Notes: My big thank you goes to my wonderful beta Lucid Nightmare.
Due South Part 11
Treize rolled to the side as the sword swung above him and hit the thick carpet just inches away from his shoulder. He snatched his sword that he left propped against the night table and swung it to rid the blade of its sheath. Heedless of his nude state, he turned around to face his attacker.
The black clad figure raised its sword and lunged for him. He sidestepped and brought his blade upwards. The swords clashed together with a loud metallic sound. Zechs started to cry in his crib.
The Count didn't see much in the darkness of the room, the crescent moon the only source of light.
He decided to rely on his instincts to guide him. He pushed the attacker away from himself, then slashed at his legs. The intruder retreated a step, then brought the sword down on the General from above and to the side. Treize dropped low and side-stepped, the attacker's sword swishing through the empty air.
Above their harsh panting and the cries of his child, Treize could hear Milliardo scramble to his feet. He knew that Mil was wise enough not to interfere in their fight. The only reasonable thing to do in the blond man's blind state was to go for help. Treize was confident that he could take down the attacker, but even during the brief encounter, he recognized the intruder was no amateur. And it was always difficult to fight when you had someone to protect.
Clash together, side-step, swing the blade, crouch low to duck under the strike and turn. The room was large enough for a duel, they were getting away from the child's crib by the window, though dangerously close to his mate who was desperately trying to find his way to the door just by feeling. Suddenly, the attacker caught sight of Milliardo reaching the door finally, and he jerked his hand, a dagger slipping into his palm, glittering dangerously in the moonlight.
"Milliardo!" Treize cried out and swung his sword at the intruder as the man snapped around, the blade leaving his hand and flying towards the blond man.
~*~
Milliardo tried to scramble to his feet, the bed covers twisted around him. From the other side of the room he could hear Treize fighting with the intruder. His hands were twitching with the need to help his mate, though he was reasonable enough to know that he would just hinder him. Managing to get to his knees, he reached out and around to get the feeling of where he was. After falling off the bed, he was disoriented. Finally finding the night table, he pulled himself to his feet.
Zechs was crying in his crib, the noises of a sword fight had obviously woken him up. Although Mil wanted to gather him in his arms and calm the fearful cries, he used his hands to find the door. But the moment he touched the door knob, Treize called out his name in fright. Instinctively, Milliardo dropped and rolled to the side. There was a dull thud and the quiet sound of metallic vibration. He didn't need to see to figure out there was a knife embedded in the door where he had been standing just a moment ago.
Grinding his teeth in determination, Milliardo got to his feet and reached for the door again. The fight moved dangerously close to him. He closed his hand around the door knob and turned it, but in that moment he could feel the air moving, could hear Treize's cry again. He dropped, the attacker's blade passing just above his head. Crouching on the floor, Milliardo instinctively straightened his right leg and spun around, catching the intruder by the ankles and bringing him out of balance enough to give his mate the chance to finish the man.
The swords clashed together, one of the blades flying through the room and hitting the wall by the bed. There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh and the intruder collided with the door by Milliardo's side with a grunt and slid to the ground. And then there was Treize, helping Mil off the ground and away from the attacker.
"Are you okay?" Mil asked, running his hands blindly up and down Treize's naked arms.
"Yes, and you?" Treize inquired. When Milliardo nodded, he pushed him behind himself and pointed his sword at the attacker. "Who sent you?" he thundered, his voice full of menace.
Milliardo stood by the side of his lover, waiting for the man to answer. Suddenly, Treize cursed loudly and moved towards the attacker, who started to choke and thrash on the ground. A moment later everything was silent.
"Treize?" Mil asked uncertainly, furrowing his brows.
The Count sighed deeply and got to his feet. "He is dead."
"Dead?"
"He swallowed some poison. Must have had it in his mouth. This man was a professional."
"So, you think that someone sent an assassin to kill us?" Milliardo asked. He didn't like the only possible conclusion.
"Yes." Treize cursed again. "And now we won't find out who it was!"
~*~
When Duo woke up, he was lying on his side, face resting on Heero's bare chest. As the wooziness of his mind cleared and he realized where he was and with whom, a content, happy smile spread across his face. He lifted his hand and laid it on Heero's stomach, then started to caress the hard plains lovingly. If he hadn't thought it childish, he would have giggled with happiness.
Last night was... mind blowing. There were no other words to describe it. Although inexperienced, Heero was the gentlest, the most attentive lover anyone could wish for. The smile on his face widened and he snuggled closer, laying one leg over his mate's thighs. He felt so loved and cared for and safe...
