Leaving Duo and Wufei to recover from their endeavors in the otherworld, Heero took his car and drove through New Port City to get to the Peacecraft Manor as fast as possible. A million questions were racing through his mind. What did Wufei's words about Deathscythe mean exactly? How could his short trip to the otherworld equal two days in the real world? Why was Harriet panicked? What had happened to Relena?
"Yuy here! Open the goddamn gate!" he barked at the intercom. It was uncharacteristic of him to use coarse language, but his nerves were frazzled. Somehow, he was afraid of what he was going to see or hear at the Manor. His latest encounters with demons and dark entities really didn't help matters. Heero hurried through the large hallway, straight to Relena's study, and he didn't even bother to knock the door.
"Relena," he immediately said when he saw her. She stood up from her desk, quickly closed the distance between them, and flung herself into his arms, crying. Heero stroked her hair and back; soft, soothing motions, allowing her all the time in the world to cry on his shoulder, letting it all out.
"Tell me what happened," he said when her sobs seemed to dissipate.
"It's Mark." Relena took out a handkerchief to press against her swollen eyes. She didn't ask where Heero had been.
"What happened?"
"I told you he was acting strange," Relena said, her voice thick. "And now he has disappeared!"
"What? Disappeared?"
She nodded. "He vanished into thin air. He didn't show up at a fundraiser meeting, so they called me to ask what was keeping him. I didn't know anything either. I thought he went straight to the meeting. Pargan took the Bentley to drive him." Heero knew the personal chauffeur who had been in Relena's service his entire life. "It's awful, so awful! They killed him!"
"Someone killed Mark?"
"No, Pargan!" She burst out in tears again, the pain obvious on her face. "When the car was found, Mark was gone, and Pagan was still behind the wheel, and he was… Oh God, I had to identify him, Heero! I had to look at… God, all that blood! I… I…!"
She was unable to say more, and Heero guided her over to the sitting area of her study and gently sat her down. He took a seat next to her, keeping his arm around her in a comforting manner. So much grief, and he hadn't even been around to help her.
"I'm so sorry," Heero said. "The poor man."
Relena pressed the handkerchief against her eyes, frantically wiping at the tears. "I've known him since I was a toddler," she said. "He didn't deserve this. I've told him to enjoy his retirement, and he said 'No, Miss Relena, it's going to take a whole lot for this old man to abandon his post'. God!"
"And Mark?"
"He's just… gone. There's no trace of him, nothing at all. The police brought a whole pack of those sniffing dogs, but there was nothing to sniff!"
Relena straightened herself, forcing the flow of tears to stop. She looked tired and stressed, her face pale with sunken, hollow cheekbones, her usually neatly styled hair in a frizz and uncombed, her eyes all puffy and red. Heero felt guilty. He hadn't realized that his trip to and the recovery from the otherworld had taken him so long, and all this time Relena had been worried sick, confused, her husband was missing…
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there," he said. Relena tried to smile but faltered hopelessly.
"It's not your fault. You had other business to take care of, and I… Well, I take pride in being an independent woman," she said, "but apparently I'm not even strong enough to keep my emotions in check."
"Relena, please…" He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're the strongest woman I know. Who told me that it was all right to cry, to show vulnerability, when I was at my lowest?"
"You lost your father, Heero," Relena said. "Your last living relative. That's something else than…"
"No, it's not. Pargan was family to you, and your husband…Mark…he's your family too. I'll help you, Relena."
"How?" She looked up at him quizzically. "You're a lawyer, Heero, not a private detective…"
"I have my connections," Heero said. He cupped her face. "Trust me, Relena. Mark will be back. Let me take care of it."
Harriet greeted him with relief at the office. "Have you called Mrs. Peacecraft?"
"Yes I did, and I already visited her." Heero didn't go into details; telling his secretary about Relena's predicament was too personal.
"I'm so glad you're back, Mr. Yuy. There's so much work to do, and not every judge has a lot of patience."
"I know," Heero reassured her. "I take it you've put a long to-do list on my desk?"
"Very long," she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. "Very long, Mr. Yuy."
