Warnings: Dark, Angsty, with NCS hints
Blue Forest Banshee Part 83
Strange Days I
Duo closed his phone, frowning slightly. He looked at his desk.
His clean desk. His clean, empty and nothing-left-to-do-today desk.
"Tiffany, do you mind if I leave early? I want to go into town and do some stuff."
"Sure; no problem, Duo. We're not busy. But leave Heero a note; he never believes me when I tell him where you are."
"Heh! I know! Why is that, anyway?" He gathered his bag and his cloak, swirling it around his shoulders.
Tiffany didn't look up from her magazine. "I think it's a Dragon thing. He and Wufei both like to get their information directly from the source. Beyond that, who knows?"
"Or cares!" Duo laughed. He typed a quick note on Heero's computer, embellishing it with flowers, bubbles and tiny floating hearts. "See you tomorrow," he called to the Witch. She raised her hand in acknowledgment.
~*~
Julie handed Duo a cup of soda and sat down across the table from him.
"Thanks," he said automatically. He took a swallow. It tasted odd; he made a face and checked the lid.
"What's wrong?" asked Julie.
"Just tastes kind of funny."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have gotten diet by mistake. I can get you another one."
"No, that's okay," Duo soothed. "I don't mind it, now that I know." The girl was always so anxious to do the right thing; he didn't want her to get hysterical over a cup of soda.
They sat in companionable silence, sipping their sodas. Duo figured she would get around to the point of their getting together soon enough. He was in no great hurry; dinner wasn't until 1800, and he could always call for a port if the time got close.
They'd done this a few times; just sat and talked. Julie didn't have many friends and she didn't have much self-regard. She seemed to think she wasn't worthy of regard, a child of divorce who blamed herself. He tried to convince her that she was worthy of a better education - that was, after all, the holy grail of Human existence - but she seemed to think she couldn't get into college without knowing what she wanted to do there, and she frankly didn't have a clue on that score. Sometimes they talked about the guys who populated her fantasies; sometimes Duo even tried to offer suggestions on how to get this boy or that one to notice her, but he didn't have much hope that any of it would work. Julie was just so socially inept. Or maybe it wasn't ineptitude as much as fear; she was still having trouble just saying 'hello'. Dragons only knew how she managed to speak to Duo in the first place. He didn't know how to help her, really, so he just listened and tried to let her see that she wasn't 'nothing.'
After a while, Julie checked her watch. "Time to go, Duo."
He looked up, blinking owlishly. "Go? Where're we going?"
"We're going to go buy my freedom." She took his arm, pulling him to his feet, where he swayed rather alarmingly.
"Huh?" Why in the hell was his mouth acting... strange? And his head... It felt like spider webs... or... or glue. Each thought seemed to take a very long time.
He blinked again; he was sitting in Julie's car. She was turning the key, starting the engine.
"Whr'r we goin'...?" he mumbled again.
"Don't worry, Duo. It'll be okay."
~*~
Duo started awake as strange hands moved over his body. He tried to pull away from that unwelcome touch, but nothing happened; his body didn't respond. Voices... two voices very close by. But most of the words were strange and made no sense. He tried to concentrate, but his head still felt... odd. How long? Where? What? Heero!
That thought got through all right, but nothing else seemed able to.
"That's why I brought him," said a vaguely familiar voice. "You said..."
"Yeah; whatever," replied a second from much closer to Duo.
Hands... That voice belonged to the hands.
"All right; you can go. Just you keep your mouth shut. I can still find you any time I want, and if I go down, you go with me."
"Yeah, yeah. I know that." That voice came closer. He tried to open his eyes, but they just wouldn't cooperate; it was as if they were glued shut. "Sorry, Duo," said that voice and a hand touched his hair. "You're a really nice guy and I appreciate all the stuff you tried to do for me, but you were right; I gotta think of myself first, ya know? Anyway, it won't be so bad. You be good, and he'll treat you okay."
What the fuck?!
But the voice was gone, and his thoughts were losing coherence again.
::What won't be so bad...?::
~*~
Duo didn't come home last night.
Heero called our flat at 2017 to ask if he was here.
Wufei went nuts. He started yelling at Heero, in Chinese, which I don't think Heero even understands; the gist of it being that it was somehow Heero's fault for not keeping Duo safely chained to his belt. You'd never know to listen to him at that moment how much progress he's made with his anger management therapy.