He lifted his head carefully, to peer at his lover's face and blinked in surprise as he caught Heero watching him with an expression of glowing happiness on his face.
"Hey, lover," Duo whispered, propping his head on his hand.
"Hey," Heero answered, one hand playing with Duo's hair. At one point during the night, his braided hair came undone and now it covered them like a second blanket. Heero was obviously fascinated by the thick mane.
Duo bent his head to kiss the hot skin on Heero's chest, his eyes never leaving the beloved face.
"How are you feeling?"
Heero smiled one of his rare, open smiles. "It was... wow," he said, unable to find the right words.
The lifebearer chuckled.
But then the Enforcer grew serious and maybe even a little worried. "And you...? I mean, I was... I..."
Duo lifted his free hand and laid one finger on his mate's lips. "Shh... It was the best night ever," he assured Heero with a hushed voice. "And no, it's not the... whatever they put in the goblets speaking for me." He grinned. "But Treize and Mil will pay for not telling us this teeny weeny little detail."
Heero smiled with relief, then opened his mouth unexpectedly and let Duo's fingers slip in. It surprised the long-haired young man, but as his lover started to suck on his digits gently, Duo's cheeks flushed and his eyes grew slightly glazed.
"Heero... it's morning and... don't you think that the priest will want his temple... back...?" he sighed, feeling the flames of desire in his stomach grow hotter by the second.
Now it was time for Heero to grin and bite gently on Duo's fingers. Duo moaned and closed his eyes, his body still very sensitive to his lover's touch. But before they could do more, there was a commotion in the main space of the temple and loud, quick footsteps headed in the direction of the bonding room. A second later, the curtain in the entryway was pulled aside and when the lovers turned towards it, they found Trowa standing in the doorway, an agitated look on his face.
Heero and Duo immediately sat up on the thick platform in the middle of the room. "What's wrong?" asked the Enforcer in a serious voice.
"Treize and Milliardo were attacked last night."
~*~
"I should have been here," Rufus muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He was obviously very unhappy about the fact that he didn't manage to protect his General again.
Rufus, Trowa and Heero were standing by the couch in the sitting room, watching as the chief magistrate's men - the city guards - laid the assassin on the stretcher and carried him out of the Count's room. The captain of the guards headed towards the three of them, carrying a cloth pouch in his right hand.
"That's all that we found on him, sir," he handed it over to Rufus. "The weapons are laid on the table in the General's room."
Rufus nodded and took it. "Where are you taking the man, Captain?"
"To the city morgue, sir. The healers will take a look at him. Maybe they will find something that could help us further." The captain shook his head. "The man didn't have many things on him and nothing that could help us identify him. He was a true professional."
Rufus nodded again, but seeing the captain hesitate for a moment, he raised his eyebrows, urging the man to continue.
The captain furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully. "Although... as you will see, we found a ring in his clothes... he had it sewn into the hem of his shirt. If one of my men didn't step on it, we would have never found it. Maybe it'll help you further."
Rufus frowned too, nodded and dismissed the captain.
"The Captain is right," Treize said as he stepped to his friends. "He really was a professional. Had he faced someone with lesser experience in sword fighting, he would have won." He wasn't flaunting, but stating facts.
Rufus lowered his eyes. "Sir, I want to apologize..."
The Count lifted his eyebrows. "For what if I may ask? You weren't even here," he reminded the captain of his personal guard.
"And that's exactly the point. I wasn't here," Rufus agreed, his voice bitter. "If I was..."
"But you weren't. I ordered you to stay with Duo and Heero to keep them safe. From my own experience, I know that during the night of bonding one can get easily... distracted," he finished, smiling and winking at the blushing Heero. But then he turned serious again. "I'm more worried about how they found us. I mean, it was sheer bad luck that we got caught in the storm and ended up here. So it would mean that it must be someone from this town who wanted us killed... But I doubt it. We didn't meet anybody and weren't here long enough to make enemies."
Trowa pondered the problem for a moment. "Well, if we assume that someone planned your murder in the first place, he could have left his men in various towns along the coast."
Treize frowned. "So, you mean that from now on I need to watch out in every place we cast anchor?" His voice was full of anger.
The healer cocked his head to the side, then shook his head. "I don't think so. I mean - the one who hired the man must have been in Peacemillion together with the King since he knew that you would follow the court to the City. And thus he knew you would take the Peacemillion II and that you would hurry to catch up with the Emperor. From this place he only needed to consider the speed of the ship and the location of the ports along the coast to figure out where the ship would need to cast anchor."