Heero closed the door of his office behind him and was overwhelmed at the sight of the huge stacks of paperwork on his desk, covered with bright, colorful sticky notes. He would need at least two assistants to get through all of this and call every one of his clients back.
A funny image of Duo and Wufei helping him out went through his mind, and he all but snickered. If only! It was much safer work than dwelling around in a demon world… but he already knew that Duo was never going to give up his work. Someone had to protect the world from dark entities, guide lost souls, and execute those who were a danger… and those who were dead…
He was dialing Duo's number and stared at his laptop screen. His e-mail program booted up and showed dozens and dozens of unread messages. This time Heero groaned out loud, just as Duo picked up the phone.
"I love it when you greet me like that," Duo immediately quipped, "but I have a guest. I can't engage into lovely phone sex with you, Heero. It'll have to wait."
"It's a good thing I don't have you on speaker phone," he grunted in response. "I have some bad news, Duo."
"What is it?"
Heero told him briefly about Mark's disappearance. He told Duo all the details he knew so far, which wasn't much - Pargan's death, the car…. he waited for Duo to process the information.
"Where's the car now?" He asked at last. "Shini can smell a dark entity a mile away. If I can get him close to the car..."
"My thoughts exactly," Heero answered. He took a deep breath. "I don't want to leave Relena alone right now. Why don't you come over to the Peacecraft Mansion?"
"I know what she means to you," Duo said warmly, no jealousy or aggravation in his voice. "Wufei can look after my apartment. He's ready to strangle me anyway, so it's a good idea for me to be out of the house tonight."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries - as well as intimate pleasantries that made Heero want to pull Duo through the phone and act upon them right now - he called Relena to ask if there was any news. Unfortunately, there wasn't any, but he learned the name of the police officer in charge of the investigation: Septem.
He had the most horrible, grating voice Heero had ever heard; it was hard to keep up the conversation with him. The search for Mark Wilkinson was ongoing, and Septem wasn't easily swayed to give out more information. At this moment, a special team was searching the canals close to the location where the car was found.
As there was nothing else he could do about Mark at the moment, Heero worked his way through the first stack of paperwork on his desk, without taking a break. He called his clients, read through new reports, talked to his fellow lawyers, and felt drained at the end of the afternoon. Zechs had an impressive caseload of his own, he couldn't help Heero out the entire time. With a pounding headache, he drove back to the Peacecraft Mansion.
Relena didn't mind at all that Heero had invited Duo over without asking her permission first. She welcomed Duo as an old friend and enjoyed both men's company as she didn't want to be alone. Dinner was nice and entertaining; true to his reputation, Duo emptied his plate twice and was served a huge bowl of ice cream for dessert. Indulging in the treat, he started up a conversation with Relena about the best flavors, while Heero was wondering where Shinigami was. Duo had arrived empty-handed at the mansion, smiling as usual, without the dragoyle in sight. Relena wasn't aware of the full nature of Duo's work and the topics at dinner avoided any and every mention of the supernatural. She knew he was involved in the Winner case, but as far as she was concerned, Heero had invited his boyfriend over for company and who was she to refuse? Inevitably, the conversation came to Mark. Relena's joy died down immediately, and she heaved a depressed sigh.
"I wish I had more information to share," she said. "Detective Septem suggested that I should go through Mark's office and papers and see if I could find anything that could be used to blackmail my husband. Septem himself is busy interrogating and investigating Mark's co-workers, his assistant, and his personal staff. No ransom demands have been made… I don't know what's going on. I have no clue whatsoever."
Duo sympathized. "I'm so sorry to hear all about this, Relena. Forgive me for asking… but did you notice any strange behavior in Mark lately?"
"Yes, he became more distant and irritated. I told Heero about it, and I chalked it up to the stress of the campaign. He was so busy, and everybody wanted something of him… and I wasn't all that happy about him running for mayor in the first place, so I thought we hit a rough patch in our marriage." Her voice hitched a little, but she kept herself calm and composed. "I figured it was best to let him be, to offer support where I could, and just let it all ride out. After the campaign was over, I thought we'd have more clarity about the situation, and we could work on it from there…" It wasn't easy for her to admit marital difficulties, and she lowered her head a little, as if she could hide behind her long, blonde hair.