I managed to wrestle the phone away from the damn Dragon, 'accidentally' giving him an elbow in the ribs while I was at it.
While he was sucking air, I cut through Heero's rage and got him calmed down enough to be coherent.
Yeah, I know; I oughta be a diplomat. Really, I'm just used to dealing with Dragons.
Anyway, the story was thus. Duo had gone into town about mid-afternoon. Heero expected him back for dinner. Duo wasn't back by dinnertime. Heero started calling his cellphone. No answer.
I asked some careful questions, the only kind I dared to ask.
No, they hadn't had a fight. Duo wasn't depressed or unhappy. If anything, he was more bouncy than usual. Teal and Dael were coming to visit in a few weeks.
After two hours of searching, Heero was at his wits' end. Duo was friendly toward a lot of people in town, most of whom we didn't know... I hesitated to bring that up; it would just make Heero even crazier.
Dragons, in all forms and varieties, tend to be very protective of what is theirs. When it involves someone they care for... Well, you really oughtn't to get in their way.
But I knew some of the places in town that Duo went without Heero, so I told him I would check out those places.
That we would check out those places.
Wufei had recovered from the shot in the ribs and was standing at the door, keys in hand, gesturing for me to hurry up.
Duo doesn't drag Heero to the places where he buys his beads and yarns. He is rather over-conscious of such things being seen as feminine or female occupations among many groups. Probably comes of spending so many years with Humans. Even Witches and Wizards are apt to display those same chauvinistic attitudes.
I know Heero doesn't feel that way, but he might be bored, simply because he doesn't have the interest that Duo has.
The Banshee still seems to find it remarkable that Heero loves him the way he does. It sometimes seems that he's waiting for Heero to come to his senses or tire of him.
Like that'll happen in this lifetime.
Or the next seven.
Duo is always careful to shop for his craft supplies when Heero is busy or away on assignment, though, so as to always be available for the Wyvern. The Banshee is loathe to give Heero any reason to feel neglected.
Wufei has some strong opinions on that subject; do not get him started. All the way down to the parking lot he muttered and grumbled, mostly to himself, in Chinese. I usually ignore him when he gets like that. It's some obscure ancient dialect anyway. Were-Dragons do not deign to speak the common tongue of the masses.
At the last moment, I veered away to my own car.
"Trowa?"
"You check the north side and I'll check the south side," I said. "Quicker that way."
He snorted his agreement, irritated at not having thought of it himself. The clubs and bars tend to group on the north side, and he knows where Duo likes to go.
The boutiques and craft shops are mostly on the south side, but I had another, ulterior motive for separating.
Duo is still quite young, and for all of the time he spent living among Mundane Humans, he still displays an oddly endearing naïveté sometimes, especially when dealing with Humans his own age. Not the students at the Castle; Duo is wary around them since that not very pleasant session last year, but he seems to feel comfortable with Human teenagers with not a bit of Magic to them.
In keeping with that, he has some acquaintances among the local high school population. I don't think Heero or Wufei know this, but I've dropped Duo off at the local park hangout a couple of times, and seen a few of the young adults who appear to enjoy his company. I do not believe that any of those acquaintances know that Duo is a Magical Creature.
Being a school night, not many people were in the park at that hour, but I did find a small group. They greeted me cautiously, but without hostility.
"Do any of you know Duo? Tallish, slim, long hair," I sketched a description. "He wears his hair in a braid."
"Yeah, sure," said one boy. "Why do you want him?"
A girl sprawled atop the next table snickered. "Are you his boyfriend?"
A second boy smacked her leg and hissed at her. The first boy rolled his eyes.
"He's a friend," I explained. "He was supposed to be home for dinner, but he never showed, and his partner is frantic."
The girl giggled and rolled onto her back. I caught a whiff of alcohol. "Maybe he's having too much fun to go home," she smirked.
"Oh?"
"Everyone likes Duo," she pronounced solemnly, and then spoiled it by giggling again.
"Ignore her," said the second boy sharply. "She's faced, and she's still pissed that Duo turned her down."
"Am not!"
Both boys ignored her. She batted her eyes at me. "Bet you've got better taste," she purred. "I like men better than boys anyway."
"Don't we all," muttered the first boy. Then to me, he said; "I saw Duo with Julie earlier. But that was hours ago."
"Who's Julie?" 'Hours ago' wasn't a lot of help, but it was better than nothing.
