The Mysterious Affair at Victoria (or, the Worms' Mistress)

 


Part 2


Noin's Rooms

"You said a couple of minutes! That was half an hour!" Noin was visibly upset. Her voice was 
shaking slightly and she stood, her arms crossed over her chest, staring at the tall blond 
man whom she had just let into the room.

Zechs was resigned to something like this. He and Duo had gotten a bit carried away and lost 
track of the time. As it was, he had left Duo complaining about not being satisfied and 
delivering half-joking threats to go roaming around the Club in search of a pretty girl 
(or boy, he had added.) Zechs hadn't gone over the problem of telling Noin about he and 
Duo's new relationship again. Duo knew quite well how things stood and that Zechs would 
need to tell her first before they could really be together here. Duo knew. It was just 
that Duo didn't like it much.

/What's going on here? He was like a little tiger just now - acting so possessive... just 
like Noin. She's doing the same thing... acting like we haven't seen each other in ages... 
much more intimate than we'd been for awhile in Sank... I know Duo is feeling... territorial. 
What is Noin's excuse? Surely she doesn't suspect anything...?/

"I asked a question, Zechs, don't you think I deserve an answer?" Noin demanded, glaring at 
him now for being lost in thought.

"I'm sorry, Noin," he said softly, "what did you ask?"

Noin sighed heavily. She motioned him to one of the armchairs by the small hearth, just 
beginning to burn in anticipation of the chilly savanna evening. She sat in the other, 
looking at him with a pensive air. "I asked what you were doing for all that time. Surely 
you couldn't have been looking after Duo for 30 minutes, so where were you?"

"I *was* with Duo," he answered. Speaking the truth as much as he could was, he decided, 
the best course of action, given Noin's mood. "It *was* a long flight and he's never been 
somewhere like this. He's feeling a bit out of place - I want him to be comfortable."

"Why is he with you, Zechs? You knew the other pilots better, didn't you? Duo was someone 
you barely met, so why did you bring him here? Why are you so concerned about him?" Noin 
stared at Zechs, obviously not meaning any of those to be rhetorical questions.

Zechs drew a deep breath. "Wouldn't you rather tell me why you wanted me here in the 
first place?"

"I wouldn't *rather* tell you, I'd like to discuss that *in addition* to this topic. 
But if *you'd* like to put it off momentarily that's fine." The dark-haired woman got 
up and walked to the door of the room. She touched a button on a small keypad near the 
lighting controls and entered the number 10. "There," she said crisply, "that should 
provide a little more peace of mind."

Zechs frowned and stared at the keypad. "What is that, anyway?" he asked her.

"It's something they put in after several of the generals and admirals requested it," 
Noin explained as she sat back down. "It produces white noise around the inside and 
outside of the doorframe door frame so that what's being said in the room, absolutely 
can't be heard from the hallway. I set it at the highest level."

"Could have used one of those just now..." Zechs muttered.

"What did you say?" Noin was staring at him again.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud," the tall blond replied quickly. What's happened here 
to get you so upset, Noin?"

"It's Admiral Trentes' wife. She's gone missing. Her husband saw her in their rooms 
about two o'clock Saturday afternoon and she apparently hasn't been heard from since. 
The Admiral himself is quite upset about it - says the police aren't doing enough to 
find her. He had the whole dining room in an uproar last night, the way he was carrying 
on." She stopped and twisted her hands which were lying in her lap.

When she didn't continue, Zechs leaned forward a bit to speak. "Surely this is matter 
for the police, Noin. If you'd like I can make some inquiries with the house detectives, 
but I'm not sure -"

"But thats not all of it!" Noin looked up at him sharply. "Something is... is... *wrong* 
here, Zechs. People are hiding things. There are far too few people talking to the police 
and far too many whispering among themselves." She stopped and looked miserably at the 
fire. "I seem to be completely out of the loop. No one wants to gossip with me which is 
exactly what I need to happen if I'm to get any kind of lead on this."

Zechs held up a hand. "Wait just a minute! Noin, why are *you* the one to look into this? 
Why not leave it to the police? Surely that's the wiser thing to do."

