Dark Bond Part 6
Duo opened his eyes. Heero was sprawled across his chest, eyes closed, his mouth turned up in a faint smile.
Which made him look somewhat smug, Duo decided.
"I am not," Heero replied without opening his eyes.
Duo brushed a kiss over the top of Heero's head. "Whatever you say."
"How are you feeling?"
Duo thought for a moment. "Sore," he replied and Heero lifted himself up a bit, his gaze running over his lifemate. "Stop that. I'm teasing. I'm fine."
"Are you sure love? I thought you'd be upset with me..." Heero stopped speaking as Duo's eyes narrowed.
"For what exactly? What did you do?"
"The bond..."
"I asked you to complete it." Duo shook his head. "You aren't worried about that are you?" Besides, he added mentally, look and see what you've done for me...
Heero followed Duo's mental path, finding the place inside Duo where his beast had been raging, barely contained... and found it calm and muzzled. Do you know what a relief that is? To feel like I'm not going to fall into the darkness in the next moment?
And I will not worry about losing you to it again, Heero replied, relief sweeping through him. That was one less thing to worry about.
"What else?" Duo asked. "You're still worried..."
"Your father. I'm sorry Duo, but I couldn't leave him alive."
"I know that, idiot." Duo shook his head. "I'm a hunter too remember? That was not my father. That was a vampire, one who had been killing innocent people, one that attacked Irea, one that killed my mother and nearly killed me. He needed to die. Don't apologize to me for that."
"I am still sorry."
Duo huffed, letting his fingers trace over Heero's chest. The wound was gone now, but it had been a close thing. "He nearly killed you. I would rather have you alive than otherwise. You did what had to be done Heero. Our kind has to make sure the vampires are stopped, no matter who they were before. Parent or sibling or child, you know that."
"I know that." Heero put his head down next to Duo's, let his mouth touch his lifebonded's neck. You are hungry. We should go hunting. We have a few hours of the night left.
Duo nodded and slid out of the bed, cleaning and clothing himself with a thought. Heero followed, catching his lifemate by the door, pulling him close for a moment. Thank you beloved, he sent as he kissed Duo, for completing the bond.
Thank you for being patient with me. Duo pulled away a bit and smiled. "I'm afraid you'll discover I'm a bit pigheaded about some things..."
"I already know that." Heero teased. Then he stopped and frowned. "Someone has walked through the barrier."
"Vampire?"
"Carpathian. I wasn't expecting a visitor." He left the room, Duo on his heels.
As they walked down the stairs, the front doorbell rang. Irea appeared in the foyer. She looked up at Heero who nodded. "Go ahead."
Irea opened the front door. A young man dressed in a pale grey suit, a fall of brown hair obscuring half his face stood there.
"Can I help you?" Irea asked.
"I think so," the young man met her gaze and smiled reassuringly. "I'm looking for Duo Maxwell. I have a message for him."
Duo edged around Heero and went to stand beside Irea. "Trowa Barton. I haven't seen you in a very long time."
"Duo," the other man smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't announce my arrival sooner, but..."
"You were practicing that stealth thing again." Duo shook his head. "I remember. You need to start teaching the rest of us that trick. But why are you here?"
"I have a message from the Prince- he is too far away from you to send it through normal channels," Trowa explained. Duo nodded. Trowa was a powerful mental speaker, managing to speak to members of their race that others considered out of range. The Prince often used him as a messenger. "He wishes you to return to him. He has another job for you."
Duo looked back up at Heero on the staircase. Heero nodded, understanding.
"Let the Prince know I will be returning to him- and bringing my lifemate with me."
"You are bonded?" Trowa's visible eyebrow rose. "I hadn't heard..."
"It happened only recently."
"The Prince will be delighted," Trowa said. "Of course you have to bring your bonded with you. You know that you cannot be separated from her for long. Is this she?" He asked looking at Irea.
Irea shot Duo a nervous look. "No," Duo shook his head and moved away from the door. "Come in and I will introduce you."
Trowa stepped into the house and Irea closed the door behind him. Heero was still on the staircase, his eyes focused on their visitor. Trowa looked towards him. "You are Heero Yuy?"
