes,” Master said offhandedly, grabbing his keys from the counter.
“Can I come with you?”
“No, you stay here. I’ll be back later,” he said, opening the door and stepping out before turning, in a rushed way, back to the rest of us. “Behave yourselves while I’m gone. Order lunch if you need to. I’ll be home later,” he finished, then closed the door and was gone.
Heero remained standing, staring at the door in silence. Finally he sighed and his shoulders sagged, and he walked out of the kitchen.
I had expected him to be disappointed, but not to this extent. There was such hopeless ness, such disappointment, such failure radiating from his that I could only stare at his retreating back in wonder. Where was this longing coming from? Was he really that upset that Master was spending so much time with Duo? But that didn’t make any sense, for I couldn’t feel a hint of jealousy on him, only pain and sadness. But why?
It wasn’t until after breakfast that I had a chance to speak with Heero. I convinced Wufei and Trowa that I was fine, so they decided to go explore the grounds a bit more. Heero, luckily, had decided to work off his excess emotions in the gym, so I didn’t have to go far to find him.
“Heero? Can I talk to you?” I asked.
“Talk,” he replied gruffly, never pausing in his repetition as he worked out his arms.
“Why were you so upset about Master leaving?” I asked, point blank. If he wanted to be a jerk than I could be insensitive too.
“That’s none of your concern,” he replied, stopped his repetitions, and moved to another machine.
“Fine,” I huffed, “I’ll just let Master know,” I replied. Heero paused from changing the weight on his machine, stopping dead. He was still for a moment, then sighed and turned to me.
“What do you want?” he asked, his eyes smoldering with anger at me. I almost, for a second, backed down from the intensity of that glare, but my empathy told me that he wasn’t violently angry, and the he didn’t hate me, as his glare proclaimed. If I hadn’t had my empathy, I probably would have apologized and left.
“I want to know why you were so upset that Master left.”
“I wasn’t upset that Master left,” he said, turning from me again.
“You were upset that he wouldn’t take you with him.”
“No,” he replied again. “I was upset I couldn’t see Duo.”
“But, you have to know that Master is taking care of Duo...”
“He’s dead.”
“W-what?” I could only gasp, wondering if I had heard him right.
“Duo. He’s dead. I’m sure of it.”
And suddenly it came into focus, what I had felt from Heero earlier. He was sure that Duo had died in the hospital, which was why Master wouldn’t take him to see Duo. He was literally in mourning, trying to overcome the loss of his friend when no one else even knew he was gone. Alone and in pain, he had been dealing with this loss without the solace of another soul. Without even understanding.
“You’re wrong,” I told him. “Duo’s not dead.”
“How do you know?” Heero asked, turning on me with a vehement glare, but this time I was not moved. This time he wasn’t really angry, just afraid to hope.
“If Duo had died, Master would be sad. He might not like Duo, but I know he would be upset it he had died. So far, I welt some anxiety from him when Duo has been mentioned, but nothing to imply that Duo is or could be dying. Duo is fine,” I assured him, and felt the relief roll off of him.
Now, I could only hope that Master would prove me right.

Zechs 97
I arrived at Preventer’s headquarters in full fledged pissed mode. Nothing seemed to be going right, starting with when I had arrived home dead tired the night before only to find that Quatre was sick. I had checked on him and he seemed fine, but I had spent half the night worrying anyway. I was probably just paranoid since Duo was in bad condition, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something disastrous was about to happen.
So I spent an almost sleepless night worrying about Quatre. This condition was only compounded by the fact that, after a month of being surrounded by the boys I had come to care so much for, I suddenly found myself sleeping completely alone. I kept waking to find myself reaching for one of them only to miss and grasp the air. More than once I found myself getting up to go check on them, only to force myself to lay back down. I couldn’t give them a sense of normality if I was constantly looking over their shoulders, but it was so hard to put space between us, especially at that point.
The next morning began better, but quickly spiraled downward. I had woken early to find Wufei already up, and we had spent some time talking over tea. Wufei was an interesting young man and I longed to learn more about him, but I couldn’t spare the attention from Duo to truly understand him.
Heero and Trowa meandered down the stairs some time later and I let the three of them start breakfast as I went to wake Quatre. I was relieved to find that he was feeling better and we went to enjoy our first breakfast in our new home.
Which is when I got the call. I had been expecting Sally to call me in the morning to tell me that Duo was awake and that I should come in. I had not, unfortunately, been expecting her to call me to tell me how his operation went.
What operation?
“The operation to re-inflate his lung, duh,. I got a three hour window this morning where the nurses I needed were here and the rest of the staff was gone so I took it. The operation is over and he’s doing fine,” Sally responded on the other side of the phone. I felt a migraine starting behind my eyes.
“What do you mean you already did it? Damn it Sally, you knew I’d want to be there!”
“And why, exactly, is that?” Sally asked, and I could hear her getting equally pissed. “Do you doubt my skills?” she asked.
“No, I trust you...:”
“Do you think that you would have been able to help? Are you under some kind of delusion that I would have let you into the operating room?” she hissed.
“No,” I responded again, “I know I wouldn’t have been any help but...”
“Then why the hell would I have called you at three in the morning? I knew you’d run straight down here like an idiot, so I went ahead with the operation without you.”
“Damn it, that wasn’t your call!” I hissed, extremely pissed off that I hadn’t been there for Duo, even though there was nothing I could have done.
“And what about the rest of your boys? Are you just going to ignore them all the time because of this?”
“The other boys were fine,” I defended.
“For one night. Duo’s not going to be better in a day. You need to balance your time.”
“They’re still fine,” I defended, then gave up, knowing neither of us would back down. “I’m coming down right now, and damn you, if you pull something like this again I’m going to kick your ass, woman or not. Where is he?”
“He’s in recovery,” Sally huffed. “Do you remember where that is?”
“Yes, I know where recovery is. I’m not senile.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Sally teased. “You’re as grumpy as an old man.”
“What are his signs like?” I asked, ignoring her comment.
“Strong and stable. He’s a tough little kid, I’ll give him that,” she assured, and I knew Sally wouldn’t say anything she didn’t really believe just to spare my feelings.