"Because I think -" The Italian woman paused and looked up at him, her dark eyes full of 
anxiety. "Because I think the Admiral may have been lying, Zechs. I did some searching 
with that old database program you developed, do you remember? The police don't have 
access to that. No one has access to that but you and I."

"And what did you find?" Zechs asked.

"The admiral doesn't have a wife," Noin answered softly. "He's never been married, at 
least not officially. And yet he gave a signed statement to the police here that the 
woman he came with *was* his wife and that they had been married for several years."

Zechs stared at Noin, trying to make sense of what she had just said. "That's very strange," 
he said, pointing out the obvious.

"Yes," Noin nodded. "And what's stranger is that a search of the above ground databases - the 
ones the Navy has control of - backs him to the hilt. There's a name, an identity number, a 
wedding certificate number, medical records, everything an Admiral's wife would have. But 
it's apparently all been made up. The Admiral's wife is a fake, Zechs, but the police would 
never know that because they're relying on records that have been falsified."

Zechs looked at the fire for several long moments before speaking. "Perhaps its time, Noin, 
that my underground database program was disinterred... "

**********

Duo's Rooms

Duo had dragged himself reluctantly from the warm bed. It had felt so good to lie there, 
surrounded by Zechs' scent, with the feel of the man's body still shivering on his skin. 
It was easy, then, to think that Zechs had just gone out for a moment; that he would be 
back anytime now, to hold him and kiss him and give him what he needed so badly.

"What's this sex addict thing all about?" Duo wondered aloud. "It's like I can't get enough of 
him, no matter how much we do it. Maybe this whole thing has been a really bad idea."

He wandered over to the large cherry wood mirror over the dressing table and peered into it. 
A slim and beautiful boy with large violet eyes and loose, silky hair looked back. Everything 
about his reflection was graceful.

Even the bat wings were folded elegantly.

"Bat wings!" Duo peered more closely. What he saw was himself, in what he could only imagine 
as "Shinigami form." This other Duo was wearing a tight black leather vest, form-fitting pants 
and wrist cuffs of the same material. On one ear was a gleaming silver ear cuff, and coming 
from his shoulder blades were two large black bat wings. His only other adornment was a 
rather heartless smirk.

"Can't believe it, can you?" Duo's own voice purred out of the mirror at him. "It's true, 
I am an amazing creature - not surprised that you're staring at me like an idiot. I often 
have that effect on people..."

Duo closed his eyes and rubbed his lids. "I'm hallucinating now. It's gotten that bad. I 
mean, I knew I'd been under some stress recently, but geez - who knew it was *this* bad!"

The demon in the mirror look annoyed. He out his hands on on his leather-clad hips and 
addressed the boy shaking his head in the room outside the mirror. "Hey - don't act like 
I'm not here. You got something to say, buddy, you say it to *me*, got it?"

Duo looked up into his own violet eyes.

The demon's expression was full of contempt. "Hey, I'm just here to help you out, okay? It's 
obvious you *need* help. Sleeping with a man who has a girlfriend - just a little dish on the 
side, that's what *you* are."

Duo eyes flashed with anger. "Now just a minute! What do *you* know about it? Zechs isn't 
that kind of person. He knows what I went through with Heero; he wouldn't do the same thing."

The demon went on, relentlessly. "Listen, little buddy. You don't even know what he's doing 
with that woman right now, do you?" They're probably going at it for the third time, as we 
speak! And here you are, talking to your reflection. Hah! What a chump!"

Duo backed away from the mirror. /This can't be happening... you're just a little worn out 
by what's been happening the last few days... God, Zechs... what *are* you doing right now? 
.... Are you and Noin... No! He wouldn't... /

He thought back to the conversation they had in the plane. Zechs saying that Noin would be 
affectioniate and that Duo would have to be patient. There was a strange fluttering feeling 
in his chest and his hands were shaking. He looked up; the demon Duo still smirked at him 
from inside the mirror, so he moved closer to the silvery glass.

