A Note on ages, they are switched and kind of important for the fic. Heero and Wufei are 18, Duo is 17 and Quatre is 16.
Marked for Death Part 7
The blond boy quickly finished off the bread he'd been given and eyed the other travelers. The one with the long braid, Duo, was the only one who really paid attention to him. Duo simply crouched there, having picked up everything from the saddle pack, and waited, watching him. Meanwhile, the other two went about cleaning up the camp and prepping the horse.
No, check that. Only the Marked One, Heero, did any of that. The third, unnamed boy, with long black hair said nothing. He helped with a little bit of the cleaning up camp but most of the time he just stood there looking frustrated and helpless. Quatre knew immediately that despite the dirty clothes and tangled hair this one wasn't used to travelling. Least not in this fashion.
The third boy was obviously a member of royalty or something like that. His look of helplessness made that perfectly clear, along with his clothing. Despite the fact that it was covered with dust and dirt from travel and sleeping on the ground, Quatre could see the fine workmanship in the seams and even the quality of the fabric. He watched the boy move around and noted a circle of gold attached to his belt, mostly hidden under his travelling cloak.
If Quatre had his choice, this boy would have been the perfect one to steal a saddle bag from, or even that gold circlet. The poor rich kid probably wouldn't even know it was gone.
"You still hungry?" Duo asked.
Quatre shook his head and stood up, glancing around the camp. There was almost no sign that they'd even slept there. None at all. His eyes flickered to the Marked One, who walked over and took the saddle pack from Duo. Their eyes met for a moment and Quatre met his glare with a determined look. The Marked One simply grunted and turned around, attaching the pack to the horse.
"We're all up, we should get moving." It sounded more like an order then a friendly suggestion.
Duo stood up and brushed his dark clothes off. "You're going to have to come with us, we can't leave you here. We can't let anyone know which way we're going."
Quatre frowned at that. Travelling with a Marked One? Were they nuts?! They'd be killed! But then again... him travelling with them meant he would be fed for at least the next few days. And he certainly didn't have anything of value that he was leaving behind - he didn't have anything of value period. So the lesser of two evils...
Quatre nodded. "You going to feed me?" He asked with a cute little smile. Better to act the part of the cute little kid thief then to let them know anything about him. He'd travel with them... trusting them, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.
Duo chuckled. "Sure, kid, we got enough food here for a while. Come on."
Both walked back to the horse and Heero, who was waiting impatiently. Duo nodded to the black haired kid.
"Fei, take the horse."
The black haired boy nodded, a look of gratefulness flashing across his face. With practiced ease he pulled himself up on the back of the horse and they started off down the road.
Heero led the group once again, walking just in front of the horse, his eyes ever watchful. Meanwhile the black haired boy sat atop the horse, holding the reigns lightly. His figure swayed with the walk and Quatre could tell he was tired. Another sign of a noble, he hadn't been able to sleep very well on the hard ground, and yet the other two had.
Quatre frowned for a moment as he walked beside Duo. Was the black haired boy a captive? It might almost work. Considering the way the other two were dressed - not nearly as richly - and the fact that they looked able to survive without the help of servants. Had he stumbled on to someone being kidnapped? No, that scenario just didn't seem right, considering how the Marked One and Duo glared at each other. They were very angry with each other, if they were partners they wouldn't have let a disagreement get so bad.
"Who's chasing you?" Quatre asked without turning to Duo.
The boy walking beside him raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "What makes you think we're being chased by someone?"
"I'm not stupid," Quatre said. He pointed to the boy on the horse. "He's a noble isn't he? I can tell he's not used to travelling like this. I may be younger then you, but I'm not stupid."
Duo chuckled lightly. But the chuckle was forced and Quatre could hear that it was strained. "The less you know, the safer you are, kid."
Quatre frowned. "Wrong. The more I know the safer I am. You're making me travel with you, I'd at least like to know what we're running from."
"You can tell him, Duo," said the boy from the horse. "He makes a good point."
Duo nodded and sighed softly. Shrugging he spoke without looking at Quatre, but the young thief could still tell he was watching him through his peripheral vision. "You're talking to a Shadow kid, the Prince's Shadow to be exact."
