Notes: My big thank you goes to my wonderful beta - Lucid Nightmare.
Due South Part 12
"Slash! Parry! Turn and parry! Turn and kick out! Too late!" Heero shouted as he swept Duo's legs from underneath him. The long-haired lifebearer hit the deck with a dull thump, the air leaving his lungs with a loud "woosh" and the silver knives falling from his numb fingers.
For a couple of long moments Duo lay there, looking up at the light blue sky. Yesterday, his frustration turned to annoyance and today it was taking a nose-dive into anger. It had been five days since they sailed out of the harbor and since then Heero kept pushing and pushing, forcing him to practice his meager fighting skills. But instead of Heero taking it slow with him, Duo spent most of the time on his back, staring up at the sky above. And he had just had enough!
Realizing that Duo was not getting up, Heero stepped closer to him, letting his guard down in concern. Using this opportunity, Duo straightened his legs, hooked his feet behind Heero's ankles and pulled sharply. With a loud yell of surprise, the Enforcer flapped his arms like wings but lost his balance anyway and landed hard on his butt. Duo then scrambled to his feet and pounced.
~*~
Treize and Trowa exploded in laughter as Heero dropped to the ground, a shocked expression on his face. Snickering and with an amused look, they watched as Duo landed on top of his mate and proceeded to kiss him senseless. The Sire released the grip on his knives involuntarily and closed his arms around the light lifebearer, closing his eyes and moaning as Duo explored his mouth thoroughly.
"Well, that's a tactic to be used against the enemy. Shame on me that I never thought about it," Treize called down from the upper deck where he and the healer were leaning against the railing and watching the soldiers below them practice their sword skills.
"Hey, you two!" Rufus shouted, approaching the pair that was one step short from having sex right then and there. Noticing that all the other soldiers stopped their exercises and were watching the two newly bonded ones with amusement and not a little bit of envy, the tall captain of the Count's guard turned around and snapped: "Eager to scrub the deck or what?" Threatened with the worst and most humiliating punishment a soldier could receive at sea, the men threw themselves into practice again.
Eyeing with dismay the two young men still locked in a passionate kiss, Rufus threw his arms up in frustration and stepped closer to where Treize and Trowa were standing above him. "What's wrong with Duo these days?" he asked with despair. "He has been acting like a horny teenager ever since we boarded the ship! Their sexual escapades are ruining my mens' concentration!"
It was the truth. Since the ship left the harbor of El-One, it seemed like Duo couldn't get enough of the bonded sex and had been seducing Heero into sexual adventures on every occasion possible. And slowly his state of constant arousal was affecting the crew of the ship. Even the ship's captain complained about his men finding the couple in compromising situations on more occasions than they were comfortable with.
Trowa smiled and propped himself on his elbows against the railing, looking down at the obviously frustrated man. "The explanation is very simple." Then he lowered his voice. "Duo's time of the month is coming closer."
"Huh?" asked the bearded man and stepped closer. "What did you say? I can't hear you."
Treize hid his smirk behind his hand and leaned with his hip against the railing, his eyes jumping from the captain of his personal guard to the two young lovers that were now trying to tear the clothes from each other's bodies.
"Duo's time of the month," Trowa repeated loudly this time, but when Rufus still stared at him with a blank expression on his face, he said aloud: "His monthly bleeding!"
Rufus blinked, then the meaning of the healer's words dawned on him, and he blushed a deep color of red.
"Oh," he managed to answer, then shifted from one leg to another and threw a sideways glance at Heero and Duo. "And he is... was he always this... horny? During his... time... you know?"
This time Trowa couldn't help it but grinned openly, amused by the big man's embarrassment. Sires usually didn't enjoy talking about the private matters of lifebearers. "Well, from what Heero told me, the last time he was so grumpy that it was a pain to be around him."
"Well, this isn't any better," Rufus mumbled, then sighed deeply and stepped closer to the pair that was now kneeling on the wooden deck, untying the laces on each other's tunics. He laid one hand on Duo's shoulder, the other on Heero's and shook them. "Hey, you two! Find yourself a bed!" he barked at them. then stepped back as Duo threw him a heated glare and actually growled.
