08-Apr-01
Warning: This section contains the scene with the dying children, T'ien's friends.
Title: T'ien Lung Ge (Celestial Dragon Song)
Authors: Laekin and bonnejeanne
Category: Action, Adventure, Romance, ANGST
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4x5 (Combinations there of)
Rating: R (Adult Situations)
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money being made or sought here.
WARNINGS: LEMON. Angst. A very young Original Character and at least one heartrending scene with dying children.
NOTES: What is being posted here was written by myself and Laekin together, just as everything else in the Companions of Fate series. The plot is hers, with a few small contributions by moi; she writes for Quatre, Trowa, Duo and T'ien. My contributions are confined to Wufei and Heero and some brainstorming. The writing sessions for this were between October 19 and December 6, 2000.
T'ien moved swiftly and professionally through the mazes of corridors. There was not one place where a soldier could find fault in the little boy's actions. His timing in getting himself and the other three young men ducked into cover, while still covering a lot of territory was impeccable. T'ien moved silently, stopping and disarming any alarm mechanisms in their way with an ease that spoke of a history of doing just that.
Trowa kept an eye on their flank, making certain that no one came up behind them, trusting Duo and Heero to keep him apprised of movement up front. Duo ghosted along just one step behind and to Heero's right. His violet eyes watched T'ien with a sort of awe. He'd never actually seen the little boy *in action* only heard Heero's report. Leaning over at one stop point Duo whispered softly, "It's positively eerie." Knowing that Heero would understand he meant T'ien's almost preternatural ways.
"Hn," Heero acknowledged. His attention was divided between observing the little boy, and doing exactly the same thing the child was - working through dangerous territory like a fish through water. If he'd allowed it, his attention might have been split three ways, with some part of him preoccupied with trying to reconcile what had happened in the landing bay. He ~had~ attempted to change the agreed-upon plan, and while that in and of itself wasn't unheard-of - Heero had often adapted his plans to new information he sensed in various situations - while it wasn't unheard-of, the reason behind it was. He hadn't attempted to get T'ien to go with Wufei and Quatre because of any strategic reason, in spite of his well-reasoned argument. He had been compelled by something else. Something inside that had spoken very clearly and loudly in protest against the child being present if, when, bloodshed started. It was one thing to acknowledge that the child was bred to be a soldier, that was clear with his every movement and most of his silent words. But he was also a child. A very young child. He might have the intellect of a much older and very gifted person, but Heero was thinking of something else. Something that intellect and intelligence could not and would never prepare for. The sight of blood, the experience of violent death. He did not know what the boy had seen in his short life, but he was almost certain it fell very short of what Heero had seen, had experienced... had done. Quite simply, he'd had a sudden vision of the boy watching him kill. It had caused something to twist in his chest so strongly that he'd attempted to change the plans. For now the conflict was on hold but it would not stay in that limbo for much longer.
Duo could, feel a certain tension coming from Heero. He wasn't as sensitive as Quatre but he was closely attuned to his lover and the fact that Heero had tried to change the plan at such a point had not been lost on the American boy. It made Duo edgy, not because he worried about Heero's abilities but because he could sense something wrong but didn't know what that was.
Up ahead, T'ien paused by a door. He lifted up a little hand and pressed it lightly against the cold titanium. Tilting his head, he seemed to ~listen~ to something only he could hear. Then, with a little nod, he darted on up ahead, making a turn down one hallway, that ended with a set of double doors.
Faced with the doors, T'ien slowed. His hands slid behind his back and he stopped right in the middle of the corridor. Looking up, he crept forward a few inches then stopped again. Without looking back, his little fingers danced against the small of his back.
~This is the main laboratory. It will have at least a team of scientists working, possibly two or three. Each team is made up of five men and women. They're not usually armed, they left that to the mercs but I can't speak for what sorts of acids or other nasty surprises they could lay their hands on. If I go forward any further, I'll trip the electronic eye which will open the doors.~
He let his hands drop to his sides and tilted his head so he could see Heero out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for the command to advance.