“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” I assured her, then rushed out the door. It was late, so I had to tell Heero that he couldn’t come, which broke my heart. But most of the agents would already be at work and, as I already knew, I couldn’t risk letting Heero be seen going into a place like Preventer’s or being seen by that many people. This operation was far too delicate for that.
By the time I arrived at Preventer’s my temper had calmed somewhat, but I was still upset, and remained so until I was able to get in to see Duo a few minutes later. He was resting peacefully, still attached to many tubes and wires, but considerably less than before. The tube down his throat, also, was conspicuously absent.
“The operation was a complete success,” Sally said, coming to stand behind me in the doorway as I moved to Duo’s bedside. “We’ll have to put a tube down his throat to check for any more damage, but I don’t expect there to be any. We can do it tomorrow or the next day, if he wakes up.”
“He won’t like it. He’s a bit touchy when it comes to people touching him. He’ll probably baulk at voluntarily feeling strangled.”
“There’s isn’t an alternative, you know that. There’s more risk if we do it while he’s asleep.”
“I want to be here.”
“Of course. He’ll be awake for this one, so there’s actually a reason for you to be here.”
“I’m glad to have your approval,” I commented dryly, giving her a glare as I took a seat beside Duo.
“Call me if he wakes up, but it’ll probably be a few hours at least before he does,” Sally commented, heading out the door. I nodded, but she didn’t see. Still, she knew I had everything in hand.
Duo took most of the day to wake up. I would have said he simply did it to spite me, but he actually woke up earlier than expected. I spent most of my day drinking coffee, reading newspapers, and typing up reports of what I had seen at Collar. Now that I was back I could type them freely without having to worry about being caught.
Duo opened his eyes sometime around dusk, making the most hilarious face as he tried to get his bearings. My laughter attracted his eye, but he probably thought I was some kind of drug induced hallucination from the way he looked at me. Oh, but it felt good to laugh.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, wiping my eyes as I finally calmed. Duo merely rolled his eyes. “Hit by a mac truck, huh? A collapsed lung will do that to you. Luckily, you’re out of the woods. Sally wants to do an exam on you tomorrow, then it should only be a few days before you can go home.”
“The others?” he mouthed, though he was smart enough not to try to talk.
“They’re already at the house, waiting for you. Heero is worried nearly sick.”
“Bring him?” Duo asked silently.
“I can’t. It’s too big of a risk.”
Duo huffed, and I think he mouthed, “Bastard,” but he turned away, so I couldn’t really see. I patted his hand and rose.
“Get some rest. I’m going to tell Sally that you’re awake and I’m sure she’ll be in to run some kind of gruesome test on you,” I said. Duo gave me a pained look, then closed his eyes. I didn’t doubt that he was asleep before I was out the door.
Sally, as promised, returned a while after I spoke with her, but the tests she performed were neither gruesome nor painful. They were, in fact, merely superficial examinations of the basic necessities, like heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Her monitors kept her informed of everything, including those conditions, but Sally was always double checking things like that. Sally had spent many of her days in the field putting soldiers back together, and having gone so long without modern technology she was wary of relying too much on it.
Once that was over Duo went back to sleep and I was forced out of the room. Knowing that Duo was out of the woods, I was able to relax slightly, and went home to catch dinner with the other boys. Duo’s operation was scheduled for three in the morning, so I took a nap as soon as dinner was over and was well refreshed when I headed back to the hospital at midnight.
Duo, also, was wide awake and refreshed when I got there, which was good because it gave me time to explain the procedure to him. A lot of this operation relied on Duo staying calm, so it was imperative that he be well informed and unafraid of the operation. Having anything startle him into a panic could be disastrous, so Sally and I had set aside an hour ahead of time to show him all of the tools we would be using. It was also important for him to know what to expect it to do and feel like, but unfortunately Duo could not ask any questions, so would have to rely solely on my description. And, from the look of it, Duo wasn’t too keen on the idea of the operation anyway.
“Look,” I explained for the second time, “it’s very simple. Sally needs to make sure there isn’t any damage to the inside of your throat or lungs, so she’s going to put a small camera down your throat so that she can see, alright?” I asked. Duo shook his head. “Is it not all right, or do you not understand?” I asked, but Duo couldn’t answer a two part question, so I had to restate it. I found that, yes, Duo understood and, no, it was not alright.
“I know you don’t like this, and I know it’s scary. But this is actually the safest way for us to do the operation. Now if you don’t think you can stand it we can put you under to do it, but there’s a lot more risk if we do. Now, are you too afraid?” I asked. Duo gave me an offended look and shook his head haughtily. “Good. You’ll have to remain calm through the operation, so Sally and I are going to go over the procedure as soon as she gets in.”
The operation we were about to perform was indeed to look at or take samples from the throat and lungs. In it one would take a small camera and put it into the throat. Keeping the patient awake reduced the possibility of accidental suffocation, but it was hard on the patient’s psyche.
We wheeled Duo to the operating room not long later, then waited a few minutes for Sally to appear. Once there, Sally began to show Duo the tools she would use to examine his throat. He, undoubtedly, was appalled and tried to verbalize this to Sally, though he failed.
“I think I can speak for Duo about this. Sally, you have one of the largest budgets for medical equipment on the planet. So, please explain to me why your using equipment from the 19th century? That thing looks like a roto-rooter.”
“Oh shut up. If it was good enough for your forefathers it’s good enough for you. Besides, we do have better equipment, but it takes twenty people to work and I can’t get that many people,” she said pointedly. The part she couldn’t say was that she couldn’t get clearance for that many people to see Duo. So we would have to do this the old fashioned way.
“She’s right,” I sighed, looking back at Duo, “It’s either this or you’ll have to transfer you to another hospital and add some time to your hospital stay. Do you think you can handle it? It only takes a couple of minutes,” I informed him. Duo nodded reluctantly, still staring apprehensively at the instrument in question.
