Beautiful Stranger




Part 6 




Early Sunday Morning 

/ To know you is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows /

"Damn it all to Hell - where is he?"

Zechs had searched the palace itself and was now wandering the grounds. A thick, gray fog 
had formed after the previous night's storm and it gave the Lightning Count an air of the 
fey, his tall figure moving through the low clouds, long hair beaded with silvery droplets. 
So far there had been no sign of the violet-eyed boy he had left, safely tucked away, in 
his guest room. It had been several hours since they had parted company and Zechs was 
more than a little worried.

/If Yuy's involved with this in any way, so help me God, I'll wring his neck. Why else 
would Duo have left his room...No, it had to have been something about Heero, damn him! 
It was so good last night...I thought that maybe...it's foolish of me to think that Duo 
would ever want anyone but Heero. And I'm nothing like him , Duo...I can't be him for 
you...I can only be myself...ah, where are you...my love?/

The tall and handsome fairy king continued his search through the fog...

**********

In her pale pink suite of rooms on the second floor of Sank Palace, Relena Peacecraft was 
waking from a brief and fitful sleep. She remained lying back on her pillows, her mind 
trying to grasp just what had happened the night before. Her dream of being with Heero 
forever - the dream she had nurtured and protected every bit as fiercely as she had Absolute 
Pacifism during the wars - was in ruins now. It had seemed so simple; find a reason to tie 
Heero to her and he would, in time, realize the feelings he had for her that, up to this 
point, he had refused to acknowledge. She had found that reason and it had been more 
effective than she had anticipated. Heero's behavior over the past two weeks had been 
everything she had dreamt about. He had been attentive and by her side every minute; 
he had agreed to stay with her as her husband; had made a promise to love her for life...

/Not really,/ a small voice whispered.

/Yes he did! I asked him to marry me and he said yes! Why would he have done that if he 
didn't love me?

/He never mentioned love, did he?/ the small voice replied.

/No...but he's not that kind of boy. He wouldn't say that kind of thing even if he felt it!

/He said it about Duo,/ the voice persisted.

/No!! That's...that's sick! My Heero would never feel that way about...about another..
.boy. He's not the twisted one. It's that horrible "friend" of his. I knew the moment I 
met him, when he tried to kill Heero, that there was something very, very wrong with him. 
So he's not just evil, he's perverted as well. I'm not surprised. He had some kind of hold 
over Heero. But I broke that! Heero you had finally come to your senses! What happened?...
If it hadn't have been for that horrible man last night...forcing Heero to say things he 
didn't mean..../

**********

/ To love you
is to be part of you -
I've paid for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride... /

He was safe here.

Amidst the gilded splendor and the bridal decorations, he could hide and never be found. 
Never have to face anyone again. Never again have to know what it meant to be torn apart, 
body and soul, by the person he loved more than his own life.

/I'll hide...It's what I'm best at...I'm small and fast and good at finding little places
 to be...no one will ever know I've been here...no one will ever know I'm gone.../

He watched the fog swirl outside the French doors. The idea of becoming gray and wispy 
and dissolving into the mist came into his mind.

/One moment there, the next - nothing. No ties to anyone - ties hurt too much. No body 
at all - nothing to feel pain...or the fiery pleasure that led to caring...take it away, 
take it away..Ah, Heero...how could you do this...how.../

The footsteps were soft, but Duo had the hearing of a cat. He held his breath, hoping to 
God whoever it was wouldn't find him, curled up in a corner of the ballroom.

But they came closer, confident but light, nearer and nearer to where he huddled, a 
slender boy with huge eyes and bruised skin, his long, unbound hair falling around him.
..protecting him.

A voice spoke his name - as quiet as a whisper - "Duo?"

He lifted his face slowly and forced himself to look at the Duke of Sank, kneeling in 
front of him. Something passed between them then; as it had an endless time ago, in the 
moonlit garden. An understanding, communication so deep it needed no words.