"No, *you* listen!" he told the apparition. "First, I'm *not* the God of Death anymore, got 
it? The war is *over*. Deathscythe and all the other gundams are *gone*, so you're a relic, 
'buddy'. No longer needed - so buzz off!" Duo gave the demon a glare that Heero would have 
been proud of (if he could be proud of things) and crossed his arms over his chest.

The demon bent closer, in a somewhat conspiratorial way, and Duo felt the strange urge to 
follow the motions. They were eye-to-eye at the mirror when the demon spoke again. "He doesn't 
love you. You were a convenient little toy for the weekend and it's just that now he doesn't 
know how to get rid of you."

"I don't believe you, bat boy," Duo scowled. "Everything's been fine, up until now."

"Yeah, well, that was fantasy land, pal. This is real life." The demon Duo had taken a step 
back and was chuckling in a maddening way. "Look what's happening? He's not on the ground for 
five minutes and he's practically doing it with her in the car. Did you see him complaining? 
I think not! And then he gives you a quick screw and leaves at the crucial moment to go and 
give it to her! You're nothing, Maxwell. A mere toy to him. When it comes to you, he couldn't 
care *less.*"

"Stop filling his head with all that nonsense - this minute!"

Duo spun around, his eyes even wider than usual.

"Who said that!" he called, looking anxiously around the room. His search ended when he spotted 
the smaller brass mirror on the opposite wall, next to the large wardrobe.

He walked cautiously to the middle of the room and looked one way, then the other. The mirrors 
in the room had been set up in such as way that they reflected each to infinity. In the cherry 
wood mirror was the demon and behind him were hundreds of boys with Duo's face and soft white 
wings. Duo backed away from the wooden mirror and turned slowly to the other one. His reflection 
was, indeed within it, but it wasn't the naked boy with loose, tousled hair that stood in the 
hotel room. Instead, the angel wore a loose, white cotton shirt, white pants and an ear cuff 
of highly polished gold.

"Oh, of course!" Duo threw his hand into the air in exasperation. "Of course, I should have 
known if a bat boy was here, an angel boy couldn't be far behind." He shook his head and 
absently rubbed his fingers over his temples. This was turning out to be a really rotten start 
to what he had thought would be a week of sex, fun, and more sex. Instead, he had religious 
icons blithering at him.

"Listen," Angel Duo told him earnestly. "You can't believe him. *Everything* is bad to him. 
You've found someone who really cares about you and wants to show you that in every way he can. 
This isn't someone who will hurt you, or humiliate you. He's wants to take care of you - to love 
you. You have to believe that."

The demon had heard enough. "Oh, please! If he's that great, then why isn't he here now, in that 
bed with you? Why doesn't he tell Noin straight off so you two can really be together? Why did 
he let her paw him like that? Angel boy there is living in a dream world. He's not in touch 
with reality!"

"Given that *you're* inside a mirror," Duo said pointedly, "you're not really in a position 
to find fault with *his* idea of reality."

The demon stared off into the distance, arms crossed, nose in the air, flagrantly ignoring 
his namesake.

Duo turned back and forth in the middle of the room, looking at both reflections. "This is 
ridiculous! I can't make decisions based on what two guys wearing wings and hanging out in 
mirrors say. I... I need real help here. I mean, did I really just step into another hopeless 
situation where I want a guy and he already has this female attached to him? That's why I left 
Heero! That almost tore me apart! Why did I go through all that for something that's just the 
same thing?"

The demon was warming up to speak, a self-satisfied grin on his face, when the angel pointed a 
long finger at him and cast a fierce glare. "Silence! *You* have done enough!" The finger came 
down and the Angel looked more kindly at Duo, who was now sitting in the middle of the floor, 
his chin in his hands. "You know that there were many more reasons for your decision to leave 
Heero. Relena was a large part of those, but she wasn't the only thing. Remember that, and use 
it to judge Zechs, if you must judge him. You care deeply for him. That would be a lot to lose... "

Duo rested the side of his head on his knees and looked at the Angel. "Yeah, tell me about it. 
As if I could lose another thing and stay sane."

The angel looked over at his counterpart. "He has a lot to think about. We should go."

There was a momentary pause. "You go first," the demon replied.

"What? That's not how this kind of thing is done! ... *You* go first."