“You’re lucky this is the only thing we have to skimp on,” Sally informed haughtily while she set up her instruments. “If this had been a regular hospital you’d be taking months to recover from the lung instead of weeks. So count your blessings and open you mouth,” Sally instructed, bringing over a small spraying instrument. Duo gave her a sour face, but did as she instructed, and she sprayed the back of his throat with a powerful numbing liquid. From my seat next to Duo’s bed I was given a prime view of Duo’s red and swollen esophagus, so I wasn’t surprised when he began to cough and had to be turned on his side. By the time he finished and we turned him back, Duo was looking bleak indeed. I smiled, hoping to cheer him, but he only managed another sour glare. I chuckled and let him close his eyes for the remaining few minutes before Sally started.
And then it was time to begin. Sally tilted his head back and secured it with restrains to ensure he couldn’t move, then used various instruments connected to the chair to hold his mouth open and keep his tongue out of the way. I stood and took his hand, hoping to bring comfort to the obviously frightened boy. Then Sally took the instrument, which really looked more like a long tube than anything I had implied before, and began to feed it down Duo’s throat, carefully watching its progress through both his mouth and the television set up to her right. As the camera touched his throat Duo’s eyes went wide and he gasped through his nose, struggling not to move. He began to shake and his grip on my hand went painfully tight.
“Talk to him, Zechs,” Sally instructed tersely, never looking away from her work.
“Duo?” I questioned quietly next to his ear. “You’re doing great. Just a few more minutes and you’ll be done, alright?”
Meanwhile, my words were seeming to have no effect, and Duo was growing more and more tense. His hands were trembling violently and he was gasping for breath, but still holding still for Sally. The bright lights shown in his eyes, which were wide with fear. I wanted to reach out and hold him, but I knew that would be neither possible nor appreciated. Duo, despite the care I held for him, still hated me.
But that, honestly, had very little effect on the amount of pain I felt, seeing one of my boys stretched out in pain like that. I couldn’t stand it, but I knew that I had to, because Duo was standing it and I had to be there for him.
“The worst is over now, I promise,” I assured him. “Just a little bit more and it’ll be all over.”
Meanwhile, Sally was just reaching the half way point, and paused to examine a small scratch. I wanted to yell at her to hurry up, but I knew that doing a poor job would result in far more damage. Duo, meanwhile, was still struggling to stay calm, and only began to fail as Sally reached the end of his esophagus and found his lungs. By that time his panic had taken a firm hold. Instead of shaking, now he had taken a firm hold on the bed and his entire body was as tense as wire. He arched his back and managed to get one foot firmly planted on the bed, holding back his own struggling by mere seconds. I held him down, but he was so panicked that I worried I wouldn’t be able to hold him without hurting him. His breathing was erratic and pained, and his eyes were wide and terrified. He closed them, pushing two teardrops down the side of his face, still gasping and almost sobbing, and I knew he couldn’t take much more.
“Sally, that’s enough.”
“Just a minute more.”
“Sally, pull it!” I snapped, feeling that Duo was about to struggle and possibly hurt himself. Sally cursed under her breath and quickly pulled the instrument out, almost more quickly than was safe. As soon as it was out Duo began to gasp for breath, cough and choking in his panicked state. I turned him to his side and rubbed his back until he calmed, then turned him back.
“Is there anything I can get you?” I asked, not really thinking about it.
“Heero,” he mouthed, pleadingly, desperately. I was stunned, for a moment, by pain behind his plea, but quickly acquiesced.
“I’ll send a car to get him,” I told him, and the relief was visible in his face as he closed his eyes.

Heero 98
The call came at nearly four in the morning. Wufei and I were in the same room and closer to the stairs, so we went to answer it and Quatre and Trowa went back to sleep. Wufei answered it, but put it on speaker phone so we could both hear. It was dangerous for slaves to take a phone call while the master was away, for we could easily talk to someone we weren’t supposed to or let something slip. On the other hand, if we could also get in trouble for answering the phone, so it was best just to be careful.
“Is there a Heero there?” the voice asked. Wufei and I were both startled, for members of Collar would use a slave name, and it was not good for others to know we existed.
“Why do you ask?” Wufei quickly replied.
“Mister Marquis wants him to be escorted to the hospital tonight.”
“To see Duo?” I said, then immediately regretted my words. I simply couldn’t help myself. And Wufei, from his glare, also seemed to disapprove.
“He said to tell you if you asked that a close friend of yours who is in the hospital has been asking for you. I don’t know if this is the person you’re looking for or not.”
“How soon do I leave?”
“Heero!” Wufei hissed. “We don’t know if this person is lying,” he whispered. He was right, of course, but I was desperate to see Duo.
“Mister Marquis will be sending his limo around for you in half an hour,” the voice said, perhaps hearing our mistrust. “He asked I call and alert you. That is all,” he said, then disconnected.
“You shouldn’t go,” Wufei said instantly.
“I have to,” I responded, just as convicted.
“This could be a trick of some other master. It could be anyone who has a grudge against Master planning to use us against him.”
“Who else knows we’re here? It’s Master’s first year, and we’ve only been here a few days. Besides, I can’t believe they could get Master’s limo to use against us.”
“Well...” Wufei considered, his dark eyes filled with thought and calculations. “You go, but I’m going to call Master to make sure this is planned,” he replied. Then, as if on cue, a horn sounded in front of the house. We both froze for just an instant, then I ran for the stairs to dress and Wufei headed to the kitchen to make the call. I fairly dashed up the stairs and threw my clothes on so quickly that I almost ripped them. I didn’t even tie my shoes and barely refrained from leaping down the stairs. I passed Wufei on my way to the door. He was still on the phone, but motioned for me to go on, so I assumed Master had cleared my trip. My heart leapt. I was actually going to see Duo!
I could barely stand the ride, but as we approached the hospital I suddenly began to feel nervous. It wasn’t often that a slave was allowed to go into public, and almost never without the master. Plus, crowds made me nervous, and I was fairly certain that there would be many people at the hospital, if not a crowd. And what if Master didn’t meet me? What if he expected me to know where to go, or wanted me to ask someone where to go? What if I asked the wrong person, or said the wrong thing?
I was nearly shaking as we pulled up to the large building and the driver stopped in front. I swallowed hard and reached for the door...
...But it opened before I could touch it. Master was on the other side, and reached in for my hand. I smiled in relief and grabbed his had, letting him help me out of the car. I should have known Master would have everything under control.
“Was the ride smooth?” Master asked. “You didn’t have any trouble getting here, did you?”