Quatre's eyes widened and he skipped a step, falling slightly behind Duo. Recovering quickly he matched Duo's pace again, just staring at him in wonder. A Shadow? An actual Shadow?
He'd heard about an orphan named Duo from the others on the street, the few times they would actually speak with him. Most of it was just him spying in on conversations and gathering bits of info that sounded useful to him. From what he had heard Duo was one of the many orphans from the Burnings, but he was different. Unlike the others he'd been chosen to live with the prince as a kind of companion slash whipping boy. Everyone envied him for being able to live in the palace, yet no one envied him because of the torture he would supposedly have to live with for the rest of his life.
Most townspeople knew what a Shadow was, but not in exact detail. They knew enough to know that it was forbidden to speak with them or even pay any attention to them. It wasn't because you would get punished because you spoke to them, but rather that they would get punished for your carelessness. Some people purposely talked to Shadows because of their contempt for the lucky; others just ignored them, taking it to an extreme and thinking that the poor boy or girl would be punished if they were even looked at.
Up until this point Quatre had never actually seen a Shadow, though he heard that every nobleman in the area had one. He knew they wore dark clothing and many were trained to protect the person they were Shadow to... Still, of all the things he'd heard he never expected a Shadow to be like the boy walking beside him; not this grinning and very friendly boy. Quatre frowned lightly.
"You're not going to get in trouble are you?" He asked softly, eyeing the dark haired boy ahead of them on the horse.
Duo shook his head. "Not from him. The other's from the palace on the other hand..." Duo shrugged. "They're the ones chasing us."
Quatre blinked. "So he's the prince. But why did you leave the palace? Are you stupid? To leave a place were everything is provided for you?"
The Shadow chuckled softly, apparently finding that comment entertaining. "Sometimes the good things just aren't worth the price."
"There was a misunderstanding," the Prince said from his place on the horse. "We're all equals on this journey now, not Shadow, not Prince and not thief."
Quatre's eyes darted to the Marked One who was still leading the group, he'd remained completely silent throughout the entire conversation. Not even an angry grunt, he just led them on silently.
"I can live with that," Quatre responded back.
"Sorry to drag you along, but you understand we can't leave any trail behind."
Quatre smiled at Duo. "Don't worry about it. Besides, the town was getting boring anyway. It was time for me to find something new."
~*~
The small travelling group moved across the land at a relatively good speed. After that first day when Quatre had joined their group Heero led them off the roads, abandoning the flat and well-traveled ground for cutting between trees and through streams. Both Wufei and Duo noticed right away that they were veering from the original map that Heero had shown them on the stable floor, but still heading in the same general direction. Neither said anything to the Marked One, but instead watched him carefully for any other deviations.
Travelling off the main road made plenty of sense, so they weren't overly suspicious. After all, the Marked One could simply be making sure that another incident that gained them Quatre's company didn't happen again.
Their sleeping patterns were erratic, only a few hours of rest with large amounts of walking in between. They frequently took turns riding the horse, though Heero always led the group. He was the one who slept the least of all of them, forcing all of them to learn to deal with his short sleeping patterns.
Wufei's travelling legs improved significantly as the days wore on. He soon became quite more used to sleeping on the hard ground and walking during most of his waking hours. Whereas he'd usually been the first to ride the horse most days, he now gave it up in favor of walking and getting used to the travel. Most times it was Quatre who rose the horse and occasionally Duo. Quatre the most since his age made his legs slightly shorter and it was a little harder for him to keep up.
The majority of the week of travel passed quickly with no sign of them being followed. Apparently that was time enough for Heero because halfway through the fifth day he let them take a rest at the site of a lake, which they all happy accepted.
Duo immediately shed his clothes and jumped in the water, happy for the feeling of being clean again, while Wufei followed quickly after him, but in a more restrained manner.
Heero ignored them and attended to the horse and their supplies, doing his routine check up, then allowed himself to sit and rest on a large rock. He noticed that Quatre remained there standing and watching him curiously. But only after a few long minutes did he actually acknowledge the blond thief's persistence. He frowned and glanced up at the boy.