"I don't know what to do," she said after a moment of silence. "I don't know what to do! He just couldn't have disappeared from the car, he just couldn't have vanished into thin air… and yet he did! He's gone!"
One of the servants brought tea and coffee with chocolate bonbons, but Relena didn't care for the sweets. Instead, she rubbed her temples.
"Such a headache," she mumbled. Duo cast a quick look at Heero and mouthed something to him that he didn't understand. When Relena wasn't looking, Duo put his hands to his cheek as if he was sleeping. Heero got the message.
"Relena, why don't you get some rest?" he offered. "You're safe now; we're here."
"Thank you, Heero, Duo," she said, smiling with relief. "I'm sorry I'm not much of a host tonight. I can't think straight, this headache…" She looked annoyed with herself for complaining. "I haven't been at the office either." Guilt struck her face. A lot of the urgent phone calls on Heero's desk this afternoon had pertained to her cases. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
"It's okay," he said. "Don't worry about that. You've got a lot on your plate, Relena, and you need to take care of yourself. It'll be all right."
Thanking them once again, Relena left the living room, a worried servant girl rushing to her and asking if she wanted a nice, hot bubble bath, ideal for relieving headaches. Duo was on his fifth bonbon already, and casually put his feet up on the sturdy wooden coffee table as he reclined into the sofa.
"Where's the car?" he asked promptly.
Heero shook his head. "Impounded. We can't get anywhere near to it. Septem seems to think that investigating the disappearance of Mark Wilkinson is going to be the case that makes his career."
"Or breaks it. This stinks of dark entities and you know it, Heero. I brought Shini with me, but I couldn't bring him into the house, of course."
"Where is he?"
"Flapping outside somewhere," Duo said, swallowing the rest of his bonbon. "I told him to hide in a tree. Too bad about the car; if there was any dark residue on it, he would've sniffed it out."
"I think I've got something better," Heero said. "Go get him, and I'll show you where he's got to sniff."
"I love it when you're so commanding," Duo said before pecking him on the cheek. "I'll obey, my lord, master and ruler."
Duo returned with Shinigami perched on his right shoulder within a few minutes. The staff in the mansion was easily avoided; Duo made sure nobody caught a sight of the creature on his shoulder.
"Okay, what did you have in mind?" he asked curiously.
"Remember when my apartment was ransacked and I got floored?" Heero touched his face subconscioudly. The bruises had healed up nicely, only a slight yellow discoloring remained that would disappear in time. "Relena invited me to stay here, in a guest room at the end of the west wing. One night, I got woken up by strange noises, and when I checked it out, I could hear someone talking. I'm not sure if it was Mark, but in the light of his sudden disappearance… The next morning, when I opened the door to the room, no one had been there... at least it looked like no one had been there for a long time."
"All right, let's check it out." Duo winked at Heero. "It could've been an entity, or Mark has been dabbling with powers that backfired on him. Anyway, if something's there, we'll find it."
Heero went ahead, knowing his way around in the large mansion. The guest room was just as ordinary as the last time Heero had seen it. The bed was neatly made and there was no dust.
"Get to work, you," Duo teased Shinigami by tapping it on the nose. The creature yawned and showed off much sharper teeth than Heero could remember. Duo wandered around the room, examining the furniture. He opened the empty cupboard and ran his hand over the wooden panels; Heero assumed he was looking for rifts. For once, Shinigami wasn't flying around, but waggling around like an overstuffed duck. He went into the adjacent bathroom.
"How's Chang doing?" Heero asked.
"A lot better, but he's not the same yet. He's eating and resting, resting and eating… His body and pride still need some time to recover."
"Pride and honor does mean a lot to him."
"Yes, they do. Wufei feels like he has failed, as he knows better than to trust a demon. Being trapped by the hyn-davilyn made him feel incredibly vulnerable. It's not good. Especially when dealing with demons, you have to feel confident and strong. Every little weakness is immediately exploited and abused by dark entities."