The drunken female started to speak, but the second boy cut her off. "Julie's okay. She's kinda weird, but we're all kinda weird. She and Duo just talk yarn, mostly. She crochets, he knits." The boy shrugged. "I get the feeling that he feels sorry for her."
My ears pricked up. Figuratively. "Oh? Why do you think that?"
"Well, she's kinda like everybody's victim. You know, one of those people that everything bad happens to. Like a bad luck magnet." He looked to the other boy. "Right?"
"Yeah. She gets picked on at school, and she's not very good in class. She lives with her dad. Her mom and her older sister took off a few years ago." He crumpled a dead leaf thoughtfully. "She - her mom, I mean - was kind of a... Well, she slept around a lot, I guess. Her sister too. I heard her dad threw them both out. Julie's not like that; not as far as I know. She's just sort of quiet, doesn't fit in anywhere."
Yes, I nodded; it would be very like Duo to befriend someone who didn't fit in. His aunt's death had brought him both closer to and further from who he is inside; he would be touched by someone else dealing with the same problem. It was a feeling he knew quite well.
"Do you know her phone number or where she lives?"
They looked at each other. "On Nokaki, I think," said one. "But I don't know the number."
"She's got a crappy yellow Toyota," said the girl suddenly. "It's like ten years old. I don't know the license or anything, so don't ask," she grumbled.
I looked at the boys; they shrugged. That was all I'd get from them. I thanked them and left.
Back in my car, I called Wufei. He had never heard Duo mention 'Julie', but agreed that she sounded like someone he would have sympathy for. He also reminded me that Duo had recently taken up crocheting; maybe the two were related.
I no longer bother asking how or where Wufei gets his information on Duo. He has turned Banshee-watching into a science. Inazuma is almost as bad.
I love Duo dearly, and if he had chosen us over Heero, I would have been ecstatic, but he didn't and it makes no sense to me to behave as if anything will ever change. I consider him one of my best friends now, and I am content with that. Mostly.
And dammit, I was beginning to feel very scared. Duo would not deliberately do something like this. Not something that would have Heero frothing at the mouth with worry.
Wufei and I headed for Nokaki Street.
Of course, there was no sign of an old yellow Toyota. We would have to keep looking, but at the moment, this Julie seemed like the person who would have the best information of where Duo was. Maybe she worked somewhere and just wasn't home yet. Or, more annoying, maybe she was home and her old yellow Toyota tucked safely away in the garage.
I picked up my phone and dialed Heero. No answer. He was probably flying, searching from the air. I think he can pick up Duo's presence or scent or ki from a distance, but I have no idea how great a distance, or if it's a consistent thing. He just seems to know, when we're within the Castle, where Duo is at any given moment. It may be another Dragon thing, because Wufei seems to do something similar sometimes.
I pick up on his pheromones sometimes, but only if he's upset or deeply engrossed in something. And my scenting ability is greater when I'm in my animal form, but that wouldn't help me now.
Wufei and I compared notes, the Were-Dragon being much more subdued than usual. He sighed heavily, fingers drumming on the steering wheel, as I shared what I'd learned, and then gave his own report with uncharacteristic brevity.
According to Wufei, Duo hadn't been to any of the clubs he likes to go to. He hadn't been at the library; Wufei managed to catch the librarian as he was leaving for the night. The craft and yarn shops are all closed by 2000; I couldn't ask if anyone there had seen him.
Wufei took off then, to make another circuit of the club zone. He would meet me back at the Castle.
I cruised down Nokaki again, but still no yellow Toyota anywhere along its seven tree-lined blocks.
At a loss for how to proceed, I headed back to the Castle. Wufei was only a few minutes ahead of me. Jake appeared as we were getting out of our cars.
"I went to check that beach," he explained. "The one he seems to go to when he's upset."
It's happened all of twice, but I wasn't going to argue. Instead, I told him about the kids I'd talked to.
"What about the owner of the yarn shop that Duo always goes to?" he asked when I finished. "Even if the shop is closed, we could call her."
I looked at Wufei. Neither of us had thought of that. We didn't know her name, and Wufei said so, rather testily. Probably put out at not knowing that single scrap of information about Duo's life.
Jake snorted and vanished, leaving Wufei and I staring at empty air. I really hate the way the teleporters do that. It'll drive you crazy to stand in the port room with people popping in and out. I'm always afraid to move in there, especially in my animal phase, for fear I'll be run down by an inattentive porter. One of them trod on Wufei's tail once; you should have heard the noise.
