'...' thoughts
One and Only Part 16
Heero had just dozed off when the banging came on his door some time after midnight. During the time Duo had been missing, he had not been able to rest, let alone eat, and had taken up residence on the sofa in the sitting room since going into his own bedroom was too much of a reminder of the elf's absence. Grumbling to himself, he levered to his feet and staggered across the room to the door before drawing the bolt and pulling it open. What he saw on the other side though snapped him fully awake as he felt his knees become weak; Wufei stood there with an unconscious Duo cradled in his arms. "Oh god." he whispered before reaching out to take the boy from his friend.
Wufei however snorted at his obviously distraught state and simply pushed past him, heading directly for the bedroom. "You know you're in no shape to carry him, Yuy. I'm amazed you're on your feet at all."
Crossing the room, the young constable gently laid the small elf down on the bed, quickly pulling the covers over him before turning to find his friend still standing at the archway, an uncertain look on his face.
"Oh for crying out loud Heero, get over here and into the bed with him." the constable snapped. "He needs to feel you near him right now."
With no further compulsion needed, Heero was across the room in an instant and under the covers. Reaching out, he hooked his arm around the boy's waist and pulled him against his chest, relieved when the tremors that had been wracking the small body vanish at his touch and the longhaired boy snuggled further into his embrace.
"How...." Heero started, but his throat was too constricted to continue.
"Treize and I followed Relena and Septim; we caught them trying to take Duo out of the palace."
At the mention of the elf's captors, Heero remembered the stained cloth and he quickly began searching the boy for any wounds that might have been inflicted during his kidnapping.
"Relax Yuy." Wufei said. "I already looked and other than some bruising and minor scrapes, he's completely unharmed; physically."
Neither one needed to state the obvious that it would take a miracle for Duo to have escaped this ordeal without some emotional as well as mental scarring. After all, he had only just begun to crawl out of the shell Septim had pushed him into previously.
"Where are they now?" Heero growled softly, not needing to explain whom he was talking about.
"Septim's in the dungeon and Relena's been confined to her quarters." Wufei explained. "We plan to question him about his role in Duo's original kidnapping in the morning."
"I want to be there." the blue-eyed man stated emphatically.
"We figured as much, which is why we decided to wait." the constable said with a smirk. "Besides, we thought a few hours in the same room Duo's been in for the last day and a half would do him some good."
"He deserves far worse than that."
"I agree, but only after he's been questioned. Then I can promise he'll get what he truly deserves." the dark-eyed man stated with his own growl. "Now, get some sleep. We plan to start the questioning early."
After receiving a nod from the man on the bed, Wufei turned and walked from the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
********************
When dawn arrived only a few short hours later, Heero carefully disentangled himself from the violet-eyed elf. He had not actually slept much following Wufei's departure since he could not stop looking at Duo, reassuring himself he was safe and even though the thought of leaving the boy made his stomach turn, he knew he could not miss Septim interrogation. Once out of the bed, he made sure the covers were pulled up tight around the boy before heading for the sitting room.
Stepping through the archway that separated the two rooms, he was pleased but not the least bit surprised to see Trowa, Quatre, and Sally sitting around the room, sipping at cups of tea. He was also delighted to see the full breakfast, which had been laid out on the small table.
"Good morning." Quatre chirped with a big smile while he sat his teacup down. "Is he awake yet?"
"No, he's still asleep." Heero stated, shaking his head as he walked toward the breakfast table.
"Maybe we should wake him." Trowa offered with a look toward his dark-haired friend, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the worn appearance of his clothing. "After all, I doubt if he's had anything to eat since night before last."
"I think he needs sleep more than food right now though." Heero said softly as he sat on one of the empty chairs.
"A few more hours won't hurt." Quatre agreed. "But if he hasn't woken by noon, then I think we'll have to."
"Do you really think he'll sleep that long?" the dark-haired lord asked.
"To be truthful, I'm amazed you're up this early." the doctor admitted. "I know you've had as little as or possibly less sleep than he's had in the last two days."
"Wufei said they were planning to question Septim this morning, and I want to be there when they do." Heero explained and received three understanding nods. "Do you think you could stay here with him while I'm gone Quatre? Sally? I don't want to leave him alone and I don't want someone he doesn't know staying with him either."
"You know you don't have to ask Heero." Sally stated as she laid a hand on the blue-eyed man's arm.
"Thank you."
"I'm going with you though." Trowa stated. "I don't want to miss the interrogation either."
"Fine, but we should eat fast. If I know Wufei and Treize, they're probably both chomping at the bit to get started by now."
Quickly the two friends ate their portion of the large meal before leaving Quatre and Sally to keep an eye on the still sleeping elf.
********************
Using one of the cells located near the entrance to the dungeons, Wufei and Treize had created a small interrogation room with a rectangular wooden table sitting in the center and three chairs; two on the side closest to the door and one on the far side of the table itself. Now, just past dawn, found the two of them, as well as Lord Septim, sitting in the small room awaiting the arrival of the others so the questioning could begin.