“No, Mas-...”
“Ah-ah. We’re in public.”
“Oh. I’m sorry...”
“It’s alright, just don’t forget again. Now, come on. Duo’s anxious to see you.”
We walked into the hospital then, and it was just as strange and crowded and frightening as I had expected it to be, but it was alright, because Master as there with me. There were only a lot of people in the front hall, but since we had to walk all the way across the front hall to get to the elevator it was still really stressful. There was a scattering of people there, a few children and several adults. One of the children was crying and the others were fussing. Their mothers were either trying to calm them or snapping at them to be quiet. There was an old man snoring on one of the benches, and several people were speaking with nurses. There were doctors and nurses and orderlies and all manner of people walking around. It seemed like chaos, and I moved closer to Master. I didn’t think I could have taken this alone without panicking.
Once we reached the elevator, all the noise stopped and it seemed unnaturally still.
“It won’t be like that in the rest of the building,” Master assured. “They keep the bottom floor open twenty-four hours, because that’s where the emergency room and overnight patients stay.”
As the doors opened, I saw that he was right, for the upper floors were almost empty. A stray nurse passed us here and there, but other than that it was empty. Until, of course, Sally found us.
“Alright, ground rules,” she began instantly, “Do not, under any circumstances, allow Duo to speak. Do not ask him questions. Do not upset him. Do not get him excited. Do not talk loudly. Do not startle him. Do not keep him awake. I think that’s about it.”
“But I can see him?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t against the rules.
“If you follow my instructions you can, but only for an hour. Duo needs to sleep.”
“I’ll make sure they behave,” Master assured, taking my shoulder and leading me toward a door.
The room inside, it seemed, was not meant for a bed. It had no windows, no bathroom, no curtain, no television, not even a lamp or a dresser. The only thing that actually implied that it was a room and not a closet was the bed, which Duo was currently lying in. I was grateful, though, because slaves were usually shoved into broom closets or under desks when they had to be hospitalized. A master had to hide them to keep questions from being asked. Master was taking a large risk by letting Duo be so exposed.
There were several fold up chairs in the room, along with other equipment, most of which had been disconnected from Duo. I pulled up a chair and seated myself next to the bed.
Buried in the white sheets and pillows, Duo was pale and bruised. There was a sharp contrast to the paleness of his skin and the darkness of his bruises, even sharper than the contrast between my own quickly healing bruises. His neck was still darkly bruised, but he was breathing on his own and seemingly without any trouble. There was still an IV connected to his arm, but there was no other equipment connected to him. His eyes were closed, so I could see how dark the bags around them were. His lips, too, were still bruised and split in several places, but even with all that he still look a hundred times better than he had at Collar. He actually looked like he’d survive.
His eyes opened and the violet orbs locked instantly on me. He smiled, though it must have hurt with his lips so damaged.
“Hey Duo,” I said quietly, taking his fingers in mine. “They said you’re not allowed to talk, so don’t get me in trouble by trying, alright?” I asked. Duo nodded, just barely moving his head, but his eyelids drooped from the exertion. I could tell that if I talked quietly enough I could put him right back to sleep. “You know, everyone’s waiting for you back at the house,” I whispered, not knowing if Duo really heard me, and not really caring. “It’s a great house, too. I think you’ll love it. It’s huge, and there’s this big library on top and a barn out back. When you get better we’ll go explore the barn, alright? So you have to get better,” I told him, but he was already asleep. I smiled sadly and laid my cheek against his hand.
It seemed like minutes later that it was time to go, though Master assured me it had been more than an hour.
“Can I come back and see him tomorrow?” I asked. Master frowned, then shook his head.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. He’ll be home in a couple days anyway, so why don’t you just wait until then?” Master suggested. I was disappointed, but didn’t want to seem ungrateful, so I simply nodded and tried not to sulk. I was lucky to have gotten to see Duo once while he was in the hospital.
We headed back downstairs, and out past the chaos in the waiting room which seemed completely unchanged. At the door I wondered to Master when the limo would be coming.
“I’ll be driving us home. It’s too late to bother the driver. Besides, I drove down here.”
“Oh,” I replied. It wasn’t common for a Master to drive themselves because of all the hazards of the road, but it wasn’t uncommon either. I didn’t give it another thought as Master led me to another plain-looking van. I merely opened the rear doors and prepared to hop in.
“Uh... Heero?” Master wondered, and I paused.
“Yes, Master?” I said, turning to find him staring at me in puzzlement.
“What are you doing?” he asked, referring to the fact that I was climbing in the back. It was common for slaves to ride in the back of a vehicle, and out of sight, so that no one saw them and the master together.
“I thought...”
“I know what you thought, but you were wrong,” Master said gently, coming up beside me and closing the door. “You’ll make a lot less of a stir if you ride in the front, beside me, then if someone sees you climbing into the back. Go on, now, and put your seatbelt on,” he instructed, then hopped in the driver’s side. It felt weird to ride shotgun, but it was much more comfortably than lying on the floor for the trip. And Master even let me recline the seat, once he saw me falling asleep against the window.

Zechs 99
I carried Heero to bed. Asleep in the passenger side, his seat reclined so he could lean back, resting his head on the window. I just couldn’t bring myself to wake him. So, I slid into the driveway and turned off the van, then slipped around and eased his door open. The seatbelt, which I had insisted he wore, kept him from falling out as the door opened. Once the door was open I unfastened him and slipped him into my arms. From there I managed to get him into the house without waking him, though the door was tricky. Of course, it would have been more tricky if it weren’t unlocked. I would have to speak to the boys about that, though we were so far outside of town that it was unlikely we would be robbed.
Once in the house I found that, as expected, all the other boys were in bed. I was still early in the morning, though I had yet to get to bed. I headed straight for the stairs once inside, and couldn’t quite resist the temptation of putting Heero in my bed instead of his own. After Duo’s operation earlier, I just didn’t feel I could stand sleeping alone again, so I slipped Heero into my bed and pulled off his shoes and socks. Then I changed out of my clothes, which I’m sure I had been wearing longer than recommended, and slipped into bed beside Heero. He slipped easily into my arms and I couldn’t help a sigh of contentment. This was how it was supposed to be.
