Crimson Ties Part 42
Destiny.
That was one way of summing up what was awaiting Duo. Drawing a deep breath to collect himself, the braided teenager kept his fingers laced with Heero's as he took the first step forward to meet Howard in the middle of the lab.
As soon as the old man was in sight, there was no missing the thick gold band in his hand. Holding it up, he wiggled his eyebrows and smirked, "This should fit you perfectly. I tend to be a good judge of measuring these up with their rightful owners."
Swallowing roughly, Maxwell held out his right arm and rolled the sleeve of his brown sweater up to his shoulder. Violet eyes trained on the shimmering gold ring laced by engraved red twine, he could feel his heart quicken as it was opened to be loosely sized up against his biceps.
Before long, that thick ring would be a fixture there. Once it was sealed with his first drink of Heero's blood, it would be locked on forever. He would be a Companion from that day through the remainder of his immortality.
"Yep, got it in one," Howard chuckled as he pulled the band away to latch it closed once more. "There won't be any removing this when the tie between the two of you is complete." Holding out the band to the teenager, he grinned widely, "Congratulations, kid."
Slowly lowering his sleeve back down, Duo continued to stare at the ring as he stammered, "T-thanks." He reached out with both hands to take up his would-be wedding ring of sorts.
Thick as the gold was, it was surprisingly light. But it came with a great weight of responsibility as well as honor in being one of the few humans to be linked to a Vampire. And in his case, the braided youth knew how lucky he was that his tie was Heero.
Finally tearing his violet eyes away from the band in his possession, Maxwell looked on Yuy. Though the Infected retained his stoic mask, there was a vibration of raw energy radiating from him in seeing his Chosen holding the sacred symbolism of their future together. When their eyes met, the Vampire's face warmed with a wide smile.
"All packed," Anna's voice called from the lab entrance just before she, Wufei and Catherine entered.
The three paused when they spotted Duo and the Companion band in his hands. With a soft gasp and an elated grin on her face, the Irish Infected latched onto her husband. Chuckling softly, Chang gave her a shallow nod that was the most he could manage in expressing his own excitement at the moment.
Duo shook his head, breaking the spell between him and his Vampire to return to the present. Looking to the old man, he smirked, "Well, thanks for everything, Howie. It's been great meeting you."
Gladly accepting and shaking the hand offered to him, the 'supplier' replied, "The pleasure was all mine." Addressing all of his friends as they came up, he requested, "Now you all make sure to stop by again and not be strangers."
"We could never do that, seeing as how you'll harass us if you don't see us after a while," Heero chuckled. Knowing how too true that was, Howard laughed.
Embraces and more handshakes were exchanged along with farewells until they were all together again before Maxwell and his family headed off for the black car at the entrance of the lab. Closing the door behind himself as he slipped into the backseat with Yuy, Duo placed his Companion band in his lap to stare at it.
Heero lightly ran a hand over the ring and rested his head on his Other's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered. Unable to trust his voice right then, the young scholar leaned his own head atop the Infected's in a sort of embrace.
For most of the drive back home, the travelers settled into a companionable silence.
* * * * * *
That evening, a glass display case that had been set aside for collectables was used to house the Companion band. Stored inside an ottoman in the room beside Duo's bedroom, it was safely secured without having to be in plain sight.
It was enough for the human and Vampire to know that the ring was there without having to constantly be reminded in seeing it every day.
Content with that arrangement, Maxwell was able to turn all of his attention to the weapons and armor that he would be wielding over the course of his training.
With the pieces of his artillery spread out on the living room floor so that he could take the time to become more acquainted with them, the living reached for the long rod in the center of it all. Grinning to himself, he rose to his feet and counter turned the two halves to bring out the glowing scythe 'blade.'
Lit by the green laser, Duo chuckled softly to himself and made a few large swings around the room with his weapon. Even though he had no idea how to use such a unique weapon in actual combat against Vampires yet, it already made him feel powerful... more capable of holding his own.
"Not a bad fit for you," Heero smirked when he appeared to lean against the door frame to watch his Other. He winced when the startled teenager spun at the sound of his voice, already seeing what was about to happen.
In his turn towards the Infected, Maxwell lost the attention on his weapon and it tore through the granite mantle of the fireplace as though it were cutting through butter. "Shit!" he shouted, fumbling to get enough hold on the rod to turn its halves so that the laser reeled back.
Wide-eyed, the living took in the huge, downward diagonal gash in the brick and stone of the structure that remained from his accidental slash. For as long as the gash was, it was twice as deep in its puncture. Paling at the sight, he breathed, "Oh fuck me." Turning his braided head, he cried, "'Ro I'm so, so sorry!"
Laughing, Yuy shook his head and approached with a sincere, "It's alright, Duo. It can be fixed." He paused before the fireplace for a long appraisal of the damage and the small grin on him curled further along his lips.
Already well aware of how his Vampire thought, the teenager was well aware that Heero was already imagining the harm that would be brought down on anything that tried to attack Maxwell when he had a handle on his weapon.
"I have to admit that I feel better about this arrangement between you and Wufei now," the Infected said quietly after a long pause. Looking back to his Other, he smirked, "Of course I'll be happier when you know how to control that scythe."
With a snort, Duo's cheeks burned a deep red as he ducked his head. "Yea, well, I should have known to not mess around with this thing inside," he muttered, staring down at the rod in his hands. "I learned my lesson there." Shaking his braided head, he frowned deeply to his Vampire, "Again, I am really, really sorry."