Heero Looked back quickly and caught Trowa's eye. The green-eyed soldier was the only one of them who could not read T'ien's sign language. Heero held up a hand with five fingers splayed, then closed it to a fist and opened it twice more, then shrugged, indicating that there would be at least five, maybe as many as 15. He then held out two open flat palms, indication probably not armed, then waited to get Trowa's acknowledgment.
Trowa had swept their baffles and turned as Heero began to signal to him. The green-eyed boy couldn't help the very small smile that quirked his lips. Hadn't he been the one who had assigned himself, Heero and Zechs about 30 mobile suits a piece down in Antarctica all that time ago? Still, knowing that Heero was waiting for his acknowledgment, Trowa settled his weapon into his hand and nodded sharply closing up tighter to Heero and Duo's flank.
Heero threw no more than a brief look at Duo. A flicker of eyes was all it took to indicate Heero right, Duo left, and Trowa would close the gate. Then Heero looked back at T'ien and gave a brief quick nod.
T'ien nodded. Stood there for a moment... gave it some thought... then with a quick little dart, ran right at the doors. As he'd said... the doors triggered open immediately swinging wide inward. T'ien careened on through them right into the middle of the laboratory. Skidding to a halt, the little boy swung around in a quick circle, looking for all the world, like a startled bird who'd gotten into the house.
The movement allowed him to take in the position and number of scientists. It was a single crew... just five. T'ien grinned and then began to dart around the tables. He knew which ones held benign substances and he crashed into them like a lunatic, throwing the five people in white coats into a flurry of shouts and darting hands.
It took Heero, Duo and Trowa less than the crashing of one table to enter, survey the room and secure it, covering communications devices and alarms.
Weapons trained from three sides of the room before the scientists even noticed their entry, Heero's voice cut through the confusion with cold precision.
"Don't move."
One scientist had his hand on the back of T'ien's collar. The man froze in position and the little boy gave a deft wiggle, escaping before the man could think to hold on to him. The other four scientists in the room whirled about, wide-eyed and stunned. They obviously had never expected the satellite to fail in its ability to keep them hassle-free.
The man who had been reaching for T'ien straightened very slowly, holding his hands up. "Who are you?" he asked in a tone that was wary but at the same time arrogant.
"Shut up," Heero said in the same cold tone. He looked over the other four, selecting a young woman who looked the most stunned. "You. Call the other scientists in here. No tricks, you made a discovery they have to see right now. If I don't like how you sound, you don't breathe again."
The young woman swallowed and stumbled back into a couple of tables. T'ien, who was nearby, automatically reached up to help her but she swatted him away as if he were a disease carrying pest she didn't want to be near. Turning, she toggled on an intercom of some sort and relayed the message Heero had given her, watching the cold, blue eyed boy nervously as she spoke.
When she finished the call, she swallowed nervously, saying, "They... They're on their way."
"All of you, over there," Heero indicated a wall to one side, not visible from the doorway.
Trowa stepped forward to help with the herding. Duo slipped around the other side to put himself in position to keep the scientists in place while being out of the sightline of the doors as well. T'ien looked around, then padded towards a bank of computer terminals. Wriggling up on a stool that was a little too tall for him, the young boy looked at the monitor, then his small fingers began to dance across the keys.
T'ien peeked over his shoulder, to make certain he wasn't in the sight line of the doors, then went right back to what he was doing. In surprisingly very little time the doors were once again crashing open, admitting a string of people engaged in excited chatter.
"What have you found, Melanie? Did you break through on that gene path we were looking at last night?"
So focused was the woman who spoke on the *work* that she never even noticed the three boys standing in strategic locations with weapons. In fact it took the white, frightened look Melanie was giving her to even get the woman to look around. When her eyes met Heero's, Heero recognized her as the woman who he and Duo had seen T'ien first reporting back to.
"What is going on here?" There was little more than arrogance in her voice as she frowned at Heero.
Heero waited until all the scientists were inside the room, counting them off mentally, and the door was closed behind them.
Then he pointed his weapon at the talkative woman's chest. "All of you get against the wall," he said.
The majority of the scientists did just that, retreating back against the wall. Some looked terrified, some grumbled but they obeyed. All except the talkative woman who stood her ground, brows furrowed as she looked at Heero.
"What the hell is this all about?" she demanded again.