Heero blinked as if waking up from an afternoon nap and looked around, confused. Then his eyes rested on Duo and another wave of molten lava entered his eyes. "Bed. Now," he stuttered, jumping to his feet and lifting Duo with him. He then proceeded to drag the dazed lifebearer after him until they disappeared below deck.
When the door closed after them, Rufus sighed in relief and returned to the practicing.
~*~
"What's wrong with Heero?" Treize asked, watching the newly bonded pair disappear through the door leading below. "I would have never thought he was so... passionate."
Trowa smiled, turned around and leaned against the railing. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I think it's Duo's state that's affecting him so much. You see, the closer the lifebearers come to their monthly period, the more fertile they are. That causes them to release a strong fragrance that's affecting their lovers. Something similar occurs when animals are in heat."
"That explains it." Treize snickered.
The healer nodded, a similar smirk on his face. But then he cleared his throat. "But you were saying...?"
"Oh, yes," the Count answered, leaning against the railing next to Trowa. "Chancellor Winner has thirty children - the last I heard."
Trowa raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot. He must be a very virile man. But I'm feeling sorry for his mate."
Treize grinned. "Actually, he has or I should probably say had four mates. At once. Although he lives in the Empire and claims to be an Ozzie, in some ways he follows the traditions of his ancestors from the Great Desert. Polygamy is a common thing among the desert clans. Twenty-nine of these children are Sires, the youngest one - I think his name is Quatre - is a Bearer. Unfortunately, Chancellor Winner is not as good a Sire as he is a politician. He uses his children as tokens in his political games. He bonded them to the important houses of the Empire, creating a net of allies even the Emperor has to admire."
Trowa frowned. "But how did his son become the leader of rebels in the desert then? Did Chancellor Winner bond him to one of the clans?"
The Count sighed. "Yes. Irien has always despised his Sire's ways, and so he welcomed it when the Chancellor sent him to the desert. He managed to unite the clans, but instead of following his Sire's orders and succumbing to the Empire, he started a rebellion to liberate the desert people. They had a big fall-out with the Chancellor. The rumor says that he even kidnapped his youngest brother Quatre once and escaped with him into the desert. But it's just a rumor..."
The healer turned toward the Count. "And? Does he have the chance to succeed?"
Treize smirked. "Well, he did force the Emperor and me to run back to the City and obey his demands." His voice was full of irony and sarcasm.
"But you seem to like him. The desert prince, I mean."
Treize laughed. "Well, at first we stood on different sides. We fought against each other for months and neither of us seemed to be winning. But then he saved Mil's life and everything was different." The Count's voice softened. "He managed to open my eyes. Without him, I might have never had the chance to make everything right with Mil."
Trowa watched the aristocrat for a moment, sensing the change in the other man's mood. Treize was looking far into the distance, his eyes unfocused as if he was seeing things long gone. But before the healer could ask if he was alright, a shout sounded from the crow's nest.
"Ship on the horizon!"
The ship's captain looked up. "What ship?"
There was a moment of silence, then... "Captain! Pirates! It's a pirate ship!" cried the sailor in the crow's nest, his voice strained.
A hush ran through the mass of people on the deck. The ship's captain ran up the short stairs onto the afterdeck and pulled out the looking glass. Treize and Trowa stepped closer to him. The day was clear and sunny so it was no problem to see at a great distance.
"Captain?" Treize addressed the man as the captain's posture stiffened and his face grew pale.
"It's the Revenge," he whispered.
Treize snatched the looking glass from the other man's hands and pointed it in the direction of the fast approaching ship. Black hull, black sails... There was no mistake. It really was the Revenge.
Trowa frowned. "Treize? What's going on?" he asked, confused. From what he heard from the sailors, it was nothing unusual to meet pirates at sea these days. He didn't understand what was happening.
The Count lowered the looking glass, his eyes still fixed on the horizon where the black point was growing larger at an amazing speed. "The Revenge is the fastest ship ever built." Finally, he managed to tear his eyes away from the frightening image and turned to the healer. "Not even Peacemillion can escape it, at least not in its current state."
Trowa could feel coldness creep into his limbs. "Are you saying that..."
Treize nodded. "We will have to fight."
TBC...
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