"That means I know the man who did it. He must be a member of the Emperor's court, probably from his inner circle..." The expression on the Count's face grew dark and his voice was dripping with ice.
"A traitor... I swear I will kill him with my bare hands!" The three men shuddered at the dark menace in Treize's voice.
For a moment silence settled on the group, but then Rufus spoke, lifting the pouch in his hand. "The Captain's men found these things on the assassin."
"Show me," Treize ordered and together they stepped at a table.
Rufus pulled the strings of the pouch open and shook the contents on the table. Only three things fell out on the white tablecloth: a picklock, a very thin wire with small handles at its ends and a simple gold ring. Heero immediately reached for the silver wire, unlooping it.
"That's a garotte," he said, frowning. "A rather efficient weapon when you have to kill one person quietly. The city guard probably didn't recognize it as a weapon. You don't see such things every day."
Rufus and Treize nodded in agreement. The lockpick was of no interest to them since it was easy to find such things in every smithy in the Empire. But the ring...
Treize took it in his hand and looked at it closely. It was a really simple gold band, adorned only with small symbols that looked like runes from the old time. They would need to find somebody who could translate the inscription for them. Maybe this way they would be able to find out to whom it belonged.
Rufus looked at the ring and frowned. "Hm... maybe a payment for the job?"
The Count shook his head. "No, that would be too little. Maybe a sign? To show somebody upon return to the City?" He looked at his companions. Rufus was nodding slowly and Heero looked troubled but it was the expression on Trowa's face that caught his attention. The healer's eyes were wide open and fixed on the gold band. He was pale, as if he had seen a ghost.
~*~
"You look remarkably composed for someone whom an assassin tried to kill last night," Duo remarked, feeding the baby with a bottle, and looked at Milliardo who was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling a high leather shoe on. Shinigami was lying on the floor by to door, pretending to be asleep but taking everything in nonetheless.
Mil shrugged. "It wasn't the first time someone wanted to kill me." His voice sounded casual. "I am - was - a soldier after all."
Duo lifted his eyebrows. "But there is a world of difference between a battle and an assassination attempt, don't you think?"
"There is only one thing that troubles me," Mil said, frowning. "That I wasn't able to help Treize. With my eyes..." He sighed and shook his head.
"Wasn't able? I heard that it was you who knocked the guy on his butt. Give yourself some credit."
When Milliardo just shrugged, Duo continued. "And what about your eyes? Are there any better?"
The blond man hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I can see shapes now, not only light and darkness."
Duo grinned, delighted by this good news. "That's fantastic! What did Treize say about it? I bet he was out of himself, right?"
Milliardo sighed. "I haven't told him yet," he admitted quietly.
The braided young man frowned. "Why not?"
Mil shrugged once again. "I don't know... I'm probably just superstitious but... I would like to wait till I see more clearly so that I could give him the really good news, you know? I fear that if I tell him now, I will realize that it was just a dream and I'm still blind, you know?" he whispered.
Duo smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know. For me, it was the same with my bonding. I mean, so many things happened already..."
Milliardo smiled, the frown disappearing from his brows. "And how was your bonding night?" There was mischief in his voice.
The braided young man snickered. "Oh, you will pay for not telling me about the aphrodisiac, you know. I felt like I was set free. I wasn't thinking clearly and the only thing I had on my mind was..." He blushed. "Well, you know..."
Milliardo's smile grew into grin. "Oh, yeah?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Tell me all about it!"
~*~
"Will you tell me what's wrong, Trowa?" Treize asked, his voice low.
After Heero had gone to gather his mate and Rufus had disappeared to prepare the coach that would take them back to the ship, the Count and the healer remained alone in the sitting room. Trowa was still standing by the table, holding the gold band in his hand now, staring at it almost unblinking.
Treize moved to the door leading outside the rooms and into the corridor and closed them tightly, certain that whatever Trowa would tell him was not intended to be heard by strangers' ears. The Count leaned on the door and crossed his arms over his chest.
Trowa turned the ring once, twice in his hand, the winter sunlight reflecting on the etched runes.
He frowned, then a grim expression settled on his face. Obviously he made a decision of some sort, because he turned partially to Treize, still staring at the gold band though.
"This ring belongs to Dekim Barton," he said in a quiet voice.
Treize blinked, his eyes widening slightly. "How do you know?"
The healer just shook his head and continued. "The runes say 'With you for life, in death forever'. Dekim's brother gave it to his mate... Dekim never knew what the words meant, such a pathetic old fool... To him, it was just another ring he inherited after his brother and his mate died..."