Heero took a shot that pinged neatly off the floor an inch from her foot. "The next one goes into your head. As far as I am concerned, each of you forfeited your right to humane treatment when you joined this project. Obey or die."
The woman looked at Heero as if the boy had lost his mind, but she sullenly took a step back. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in for the first time Duo and Trowa... then coming to rest on T'ien, or rather the back of T'ien's head. The little boy seemed perfectly unaware of what was going on behind him as he concentrated on the computer in front of him. The woman's face hardened and her eyes flicked back to Heero.
"So. That's where he went."
Heero ignored her and looked at the woman he'd gotten to call the others. "Are you all here?"
The frightened young woman looked around at her colleagues and then nodded nervously towards Heero.
Heero summoned her forward with a jerk of his head.
Looking like she'd rather the floor open up and swallow her, the young woman darted a scared look towards the guns in Heero, Trowa and Duo's hands, then slowly approached Heero.
"Download all the data onto disk," he said. "You are doing fine. Continue to do so."
She stepped very carefully around Heero, towards the computers. Taking her eyes off Heero, long enough to keep from tripping over an upturned stool, she looked over T'ien's shoulder for a moment. Then she swallowed and whispered.
"He's... he's already doing that." She flinched a little as if she expected to get shot at for speaking.
"Fine. What is your job here?" Heero asked.
"I'm... I'm a gene mapper."
"Who heads this project?"
The young woman darted a look towards the older woman, then back... as if trying to decide who scared her more. Finally she lifted a hand and pointed towards the older woman, who exhaled explosively in obvious annoyance at the girl's cowardice.
Heero looked at the woman. "Aren't you proud of your work?" he said in a sub-zero voice.
The woman cocked a brow at Heero's tone and the question. "Actually we're quite pleased. Somehow, I don't think that was the answer you wanted. Was it?"
"I'll take it," he answered. "It makes certain decisions clearer." He looked briefly at Duo, then Trowa. They had about 15 people to immobilize here. He was mentally reviewing options.
Behind Heero, T'ien finished what he was doing and in a corner a printer whined as it fired up to begin working. T'ien popped off the stool, then caught the edge of the table... now was not the good time for an ouchie. The little boy worked at breathing very shallowly, chasing away the ouch he felt in his torso and upper body. Then he moved towards the printer to gather up all the hardcopy he had printed out. The woman tracked T'ien's actions with the same expression that she might have watched a test tube in mid process. Curious... attentive... but detached.
Duo had caught T'ien's little bobble but for now was keeping it to himself. As he met Heero's eye, he began to look around for possible things they could use. Trowa as well began to check the immediate area.
It was Trowa who surfaced with a small bottle of sedative and a box of syringes. He didn't say anything but caught Heero's gaze and quirked up an eyebrow.
Heero nodded. He swept the group of scientists with a look. "You can go to sleep temporarily or permanently. Makes no difference to me. But I suggest you cooperate."
Most of the scientists began to roll up their sleeves. They were scientists... not escape artists or warriors. Trowa looked to Duo who took a couple steps closer to give his gun a wider range of cover, allowing Trowa to settle his weapon at his back. The tall boy began to draw the syringes.
T'ien, papers in hand, ghosted up by Heero's left. His dark eyes flickered towards the woman, who watched him dispassionately.
Heero sat on his heels, keeping his weapon leveled.
T'ien's fingers danced behind the cover of the papers. ~I have everything on the computer downloaded and then I did back up disks for every drive on the network, in case there was something I missed. All we need are the actual files, files like mine that I brought with me and we should have everything. Those files are kept in the other room I showed you. The growth room.~
Heero nodded. "Can your friends help?"
At this, T'ien's little face fell and he shook his head. His fingers moved a little slower. ~Two died in the past week. The last three are end stage.~
Heero felt something twist inside his chest. "I'm sorry T'ien," he said. He wanted to put the weapon down and hold the boy in his arms. He could not.
T'ien took a deep breath and gave a little nod. He looked up and though his dark eyes swam with a child's tears he also held back the urge. This was not the time for grief; that would come later. He gave Heero a little smile and touched his arm lightly, acknowledging that he *knew* and understood.