/He understands...God, I don't know how but he understands...Zechs!...I'm falling...I 
may go down too far this time...too far to come back.../

Zechs lifted a hand to Duo's face, touching the bruised cheek so gently that it caused 
no pain. His intense blue eyes were full of anguish and concern - locked onto Duo's as 
if his gaze itself could pull the boy to him.

"Why, Duo?" he whispered. "Why did he do this?"

Duo couldn't speak, could only shake his head in bewilderment, his eyes shining with 
unshed tears but not moving from Zechs'.

"My angel..." the tall man breathed and gathered Duo into his arms with the greatest 
of care, somehow sensing the bruises beneath Duo's stained and disheveled clothing. 
"He'll never touch you again, if that's what you want, I promise...I promise..."

Zechs stood up, Duo caught neatly in his arms. He walked slowly up the back staircase, 
bringing the wounded boy to the door of his own suite. Once the door was closed and 
locked, Duo was carried to the large bathtub, covered with warm water and a clean-smelling 
salve. His tired limbs, aching from the struggle with Heero and it's agonizing result, 
were soothed under Zechs' strong but gentle hands. Duo knew Zechs was able to see the 
extent of the bruising - the "marks" left by Heero, proof of his ownership of the slender, 
violet-eyed pilot. Still, the Duke said nothing about the Japanese boy; asked Duo no 
questions. Just tender hands and sweetly-scented water...

Zechs slowly poured warm water over Duo's tangled hair. He washed it carefully and then 
let Duo soak, moving back away from the tub, but staying near enough for the boy to know 
he was still by his side.

Duo dozed for awhile, the comfort of floating warm and weightless too much for his 
battered, sleep-deprived body to resist. Zechs kept his vigil, resisting the urge to 
touch and kiss, and fighting off sleep.

He was woken by Duo's warm, damp touch on his face. He looked up sharply to see Duo 
standing above him. His eyes looked huge and his long hair was a wet veil around him. 
The American boy tugged at Zechs' hand, pulling him out of the bathroom and onto the 
large bed. As soon as Zechs was stretched out beside him, Duo wrapped arms and legs 
around the tall man and buried his face in the Duke's neck. Slender hands clutched 
at Zechs' shirt as the boy burrowed deeper against him.

Duo began to talk.

"I've been through this before, you know. It happens in war time - more often than 
people think...And it's not like he hasn't been rough at times, either. He has...
trouble...trouble finding words...asking for what he needs. But never this - never 
this angry. I tried to push him off of me, but he was too strong...so I begged him..
.he could see I was crying, but it didn't make him stop..."

Duo pulled his head back, dry-eyed and miserable, and looked up at Zechs.

"Why didn't he stop?"

Zechs fought every instinct he had then, all of them screaming for him to hunt down 
Heero Yuy and punish him so badly that he would never forget this day. Instead, he 
held Duo's gaze and spoke in a low, soothing voice.

"I don't know, Duo. We may never know. But I want you away from him. To be perfectly 
honest, I didn't really approve of the relationship my sister had with him these past 
few weeks. I had actually entertained the thought of breaking them up somehow, getting 
Heero to admit that he was only going along out of a sense of obligation. Relena can 
be stupid that way; seems she's always gotten what she wanted and Heero shouldn't 
have been an exception. Then, when you came, you looked so miserable...I wished that 
I could get you two back together somehow...even though I...I wanted you, too. But I 
see now that was a mistake."

Zechs ran his hands lightly across Duo's damp hair. When he spoke again, his voice 
was coarse with emotion.

"You deserve so much more, Duo."

The long-haired boy raised himself on his hands and looked intensely at the man he 
was in bed with.

"I don't usually get what I want," he said, his face inches from Zechs'.

A moment went by before Zechs replied.

"Name it."

"What?" Duo was thrown off by the simplicity of the words.

"Name it. Tell me what you want. Anything. I swear it will be yours."

It was selfish, and unflattering, but Duo couldn't stop his words.

"Say that again," he breathed. His eyes hadn't moved from Zechs' face.

The Duke held that deep violet gaze as he leaned back slightly against the pillows 
of his bed.

"Anything...you...want. Name it, and it's yours."

An eternity stretched out as the former pilots stared into each others' eyes.