A handful of seconds, and Jake was back, cellphone in hand, already dialing.
"There's an 'In Case of Emergency' number on the door," he explained.
"Oh." I looked at Wufei. He shrugged.
"What a concept," he muttered.
Jake suddenly perked up, taking on his 'customer service' attitude. "Ms. Werner? My name is Jacob Colinetti; I'm a friend of Duo's. I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but I need to ask if you've seen him today." He paused, obviously listening. "Oh? No, that is odd. Well, he was expected home by 1800, but he still isn't back and we're getting worried. Yes. Yes. That's why we're concerned. Would you happen to know of anyone we could call? Uh-huh... I think someone mentioned her..."
He looked at us, frowning, and made a writing motion. Wufei had paper and pen in hand instantly.
"Okay... Julie Stauber...? Oh, Strauber... Yes... 329... Okay. Ah, Ms. Werner thanks so much! What?"
Jake went suddenly very still, listening intently.
Wufei and I looked at each other. I dialed Heero's number again.
~*~
We crowded into the woman's living room like a herd of buffalo. She didn't seem to be surprised, though.
Somewhere along the way, we managed to acquire the rest of the Magical Investigations Office, except for Q. He is currently in discussions with the mayor of a rather large city over the lack of attention paid by that city to complaints from its Magical residents. If we had to disturb him, we would, but not until every other avenue had been explored.
For some reason, Humans get quite agitated when they feel they are being 'disrespected' by Magical Creatures. The reasoning behind that feeling escapes me, but whether or not to call Q out of his meetings is not my decision to make, so I do not dwell on it.
Usually.
Tonight, though, I really wished the Master Wizard were here. Maybe he couldn't just pluck Duo from the otherspace, but he could certainly calm the two hysterical Dragons. Tiffany was doing her best with Heero, and I had a death grip on Wufei, but it just wasn't the same.
"Of course, I know Duo's a Banshee," Ms. Werner was saying. "He mentioned it probably the second time he was in the shop. I've never met a Banshee before so I was curious. We talked about it, about how he wanted to learn to knit because that's what his mother did. He mentioned not wanting to... well, to spread that around, so I've never mentioned it to anyone else. Just kind of forgot about it, you know?"
We all nodded automatically. Some Magical Creatures can 'pass' as Human, and do, simply for the convenience of anonymity in that society. Most Humans are okay, but there are some...
"They started hanging out together a few months ago, just before Christmas. Now, I have nothing personally against the girl; she's had a hard time of it, but still she's more than a little odd. Always talking bad about her mother and her sister - they took off together a couple of years ago - and sort of scuttling around hiding in shadows the way she does. She's never turned up with bruises or anything like that, but I have wondered if her dad might... well, hit her sometimes, you know?
"I've tried to talk to her a couple of times, about how things are between them, but she always says 'fine' as if that makes any difference." She snorted, waving her hand in the air. "He's a quiet one too. Not surprising the mother left. But there's nothing wrong with quiet, you know?"
Heads bobbed appropriately. The woman could certainly carry a conversation. Estaban had gone rather glassy-eyed. Tiffany watched the woman with a concentration just short of glaring. Heero was under such tight control, he was bordering on catatonic. The woman had information. She would impart it at her own speed, and in her own way. Nothing he could say or do would hurry her along, and if he tried, she would just stop talking to us.
"But anyway, you don't want to hear about that." She sipped at her coffee. "Now, I don't claim any kind of 'powers', you know, but that girl just worries me. Duo is a sweetheart, and men in general just don't understand women, but women can be sweet as pie on the surface and meaner than a rabid wolverine underneath. Julie never said or did anything I could point to and say, 'there; that's what bothers me' but it just worried me to see Duo with her. But you can't tell a man anything about women. Even a Banshee man," she said darkly.
She went on in that vein for a bit longer, but there was nothing in it that we could grab hold of and use. As we were leaving though, she added, "If you want to find Duo, you better find her."
Heero growled his agreement.
Ten minutes later we were trying futilely to interest the Human authorities in Duo's disappearance. The deputy was sympathetic, but adamant. Without evidence of foul play, they could not get involved for 48 hours. Duo was an adult, and therefore perfectly capable of disappearing whenever he chose.
Predictably, Wufei was screaming his head off; in Chinese, fortunately, or he'd probably have been arrested for the language he used. Heero was uncommonly quiet, though, and that worried me. Tiffany was concerned as well.