Heero found himself focusing on the project leader and felt his finger tightening ever so slightly on the trigger of his weapon. He forced his finger to relax just as slightly. Instead, he looked to see how Trowa was doing. The faster the tall boy was able to knock out the scientists the greater the chance that Heero's impatience and dark rage would be controllable for long enough to keep from methodically executing the rest.
Duo stood, watching Heero's face, his body language. He turned violet eyes towards Trowa catching the other boy's gaze for a moment. Trowa quirked an eyebrow up and looked over his shoulder towards Heero as well. Then he turned back and began to move even more swiftly from scientist to scientist, carefully but quickly delivering the sedative.
Standing beside Heero, T'ien could feel the tension coming from his adored guardian's body. The little boy also caught Duo's anxious expression and the way Trowa was moving even more swiftly. T'ien gnawed on his lip for a moment, then he began to rustle through the papers he held in his small hand. There was an awful lot of papers and it was hard for him to juggle it all, but he dug through doggedly till he surfaced with the small stack he had been looking for.
Double checking the heading, he scanned the first page, making certain he had seen what he thought he'd seen on the computer monitor, then he pulled the stack free of the rest and waggled it in front of Heero, drawing his attention to him.
Here... lookie!!! The motions said.
Heero turned his attention to the small one, at least the portion of it that wasn't focused in soldier mode to make sure none of the 'enemy' got the drop on any of them.
T'ien struggled some more with the papers, finally he stomped a small foot in what Heero knew to be an expression of extreme frustration, usually brought on by an inability to do something coupled with discomfort. Falling onto his knees, T'ien set the papers down and then bracketed the stack he still held up so Heero could read the title.
'Genetic Enhancement Experiment'
The title in and of itself wasn't all that big a deal, except at the bottom of the page were the words: Winner Enterprises Incorporated Laboratories.
The date, if Heero did some quick math, was 18 months before the birth of Quatre's oldest sister.
Heero understood what the papers were. He looked at T'ien. ~You knew,~ he mouthed silently.
T'ien lowered the papers and he looked down at Heero's boots. After exhaling a small sigh, he looked back up and nodded. Setting the papers aside he began to sign rapidly.
~I knew, in the academic sense, I didn't really understand. Myself and the ones before me, we were the product of the scientists Chang Kuang initially hired. They were in effect starting from scratch with their experiments, if not their theories. When Dorothy Catalonia came to Chang Kuang, this is what she brought. The history of the work her Grandfather had started over 40 years ago. It was with this that Chang Kuang's scientists were finally able to perfect the work they were trying to do. Or... as perfected as it can get.~
T'ien signed this last bit with a thoughtful expression on his little face. Giving his head a shake and ridding himself of his thoughts, he signed, ~Perhaps I should say... they were able to produce something that lived beyond... well beyond me.~
Heero took in the information, but reacted more to the undercurrent. He'd restrained the impulse so far but at this point he simply held the gun in a single handed grip and placed the other arm gently around the little boy. In his chest, rage fought with grief, before the unfamiliar swells of emotion fell back and a gut-level determination that came from the purest part of Heero's soul rose in its own right. His lips did not move, nor did his hand. He simply thought with ringing clarity, you aren't dead yet. It was as clear as the moment in space, hurtling backwards in from of the falling chunk of Libra, prepared to sacrifice his life for the good of humanity... but determined none the less not to surrender the life he'd once counted so worthless.
T'ien's small arms wrapped as far around Heero's torso as they could reach and he heaved a little sigh. More out of contentment then upset. He was perhaps more accepting of his fate at this time and for him, the simple joy of a hug was a pleasure he still found a wondering sense of awe in. Specially when it was a Heero hug. His little head turned and he happened to lock eyes with the head scientist who was regarding them with an expression of clinical disdain.
A small sound echoed in the suddenly quiet room.
The sound of a small tongue.... performing a raspberry that would do Duo proud.
Heero's chest moved in a silent, brief laugh. Then he pulled the soldier's mask back over his face. One-handed, he gathered the papers T'ien had been shuffling and stuffed them unceremoniously into the front of his shirt.
T'ien obediently disengaged from the hug and turned to gather up the rest of the goodies he'd been appropriating. Trowa was up to the head scientist now. He loaded up the syringe but looked to Heero.
