Title: Written in Blood
Author: AstroKender
Pairings: 2+5, 3+4
Rating: action/mystery
Warnings: Slight Duo torture
Spoilers: None.
Notes: Takes place after the Eve Wars of Endless Waltz. Everyone works for the Preventers.
Disclaimers: I own nothing...not even my computer. So obviously GW isn't mine. Don't sue.
Duo arrived at work the next morning to greet the usual fanfare of cooing and hovering. After assuring everyone that he was indeed fine and more than able to go back to work, he skillfully pried himself away from the horde and into the dubious safety of the break room. Closing the door swiftly, he leaned against it in exhaustion. This was going to be a long day.
"Ohayo, Duo."
Duo whirled around to meat the amused yet concerned face of Quatre. The blonde looked at him carefully from above his coffee cup. Scratching his head ruefully, the braided boy made his way over to the Arab's table.
"Ohayo Q-man!" Duo plopped down in the seat across from him, then instantly regretted it. He winced in pain.
"Duo? Daijobu?" Quatre's concerned aquamarine eyes filled his vision. Duo waved him away.
"I'm fine, just a little sore."
"Do you want some coffee? Une tasted your concoction the other day and demanded that we buy a whole crate of filters."
Duo chuckled. "Aa. That sounds good, Q-man."
The braided ex-pilot leaned back and let Quatre fuss over him like a mother hen. Gingerly sipping his coffee, he allowed himself to relax. He let the blonde's soft voice filter through his ears like a waterfall. Slowly, his eyes began to droop.
Quatre smiled at his slumbering friend and shook his head. Rummaging through the closet, he pulled out a ratty old blanket. Silently, he moved Duo's coffee cup so it wouldn't spill and placed the blanket over the braided boy's shoulders. Taking one last look at the sleeping form, he gently kissed the American's forehead and slipped out the door.
It was a few hours later when Duo blearily opened his eyes only to meet piercing Prussian orbs just inches from his face. Startled, his chair flipped backwards.
"Whah!"
Strong arms shot out and steadied him. Duo leaned into them a moment, gasping and very much awake. Then, with a growl, he shoved himself away.
"Jesus, Yuy! What are you trying to do, kill me?" Violet eyes glared at his old partner, who stood there impassively.
"If, I were trying to kill you, you would be dead. I was just examining that head wound."
Duo forced himself to calm down. "Well next time, ask first! Okay?"
"I would have, but you were asleep."
Duo looked up at him. "I was?"
Heero nodded and pointed to the blanket that had slipped to the floor. "You've been asleep for about four hours. Quatre threatened bodily harm to anyone who came in here and woke you up." Heero didn't seem particularly threatened by that little detail.
"Quatre..." Duo muttered, going to the sink and taking a drink from the faucet. "It must be these pain pills Sally insisted I take."
He reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out the little orange pill bottle. The label read: Take two capsules every six hours. Glaring at it, he opened it up and moved to pour them down the drain.
"You probably shouldn't do that." Heero stated from behind him. "If Sally Po thought you needed them, you probably do."
Duo scowled. "But what good am I if I'm falling asleep ever time I turn around? No...I can deal without them." He resolutely emptied the bottle into the sink, rinsing the little white pills down the drain with water. He sat the empty bottle on the counter and turned towards the Japanese boy.
"What are you doing here anyway? You're supposed to be in the Sank Kingdom."
"I had to check on a couple of things."
Duo looked over at him dubiously. Heero met his stare, face impassive. Shaking his head, the braided boy stepped around him and opened the break room door.
"The murderer is still on the loose. You should head back to Sank as soon as possible."
Duo left his dark haired ex-lover standing in the middle of the break room, dark blue eyes glaring at the seemingly innocent orange bottle.
Duo stalked into the office irritably, glancing around for Quatre. Glancing down at the Arab's desk he spied a card reading: Out to Lunch. Peering over at Trowa's desk, he found a similar note. Growling about well meaning busybodies, he made his way over to his own cubicle. Sitting down gingerly in his chair, he looked over at the empty desk of his partner. No note. Where-?
"He went to investigate a body found this morning by the Tokyo authorities."
Duo mumbled something intelligible at the Japanese boy and logged onto his computer. Typing in his password, he waited for his desktop to appear. His eyes widened.
"Heero?"
"What is it?"
"Do you think it's possible for someone to hack into the Preventer's computer system?"
The Japanese boy walked over to him, eyebrows furrowed. "Impossible. I designed this system...myself."
Heero peered over Duo's shoulder in disbelief. On the computer, Instead of the Preventers' desktop, was the black dos screen. Trailing down the screen swiftly in small white letters was a message of some sort.
DriveC: comfrey comfrey Comfrey cOmfrey coMfrey comfrEy comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comFrey cOmfrey comfRey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey coMfrey comfrEy comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey comfrey...
And on and on down the screen the word sped. The Japanese ex-pilot looked down at Duo questioningly, but the braided boy's eyes never left the screen. Looking closely at the American's suddenly pale face, Heero noticed his lips moving faintly.
Come for me...
"What is it?"
Duo finally tore his gaze from the screen. He looked up at Heero with wide violet eyes. "It says: COME FOR ME. The capital letters...Heero, who could be doing this?"
The Japanese pilot opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by another's voice.
"It is our job to find out."
WuFei stood at the door, arms crossed. "They've identified the body. The blood matches the blood on your apartment wall. The cause of death was obvious. The victim was decapitated."
"Let me guess." Duo whispered. "His name was Comfrey."
End Part Seven
(:./astrokender/written7)