Narrowing his eyes, the Count pondered what the healer just said. Dekim Barton... Would the old fool really dare to hire an assassin to kill him? Of course he would... he was dumb enough not to consider all the consequences. How the Emperor could allow this man to blind him enough to invite him into the inner circle of advisors was still a mystery to Treize.
Trowa lifted his head and mistaking Treize's intense look for suspicion, he hurriedly continued. "I don't know why he would want to kill you and Mil, but it's him. I swear, this ring was in his property the last time I-" He cut himself off abruptly, clenching his lips together and dropping his eyes back to the jewelry.
"There is a reason for such a daring move from him," Treize said. "It's the same reason why we are hurrying so fast to catch up with the Emperor's fleet." The Count cocked his head to the side and regarded Trowa as if checking if he could trust him. Coming to the conclusion that obviously he could, Treize continued. "This is a state secret, Trowa, you may not discuss anything of it with anybody else, do you understand?"
Trowa looked up again, blinking in surprise, but also nodding in understanding.
"The rebels in the south, the desert clans, are ready to sign a treaty. They want to stop the civil war that has been decimating their warriors for years now. But their leader, Irien Raberba, insists that he will negotiate only with me. For some reason, he thinks I'm an honorable man." A small ironic smirk appeared on Treize's lips, but disappeared immediately again. "I met him a year ago. He saved Mil's life back then and we reached an understanding... and now he refuses to talk to anybody but me."
"So, if you die, there will be no treaty and the war will continue," Trowa concluded.
The Count nodded. "Yes. And that's exactly what Dekim Barton wants," he explained, not able to hide the disgust he felt toward the old snob. "After he inherited all of his brother's money, he used the war to magnify his fortune - he became the biggest weapons dealer in the whole land. The last thing he needs is peace."
Trowa nodded slowly. It made sense. No Treize meant no peace negotiations, which again meant more business and more money for the old man. Men doing business with war would not shy away from murdering two people, no matter how important.
"So, what will you do?" Trowa asked quietly.
Shrugging, Treize shook his head. "What can I do? I will continue my journey south and be more careful. Even though we have the ring, it's not enough to prove him guilty - unless you would be ready to give your testimony in court." He lifted his eyebrows.
Trowa gripped the ring tightly. "I wish... I wish I could, but I can assure you that my testimony would be more of harm than of help."
There was so much bitterness in the healer's voice, that Treize lifted his eyebrows. Before he could ask more though, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" Treize called out.
"Sir, the coach is ready," Rufus said through the door. "The captain says we can set out to sea as soon as everybody is on board."
"We will be right there," Treize assured him, not moving away from the door, nor taking his eyes from Trowa.
The intense look in the Count's eyes was starting to make Trowa uncomfortable.
A moment of silence settled between the two men. In the end, it was Treize who spoke first. "You know, there is this interesting thing I heard some years ago. Dekim Barton should have had two nephews, twins, the sons of his brother. It should have been them who inherited the whole fortune, not him. But somehow, they were disinherited. The 'social unsuitability' should have been the reason." Treize paused, watching carefully for Trowa's reaction. "The boys disappeared mysteriously and the truth behind their 'unfitness' has never been revealed. Do you know something about it?" Treize asked directly when Trowa didn't react at all to his speech.
Trowa looked the Count directly in the eyes. His face was expressionless, a stone hard look in his eyes. "Why should I?" His voice was flat.
Treize regarded him silently for a moment. "I don't know... but if I remember it right, the boys' names were Triton and... Trowa, if my memory doesn't mistake me."
The healer's only reaction was the tightening of his grip on the ring.
"Are you THE Trowa Barton, Dekim Barton's nephew?" Treize pushed further, relentlessly searching answers to his questions.
For a long moment, Trowa was silent, looking at the Count without blinking. Then his posture relaxed, just like his tightly clenched fist. "I think I should go and fetch your mate and our newly bonded ones. The ship is waiting." He opened his hand and dropped the ring on the white tablecloth.
When Trowa turned around and headed for the Count's bedroom, Treize stared long after him, an intrigued expression on his face.
TBC...
Author's Notes:
I have no intention to turn it into a political drama - even though it might look so. The whole assassination plot was needed to:
1. reveal a part of Trowa's past - he really needed some sort of background J
2. introduce Quatre's brother, Irien Raberba
3. introduce Trowa's brother, Triton
4. explain, why they are in such a hurry to catch up with the Emperor J
And I'm truly sorry that I still didn't manage to write the lemon! Not enough time L
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