"Do you want her awake?"
Heero met Trowa's eyes and the tall pilot could see very clearly written in those Prussian blue pools that Heero wanted her a lot more than asleep... however, strategically... "Bind her hands," Heero said finally.
Trowa placed the cap back on the syringe and tucked it into his pocket for later use. He then stepped behind the woman and began to bind up her hands. She watched Trowa with a certain arrogance but the tall soldier simply ignored her, going about his business calmly... though perhaps her bindings were a touch tighter then they needed to be.
Trowa stepped back and met her eyes directly. His face gave nothing away but deep in those dark green eyes the same rage that burned in Heero and Duo sparked. But unlike Duo and Heero... there was a lack of emotional engagement in Trowa's rage. A promise that she might be more likely to come to an accident at his hands then the other two.
Then Trowa turned and swept the area before speaking quietly. "Area secure."
"Confirmed," Duo answered.
Heero nodded. Then he slipped the gun into his pants and picked up T'ien. The little boy's earlier moment of physical distress hadn't gotten past him. Heero looked at Duo. "Quatre, Wufei.."
Duo took a step back and pulled out the small communicator he had on his hip. He activated it and waited. No answering chirp came. Frowning, Duo activated it again. Again... silence. Trowa felt his lower gut tighten and he swallowed, reaching for his own communicator. He repeated Duo's actions... again silence answered his call. Trowa looked quickly towards Heero.
"No answer."
Heero went to the communications panel in the room. Looking at T'ien, he said, "Code for control room?"
T'ien's brow furrowed a little bit and his small fingers danced. ~They rotate it every 48 hours. Give me a moment.~ T'ien's quick mind went back to what it had been before he left, then he did the math of the formula they used, projected forward... five weeks... a few more variables added in and then he gave a little nod and signed. ~AJ-062~
Heero punched in the code. "Control room," he said over the mike in a neutral voice.
There was no answer.
Near Duo, Trowa began to vibrate with that silent wound-up energy of his.
After waiting a moment, Heero looked to Trowa. "They've come and gone," he said. He thought about where they might be headed.
Turning again to the little boy in his arms, he said, "The... successful group... where?"
T'ien took a slow breath, laying his head on Heero's shoulder as he signed. ~They're kept in the dormitories specially designed at the end of the complex. About 3 clicks...~ T'ien paused. For the first time, he paused in trying to provide information. Frowning, he picked his head up again... he'd lost his bearings... that never happened. Reorienting himself, he lay his head back down and finished. ~About 3 clicks to the north side of the hall way.~
Heero turned to Trowa, resisting the urge to tighten his arm around T'ien. "Dorm, three clicks north of the hallway."
Trowa nodded and moved quickly for the door. Duo stepped aside gracefully, keeping his gun trained on the still awake scientist and an eye on the sleeping scientists. He looked over at Heero and T'ien quickly, his expressive violet eyes asking silent questions.
Heero looked back and no one else would have detected anything in his expression but to Duo the silent message was clear. Heero was becoming very worried about his small armful.
Heero walked up to the head scientist, the last one awake, holding her eyes. When he was all but nose to nose with her, he moved, pulling his gun out butt-first and cracking the side of her head to knock her out.
Duo watched the scientist crumple to the ground and he furrowed his brow. Making certain she was out he looked over at Heero with a puzzled expression.
"Hee-Koi, why didn't you just let Trowa give her the drug?"
Now that everyone was out, Duo allowed himself the small comfort of stepping close to Heero and T'ien. He reached up and gently stroked the little boy's dark hair while holding his lover's cobalt gaze.
"Miscalculation," Heero admitted. "I thought we'd have more time. We're running out."
Duo let the back of his fingers rest against T'ien's forehead for a moment. "He's got a bit of a fever. What do you want to do, Heero? Follow Trowa? Or should we try to find the remaining three?"
Duo asked in a soft, gentle tone, allowing his soldier mask to slide away completely. He'd seen T'ien's words to Heero earlier and the sorrow and grief were finally allowed to reflect in his large expressive eyes.
Heero looked at the little boy on his shoulder. ~Do you want to see your friends?~ he signed awkwardly, with one hand.