It was not, however, supposed to wake me up five hours later.
“Leave me alone!” I whined, turning on my stomach and pulling the pillow over my head.
“Master Zechs, please!” Wufei huffed, pulling the pillow from my head, “Someone from Collar is on the phone. They said it was important!”
I growled something most unpleasant under my breath, but got up.
“Stall them while I wash up. I’ll be down in a minute,” I told him. He nodded once and scurried off, while I shuffled into the bathroom to brush up. It took me about five minutes to get presentable and throw on a shirt, but I figured if they called me at this time of day then they could wait.
Although, I noticed as I headed downstairs, it seemed to be much closer to midday than I previously expected.
“Still on Collar time, I see,” the young man on the commented. I didn’t feel the need to correct him, so gaining no response from me he soon continued. “It happens to most masters, I’m told. But, to business. My name is Don. I’m calling on behalf of Collar and as a representative of the Owner. I’d like to speak with you about the claim you filed against a Mr. Anderson and Mr. Whitefield.”
“A... who?”
“The two guards you claim attacked your two slaves.”
“Ah. The assholes,” I said, making the younger man chuckle.
“Yes. Now, did you, or any other masters, or any slaves owned by another master witness this alleged attack?”
“I witnessed it,” I said, my tone hardening, daring him to doubt me.
“Ah, that’s excellent. I see you’ve already filed a report and the Collar doctor has submitted a report on the injuries of Shinigami. The second slave did not have enough injuries to file a grievance over, but due to the fact that Shinigami had not been transferred into your care before the injuries were received you are entitled to the full purchasing price of the slave.”
“But what about the guards that attacked them?” I wondered. I couldn’t care less about the money, but I wanted revenge.
“I’m getting to that. Collar will pay for half of the purchasing price of Shinigami and the guards will be responsible for the other half.”
“You must be paying them a damn huge amount if they ever want to be able to pay me that much,” I said distastefully. Again, the man laughed.
“Oh, we’re well aware that they will never in their lives be able to pay off that amount of money. So we’ll be auctioning them off to repay you.”
“You’ll be what?”
“We’ll sell them. It’s part of their contract, that if they rack up a debt to Collar over a certain amount we can take their possessions to repay it. And, of course, the most expensive thing they own right now is themselves, so we’ll put them into training over the summer and sell them in the fall. The smaller one will probably bring a decent price among the male masters at Collar, and we’re going to try to pitch the larger one at the females at Collar. Though we may have to do some enhancements on him first.”
“I... see. Do you often have to sell the guards?”
“Rarely. We impose severe penalties on guards who are caught harassing the slaves, but we can’t always watch them. I have been told that it is not uncommon for a guard to seduce a slave. The slaves allow it because they don’t want to make trouble, and because they enjoy it. But, regardless, attempting to seduce a slave as unpredictable as the Shinigami was a stupid idea, and they obviously went too far by damaging him.”
“I understand. Please contact me before you put those tow up for auction.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good day,” he said, and hung up, which was the best thing he could have done, because I was very close to reaching through the screen and tearing his head off. He had just confessed, without guilt or shame, that they allowed the guards to force themselves up and rape the slaves without any consequences. He had even gone as far as to say the slaves liked it. And he implied that had Heero been alone or had Duo not been hurt so badly nothing would have been done.
And now, to top it all off, I hadn’t thought the guards could be punished too severely, and I had been proved wrong. Even I couldn’t wish the life of a slave, of constant humiliation, rapes, and beatings upon them. Death, I could easily sentence them to, but this... this was hell.
And, of course, it made me a bit ill that not only was I the cause of this, but I would also be the remedy. In saving my boys, and all the other slaves, I would also have to rescue two people who almost deserved to be there.
All in all, it made for a very disagreeable morning, and I went downstairs with a sour stomach and an ill disposition. Which is why I was so surprised to smell something delightful wafting up the stairs. In the kitchen, all four of the boys were gathered, Heero at the table with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies, Wufei at the bar with another plate of cookies and a glass of tea, Quatre stirring a bowl of something, and Trowa removing cookies from the oven.
“Master!” Quatre squealed, smiling delightedly. He was wearing a frilly yellow apron, and I couldn’t imagine where he found it, but it looked good on him. Underneath, strangely enough, he was still sporting his long blue and white striped pajamas and blue slippers. The other boys were all also in pjs, but they ranged from Trowa and Heero’s shorts and a tank top to Wufei’s traditional Chinese clothing.
“What are you doing?” I wondered, smiling as he ran up to hug me.
“I found a recipe for oatmeal cookies and you had applesauce in the fridge, so I wanted to make my favorite cookies for everyone. Is that okay?”
“Of course. But applesauce and oatmeal? What kind of cookies are they?”
“Oatmeal apple, of course. My own recipe,” he said, bouncing back over to the counter. It seemed that the two days of boredom and rest had done him some good. “It’s my own special recipe. Try one,” he insisted, holding one out for me pleadingly. I could no more resist that face than I could purposefully hit a kitten with my car. So, with a hint of trepidation, I took a bite of the cookie.
“Quatre, this is great. Did you really come up with this?”
“Yeah. I used to pester the cook to let me play with the spices at home. We made all kinds of weird dishes,” he said, a hint of melancholy on his face. Then he was back to scurrying around the kitchen, mixing and adding and tasting and as jolly as he had been. But I had caught that glimmer of sadness. I wished that I could destroy it, but even I could not manage that. Instead, I took a seat beside Heero and enjoyed the feeling of the kitchen that morning. And then Quatre spilled a bowl of dough and Trowa caught a towel on fire in his hurry to clean it up. And then it was perfect.

Duo 100
They took me home two days after Heero came to see me, and two days and six hours after that damnable pipe went down my throat. I say “home” loosely, and because that’s what everyone else called it. Was it home? I doubted it. I’d had more “homes” than pimples, and I felt the same way about both of them. The less you had the happier you’d be. People always put all this sentiment and feeling into the word home, but the truth? It’s just a house. Sometimes it’s a nice house, sometimes it’s a crappy house. What they don’t know is that you don’t need a house at all to have a home. People are home, not places.