When he stalked out of the building, we ran after him.
"Heero!" cried the Witch. "What are you going to do?"
"Find him," he snarled. "I don't need their help!"
"Heero, wait," I said, trying to soothe him. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. This time he stopped and glared at me. "We don't need to get them involved; we'll just spread the word among the Magical community. Someone is likely to have seen her or him."
He looked at me and blinked slowly. That alone would have told me how tightly wound he was. "All right," he rumbled.
It was after 0100; it would be hard to find people at this hour, but we began contacting those we could find.
A Faerie had seen Duo that afternoon petting a dog and chatting with the dog's owner.
A Wizard had spoken to Duo around the same time.
The manager of a convenience store remembered seeing the two of them together. She bought sodas while Duo waited in a yellow Toyota.
Beyond that, nothing.
Jake was bouncing back and forth like a damn tennis ball between us and the address on Nokaki, but there was no sign of anyone at home or of an old yellow Toyota.
Heero was to the point of calling Teal, something he was loathe to do since it would be as much as admitting that he had failed to protect the Banshee as he had promised Teal he would.
It was hardly Heero's fault, but as I said, Dragons are serious about their possessions.
And then, the mix changed.
A whiff of sulfur and a wavering of the air announced the arrival of a demon. A moment later, Zephyrus materialized.
Wufei let out a roar that should have been impossible for someone his size. He threw himself at the demon before he'd much more than solidified. Before anyone else could even move, Heero had him by the collar and face-down on the ground, a knee in his back.
The Wyvern glared up at the demon. "What are you doing here?" he snarled.
Zephyrus blinked and quirked an elegant eyebrow upward. "I heard that you are looking for Duo," he said smoothly. "I came to help."
I will forever be awed by Heero's control. He could have, and wanted to, tell the kaze exactly what to do with his offer of help, but he didn't. Instead he swallowed whatever enmity he felt toward the careless demon, and said roughly, "Thank you. We can use all the help we can get."
Wufei made some incomprehensible noises, thrashing wildly in Heero's grip, and Heero shook him like a rag. "Shut up! If he can help, he's welcome! Just stop it!"
Zephyrus drifted lazily my direction. I won't fall for his blandishments any longer, but I don't have the same feeling toward him that Wufei has. Wufei is insulted, indignant and angry enough on my behalf; why should I be? Besides, it was not all Zephyrus' fault, what happened between us. He was just being what he is; my fault for not recognizing it.
"Hello, Trowa," he purred. Didn't mean anything; Zephyrus always sounds like he's initiating a seduction; I suppose because he usually is. "What's happened? Why is every Magical Creature in the county asking about Duo?"
So, I told him what we knew.
By the time I finished, Zephyrus was as agitated as the rest of us. "Duo wouldn't just take off," he muttered.
"No duh, you stupid..." Wufei's comment was cut off by a glare from Heero.
"Something is very wrong," Heero said tightly. "I want him back, or I want someone's fucking heart! Preferably both!" he snarled, and his eyes were just... not Heero at all.
I blinked and stepped back a pace, in case Heero did something... hostile. I've never seen that light in his eyes before; it did not bode well for anyone standing between him and his Chosen.
Zephyrus made a kind of full-body shivering motion, like a cat settling its skin more properly into place, and then said, "I will ask of the demon realm." He paused rather uncomfortably. "There are others there who know Duo, though he doesn't know them."
Heero glared, and I thought for a moment that Zeph would melt into a puddle right there. But my friend said only, "Thank you, Zephyrus. I appreciate your help."
Zephyrus nodded and faded away.
The rest of the night and half the morning passed with no word of Duo. Heero... Well, Heero was not doing very well by that time. His vocabulary had been reduced to snarls and rumbles, and he was testier than Wufei on a bad day. We'd done everything we could; Tiffany and Moira had both cast every spell or charm they knew to try to locate what was missing or lost, but none of it told us anything. Now we were just waiting for information to come to us.
And then, just before noon, Zephyrus appeared again. He displayed none of his usual arch sophistication. He strode into the Castle like a cavalier, cloak swirling, the long feather in his hat bouncing energetically, tail switching purposefully. Everyone who encountered him stopped to stare. We don't, as a rule, get demons inside the Castle; the wards severely limit their powers and they hate to be at such a disadvantage.
He planted himself in front of Heero, speaking as if only to the Wyvern.