T'ien's dark eyes flickered to Duo's face, then he leaned back so he could see Heero's face and he nodded, his expression grave but determined.
Heero flickered a look at Duo, then simply said, "Where?"
Duo looked around for the nearest computer but T'ien, who had been watching Heero's face, gave a little wriggle. He knew where. The small boy squirmed to be let down, he'd lead the way.
Heero let T'ien to his feet, but watched the boy closely, a muscle in his jaw twitching with tension.
T'ien sort of stretched his legs when he got back on his feet and he kept one small hand in Heero's. Once he felt firm on his feet the little boy headed towards the door, leading Heero, knowing Duo would follow. He knew exactly where to go, it wasn't all that far.
T'ien lead them out of the main laboratory and down the hall a bit. He stopped next to another set of double doors. Again, he reached up and worked the keypad till the lock switched out. As the doors opened, they exposed a room that was rank with the scent of death and dying. The lights were dimmed, almost to the point where it was impossible to see. One side of the room was almost completely in darkness. On the other side of the room, two beds could be seen with soft lights over the head of each other. The soft light threw a glow that outlined the bed off to the dark side of the room.
T'ien released Heero's hand and scuffed his shoes a couple of times. He waited. Then frowned and scuffed his toes again. This time, a hand from one of the lit beds on the left side of the room, lifted and the fingers folded in slow, weak sign. T'ien gave a little smile, looked up at Heero and Duo, then went towards the bed without hesitation.
Heero followed on the child's heels. He'd seen enough death in his lifetime... but these were children. Special children, but children none the less. He silently burned inside for every extra day they'd been unable to find the satellite.
T'ien reached the side of the bed and climbed up onto it. Careful of the wires and tubes that ran from and to the small body that lay in the bed, he took the hand in his and began to sign against the delicate palm. As Heero approached a better angle to see, he found a young girl, perhaps about seven. She was almost wasted away with the end stages of a body breaking down but her pretty green eyes were bright with obvious joy at seeing her friend. At first, it was hard to see what might have made her any different then any other child, but as she turned her head to get a better look at T'ien's face, it was possible to see that her ear structure and the side of her head where the ear was attached were grossly misshapen.
The girl seemed almost oblivious to Heero's presence, her entire concentration on T'ien.
Heero didn't attempt to intrude on the two, while staying close, and watching T'ien like a hawk. After a moment his hand reached out silently and captured Duo's.
Duo had ghosted forward like a silent shadow, and slid his hand around Heero's, wrapping his fingers tightly across Heero's palm, pulling the hand close to the warmth of his body and the beat of his heart.
On the bed, T'ien continued his silent conversation with the girl. She responded with weak but bright flutters of her hands. Her eyes were surprisingly calm and warm despite the discomfort she had to be in. The two children sat there, talking for a few minutes before T'ien gave a little nod to something the girl said and slid off the bed. He looked at Heero and Duo, gave them a warm smile, then scampered off to the next bed.
Once T'ien had flitted out of her sight line, the child turned her penetrating gaze on Heero and Duo. T'ien had filled her in, in those few minutes and she gave both older boys what must have been a very charming smile at one time. Just the twinkle of flirt in her green eyes.
Heero returned her look steadily. He loosened his hand from Duo's long enough to sign, ~Is there anything we can get or do for you?~
She gave her head a weak shake and grinned. Lifted her hands, careful of the tubes running from her arms she signed back. ~It's all alright. Thank you for asking.~
Heero's head bowed in acknowledgement and he reached again for Duo's hand. Twining his fingers in the violet-eyed boy's, he moved back a little, leaning against a wall so as not to hover over the child. His eyes followed T'ien.
T'ien had flitted over to the second bed that stood under the light. Where they were positioned, Heero and Duo couldn't clearly see the occupant of this bed, which was probably for the better. T'ien had been there for a few moments, but he had not climbed up on this bed. His head nodded a couple of times and he turned, trotting back towards Heero and Duo.
Giving them both a quick, worried smile, he went to the desk that sat off in the corner of the room and began to rummage through it. Frowning fiercely when he didn't find what he wanted, T'ien then walked over to a large cabinet just to the side of the room. He studied the lock mechanism on it for a moment, then came back to Heero and Duo.