"I want it to stop hurting, Zechs. Loving someone, I mean. I want to know what it's 
like to have everything I feel given back to me..."

"You may have picked the wrong person, Duo. Heero was trained to hurt."

"What if I picked someone else?" Duo asked urgently, violet eyes searching azure blue. 
"Do you think that person...that person could...love me?" his last words trailed off 
into silence.

"I know it," Zechs whispered.

In a heartbeat, Duo had closed the distance between them, kissing the blond-haired 
Duke fiercely. Zechs let his head fall all the way back to the bed as Duo crawled on 
top of him. His hands found masses of silky hair to clutch as Duo's kissed became more 
insistent, almost possessive. The American boy's hands were exploring the older man's 
broad chest. It was sleek and well-muscled, and so very, very sensitive.

/Ah, Zechs, you're beautiful...I need this...so much...wash away all the pain...anger
...your body...oh, like medicine to me.../

Duo had worked his way down to Zechs' trousers, his hands deep inside them.

"Nnnnnnn...God, Duo...," Zechs panted, "...want more...need more...ah, please..."

Duo had the trousers off in no time, his own joining Zechs' on the floor. He slid one 
hand under a long, golden leg and pushed it up. The other hand he buried in the long, 
silky strands of platinum spread out on the pillow. He was already wet, and used it to 
slick his aching shaft, then pushed firmly into Zechs, drawing hoarse moans from the 
beautiful nobleman. The hot sheath of Zechs' body was maddening; he couldn't 
get enough, each thrust sending shocks of pleasure through him.

Duo leaned in to give Zechs a passionate kiss, but the look on the man's face made him 
hesitate for a moment. So full of desire, and yet, so yielding...It was too much for Duo
he thrust into the welcoming body as far as he could and cried out as the world around 
him dissolved and the only thing that mattered was the intense release flowing from him 
into Zechs.

The Duke himself was whimpering softly, his head turned to one side, his breath coming in 
gasps. Duo was still firmly inside of him when he leaned over and took Zechs' long shaft 
into his mouth. Zechs cried out and arched his back, lifting his hips toward the warmth 
and suction of Duo offered. A moment later his cries became rhythmic as he flooded Duo's 
mouth with warm seed.

They were both panting, their foreheads touching, when Zechs breathed his strongest 
medicine into Duo's soul.

"Ah, Duo...I love you..."

**********

The message had been sent, but whether it had been received he couldn't yet tell. He'd 
been rough, yes, but he'd intended to be rough. He was, after all, very angry at Duo 
for running to Zechs for comfort. For letting Zechs kiss him and run his hands over 
the body that he had claimed. Duo was his, had always been his. The American boy needed 
to understand that, as did Zechs.

/So, the Terrific Soldier won that particular battle...I think he's lost the war, 
though,...to the former Captain...

/No! This is not over! He's mine I showed him that last night. He will listen to 
me. He always does./

Heero sat now on the low stone table in the Hidden Garden, the fog swirling around 
him, clinging to his hair, coating his torn and wrinkled clothing. He listened with 
intense concentration to the soldier and the boy inside him argue about the significance 
of the rape, the likely outcomes, and the problem of getting 
Duo back somehow.

/Duo will understand. He always does. He loves you so much he'll put up with anything. 
Don't worry about him, it's Zechs you have to contend with right now.

Zechs is just a symptom. Contrary to what you think, Soldier Yuy, Duo won't wait forever. 
He has his own needs and they've gone unanswered far too long...

/Was it really so terrible? What I did last night? He enjoyed it - he must have, he 
came as many times as I did...that's Duo for you; he'll take it any way he can get it...

/You don't understand anything, and you're walking into a minefield, Yuy. It's 
finally happened - the tie that held you and Duo together had been cut by your 
own hands. He's found someone else...and left you with Relena...that *is* what 
you wanted, wasn't it? That's why you came here, right? You should be happy for 
him and Zechs...can you imagine them together...the ex-OZ Captain and Duke of Sank 
driving hard into that sweet body...

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!...

...aaaaaaahhhhhh!...""