"A demon in South Dakota saw the car. About three hours ago, on highway 212, east bound."
~*~
I couldn't contain my anger and frustration any longer. I growled. The detectives glanced my way.
"This is wasting time!" I snarled, stalking up to the girl responsible for my Duo's disappearance.
"Mr. Yuy," began the elder of the pair. They had already given me conditions under which I could be present at their questioning of the Human female; speaking to her was not one of them, but I was past honoring their rules, and sick of her lying denials when my Duo was still missing. I would have answers, whether they liked my methods or not.
I ignored him. The girl cringed as I glared down at her.
"You-you can't touch me," she stammered. "I have rights!"
"So does Duo!" And I morphed.
She screamed and jerked away, toppling her chair to land on her hands and knees. Behind me, the detectives made startled noises. The room suddenly became a lot smaller.
I reached for her; she scuttled away, still screaming, until she ended up crouched against the wall, whimpering as she tried to claw her way through it. I hooked my talons into her blouse and pulled her up to snarl in her face, making sure she got an up-close and personal view of my teeth.
"Where. Is. He?" I rumbled. "Do not give me an excuse to hurt you!"
I was prepared for more resistance, tears, or self-serving whining. I was not entirely prepared for her to fold so suddenly and so completely. I tend to forget how I look to Humans when in my Wyvern form.
"I-I took him to Kevin... To the-the cabin..." she stuttered, completely terrified.
"Where?" I snapped.
"C-county road 17..."
"Which cabin?"
"I d-don't know the number... Just the c-cabin..." She seemed to shrink inside her skin. "Don't hurt me," she pleaded.
I shook her roughly. Don't hurt her?! Had she thought at all about Duo? Had it even crossed her fucking mind what might be happening to him?! "Whatever happens to Duo, I will do to you!" I promised. She went dead white in an instant and fainted. I let go of her, allowing her to crumple to the floor in a heap.
I meant exactly what I said. Do not speak to me of human rights or legal consequences. I could not care less for the Human laws that allow evil free rein in their society. My kind deal in justice, however harsh that may seem at times.
I returned to my less threatening form, with a glare at the detectives who had tried for hours to get information from her without success, and stalked out of the room and the building. The Weres, along with Inazuma and Enrique, waited in the parking lot. As soon as he saw me, though, Wufei came pelting across the asphalt.
"Did she tell you anything?" he yelled.
>From the time I'd called his and Trowa's apartment last night looking for my Banshee, Wufei has been frantic. I might have been angry in ordinary times at his continuing obsession with my angel, but now all I could see was my own fear reflected in his tight expression.
"County Road 17; a cabin with a person named Kevin," I replied tersely, already back in my Wyvern form. "You and the others start at this end; check every structure you find. I'll fly out to the interstate and work back."
"Shit!" he exclaimed furiously. "Did she say why?!"
"I didn't ask," I snarled, snapping my wings open. "It doesn't fucking matter." I took two steps and launched, soaring above the tree line to make straight for the highway.
Damn them! Damn them all straight to their bloody hell! She tricked him! Took advantage of his friendly spirit! Lured him into danger!
And dammit, he'd allowed it!
Dammit Banshee!
Don't you dare let anyone hurt you!
And then I had to put it all aside; forget everything, except finding my Banshee.
~*~
County Road 17 begins three miles outside of the town and snakes through the foothills and over the mountain to connect with the interstate. Along its length are dozens of private roads and hundreds of dwellings, ranging from one-room shacks to multi-million dollar estates. About half are vacation homes. He was here somewhere; had been for over 24 hours...
Duo... Angel...
My first stop was a quarter mile from the interstate. I found not the slightest hint of Duo. No sign at the next stop, or the next or the subsequent ten, twenty, fifty places I landed.
Outwardly, I'm sure nothing gave a hint of my increasing inner terror. Wyverns in their natural forms are not gifted with 'expressive' countenances. But inside...? Why couldn't I 'feel' him? Why couldn't I track him? He couldn't possibly... No! I would know! I would... know... Surely, I would... Wouldn't I?
So I howled and roared and let that futile noise take the edge off my frustration and mounting fear. Every living thing within range trembled, shrank, and hid from my rage. I was as near as I have ever been to being out of my mind when I landed near a small house. A dark blue SUV was parked under a carport roof, but no one appeared to stare at the dangerously unhinged Dragon in the driveway.