So we went to the house, which was hugely massive, and I couldn’t even explore the damn thing because of how busted up I was.
“You’re lucky the original owner of this house was elderly,” Sally pointed out as she wheeled me down the hall, past the kitchen and the room with the TV. “There’s a bedroom downstairs, so you won’t have to climb up and down the stairs, and it has a bathroom right inside,” she said happily as she opened the door to the little room.
I could have cried. It looked just like a damn hospital room! Granted, a nicer room than the one I had been in, but a hospital room none the less. I would have protested, but my throat still hurt and I had been warned that talking might do some serious damage. I didn’t usually listen, but this time the doctor and my body were telling me the same thing; talking bad.
So I huffed as the wheeled me into the room, then growled as Sally and Zechs dumped me in the bed, then pouted as they left. I should have stayed at the stupid hospital. This wasn’t any different. There wasn’t even a TV! I huffed, contemplated getting out of bed and walking around just to make Sally mad, and fell asleep thinking about it. Turns out that I was a lot more exhausted than I thought.
“Duo? Are you awake?” Heero’s voice asked quietly from the doorway. I resisted the urge to say, “I am now,” knowing that it probably wouldn’t come out and it would cause a lot of hassle for me. “I wanted to come see how you were doing. Master says you still can’t speak, but should be able to within a week. He also says I can take you into the den tomorrow for breakfast and to watch some TV,” he said. I smiled. Score! “But you have to take a nap in here afterwards.” Ah hell. “Sally says that if you eat well and rest a lot you might be able to walk in a day or two. I thought I’d come tell you because the Master has a tendency to forget to inform us about this kind of stuff, and I knew you’d want to know. The list of Collar events came today, so we’ll probably get our assignments once Master has had time to look them over. But I should let you get back to sleep. Get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
What the hell? You just wake me up, say a couple of words, and then leave? Well fuck you too, buddy.
Of course, I wasn’t really mad. And I was really glad Heero had told me all that junk, because I had thought I’d be on my but and silent for the next six months or something. But, and I hated to say it, I was lonely, and being in a house full of people without being near anyone wasn’t helping.
But I was also still on some pretty heavy pain meds, so it wasn’t long until I once again lost the battle with sleep and fell back under. Stupid pills.
The next couple of days went exactly according to plan. Unfortunately, it was Sally’s plan, so I was bored out of my mind. Heero would come and get me late in the morning, fresh from the shower and blushing slightly from the heavy exercise he did. I was usually pretty groggy, so he’d shake me, then, instead of waiting for me to wake up fully, he’d carry me into the den and plop me on the couch. Then, while I actually woke up, he’d get a breakfast tray from the kitchen. By the time he came back I was usually awake enough to eat the oatmeal or jello he brought me and swallow the milk or juice that came with it. Then he’d take me to the bathroom where I’d swallow all of the nine billion pills Sally had left for me and gargle with the gross stuff she left to keep my trachea from swelling closed. Then he’d haul me back to my bed, whether I was tired or not, and in minutes I’d be out. Lunch and dinner were pretty much the same, except soup was substituted in for the oatmeal and I had to eat dinner in the kitchen with everyone else. It was kind of nice, though, cause the kitchen was really warm from the cooking Trowa and Quatre did and it was nice to see everyone and hear about their days. Even if I did fall asleep in my soup a couple of times.
Time flew, and I really wasn’t clear enough to say exactly how many days passed, but it seemed like a surprisingly short time before Sally cleared me for walking. Of course, it really shouldn’t have been that surprising, seeing that my legs hadn’t been damaged at all.
Zechs wouldn’t let me try to walk when Sally wasn’t present. He snapped when I even stood up. Of course, I usually started to fall as soon as I got to my feet and had to be caught by someone, so he actually had a point in yelling at me. Not that I ever admitted it. So when the day rolled around that Sally said I could try walking, I had to wait until almost noon to try. And then I couldn’t even make a smart remark about her lateness because I still wasn’t allowed to talk.
And it was so hard not to talk! I mean, it wasn’t hard to remember not to talk, because my throat was always hurting, and I was never over come by temptation because I knew how hard it was to eat and drink and I had been assured that talking would be worse. But it was just so hard to talk in my head without talking out loud. And Heero, while being a complete blessing on everything else, just wasn’t a conversationalist. I know he tried, damn did he try, but it was hard for him to hold a one-sided conversation when he wasn’t even used to holding regular conversations. And I think I mad him nervous, because I often fell asleep on him, and I know he worried about keeping me awake. He always told me to wave if I wanted him to go away, and I never signaled, but that was about all I was able to do to reassure him.
But one thing at a time, so we’ll go back to the walking thing. When Sally did arrive she put me through the usual tests and actually seemed pretty pleased.
“You’re healing very quickly, and there doesn’t look like there will be any permanent damage. So, let’s see if you can still walk,” she said, smiling at me. I stuck out my tongue at her, and she laughed. I smiled. Until, that is, Heero grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the chair. My head spun and I found myself back on my butt just as quickly.
“Not so quick,” Sally admonished. “He needs to adjust to standing again.”
So Heero pulled me up again, and again my head spun, and again I landed on my ass, only a lot more slowly and this time my ass was on the floor.
“Well, that was better. Let’s try one more time.”
So, again, Heero pulled me up. Only this time my head didn’t spin quite as much, and I managed to stay on my feet, though I leaned heavily on Heero.
“Excellent. We’ll you seem to be progressing well on your own, so I’m going to head off. I’ll take a couple of your pills with me, though, because I think you’re well enough to do without them. I know how disappointed you are about it, though,” she teased, “so I’m going to leave Heero here with a list of exercises for you to do,” she said, and I groaned mentally. “I’ll see you next week.”
So we went another couple of days with basically the same routine, except now Heero got me up early with him, and then we both went to get showers, then had breakfast, and then I crashed on the couch. The reduction in drugs Sally had given me made it so that I wasn’t quite so tired, but I was still pretty weak. So, although the drugs weren’t making me drowsy, I still slept from the end of breakfast until the start of lunch. Then I could generally stay awake until lunch, but I’d usually just watch TV or play checkers with someone. Personally, I think they rotated turns of playing with me, because I never seemed to get the same person twice in a row, but it’s just a hunch.