While they waited, the dark-eyed constable kept a keen eye on the man across from him, noting the look of disgust that settled on his face when he happened to look around the room. 'You should count yourself lucky Treize wouldn't let me chain you to the wall like I wanted to instead of letting you sit in a chair.' the young man thought angrily. Still, even though the tall general would not allow him full reign over the prisoner, he had permitted the heavy shackles that adorned the senator's wrists and ankles, making it impossible for him to move faster than a slow shuffle. Smiling malevolently at the thought of the sore spots the iron cuffs where sure to leave, which would match perfectly with the ones on Duo, Wufei sat back and continued to glare heatedly at the man.
It was nearly fifteen minutes later when there came a solid knock on the door right before it swung open to admit Zechs followed closely by Heero and Trowa. As soon as his eyes came to rest on the man who had so abused his little lover, all thoughts of questions and information drained out of Heero's mind and he lunged across the table with the intention of tearing the man limb from limb. Luckily for Septim though, Wufei and Trowa's reflexes were fast enough to keep the blue-eyed lord from landing more than one punch.
Dragging him across to the corner of the room, his two friends hurriedly reminded him of why they were here and, at least for the moment, convinced him the need for information was more important that killing the man. However, the glare the blue-eyed lord leveled at the other senator promised a messy end once they had everything they needed. Keeping their positions on either side of their dark-haired friend, Wufei and Trowa leaned back against the wall to observe the interrogation.
With a pointed look at the three men in the corner, Zechs seated himself in the now vacant chair at the table, leveling his own dark, promising glare at the man across from him. "This is not a meeting to determine your guilt." the king stated. "That has already been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. What we want to know now is why?"
A contemptuous snort was the only answer from the older man, causing Zechs to narrow his eyes in warning. Already he could feel the time begin to slip through his fingers and although he did not know exactly why he felt that way, the need to hurry pushed at his normally patient mindset. Deciding to try a difference tactic, he sat back in his chair and regarded the senator closely, noting the sheen of perspiration on his brow as well as the way his hands danced nervously in his lap. While Heero's attack could be the cause of the man's unease, Zechs had a feeling it was something more.
"You can feel it too, can't you?" he asked cryptically, causing Septim to give him a confused look. "The flow of time, as if its running too fast and we're running out of it. After all, Thomas and the other elves will be arriving in about three days."
"I don't know what you're talking about." the man stated haughtily. "The elves are your concern, not mine."
"Oh?" Zechs queried, one eyebrow raised. "With what you've done to Prince Duo I'd think you'd be quite worried about them. After all, they'll be the ones to pass judgment on you, not me."
The flinch the longhaired king's words caused was unmistakable and he smirked to himself, knowing the man was imagining what possible punishments the elves would have in store for him.
"And I assume you're offering to protect me from them if I talk?" the senator sneered calmly even as a drop of nervous sweat ran down the side of his face.
"No, I have no intention of protecting you from their anger. However, I will request that, since you're human, I be allowed to handle your trial and punishment, but only if you tell me everything I want to know." Zechs stated with equal calmness.
"And all you want to know is how I came into possession of my pet?" Septim asked, a feral grin on his face as he directed his question toward Heero.
"You son of a bitch." Heero growled at the reference to his little lover as an animal and before either Trowa or Wufei could react, he was across the room and had the other senator on the floor as he rained down blows onto the man. Only their combined effort managed to pull Heero away and kept him from killing the other lord, although he did inflict some serious damage first.
"Heero, that's enough." Zechs bellowed, having stood from his chair the instant the blue-eyed lord attacked. "I'll have you removed if you don't behave."
Dragging him back to the corner, Wufei pressed him against the wall before coming to stand directly in front on him, his nose nearly touching that of his friend's. "I know you're angry." he hissed. "We all are, but we need to know the truth about what happened to Duo so we can protect him."
Finally regaining control of his emotions, the dark-haired man gave a curt nod in agreement before crossing his arms over his chest and turning his attention back to the bleeding and bruised man that Treize was helping back into his chair. A decidedly evil smirk crossed his lips at the pained expression on the senator's face.
"And that will be enough of your taunts as well." Zechs snapped at the man across the table. "The next time, I may just allow him to beat you senseless; the gods only know you deserve it. Now, you will answer every question I present to you fully and truthfully, or you'll learn the hard way just what I'm capable of."
"Damn you Peacecraft." the senator snarled, his voice slightly nasal from what the king guessed was a broken nose.
"Why did you kidnap the elf prince?"
"I wasn't the one who kidnapped him dammit. He was only given to me afterwards for training."
"Then who?" Zechs demanded, his patience reaching its limit.
There was a slight pause as Septim fought to breathe through his damaged nose before he finally answered, his voice sounding hollow, "It was Lord Dermail of the elven nobility that brought the boy to me."