And blessed be to all Powers, Dragon, Magical and Human alike, I found his scent!
But even stronger, I found blood. A lot of blood.
Between one blink and the next, I was through the door of the house and standing in... an abattoir.
Blood...
On the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the furniture... And with it, the scent also of something more... substantial.
Before I knew what I was doing, I was turning wildly within that small space, screaming his name. A single, faint something caught my attention and led me to an alcove almost hidden by a blood-soaked sofa.
He was there! My Banshee, my Duo, my Chosen... Curled in a ball, splattered with blood and gore, and with his wrists chained to an iron ring set into the stone wall. He didn't move or respond to me, but I could see the slow rise and fall of his chest, hear his heart beating and feel the warmth of his body.
I flung the sofa out of my way and wrapped one arm around him as I broke the shackles from his wrists. He slumped insensibly against me and I gathered him up and carried him out of that charnel house. My thirst for revenge was gone; it's hard to hurt a splotch on the floor. Only Duo mattered now.
I settled on top of a picnic table with Duo resting in my lap, and changed form. I took out my cellphone and dialed. Trowa answered on the first ring, his normally calm voice shrill with agitation.
"I have him," I said immediately. "Alive." I looked at the charming wooden sign at the bottom of the driveway. "Number 91, Pine View Way. I don't know where that is in relation to your position."
"Don't worry!" he crowed. "We'll find you! Are the police there yet?"
"Called you first." Hn. Yes, I would have to inform the Human authorities...
"Thanks, Heero," he said warmly, and I heard Wufei in the background shouting questions. "We'll get Inazuma and Enrique and we'll be there shortly."
"Hn."
I called the police, curtly informing them that Detectives Mason and Wilkowski needed to show up at this location, along with their Crime Scene team and a Coroner.
My civic duty having been fulfilled, I turned my attention to my angel, who still hadn't regained consciousness. One side of his face sported a dark ugly bruise, and his wrists were torn and bloody from the shackles, but I couldn't find any other obvious injuries and I feared to examine him too closely.
Damn, but I wanted him home, but I didn't want to fly with him in this condition. I wanted him to wake up and smile at me, to tell me I was having a nightmare, that none of this was real. That he wasn't hurt and unconscious. That it wasn't my fault...
So, I held him tightly, stroking his hair and whispering soft nonsense in his ear. And very slowly, he came back to me; back from wherever he'd gone to hide during his ordeal.
But still... Something was wrong. He whimpered with every breath, his body twitching with spasms and deep shudders. Pain washed over his face in waves.
"Baby," I pleaded, stroking his bangs from his face. "What's wrong? Angel, can you tell me? I'm sorry, baby, so sorry it took me so long to find you." I have never felt so ineffectual, so guilty in my life... Dragons! What happened to my Chosen while I was flailing about so uselessly? "This is my fault: I should have been with you. I should have been there." If I could have gotten my hands on the one responsible for this, I would have torn him to shreds.
"...Hurts..." he whimpered faintly. It gave me only slight relief to know that he was conscious. Awake again to pain... and to fear.
"We'll take care of it, I promise, baby." Damn right we would. "Where do you hurt, angel?" Not... please not that... Please do not make this the second time... that I failed to protect...
"...Everything..." he breathed. He looked up at me, purple eyes gone black with pain. "...Heero... you found me..."
I nodded miserably. "I'm sorry I wasn't quicker, baby. I'm so sorry..."
"...No..." he moved his head a tiny bit and flinched. My gut twisted as he struggled to continue. "...Not your fault... My fault," he whispered. Another shudder wracked his body and left him with tears standing in his eyes. "...tr-trusted her..." He shuddered again, not as hard as before.
In the distance, I heard a siren. His fingers twitched convulsively and I took his hand in mine, lifting it to my lips. His lips curved in what should have been a smile, but wasn't.
"...something..." he began. "...s-something in m-my drink..."
"She drugged you?" I growled. Dammit, no wonder he was so shaky! Something as simple as two aspirins could be disastrous for a Magical Creature with a sensitivity to the substance.
"...ro... ro... something..." His breathing became more labored, as he struggled to speak. "...heard them... talking..."
I clutched him against me. Damn that bitch! I should have just ripped her heart out when I had the chance! My Chosen... Mine to protect. I had failed to protect, but I could still deal out justice...
Duo moaned, turning his face against my chest. A few seconds later, the convulsion hit him.
TBC...
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