"No, no, you mentioned going before I did - *you* go first," came the answer.

"Oh, geez! Can't you two agree on *anything?*" Duo's patience was at an end. Ya want me to do 
'eeny meeny miney moe' for the two of you? Huh?"

"I've got it," the angel said. "I'll count to three and on three, we'll both go. All right?" He 
addressed the demon, who was wandering around the mirror, now and then pressing his nose and 
mouth against the glass in order to make faces at the angel. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. On three."

"Goodbye Duo," the angel said. "Watch carefully. The path you need to take is here somewhere, 
but it may be very well hidden. Ready?" he said looking up at the demon. One, two, three!"

There was a flash of light from the brass mirror and a small cloud of tiny white feathers 
fluttered inside of it. The Angel was gone.

"Can't *believe* he thought I'd fall for that one," said the demon, shaking his head sadly. 
"What a sucker!"

Duo walked up to the wooden mirror. He place his hands on either side of it and came nose to 
nose with the demon inside. "What... do... you... want... from... me?" he asked in the weariest 
of voices.

The demon stayed close but raised one finger. "Not that much actually, just a few little warnings." 
Duo looked skeptical.

"Number one," the demon said, holding the long, slim finger higher. "Watch out for that woman of 
his; she's determined to get him this time and she already suspects something strange is going 
on between you two.

"Number two." He raised a second finger. "Zechs is going through something, too. There's a lot 
that he hasn't told you yet about Treize and the war. I don't know what it is, but he's in major 
pain with it. Who knows when it'll all come out. Just be careful.

"And Number three." He held up three fingers and used them to fan himself. "Don't trust *anything* 
that *anyone* says to you here. Reality has taken a serious holiday from this place, so be on 
your guard. Just like in the war - don't be a victim." The demon smiled wickedly. "Sometimes 
being on the dark side can be quite... informative... Guess I'd better go or Mr. Bird Boy will 
never let me hear the end of it. Take care, okay?" He gave Duo a wink and disappeared in a swirl 
of black smoke.

Duo walked slowly to the closet where the discreet valet had left his suitcase. His hunches had 
often been eerily correct, except for not predicting the horrible ending of his relationship 
with Heero. He thought over what the Angel and Demon had said while he got dressed and braided 
his hair.

/So what am I supposed to make of this? That I need to be careful around Noin? Even Zechs warned 
me about that one. And as for the Blond One himself, maybe I should try to talk to him more, 
draw him out about Treize and what happened between them. Maybe I should have been hallucinating 
when Heero and I were together... maybe things wouldn't have been so ugly... /

He made a face at the mirror. /Just what I'd love to hear - all about what Mr. Former-Enemy-Number-One 
used to do to *my* bunny... oh well, it might keep my mind off of Noin, and besides - what can 
Treize do? He's dead now./

He gave his appearance a quick check and was satisfied. He wore black jeans, a dark indigo 
collarless shirt (sleeves rolled up to his elbow, of course) that made his large eyes look 
huge, and black boots. He had his sturdy watch, still working after going through the war, 
and his crucifix. As he was leaving the room, he grinned at his reflection and aimed at it, 
his hand held like a gun.

"Knock 'em, dead, Shinigami. Knock 'em dead."

**********

Somewhere Nearby

"You've been very useful to us. We thank you sincerely for all the work you put into this 
project. I think you must also know, however, that given the way the project had turned out, 
you represent a very great security risk for us. The latest psychiatric diagnosis revealed 
that you are somewhat unstable and we just can't take a chance on anything going wrong."

The voice was soft and deceptively kind. It reminded her of another's, long gone now, that 
had spoken of similar sacrifices. She tried hard to concentrate on what the voice was telling 
her.

"You'll be comfortable here, while you're waiting. It shouldn't be long."

/Oh no... not that... all those threats... they can't be talking about that... they wouldn't 
do that to me would they? After everything I've done..../

**********

Noin's Rooms

"What'd happen if the police were in on this?" Noin paced the room. "Giving them the database 
program would erase any edge we have. I don't know, Zechs, I think we should wait, do a little 
investigating on our own, and see what happens."