Heero was so far gone in grief that he didn't notice he had screamed aloud.

**********

Warm, damp, sweet - Zechs and Duo lay, completely entwined in each other, on Zechs' 
silky sheets. Their hands still explored each other's bodies, their lips teasing, 
breath mingling. Neither wanted to move, wanted anything but to somehow get closer 
to the other, their very skin an unwanted barrier. This made the knock at the door 
all the more infuriating.

"Zechs? I need to talk to you! It's about Heero!"

Duo groaned and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Not her!" he groaned softly.

Zechs raised himself up on one elbow and looked Duo over, up and down. He liked 
what he saw.

"I have an idea. Stay right there," he told Duo. "Don't move, no matter what."

Saying this, the male Peacecraft rose from the bed and pulled on his trousers. He 
crossed the the door and unlocked it. He opened it a crack and addressed his sister, 
waiting impatiently outside.

"Relena, this isn't a good time..."

"It's never a good time with you, Zechs. So now is as good as ever."

As he had predicted with uncanny accuracy, Relena pushed past him, ducking under his 
arm, which blocked the doorway to the room. A rather sardonic smile played around the 
tall man's lips as he turned to watch the show.

Relena shrieked as she caught sight of Duo in her brother's bed. He was naked, his 
long hair unbound and shimmering around him. He stretched in a leisurely manner 
against the rumpled sheets of the bed and then sat up, grinning at her like a idiot.

"Hey, Relena! Come to join the party? We'll let 'cha watch - maybe you can pick up 
some techniques to try with Heero on your honeymoon!"

Zechs laughed out loud.

"Yes, Relena, you're taking an awfully long look at my boyfriend. Something in 
particular catch your eye?" he mused, a wicked grin on his face.

Relena spun around to face him, relieved for the necessity to look somewhere other 
than at Duo Maxwell and Zechs' disheveled bed.

"This is sick! I told you I needed to talk to you about Heero and you do something 
like this to me!"

Zechs straightened to his full height, feeling the need to be intimidating. It 
worked. Duo felt an strong urge to whimper "Yes, master..." The thought of it 
made him get a fit of the giggles. Both Peacecrafts turned to look at him. He 
went red and dived under the covers.

Zechs was speaking.

"I have nothing more the say about Mr. Yuy. As far as I'm concerned, dear sister, 
you can marry him and wrap him in chains to keep him near you. It's no longer any 
of my concern. Isn't that right, Duo?"

A muffled voice from under the covers said, "Right you are, Zechs!"

"Come with me," Relena insisted. "Now!"

Her brother blasted her his iciest stare.

"Please," she added reluctantly.

"I'll return shortly, Duo. Don't get out of that bed - I have plans for you..."

Relena turned red and walked curtly out of the room.

**********

Heero was packing. He had precious few possessions that had not been bought for 
him by Relena, and those he was leaving behind. A few clothes, some books, and a 
battered-looking metal pin, a letter G with wings on either side. He picked it up 
and ran a thumb over the surface, remembering the day Duo had given it to him. The 
braided idiot had been so excited he had practically opened the present himself. 
There had been a classic Maxwell grin on his angelic face and he was chattering 
away about how he had found it at some little antique shop. /"Wasn't it so perfect, 
Heero? and he must have been meant to go into that shop!...Do you like it, Hee-chan? 
Do you? Isn't it cool?"/

Since that day, when he hadn't bothered to thank Duo, he had never been without the 
pin. He was confident that Duo knew how important it was to him. What else did he 
take with him everywhere? Nothing. No need to say anything more...

But now, was there a need? Did Duo need to hear the words that Heero couldn't get out?

/Is Zechs saying those words to him now?

Find him, now!!!!/

The Japanese boy crammed the rest of his meager possessions in his old leather 
backpack and headed out the door to find Duo. They would talk - at least Duo would talk 
and figure out what Heero needed him to know. He was good at that...

At the end of the hallway was a large, arched window. Heero could see Relena and Zechs 
standing in front of it, their backs to him, talking in low voices. He tried hard not to 
see the older Peacecraft in the role of Duo's sexual partner. A difficult task since 
Zechs seemed to ooze sexuality in his long, graceful movements, his confident bearing, 
in the sweep of long, blond hair falling down his back.