"There was something else that Chang said," Heero hesitated. "About the weapon you wield, and how it belongs to someone…"
A large croak from the bathroom ended his sentence. Duo immediately went to see Shinigami, followed by Heero; they found the dragoyle on the marble sink, pointing with its stump snout to the rim, like a cat waiting to jump on its prey.
"What is it?" Heero asked.
"He found something," Duo said. "I think I know how Mark disappeared."
"How… What…?" Heero looked at the dark fissure, hidden behind the sink.
"Another rift," Duo said, and he sounded annoyed. "One at Khushrenada's villa, one here at the Peacecraft Manor. They are perfect mirrors to each other. This is bad."
"I don't think that Mark was into anything supernatural," Heero said. "Do you think a boss has started to parasite on him?"
"It could be. I'd have to see him to know." Duo heaved a sigh. "But actually, I hope and pray it's a boss. It's so much worse when people go along with dark demons on their own volition."
"Is there any free will left to speak of?"
"Not when a parasite has attached itself to them. But when they choose willingly and consciously to serve a dark demon… then there's nothing I can do. I can't bring a corrupted person back into the real world, Heero."
"Mark isn't like that," Heero said firmly. Summoning ghosts was for eccentric people like Treize Khushrenada, not down to earth, happily married men like Mark Wilkinson. At least, he hoped so. "What do we need to do to get him back?"
"You're not coming with me, Heero. The otherworld isn't your world, remember?"
"I don't want to hear it. Do you really think I'll let you face such danger all by yourself?"
"That danger is my job! I don't need someone to watch my back!"
"I know what it's like there," Heero shot back. "I went in there to save you, remember?"
"I didn't need to be saved; Wufei did! You endangered everything by showing up unprotected and unprepared. You could've died if you weren't so strong. Remember the boss' attack?"
"I know, and I remember, yes," Heero said. Recalling those nasty, dark thoughts the boss had whispered to him occasionally returned in his nightmares. "But it's too dangerous."
He took a step back from the look on Duo's face. He thought the otherworld was dangerous, but it was nothing compared to the deathly, demonically glare on Duo's face.
"Don't give me this shit," he growled. "You're not the first one wanting to protect me, Heero. I appreciate your concern, I really do, and I love you for every inch - but I'm familiar with this work. It's my choice to do this. You have your own life. Your office, your cases, your Harriet. That's your world, and I wouldn't dream of coming in-between."
"There's a huge difference between sitting at a desk or in a courtroom and fighting with dark entities and demons, Duo," Heero pointed out dryly.
"The fact is, you simply can't come with me," Duo said. "Your inner strength is good enough to withstand weaker bosses, but compared to what else there's on the loose…I'd have to protect you all the time, and when I'm in the otherworld, I can't!"
"Then teach me how to boost my natural protection," Heero said. "Teach me how to work on my defenses!" A thought occurred to him. "Why are you always talking just about me when it comes to protection? Don't you need any protection?"
"That's not the point, Heero." Duo frowned. "It's about that I don't need your protection in the otherworld. I know how to do my job. Are you going to coddle me all the time?"
"You have to understand that it's pretty scary that your boyfriend is tangling with demons and dark entities," Heero said.
"Don't give me that 'I wish you had a normal 9 to 5 job' shit," Duo lashed out. "If you want to try that bullshit on me, just go! Leave!"
"Don't be ridiculous! I love you!"
"Then love me enough to let me be who I am!"
"You're an Executioner!" Heero lashed out, just as violent as Duo. He grabbed him at his wrist, his excessive physical strength forcing Duo to stand still. "Chang said something about your weapon. Deathscythe. Why you're able to wield it."
Duo tried to break himself free, his eyes glaring daggers at Heero. "Wufei doesn't know what he's talking about. He was tired and drained."
"I think he wanted to tell me something about you, subconsciously or not. Something that went further than you 'just being' a spirit hunter. The only reason why you can wield Deathscythe, Duo. Tell me. I want to hear it from you."