"Yes?" He asked in his blank voice.
Quatre jumped in surprise at being noticed and managed to stutter out a response. "I noticed your arm was bandaged and that you haven't touched it for a long while. What happened?"
Heero almost smiled softly in amusement. He found the young thief very interesting, if nothing else then for the mannerisms about him. It was obvious the young blond boy feared him, as most people did when they found out what he was. But what amused Heero was that aside from that fear the blond thief kept trying to talk to him. Heero could easily see the boy trying to gather up his courage to speak with him. What in the world possessed the boy so much that he would make such an effort to become friendly with something he so obviously feared?
"I left one of my weapons back at the palace," he said simply. The fact that it left him vulnerable didn't need to be said, that much was obvious every time a branch brushed up against the wound or he used his arm too much. He knew everyone could tell how much pain he was receiving from the open wound.
Quatre's eyes darted to his feet and stayed there for a moment as he gathered up his courage. Then he took a deep breath. "I... ummm... I know some things about medicine. Do you want me to look at it? I noticed you wincing the other day from it, I might be able to help."
Heero watched the boy quietly for a moment, not sure what to think. Before he'd just been amused by Quatre's attempts to speak to him, but now he was just dumbfounded. What in the world was it that made this boy so insistent on speaking with him? Why did this boy feel a need, which he obviously did, to befriend him? Or at least to conquer his fear. Heero's eyes narrowed just slightly in suspicion, but he nodded.
The blond boy swallowed and stepped forward, reaching timidly for Heero's arm. He touched the wrap of cloth Heero had placed there after the first day and his hand shook, almost like it had been burnt. Heero watched in confusion as the boy took another deep breath and steeling himself, banishing his fear.
Quatre unwrapped the small bindings of cloth wrapped around the wound and pulled it away, causing Heero to let out a sharp and low hiss of pain. The wound had begun to slightly heal over, deciding that the not-so-clean cloth was part of the skin. It had actually start scabbing and sticking to the cloth. As Quatre took away the cloth new blood welled over the surface as some of the newly formed skin tore. Heero looked away and tried to ignore the pain, but he was forced to bite his lip.
He needed to get back to his people, where this could be fixed easily.
"This doesn't look good," Quatre murmured softly. It seemed he'd banished his fear, at least momentarily, in favor of tending to Heero's wound. "Stay here," he said lightly. Taking the cloths he ran to the lake and washed them out in the water, pausing to rub them over the rocks in a washing motion, before dropping them back in the water.
Heero took the time to glance at his wound and frowned even more. He had wrapped it with a less then clean cloth, but it had been the cleanest thing he could find at the time. It no longer looked like a simple scrape of the skin, now the area was dark red with blood, speckled with white. He quickly looked away, not enjoying the sight at all. Without protest he obeyed Quatre's soft order and waited for the blond boy to come back.
Quatre did return moments later and the cold water on his wound stung, causing him to grip the side of the boulder tightly. Still he made no sound as the boy cleaned the wound with rough and unpracticed motions. As much as it may have hurt, Heero banished the pain, ignoring it as best he could. Instead he focused on the strange boy treating him. Why in the world was Quatre going to such lengths?
Also, it was obvious that the boy had done this before. Judging from his profession of choice, or necessity, he'd probably had to clean his own wounds throughout life. Heero noticed, for the first time, that the boy was actually pretty well off for a thief. He wasn't overly thin and looked to be rather healthy. Not to mention he knew a bit of the healing arts, which only added to Heero's confusion. Thieves didn't take the time to learn how to heal people.
He closed his eyes as Quatre was almost finished and just concentrated on the wound. It did feel better after being cleaned. He waited for the boy the start covering it with cloth again when he felt something hot flow over the wound. Immediately Heero's eyes snapped open and he grabbed Quatre's hand, startling the boy.
"It was just... an herb... something I found. It's supposed to help..." The boy stuttered out, his eyes wide and full of fear. Heero noted that he was telling the truth, and that a small plant was crushed in his hand. Reluctantly he let go of the blonde's wrist and nodded.