"I am." Heero moved off the stairs and into the foyer to clasp Trowa's hand. "Welcome to my house."
"Thank you." Trowa turned back to Duo. "The Prince would like you to leave immediately. If you fetch your bonded, we can go."
Duo smiled wider. "Already done." Trowa looked around the foyer. Only Duo, Yuy and the woman who opened the door were visible. He frowned slightly.
"Where is she?"
"He." Duo corrected, and touched Heero on the arm. "Heero is my lifemate."
Trowa's eyes widened. "But... he's male..."
"I'm glad you noticed." Duo lifted an eyebrow. Trowa sputtered.
"But... that's not possible! You can't be bonded! The females are our light- the ones that keep the beast caged!" Trowa ran his fingers through his hair. "It's impossible! Why would you make up this joke? I always knew you had an odd personality, Duo, but..."
"It's not a joke," Heero snapped, taking a half a step forward to place himself between his lifemate and Trowa. "Duo is not making anything up. He is my true lifemate."
Trowa looked back and forth between the two of them. "But... you're both male! This is impossible. Are you sure it's a true bond?"
Heero snarled.
Stop it. Duo sent to him privately. You cannot blame him for having the same doubts I did- and I was experiencing it.
I don't want you to doubt what we have.
How can I now? You calmed the beast. Duo's hand touched Heero's shoulder. Relax. Let me handle this.
"Trowa- why don't you look at us and see?" Duo offered, reaching out to the other on the common mental path. "Test us. Look and see for yourself."
"I will." Trowa's mind reached out to Duo's, followed the path that Duo showed him, and blinked to find himself in Heero's mind as well. Only lifemates could link so closely. Despite his disbelief it seemed to be a true bond.
"You can see in color? Feel?" He demanded.
"Yes, which as you know are signs of a true bond." Heero replied.
Trowa dropped the connection and shook his head. "I wouldn't have thought that it was possible- I don't know what this means..." He frowned. "I wonder what the prince will think." He met their eyes. "You know this goes against all the rules- it defies what we believed the pairings to be- some may see it as a defect... they may think you did something wrong or made it happen yourselves by some dark and evil means..."
"We didn't cause it to happen," Duo protested, realizing that Trowa was looking for a confession, for something to surface in their minds that he could catch as proof of a misdeed. "Why should we be blamed? Our bond is a true one and you know it."
"This is new and strange." Trowa shook his head. "I need to contact the Prince, ask him what to do. May I have a quiet place to do this?"
"Yes of course," Heero nodded. "As it is, we were about to go feed. Take your time. Irea, will you fetch Quatre for me? And show our guest to the living room?"
"I am here," Quatre appeared out of the shadows of the doorway behind Trowa. He raised an eyebrow at Heero, who nodded back. Duo frowned slightly at the silent communication. "Will you follow me please sir?"
"Yes, of course," said Trowa, not looking in his direction. "Don't take too long," he said to Heero. "I have a feeling the Prince will want to see you as soon as we can get there."
"Of course." Heero placed his arm around Duo's shoulders and guided him out of the house.
Trowa turned to face the weres. Irea merely nodded at him and vanished into a doorway.
"This way sir," the blond young man smiled without showing his teeth. "Just step in here."
Trowa followed, a strange feeling starting up in his chest. Nearly painful, like someone had struck his heart. What was going on? He put a hand to his head, dizzy for a moment. No. He pulled himself together, focused his power and concentrated on the task at hand. Contact the Prince. Worry about whatever was wrong with himself later.
It worked. The feeling vanished.
"Have a seat sir," Quatre gestured to the sofa. "If you need anything, just call out."
"Thank you." Trowa sat down on the sofa. "I will call if I need anything. But right now, I need a few minutes of peace and quiet."
"Of course sir," Quatre bowed, one blue eye showing through his bangs, narrowed and hungry looking. Then he was gone.
Trowa stared after him for a moment. There was something about that young man... He shook himself. Focus. He needed to contact his Prince.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He had shared blood with his Prince, that connection was between them, strengthening his mental reach.
"Barton?"
"My lord."
"What is it? Are you on your way here with Shinigami?"
"Something has happened... something beyond understanding."
"And what is that?"
"Shinigami has lifebonded..."