~I need a lock pick please.~
Heero reached up and slid his fingers into his lover's braid and extracted said object deftly, then handed it to T'ien.
T'ien took the pick, blinking a little in surprise. Then he grinned mischievously and signed. ~I always knew something interesting had to come out of there!~ Skipping away quickly before Duo could send a mock swat his direction.
"Hey!" The American whispered in amused indignation. Harrumphing softly, Duo looked over at Heero. "That tears it. He's taking after your side of the family."
Heero gave Duo's fingers a gentle squeeze, thankful for his lover's unsinkable spirit. I hope he 'takes after' you, Duo, he thought silently.
T'ien's deft little fingers made quick work of the lock and he opened the cabinet. After a bit of rummaging, he surfaced with a bottle and a syringe. His two small prizes in his hand, T'ien walked back over to the other bed.
Duo returned the gentle pressure, reaching over for a brief moment, with his other hand to stroke it down along Heero's arm. Usually the holding of hands was enough, but for some reason, Duo felt the need to provide Heero with a little extra support.
T'ien stopped at the foot of the bed and his little face was grave as he read the chart hung there. The little boy had a hard time flipping through the chart and balancing the bottle but he did admirably till he could locate what he was looking for. Nodding to himself, T'ien walked to the side of the bed where there was more light and began to load the syringe from the bottle.
Duo looked over at Heero and quirked up a brow at the Japanese boy, unsure if they should investigate or just leave well enough alone.
Heero had also been watching T'ien closely. He loosed Duo's fingers with inward reluctance and moved silently and quickly to the little boy's side. Kneeling beside T'ien, he signed, ~What are you doing?~
Duo kept close to Heero's heels. Not letting either member of his little family out of his sight or touch range for long. T'ien looked up at Heero with grave dark eyes. He withdrew the needle and put the cap back on, setting it just to the side while he signed.
~He's in pain and the PCA isn't set to deliver another dose for 87 minutes. I was giving a mild booster.~
T'ien obediently held out the bottle for Heero to look at but the hints of stubbornness were beginning to etch around his face.
Heero didn't look at the bottle. He never doubted a word T'ien said. He nodded and waited for T'ien to complete his task.
T'ien took a little breath and gave Heero a quick smile of thanks, then he turned and took hold of one of the IV lines, inserting the needle into the line and pressing down to deliver the medication. Just behind Heero, Duo was looking down at the bed and fighting to keep horror off his face.
Duo had seen a lot in his young life. Between the 4th and then the war, he'd seen more then enough. Still, his fingers dug suddenly into Heero's shoulder, needing the tight hold on his lover to help steady himself.
T'ien finished, disposing carefully of the needle. He then scooted around to look up at the face on the bed, giving his friend a warm smile and a few quick words with his fingers. If there was any sort of response from the figure on the bed, Duo couldn't tell but T'ien watched for a few minutes then gave an agreeable nod, as if a conversation had come to a close.
T'ien turned towards Heero and Duo and signed. ~We should leave him alone. He doesn't like strangers.~
Heero pulled Duo gently back to the wall where they had been leaning, giving T'ien space.
T'ien flitted to the last bed, the one in the dark. He disappeared into the darkness for quite some time here. Even the soft light cast from the other beds didn't pick up the young boy's shadow. Finally, T'ien surfaced. His face was pale and his dark eyes perhaps a little large with unshed tears but he carried himself with a sense of calm purpose as he walked up to Heero and Duo. Once in front of them both, he looked up and signed.
~It's okay. We can go now.~
Heero knelt and opened his arms, not demandingly, just offering.
T'ien tilted his head to the side, looking at Heero... then he gave that gentle, warm, adoring smile of his, the one that said without words that Heero was the center of a certain little boy's universe. Wrapping his arms around Heero's neck, T'ien crawled into his guardian's arms and settled comfortably against the older boy's shoulder.
Heero slid a steadying arm around the little boy, giving him a very slight squeeze and stroking his back once or twice. Then he took Duo's hand and led them all out of the room without looking back.
End Part 8
Laekin and bonnejeanne
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