/Duo - where are you? We need to get out of here. We can go any place you want, just 
please say you'll come with me.../

**********

Duo stretched, pushing the damp sheets away with his feet. He felt sore and the bruises 
were becoming more sensitive, but the long, warm bath and the intense pleasure he had 
found in Zechs' body had gone a long way towards healing him. At some point he knew he 
had to think about Heero again, but not now...now was a time for anticipation...his 
handsome prince would be back soon, to ravish him until he was senseless (or at least 
that's what Duo hoped.)

The room was chilly, probably due to the fog outside the window. Duo looked around the 
room for some sort of climate control and found...a fireplace.

Oh, yeah! I'll make a fire and Zechs can have his way with me in front of it...Mmmmmmm...

There was a small basket of kindling to the right of the hearth and Duo chose several 
promising pieces. He was reaching into the fire box itself to stack the wood when he 
saw it - a crumpled piece of paper that had been partially burnt. The picture on it was 
what drew Duo's attention: a blueprint drawing of the first floor of the palace, centering 
on the hidden passageway between the Library and Morning Room.

Duo frowned, not understanding what this would be doing in Zechs' fireplace. He pulled 
it gently from under the stack of kindling he'd already put out, holding it carefully 
so the charred edges wouldn't fall away. In the area of the diagram marked "MornRm" he 
saw the words, "Relena" and "Heero" written in a practiced and elegant hand. In the 
library area, the names were "Duo" and "M".

"M?" Duo wondered out loud. Who was "M"?

Duo's fingers traced a path from the library through the tiny hallway. Just before 
the passage widened, in front of the main ballroom, there was a small black "x" and 
the words, "Duo out."

Duo's mind raced to figure out how it could have been done. The lights, the intruder 
alerts, the man who assaulted Relena, who had knocked him out. The same man? Was it "M"?

Just then a portion of the drawing crumbled and Duo had to readjust his fingers around 
the fragile paper. Moving his thumb had uncovered the architect's labeling. It read:

"Aerial view of lower story section. Architect: J. Canzes, Client: Milliard Peacecraft."

Milliard. Zechs' given name, the name that had been chosen for a peaceful future king, 
not a brilliant warrior.

Milliard. "M".

Several things fell into place just then.

Like the amazing accuracy the intruder showed at targeting electrical and security 
systems. The strategic brilliance of the plan, knowing where every player should be 
at each given time. And some of the things he had said:

/"He needs to decide what he wants..."/ referring to Heero. The hooded intruder had 
gotten Heero to do just that.

/"I had actually entertained the thought of breaking them up somehow..."/ about Heero 
and Relena. That had happened, too.

/"Then, when you came, you looked so miserable...I wished that I could get you two back 
together somehow...even though I...I wanted you, too. But I see now that was a mistake."/
 A mistake to pair up Heero and me - because he hadn't known that Heero would react 
so violently?

/"We need to make sure that intruder isn't waiting somewhere for her,"/ said as he and 
Relena headed out of the secret passageway. But, had Zechs been there when the intruder 
had grabbed Relena? He was there, he told me, when Relena had said, "He's gone." But 
had she noticed his absence right away? She had been very upset with Heero; perhaps 
she didn't. How long would it have taken someone to move from the western to 
the eastern side of that space?/

Duo's head was spinning. If what he was thinking were true, then why would Zechs have 
done such a thing? What possible reason could he have for holding Relena at knife point,
humiliating Heero and forcing a confession of love for me from him?

/Why would you do this Zechs? It was starting to be so good ...Heero - have I gotten 
this all wrong? What were Zechs' words - "whose really the stranger here?"/

The door was opened suddenly and Zechs stepped in.

"Sorry I was so long - Relena tends to babble...Duo? What's wrong?"

Duo couldn't find his voice, so he simply held up the charred blueprint, his eyes 
full of anguish.

Zechs closed his eyes as the blood ran from his face.

"Duo - please - let me explain..."

to Part 7

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