"But this is good news!" Zechs' delight washed over the link. "He was so close to the darkness- I feared for him."
"Yes- but- his lifebonded isn't- that is to say- he bonded to Yuy."
"Yuy? Heero Yuy?"
"Yes, a male. I checked the bond- they are bound as tightly together as any pair I've seen- and their feelings have returned- it seems in all ways to be a true bond!"
"I don't doubt you. Calm yourself, my friend, you sound distraught. Well, well, now this is interesting. The Perfect Hunter has bonded with Shinigami." Zechs sounded almost pleased. "I'd like to see them both. Bring them both to me."
"We will leave as soon as we can."
"And brief them both on the situation we have here."
"I will."
"Travel safely." Zechs concluded and Trowa dropped the connection. His focus gone, the odd feeling returned, shooting through his chest, making his vision blur.
Trowa put a hand on his chest. What was wrong with him? Was it the shock of that unnatural pairing? He looked at the red velvet of the couch and frowned, wondering what the Prince was going to do about it. Would he allow it? Try to break it? What did it mean for their world?
Then his eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. The cushions were red.
~*~
Duo leaned against a tree trunk and frowned. They had fed moments ago, and were now making sure that their unwitting donors were moving down the street, all traces of the brief encounter wiped from their minds, not faring the worse for a loss of a little blood.
You are worried. Don't be. Heero sent, adding a mental caress.
What if they try to separate us? Duo sent back. They might you know. You heard what Trowa said... you saw how he reacted.
I did. He seemed upset- wasn't that odd?
I'm sure he won't be the only one. Duo frowned. What if the Prince separates us?
He won't- he can't. We're lifebonded. You can't separate a lifebonded pair.
He might try. Duo slid over to the shadows behind the tree where Heero waited. I shouldn't have weakened.
Heero spun around and caught Duo in his arms, pulling him close and kissing him fiercely. Don't say that to me! Don't you dare say you regret this!
Duo responded to the kiss, opening his mouth and allowing Heero to plunder it. I don't regret our bond, but I regret that it might place you in danger.
You as well.
But you matter more to me.
Heero pulled back a little and blinked at him.
"What?" Duo asked, puzzled.
Heero laughed softly. "You don't know how happy that makes me," he murmured against Duo's mouth, "to hear you speak like that."
Duo blushed. "Okay, okay, I know it was mushy. Don't we have to get back?"
Heero laughed again, pushing Duo back against the trunk of the tree, finding his mouth again.
Let him wait for a little while.
Are you trying to get us into more trouble? Duo relaxed into Heero's arms, tugging him closer.
Might as well be worth it...
~*~
Quatre sat on the floor of the hallway, heart pounding. What was wrong with him? He'd done what he was supposed to do- shown the stranger to a quiet place and stayed near enough in case he called out.
But the moment the stranger had turned around and Quatre had seen that green gaze, he'd started to hunger. He wanted the stranger.
Impossible. He loved Heero.
Maybe it was a Carpathian thing? A way of drawing their prey near? Though he'd never felt quite like this with Heero- or Duo for that matter. But then this Carpathian was especially gifted. Perhaps that was it.
Yes, a mind trick, that's all it was. He could resist it easily. He took a deep breath, and then another. He was half-Carpathian after all. He could resist their tricks. He wasn't going to be food for some officious jerk that waltzed in and started judging people.
What would the Prince do about Heero and Duo? Quatre frowned.
He had loved Heero for a very long time- even knowing that he wasn't and could never be Heero's lifemate. He'd prayed that Heero would find one and be happy. Duo wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, but Quatre had to admit to himself that he'd be critical of anyone Heero brought home, so to speak. It had angered him that Duo hadn't accepted the bond- though it had looked like he had this morning- calling Heero his lifemate... Quatre hoped that was the case.
But it was Heero he loved- he knew it was. So why was he so drawn to this green-eyed jerk?
"Excuse me?" Quatre's head snapped up. Trowa was standing beside him in the hallway, his eyes focused intently on the blond in front of him. "I'm finished. Has Duo returned?"
"Not that I know of," Quatre resisted the urge to rub his cheek against Trowa's hand and got to his feet. "Let me take you to my sister, and we'll find out."
TBC...
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