And then, finally, Sally released me to limited speaking. It was painful at first, and I had a weird accent because of the damage, but within a weak I could speak normally. The pain faded until it was no more than a bad sore throat. Slowly, too, I managed to stay awake for longer at a time, and do more work without having to take a break. I started to break routine to do things I wanted and, though I know Heero disproved breaking the routine, I could see he was happy that I was getting my strength and independence back.
But, sometimes, I almost wished I wasn’t getting better. Because with more time awake and unable to do much, I had a lot of time to think. And eventually that led to the realization that Zechs had just paid a hell of a lot to save my ass. This was cash above and beyond my purchasing, and it was money he really didn’t have to put into me. I mean, a lot of masters let their slaves tough it out, or only got them the most basic care needed. Zechs had taken me to not one but two different hospitals, at great risk to himself, and paid for me to get top notch care. If he had just wanted a piece of my ass he could have let me recover for months, hell, he could have taken me while I recovered. And he could have left me with problems that could have left me lame and mute for the rest of my life. But he didn’t. He fixed me and I couldn’t condemn it as part of him being a master. He had done a person favor to me, and I owed him.
But what, exactly, did I owe him? I hadn’t asked to be saved, though I couldn’t complain now. And I was still his slave, his property. So part of it was technically his responsibility. But, as I already said, I couldn’t pin it all on his being a master. So how much would I owe him? And, more importantly, how much would I be willing to pay? I had been forced into so much with past masters that I wasn’t sure I could willing surrender myself to him to any extent. And being nice certainly wouldn’t be enough. But I wasn’t sure I had any more to offer.
But the most important question I asked myself was, “What will he want from me?”

Zechs 101
It was the second week in the first month of Collar’s summer by the time Duo got back to normal. He still tired easily with heavy exercise and slept more than the other boys, but otherwise he was almost completely normal. Bored, but normal.
And I was working on the bored part. I had expected that the boys would have to train for Collar, but I hadn’t anticipated how fierce the competition would be. So while Duo healed and the boys settled, I had to get everything set up.
But first I had to do some serious thinking. Each of the boys had his own strengths and weaknesses, and each seemed to have some hidden and untapped strengths. It took a lot to decide which of those strengths would pair best with the Collar competitions. I let Duo and Wufei stay with the sections they already did well with, dance and martial arts for Wufei and the erotics for Duo. So I was more concerned with placing Heero, Quatre, and Trowa into sections, and since Duo and Wufei already had their chosen competitions I had to fit the other three into the ones left over and hope for the best. It wasn’t really a sacrifice, because all three of them would be starting fresh, though Wufei did overshadow Heero on several sections I would have assigned to him. But, still, I knew it was a much better strategic move to keep the boys who had actually had been to Collar in the sections they were accustomed to and to put the ones who had never been to Collar in the leftover places.
And this realization, of course, led me into a terribly arduous search for suitable tutors and trainers, who then had to be approved by Preventers before I could proceed. Once that was settled I had to come to terms with just how difficult it was going to be to set up lessons for five teenage boys at the same time. It finally came down to setting up schedules for each of them.
I didn’t keep my activities a secret, exactly, but only Wufei found out about it. Quatre and Trowa were too busy noticing each other to notice my doings, and Heero was either with Duo or training. So only Wufei noticed or questioned my activities, but even he was often busy meditating, training, studying, or helping with Duo. Although I did ask his opinion on a few of my choices, and he was the only one who had input into his own schedule.
“But what about these spaces?” he wondered, looking at his own daily plan. He had already glanced at the other’s schedules but, naturally, was taking more time with his own. I hovered behind him, glancing at the large open spaces on his paper. He hadn’t noticed that pieces of those empty spaces corresponded with the empty spaces on Trowa’s paper.
“Do you remember when the assassin attacked you?” I wondered, wanting to start slowly.
“Yes,” he replied, his brows furrowing in confusion.
“While you were drugged you mentioned that you had wanted to be a teacher, and you’ve shown a good deal of proof of being a scholar. So, I wanted to ask you, is it true that you wished to be a teacher?”
“Yes, I had hoped to be a teacher one day, but I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”
“I was wondering, then, if you would mind teaching Trowa?”
“T-teach Trowa?” he wondered in shock. “Teach him what?”
“I found out a while back that Trowa, amazingly, does not know how to read. I was hoping you could teach him.”
He was quiet for a long time, as I had expected, contemplating the situation. It seemed to be an important choice for him. I’m sure he had given up on ever becoming a teacher, so he was very uncertain of taking the responsibility. Once a dream is broken, it is difficult to put it back together. But I could see him doing it, little by little, and there was a sparkle of hope in his eyes, so I knew his response even before he spoke.
“I... I am not trained as a teacher.”
“That’s alright. I’m not asking you to be perfect, but it would be more convenient for you to teach Trowa than for me to find someone with the necessary skills and character. Also, he trusts you, so he won’t be as guarded as he might with another teacher. So? Will you do it?”
“O-of course,” he stuttered, surprised and pleased. “I would love to. I just hope I’ll be able to live up to your standards.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” I dismissed, smiling to reassure him. He nodded curtly, though I caught a slight smile on his face as he ducked his head, then left. I put the finishing touches on the schedules, double checked the times each of the tutors were scheduled to arrive on Monday, and put my stuff away.
Finally finished, I leaned back and stretched. I had been spending more time in my study than I had in my bed lately, but it was necessary to keep everything running well. And hopefully on Monday everything would run like clockwork with my boys.
My only concern was with Duo. He had won several competitions once, but it could have been a fluke. Beyond that, he had refused to perform since his first master died, and I didn’t know how to convince him.
Speaking of the devil, I was startled when Duo entered without knocking. I frowned my disapproval, but I had learned to pick my battles with Duo, and this simply wasn’t important enough for me to gripe about.
“Hey,” he said, his voice strangely quiet and I could tell something was bothering him. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Take a seat,” I offered, motioning to a couch adjacent to my desk. He took a seat awkwardly, fidgeting as he sat. He seemed nervous. “What can I do for you?” I wondered, but Duo just shook his head.