"Hmm. I'd be willing to look through what you've found so far and see what I can do about 
finding the source of the false data. But I don't know that you should do anything right now. 
We don't know how visible you are to whoever is doing this."

Zechs turned from the window where he had been watching a group of teenagers play croquet on 
the Club's front lawn. They had made him think of Duo and now he was wondering whether his 
young lover had gone out to find some fun on his own. It was disturbing to realize that, deep 
down, he didn't much want Duo to be having fun without him. He needed to wrap this up with Noin 
and go look for the American.

"Why don't we talk more about this after dinner. Perhaps you might consider letting Duo join us. 
He's brilliant, you know, even though he acts like he's not."

Noin intercepted Zechs as he moved toward the door. "I thought maybe we could concentrate on 
each other for awhile - *before* dinner." She ran her hands along his chest, smoothing the 
crisp cotton, fingers expertly finding his nipples. Her fingers rubbed them lightly through 
the fabric, as she pressed her body against his. She lifted her head and began nuzzling his 
neck and whispering, "It's been too long, cara... "

Zechs was trembling, doing everything he could to ignore the touches, to get up the courage 
to push her away. He didn't want to hurt her, and it still felt good, as it usually did when 
he was with Noin. On the other hand...

His mind had wandered and he found himself quite unexpectedly on the bed, Noin on top of him. 
Somehow she had managed to open his shirt all the way and was now removing his trousers. He 
tried to sit up. "Noin, stop, please, this isn't-"

"Zechs, what else can I do to make you understand how I feel about you? I need you, cara. I 
always have and I always will. It feels like ages since we made love... don't say no to me... " 
She took his mouth fiercely, a cruel invasion that brought whimpers from the tall blond man 
beneath her.

/Dear God, he's so perfect... all lovely muscles and golden skin and long, silky hair... and 
his eyes... ummmm... get lost in there whenever I look at him...

After exploring every tender curve of Zechs' mouth, Noin broke off, panting. Zechs was looking 
up at her, a look of helpless sympathy playing across his beautiful features. "Noin," he 
breathed, "you know how much I care about you. But this... right here and now... "

"Don't, cara, don't-" She put a finger to his lips, then slowly begain tracing them with it, 
a long, lingering caress that ended with another deep kiss. "Do this for me, Zechs. I need it 
so badly... need you... please... "

She laid her head down on his chest, palm rubbing lightly over one nipple. Zechs looked down 
at her hand, realizing that there was no easy way out of this now.

/Oh, Noin... what a terrible mess I've made of things... I tried so hard to fall in love with 
you the way you wanted me to... I did everything I could to feel those same feelings you have.
.. and the problem is I *have* felt them now... for a little American imp with an angel's 
face and a mind for mischief... he's the one I want... Duo... my little love... forgive me... 
forgive me for easing the pain she feels... /

In one graceful move, Zechs rolled Noin to her back and kissed her deeply. He ran his hands 
down her body, lightly touching her breasts before moving down to stroke her hips and thighs. 
He pressed himself against the length of her, and will himself to get hard.

"Ohhh, that's my big, lovely boy," Noin purred, lifting her legs and tracing the long line of 
his with her toe. Zechs claimed her mouth again as he opened the front of her shirt, fingers 
running deftly over the fastener of her bra. It opened in the front and he parted it, as if 
unwrapping a lucious gift of ripe fruit. His head bent to one, stiff nipple, licking it before 
taking it into his mouth and sucking, gently at first, then harder as she arched her back to 
press the tender point against his mouth.

He moved to the other nipple, keeping the first warm and hard with the movements of his 
fingertips. Once more, he sucked hard, his hands full of her, squeezing and pressing the 
soft rounded flesh.

"Aaaah! Zechs! I need it! I need it *now*! Oh, pleeeeease.... "

He rose up on his knees, pushing her legs apart with them. She looked up at him, her hands 
moving to the long, thick shaft, caressing it almost reverently.