Quickly Quatre bound the wound and retreated, putting as much space between him and the Marked One as he could. Heero watched him retreat with a blank look.
There was something else he'd noticed aside from the herb. What he had noticed was that the boy's finger was bleeding, as if it had been cut or the skin had been torn.
But then again, maybe some of his own blood had just gotten on the boy's finger.
Still... it was odd. And Heero made a note to remember it for later pondering.
~*~
Duo sat on the shore, running his hands over his braid. Bit by bit his was squeezing the water out, not bothering to untangle the long locks, but nearly treat them like fabric where he could push most of the water out. He had long ago stopped swimming, reserving himself to sit on the shore and let the setting sun dry off his body. His dark top lay on the ground next to him, thoroughly washed, while he wore his trousers, his bare feet and toes wiggling.
He glanced up as Quatre walked toward him and sat down next to his shirt.
For a while the two just sat there and no one talked. They just sat there, Duo getting the rest of the water out of his hair and keeping a spare eye on Wufei, who was still bathing, while Quatre watched the setting sun.
"What happened between you two?" Quatre asked quietly.
Duo frowned tossed his braid over his shoulder. "You mean me and Fei?"
The blond shook his head. "No, you and Heero."
Duo's eyes immediately narrowed and he frowned, choosing to glare at the water. The anger filled him in those words, surrounded by unwelcome images. He wasn't stupid, he knew who Quatre was asking about the moment the question popped up, but he could pretend not to care. He sighed softly, trying to calm his anger.
"He tried to kill Fei," he said, forcing a shrug. And I don't want to talk about it, he added silently to himself.
Quatre nodded and Duo cursed himself. He should have known the little blond wouldn't accept such a passive answer. Just like he'd demanded to know who they were running from before; this kid had a knack for getting information he wanted. Duo smiled softly to himself as he wondered whether he would have turned out the same way if he'd grown up on the streets.
"He tried to kill the only person I've ever been able to talk to in my life. I mean, I know I've been whipped and beaten because of his mistakes, but that wasn't Fei's fault. Not his fault that his father decided to raise him this way. Fei's the only friend I've got, Shadow or not, and when someone threatens to kill him... well I don't take it lightly."
Quatre laid himself out across the grass, placing his hands under his head as he looked up at the sky. "But you don't hate him. Heero, I mean."
Duo blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about? Yes I do! He tried to kill Fei-"
Quatre smiled softly and shook his head. "No you don't, you sound like me."
Duo didn't respond to that one, merely turned and completely looked at Quatre, watching the younger thief with a questioning look.
"My mother was killed in the Burnings, she was one of the unlucky ones caught in the fire and didn't have time to get out. I was only four years old when she died; I didn't know how to live on my own. I wanted to hate the town for killing her. I wanted to hate the Izardl and the Marked Ones for causing the fire. After all, the fire was to chase them out, and she was just an innocent caught in the blaze. I wanted to hate them all, so much, for destroying everything I could have had."
He paused, his hand clenching together in old anger. Yet it was a harmless gesture and even Duo could tell it wasn't meant. Merely a reflexive action. Quatre sighed and unclenched his fist, holding it over his face, against the darkening sky.
"I wanted to hate them all. I should hate them all... but I can't. I tried, I tried for so long to hate them for what happened." He let out a small laugh and dropped his hand, returning to just watching the sky. "But it wasn't their fault. It wasn't their fault, it was just something that happened. And my mother and I were only a few of the unlucky ones caught in the middle."
Duo frowned and glanced away, trying to ignore Quatre's words. The kid's logic made perfect sense, so much sense. But the creepy thing was that Quatre's words echoed his own from every night. He wanted to hate Heero, yet at the same time he understood that Heero hadn't really meant to kill Wufei, only to find out where Sorata was. But still the scene he'd stepped in on...
He wanted to hate Heero so much. For everything that happened, everything that was his fault. Heero was the cause of all of this!
Duo sighed, blowing his bangs away from his face in frustration.
Quatre rolled over on the grass and looked up at him. "You don't hate him, do you?"
Duo just sighed and looked away. "I... I just don't know."
TBC...
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