“God, you’re green. Listen to the way you talk. What kind of master asks what he can do for his slave?” Duo wondered, snorting bitterly. I tensed, but he had already attributed it to my newness at being a master, so I would merely have to watch myself better in the future. However, I chuckled to cover my unease.
“It’s a turn of phrase, Duo. I just want to know what you’re here about,” I said, putting the ball back in his court and making it so that he was the nervous one again.
“Look,” he said hesitantly, “medical stuff isn’t cheap. I know you spent a lot on saving me, and I know I’ve been nothing but trouble to you. I just wanted to tell you that I’m willing to help out with... whatever you need. To pay for my bills.”
“Whatever I need?” I wondered. Duo bristled, jumping up from his seat.
“I’m not gonna fuck you!” he yelled, snarling in anger coming from a deep rooted fear.
I laughed.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Duo growled, offended and afraid. I smiled at him somewhat annoyedly, though to be honest I could understand his anger.
“I have three boys that are perfectly willing and even eager to climb into my bed. I don’t need another bottom,” I told him, the humor gone from my features. “I need Collar slaves. I want you to compete this year. If you can do that, we’ll be even.”
“I can’t,” he replied almost instantly. I would have thought he was just being stubborn, but his eyes were cold and flat.
“How do you know?” I wondered, knowing I would have to tread carefully as not to set him off again. He sighed, lowering his head.
“Do you know what it takes to win competitions like that? What you have to do?” he wondered. Honestly, I couldn’t think of much that it would take to win a competition of perversion.
“Skill? Beauty?”
“Everyone at Collar has the skills to win that competition, and if you’re not pretty your not gonna survive long enough to get to the competition. To win that game, you’ve gotta have love.”
“Love?” I couldn’t help but sputter. How could love have anything to do with this level of perversion?
“When the judges watching you each have six dead sexy boys to do whatever kinky acts they want to, you have to show them something they haven’t seen. My partner was my master and I was...” he paused, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I was fucking head over heels for him. They thought it was all a really good act, but in reality it wasn’t an act at all. That’s what got me the wins, and why I couldn’t do it once... once Solo died. From there... it all spiraled out of control,” he admitted, staring at his hands. “And don’t tell me I didn’t love him. I’ve heard it all before. I grew up on the streets, okay? Running away from foster homes that beat me into the streets that starved me,” he said, then paused. His eyes were years away, and yet I was hesitant to stop him. Duo intrigued me, for he was the only slave that I was unable to predict in the least. If he was willing to offer me some insight into his past, then I would eagerly take it. I knew I could gain it no other way than by letting him tell his story, so I remained silent, though I was eager to question. “I could never tell which was worse, the homes or the streets, but at least in the streets I had hope. I guess you don’t have to be told that there wasn’t a lot of love in my childhood. I don’t know what happened to my mom, but I was orphaned as a baby and on the streets as soon as I could run. On L-2 they don’t have juvie, and I never got caught for anything bad enough to put me into jail, so they just kept putting me into new and worse foster homes. The last one, conveniently, just happened to be when I was fifteen, and it was the guy that sold the kids to Collar and said they ran away. I think they sold me to him to get rid of me. It wouldn’t surprise me any,” he said, his eyes burning with an old anger. “I was loaded up with a bunch of other boys and shipped off. They handled the others rough, but I was pretty, so they were gentler with me. When we got there they cleaned us all up, then started to sell us off,” he said, and the hate drained out of his features only to be replaced by an almost haunted look. His voice quivered as he continued. “The masters... they didn’t even wait to get their new slaves home. Just... just grabbed ‘em and fucked ‘em right there. I was... I was so damn scared I almost wet myself. And then Solo showed up, and he was young and handsome, and he took one look at me and bought me straight out. I actually cried, but he didn’t hurt me or anything. Just took me home and gave me a bath. He even let me sleep in the bed with him,” Duo said, and there was no doubted in my mind that he had loved his master. His eyes shown, and his voice was full of wonderment and pride. Whether the master had only been taking advantage of an easily impressionable young boy, I couldn’t know, but it was easy to see that, for good or for bad, Duo had been deeply, almost unhealthily in love with him. “When he did take me the next day he was really gentle, even when I fought him, and it was really good. I had seen what it could be like and I was so grateful... I would have done anything for him after that. When he died I wished I would die too, because I didn’t want to live without him,” he said, pausing as his eyes went sad again in memory. “The other masters all told me that I didn’t really love him, that I just loved the safety he gave me. Some even said that he did that to earn my trust and cooperation, that masters do that with particularly pretty slaves. I don’t know, they could be right. But, whatever it was, I did love him, and nobody can take that away from me.”
I gave him a moment to collect himself before bullying forward. The past was hard to speak of, but the future was what I was worried about.
“So you need to be in love to win?” I wondered. He looked up, suspicion in his eyes, as though he could sense my intent.
“Look, master, you’re great and all, but I’m not in love with you,” he snapped defensively. I laughed.
“Not me. But there are other’s here who wish to... attract your attentions. I’m just saying that there’s no need to give up completely on love because your first love died. You’ll be very lonely if you do. All I’m asking is that you leave yourself open to the possibility, and we’ll see what we can do from there.”
“Who...?” Duo wondered, but there was a knock at the door, interrupting Duo. Heero peaked in, only opening the door enough to put his head and shoulder in.
“Duo, you wanted me to remind you when you’re show came on,” Heero said, staring directly at Duo. “I also put your popcorn in the microwave, so you wouldn’t burn it again.
“Aw, Ro, you’re the best!” Duo crowed, grinning madly. He jumped up, prepared to run out of the room, but I paused him.
“Duo?” I called. He halted just inside the door. “Think about what I’ve said,” I told him, nodding my head toward Heero’s retreating back. “You may find love in surprising places.”
It seemed almost as though a light had gone on in Duo’s head, and he stared at Heero’s back for a moment longer than was polite, before smiling softly and nodding. Then he was gone, racing down the hall and toward his favorite TV show. If I wasn’t wrong it was something along the lines of “Monster Trucks, Motorbikes, and Madness!” I listened to the sounds coming from down the hall for a moment, then went to find Wufei. I’d rather take a beating than watch that.