"Ohhhhhhhh.... " She was humming with desire, opening her legs wider and pulling Zechs' hips 
towards her. "Nnnnnn... hurry, cara ... hurry ... hurry... "

/Oh, Zechs - I'm completely yours... nothing, no one else can do this to me... God... please... 
show me how much you want me... how you can't resist being inside me... tell me you love me 
with your body, Zechs... /

The blond man put his hands under her hips and eased into her, stopping just a short way in, 
making Noin arch her back even more to try to get more of him inside. He relented then, and 
began a rhythm, deep and slow, to bring her the release she needed so badly.

/Duo... my love... forgive me... forgive me... ohhhhh, forgive me little man... /

He continued the rhythm, his mind somewhere else now, bringing a deep and pulsing pleasure 
to the boy who wasn't there and the woman who was.

/It's close... so close... and... God, Duo! So warm... wet... Aaah! Aaah...mine! Mine little 
one! You're mine and no one else's! Mine, mine, mine , mine... /

"Aaaaaahhh!... God! ... God! ... Take it, Duo!!"

Noin, who had been writhing beneath the tall blond man, froze, even as she felt him pour into 
her. His eyes were closed, his head thrown back, wordless moans coming from him in rhythm to 
the pulses deep within her. She looked at his face, so beautiful, and in obvious ecstasy. He 
was murmuring the boy's name, now - over and over, as he lowered his head. She watched his 
long, white-gold hair slide over his shoulders as her world came down around her.

His eyes were open now, and he was looking at her through the daze that intense release brings. 
One look at his face told her - he didn't know he had said it.

She pushed him off and ran for the bathroom, seeking the warm, impersonal solace of the shower. 
As she waited for the water to get hot, she felt the first sting of tears. It worsened with the 
sound of his voice, full of caring and concern, on the other side of the door. When the small 
room was full of steam, she sat under the torrent of water and cried harder than she had when 
she thought he'd been killed.

Zechs stood outside, listening to the sound of water, a small frown creasing the skin between 
his brows. "Noin, what's wrong? What did I do? Are you hurt? Noin!"

No sound but that of the tiny, hot waterfall beyond the door.

/Am I hurt? Am I hurt, Zechs? You've only taken everything we've done together and made it 
worthless. You've only taken my soul away... my reason for living... Am I hurt?... You tell 
me, cara... /

Zechs leaned his forehead against the door, his lips nearly touching the glossy wood. "Noin, 
please tell me what's wrong. If I've done something to hurt you, tell me what it is and I'll 
make it right, I promise you. Please... "

The door flew open and Noin stood before him, her dark eyes blazing. She was trembling and 
clutching a soft towel to her as if she would die without it. "You can't make it right, 
Zechs. Not this time. Unless you're going to tell me it isn't true."

The tall blond's face was a portrait of confusion. Deep inside of him, he heard a whisper 
of fear.

/Something happened. What was it? Dear God, what did I do? Noin... Duo... How can I possibly 
keep both of you from being hurt? /

"What are you talking about, Noin? Please... tell me." Zechs looked at her and the look on 
his face brought the tears again, tears she thought she had under control.

"Zechs... the first time I met you I thought, 'He's too beautiful to be real.' When I thought 
you hadn't made it through that last battle, I felt like dying myself. My entire life has come 
to revolve around you... and this is how it ends? With you leaving me for a scruffy teenaged 
boy? My last memory of this relationship is going to be hearing you say his name the way you 
never said mine? "

He was wrapped in gauze. The world coming through it was strangely hazy, its sounds muffled. 
He struggled to find words, any words, to get through to her, to make her understand how much 
he had tried. How much he had wanted to give her what she needed from him. But every possible 
word seemed destined for failure. With a great effort, he managed to speak. "Noin - Noin I'm 
sorry... I'm sorry..."

Her expression had hardened now into one of anger. She crossed to the closet and pulled on 
slim black dress, slipping her feet into sandals and pulling a comb through dark hair still 
dripping with water. She turned to face him. "What are you sorry for, Zechs? Are you sorry 
for letting me find out this way? Or are you sorry for the things you've done with him? Are 
you sorry for that , Zechs?"

He looked at her in anguish, trying to put all the love and regret he felt for her into each 
cruel word. "I love him, Noin... I can't live without him. And I don't regret anything Duo 
and I have done."