"You're lying." a soft voice spoke from the doorway, causing everyone's attention to swivel in that direction only to find Quatre, Duo, and Sally standing in the now open door. As disconcerting as it was to have not noticed their entrance, the look of utter fury on the small elf's face made the picture even more surreal. "You're lying, take it back." the boy snarled.
"What reason would I have to lie about it my pet?" Septim smirked, snapping himself out of his shock first. In the next instant, Duo was across the room with both fists raised as he slammed one into the human lord's jaw, sending him back to the floor once again. Quickly shaking himself from his own daze, Heero leapt from the corner and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, pulling him away from the sprawled man; although whether is was to protect Duo from Septim or vise versa he could not say.
"You're lying." Duo screeched as he fought against his lover's hold to reach the senator. "My uncle would never do that to me."
"It would seem you don't know your uncle as well as you think." Septim stated.
"Bastard." Duo snarled and fought even harder to free himself. Heero however pulled him even further from the man as he tried to decide whether to be happy or worried about the way Duo was handling the situation. While part of him was ecstatic that the events of the last few days had not caused the boy to revert to his previous demeanor, the barely controlled fury he could feel trembling through the elf's small frame was quite startling since it was so totally unlike him.
"Such naïveté." Septim tisked. "Your father shouldn't have protected you so much from the truths of the world my dear boy. But then again, I highly doubt even he suspects Dermail's plans for him and his kingdom."
"And what exactly is that?" Zechs interjected, seeing the anguish beginning to grow on the violet-eyed elf's face. By this time, Treize had once again helped the fallen lord back to his seat.
"When Dermail came to my home just over eight month ago, he proposed a partnership." the senator stated calmly, acting as if he were merely reporting the weather. "A partnership that would eventually put us, or more to the point, him in control of both the elven and human lands. The first step of his plan was to take over Thomas' throne and for that, he needed the perfect little puppet; one that would say only what he was told to say, do only what he was told to do, and act only how he was told to act. It was to my surprise that two months following our first meeting, he showed up on my doorstep once again, but this time he had the newly crowned elven prince in his possession. Evidently, he had seen the way I trained my slaves and had decided I'd be the perfect person to handle the boy. So, leaving the unconscious boy with me, he gave me six months to break him and then train him in the way he wanted." he explained to the king before turning his attention to the elf held firmly in Heero's arms. "And I was close too, I could tell; your fire and rebellion was nearly gone. Just one more trip to the training chamber and my masterpiece would've been finished. But then you managed to escape and now Yuy's ruined everything."
During the man's speech, Duo had remained completely silent, only shaking his head in denial from time to time. However, by the end, a subtle trembling had settled into his limbs and if it were not for Heero's arms, he would not have been able to remain standing. At feeling the tremors begin to increase, the dark-haired man gently turned the boy in his arms so he could press his face into his chest before glaring down at the man in the chair. "So you admit to torturing and abusing him?" he stated.
"I thought that was already a given?" the man sneered.
"What about the rest of his plans?" Wufei asked, bringing the conversation back on track. "Surely Thomas would have noticed the changes in Duo."
"Thomas wasn't supposed to live to see his son's return." Septim stated. "On the day Dermail was to return for the boy, Thomas would be attacked and killed by a band of human mercenaries at the outer boundaries of the forest; how he planned on getting the king there I don't know. Prince Duo would then return to his people a king and would immediately declare war on the humans for killing his father, at Dermail's direction of course. In the ensuing chaos, no one would think to question where the boy had been for the last six months or why he was acting in any way strange."
"Heero." Zechs stated firmly though he did not remove his stare from the older senator. "Take Duo back to your chambers; I don't think he needs to hear anymore of what this man says. If we learn anything more, we'll tell you later."
"Hn." Heero grunted with a nod of his head before pulling the boy out the door, which he closed behind him. Leading the way back through the dungeons as quickly as he could, the blue-eyed man only stopped once they had reached the top of the stairs. "Duo." he said softly, pushing the elf back enough to look him in the eyes. "Are you alright?"
However, instead of answering the man's question, the elf posed one of his own in a small voice, "Do you think he was telling the truth, about my uncle?"
"I really don't know; we'll have to wait until your people arrive to find out." the man said as he pushed the boy's bangs back from his eyes.
"But what if it's true?" Duo said as a shiver passed through his body. "What if--"
"There's nothing we can do until they arrive." Heero said soothingly. "And right now, you need to eat then get some rest. The next few days are going to be very hectic and I don't want you running yourself into the ground especially since you're still not completely recovered."
"I know, it's just... uncle Dermail has always been so great to me." the braided elf explained. "And I don't like the thought of him being the one who started this whole thing."
"Let's not talk about this right now." the blue-eyed lord said softly. "After you've had something to eat and some time to think, then we'll talk."
"Thanks Heero." the boy said with a soft smile.
"For what?"
"For being here and for looking out for me."
Drawing the longhaired boy back into his arms, Heero closed his eyes as the pleasure of the statement filled him. Finally turning them toward his chambers, he whispered softly into the top of the boy's head, "I promise love, I wouldn't be anywhere else."
TBC...
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