Duo pulled back his wrist and rubbed his skin. "I have more important matters on my hands." His voice was lower and chillier than ever, no warmth to it at all. Heero didn't like it.
He mercilessly squashed his own feelings of guilt about it. He wanted to know. He was a lawyer; it was his duty to discover the truth, even if it was from the man he loved. No, especially if it was from the man he loved. He didn't want to keep secrets, not from Duo, and he didn't want Duo to hold anything back from him.
"I need special equipment to get this fixed," Duo murmured, as if he had forgotten all about their fight. "And prepare myself."
"Duo."
"What?"
"When you get back, I want to know."
"You want to know what?"
"What makes you Deathscythe's wielder. Why they call you the Executioner."
The look on Duo's face was heart wrenching. "Don't force me, Heero. Or else I'll walk out and you'll never see me again. I'll help your friend because this is important, but never, ever force me to tell you something I don't want to tell you about, be it now or later."
"I don't want any secrets between us," Heero said. Duo turned around.
"There are still things I don't know about you," he said.
"What do you want to know?" Heero immediately asked.
"It doesn't work that way." Duo shook his head. "I'm going to need some supplies. I'll be back in a jiffy."
As Duo left, Heero heaved a sigh. He stared at himself in the mirror above the sink.
"Great going, Yuy," he said to himself. Shinigami snorted at him. "Yeah, I know." He had the weird urge to pet the creature, but he refrained from doing so. Shinigami tilted its head and just waggled up and down along the rim of the sink.
Heero heaved another sigh. He was going to lose the love of his life… but why did Duo have to be what he was? Why couldn't he have been a gardener, an architect, or a nurse? Or better yet, a fellow lawyer so they could have long, boring conversations about certain paragraphs in obscure laws? Anything was better than to hunt ghosts and demons… and be so damned stubborn about it.
Heero realized he didn't have any choice. If he wanted to be with Duo, and he really wanted him to be a part of his life, then he had to respect his choice and his line of work. Shinigami snorted again, as if reading Heero's mind and agreeing. Heero flicked its nose.
"It should be easier," he said. "Your master should've been a sculptor, or a call center employee, or something like that."
"But you couldn't say no to this sexy spirit hunter, could you?" Duo swung into the small bath room, carrying his black backpack. Heero wasn't startled; he was used to Duo's silent walk.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?"
"For what I said. That I wanted to force you. But Duo, I…"
"You started out well, don't ruin it now." Duo gave Heero a smile. "I promise you we'll talk, Heero. I can't promise you when. I won't deny that it's difficult, and I would love it if things were easier - but they aren't. We have something special together and if it's up to me, we'll stay together for a very long time to come, at least if you want to."
"I really want to," Heero said.
"Then let me do my job," Duo answered and pulled out candles from the backpack. Heero recognized them; they were the same as he had used during the séance with Trowa. Duo put them on the ground in a half-circle and he lit them. A mystic scent wafted in the small room. Duo continued to unpack his bag and pulled out a jar with green pods, similar to peas. He frowned at the jar.
"I really need Wufei's help to seal the rift. It'll have to wait; I'm going to retrieve Mark first."
"Why don't you call Chang to get him to help you?"
"His energy levels still aren't up to par," Duo said. "It's a small rift, not as intense as at Khushrenada's villa. I can…"
He stopped talking at the exact same moment as Shinigami let out a high-pitched, shrill shriek. Duo's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed into a heap on the ground. "Duo!" Heero screamed.
He was too late catching him, and the jar with the green pods dropped to the floor, the glass shattering. Heero ran through the glass and slid on his knees on the floor, grabbing Duo at the shoulders, cradling him close. Duo's blank look terrified him. "Duo! Duo!"
Shinigami flapped its wings and hissed and grunted, hot smoke washing over Heero's body.
"Duo!" He shook at him, but to no avail. Desperately, Heero searched out Shinigami, wishing that the creature could talk. The dragoyle looked stressed, upset, and kept flapping with its wings. He wasn't of any help; Heero didn't know how to interpret his movements. There was only one person who could help him: Chang Wufei.
Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 |