She walked up to him, pulling his head down and kissing him deeply. The she released him and 
stared into his eyes for a full minute before saying a thing.

"Bastard!" she muttered fiercely. Zechs closed his eyes as he felt the back of her hand hard 
against his cheek. When he opened them again, she was gone.

**********

The Victoria Club - Serengeti Room / Plains Pub

Duo was standing in the middle of the largest sitting room, staring in awe at the painting of 
savanna dwellers that covered the ceiling. The sight of such rich color, the sweeping herds 
of gazelle and zebra alongside the graceful cats that preyed upon them, had taken his breath 
away and he hadn't moved for a good five minutes.

/I'm running... running with them, moving faster than I ever thought possible, crossing the 
Plain like the wind and feeling like I could fly... free... so free... from losing what I 
love... from wanting things I can't have... from all the things that the end of the war 
couldn't fix... /

The sound of a badminton birdy against a window brought him back to reality and he looked 
around in a daze.

/That was intense... it was almost like I was up there... with *them*.../

He shook his head and looked at his watch. "Forty-five minutes to dinner," he muttered. 
"Better go find the guy, who knows what she's got him doing... "

He walked out of the room into a corridor beyond that was entirely unfamiliar. After peering 
into several sitting rooms, he found something that looked like a bar and decided to take 
advantage of it, grateful that he had been born in a time without age limits on alcohol. 
Walking up to a barstool and sitting down, he ordered the house ale and looked around the 
medium-sized room. The walls were covered with paintings of hunting scenes and coffee 
plantations. Large red leather armchairs were placed in strategic locations around a huge, 
walk-in hearth. It wasnt until he saw the fire blazing that Duo realized the evening had 
begun to cool.

He had just taken his first sip of the sweet, dark brew when a hand fell on his shoulder. He 
put the beer down carefully and turned to see Noin staring at him, her face flushed, entire 
body trembling.

"We have to talk, Duo," she said, her voice shaking.

Duo grinned up at her, hoping to ease some of the tension in the situation. It didn't work. 
"Sure, Noin!," he offered. "What's up?"

She kept her hand on his shoulder and began walking towards the benches inside the walk-in hearth, 
literally pulling him off the barstool as she went. Duo made a swipe for his beer and managed to 
grab it at the last possible moment. They reached the hearth and she almost threw him on the 
bench opposite her.

"Tell me, Duo," she said, leaning over him, not wasting any time. "How did you meet up with 
Zechs?"

Duo was stunned at the suddenness of the question and the intense anger that pervaded the Italian 
woman's words. He opened his mouth and, for a moment, could not think of a word to say. He knew, 
however, that Noin probably had more difficult questions to ask if he couldn't answer this one, 
so he forced out a reply.

"Well... His... his sister invited me to Sank last weekend and I, well... I happened to run 
into him at the airport. I think he'd just dropped you off... Um... he... he gave me a ride... 
to the palace... " His voice trailed off.

"And did anything interesting happen over the weekend, Duo?" Noin's voice was low and threatening, 
her words dripping with anger. Her face was just inces from his now and it was obvious she was 
leading towards something unpleasant. Duo decided that he would rather hear it sooner than later.

"Look, Noin," he replied, gazing up at her through long, honey-gold lashes. "It's obvious you want to 
know something. Why don't you just come out and ask?"

They stared at each other, each of them watching the shadows from the fire play across the face of 
the other, sizing each other up. Noin made her decision.

"Are you and Zechs sleeping together, Duo?"

Duo kept staring at her, not even blinking. Zechs had prepared him for Noin's possible feelings, 
but this was something different altogether and he felt badly trained to handle it. Still, there 
was nothing for it but to push ahead.

"What would make you think that?" he said softly.

Noin paused for the briefest moment. "He said your name while we were... together." She back away 
a bit, trying to assess the impact of her words on him.

Duo blinked, not understanding at first what she was referring to. Then it came to him. Zechs had 
been making love to Noin. He *had* left Duo for her bed, just as the demon had said. Several 
questions began hammering inside his head and suddenly had to get out at the same time. "You guys 
were in *bed*?" he breathed, still staring at Noin. "He went to *bed* with you?... Did he really 
want to? Did you ask him to or was it his idea? What did he say, exactly-"

"Duo - I asked you a question," Noin said, her voice rising somewhat. "Have the two of you been 
together? Or is this some little fantasy that Zechs is having on his own?"

/He runs, he hides...but he never lies...It's pity that's true... I have to tell her and man, is 
she gonna be upset. And Zechs - ah, Zechs... you really *were* in her bed... I know you said... 
but God it *hurts*... /

The braided boy faced the dark-haired woman and squared his shoulders. "It's not just Zechs' 
fantasy, Noin. He and I... we kinda found each other over the weekend... I don't think either 
one of us thought that it would be anything more than sex... we just... needed it so badly. 
But... it turned out that there was a lot more to it... a lot more than either one of us expected... 
this whole thing has really taken us by surprise."

Duo stopped and looked at up Noin. She was perfectly still, her dark eyes boring into his violet 
ones.

"I'm sorry if this hurts, Noin. I know that Zechs wanted to tell you himself. He was really worried 
about you finding out in a way that would make it more painful. He cares so much about you; I think 
he's gonna be really pissed at me for doing this. But I don't lie about things - and... " Duo looked 
down at his lap, miserably. "You did ask... "

"Now listen, Duo." Her voice was disturbingly soft, given the venom in the words. "He's *mine*. You're 
no one to him. He barely knows you. But he's been with *me* for years. I know him better than anyone, 
Duo, so don't expect me to believe that this little sex thing the two of you have really *means* 
something."

Duo narrowed his eyes and felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising. It was a familiar feeling, 
one that had preceded every battle that he and Shinigami had fought. It was dark and primitive and a 
part of him wanted to take it on like a weapon... in defense of what was his, and his alone. The 
little street waif who had gone into combat for the things he needed to stay alive had been pushed 
too far. Too many people had taken too many things away, told him too often that he wasn't worthy 
for them anyway. It wasn't going to happen again.

Noin was talking again. "Let me tell you something about Zechs. I knew that he sometimes looked at 
men. I even knew that he had some experiences with them. But he's *always* come back to me, Duo. 
Every time. I'm the only one that he's ever really loved, and don't you forget that."

Duo looked up at her, the battle rage that had gotten him through the war washing over him. He put 
every loss, every denial he had ever experienced into his fierce, low-voiced reply. "You *bitch!* 
You stupid, clueless *bitch!* You don't know *anything*! He's with *me* now so shut up and deal with 
it!"

"*You* are the problem here, Duo. Zechs is like this. He gets these little urges, I've just come to 
realize that he can't change that. But I can only imagine what *you* must have done to make him 
interested in you. You disgust me."

She got up and walked to the end of the benches, obviously preparing to leave. She stopped for a 
moment, though, her back to him as if she were thinking of something else to say. Turning around, 
she smiled. "A few boys have been in your position before, Duo. Just because he's passionate 
doesn't mean he's yours. He'll have his fun with you and then come back to me like he always does. 
He and I are meant to be together. Not even you can change that. And if I were you - I wouldn't try.

/Oh dear God! It's all happening again... It's just like with Heero... I thought... I thought... 
surely he's different... he can't be the way she says... he's been so kind... so passionate... the 
way he looks at me... could that really be just sex? Is that all I am for him? ... No! I won't 
believe this! We have something more! ... something more... just like Heero and I... no no no no n- /

"Noin, Duo - there you are!" Zechs' deep, rich voice sounded anxious and relieved at the same time 
as he came around the corner of the hearth. The tall blond stood before them, obviously unaware of 
the conversation they'd been having but eyes full of concern. Two pairs of eyes turned to him. They 
devoured his beauty, imaging the body under the loose cobalt blue shirt and trim khakis... the long, 
well-muscled legs, the gleaming white-gold hair. Two bodies felt a kick of adrenaline, and moved 
instinctively towards the cause.

Duo stood to his right, Noin to his left, and as he looked down from one to the other, they both 
said, "Zechs, I need to talk to you!"

>to Part 3

back to fic page