Heero raised a hand, insisting, "Nothing to be upset over. I spent three decades of my past as a mason and stone sculptor, so I can have this patched up in no time. The only thing that would ever get me worked up was if you were ever hurt. But then, your training will only make that less of a concern to me."
Relieved as he was at not having angered his partner, Maxwell could only hold onto one particular detail of that sentiment. Blinking his growing eyes, he replied, "You never told me that you were a mason before. I mean, I assumed that you would have been more than a librarian through your existence, but I didn't know what other roles you had."
Chuckling softly, the Infected carefully took the staff from his Other's hands to lean it against the wall. He reached out to take hold of the mortal's hand and gently led him to the couch to sit with him there.
"Well," he began with a small smile, "once we were able to be in the sunlight, most of us Vampires were able to blend into society for a long time before we were discovered to be what we are. Over the course of that time, I was an architect, a pilot, a trader and an interpreter to name a few things."
His shoulders shrugging, Yuy went on, "As young as I appear, I was able to get away with being just of age for all of those things at the time and my roles always changed whenever I moved with my family before the humans around us noticed how we never aged."
The corner of his mouth raising in a lopsided smirk, he snickered, "It's actually one of the perks to immortality... having the time to pretty much do and be anything you want. New interests always come up and we can delve into whatever career path we want to experience."
Now that was actually something that really appealed to Duo when it came to his pending change. Before, when he thought he would always be like any other human, there was always that looming sense of doom over picking the right path for himself because he only had so long to get his life right.
But when he became immortal, that time-line wouldn't hang over his head any longer.
At his new-found existence, he could try countless roles. He could make missteps to learn from without setting back his time in the world. It was an extremely fulfilling realization.
Shifting so that Maxwell could recline against his chest easily when he moved in close, Heero rested his chin on the top of his braided head as he shared, "For myself and our family, we've leaned more into roles that could better us as Preventers."
He elaborated, "I took up a job with books that I can use them for research in anything we may need knowledge of. Anna working as a nurse has many benefits to us as agents every bit as much as it helped keep me alive. You've already seen how Wufei's work in computers has proven valuable. And Trowa working as a vehicle mechanic has come in handy on more than a few occasions in the field."
Blinking his widening eyes, Duo murmured, "Smart thinking, getting into those lines of work. No human would make a connection to them being needed for a secret Vampire organization that takes out threats." Heero hummed an affirmative and closed his eyes as he placed a soft kiss against his partner's head.
"So, you see," the Vampire grinned, "having time in this world to would be one good thing for you when you're turned."
At that, Maxwell swallowed roughly. Casting his violet eyes up, he stared at the gold coin that hung around Yuy's neck... that bittersweet reminder of his parents was the only thing he had to remember them that now served to make him believe it was all he was worth.
Grabbing onto the coin, he shifted to stare into the Infected's golden eyes that were watching him. "I think that being with you for the rest of my eternity is a pretty damned nice plus in being turned," he all but whispered. Never before had he meant any words that came from him more in his life.
From the moment that he first met Heero, Duo knew that there was something strong between them. As frightening as it was and as much as he fought it in the beginning, there was no denying that they belonged together. Already, he couldn't imagine his world without his bonded in it as that constant presence at his side.
He was only existing before. Now he was living.
"And you're worth a hell of a lot more than this, too. There's not a price that amounts to what you mean between me, and all of our family." the braided youth said softly, holding up the piece of gold in his fingers. His eyes beginning to shimmer, the immortal closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss his Other soundly in appreciation.
When he opened his eyes as he pulled back, the Vampire reached over to take hold of the bulb pendant against the teenager's chest to look on it for a long moment. "It's going to be okay when I have to leave," he said in a soft breath. "I promise I'll come back to you. And you'll have Anna, Wufei and Midi here for you while I'm gone."
His violet eyes widening at the sentiment, Maxwell swallowed roughly. The thought of that dreaded time apart was one that he'd worked hard to not have on his mind to serve as a nagging worry. But he was losing the fight more and more with the hunt approaching.
Sighing, the living replied, "I know you'll be fine. I'm just not thrilled with your having to be away." At the feel of the cool lips pressing against his own, his eyes closed and he returned the kiss. Through the exchange, he did his best to force the dark thoughts away... losing himself into the here and now to enjoy the time he had with his bonded.
"Love you," Heero whispered when they broke away, pressing their foreheads together.
With a smirk, Duo nodded, "I know." Leaning back against his snickering partner, he wrapped an arm around him and snuggled against him as closely as he could.
* * * * * *
Sighing, Trent threw an arm over his bare chest as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Depression had set in hard and fast for him in the last few days following Duo's party. Now with his sister ever on his mind, he couldn't help but feel like a complete let down by not revealing the location of Yuy and his clans to his fellow hunters.
At least Hilde had been true to her word in not pushing him for the information he had on the Infected. Not even she was aware that their enemies were close with representatives of the Vampire Council... the highest members at that.
What was more, Trent actually was looking to be friends with Maxwell in some way. His braided classmate had done him more than a favor by not coming down on him harder when he was caught scoping the estate out.
Sitting up in his bed, the short-haired brunette released a deep breath and thought of his options. One could certainly use all the friends they could get... even if that ally was in with a bunch of blood-suckers.
Dorothy would have wanted him to him to play nice with everyone. She respected every person and every creature. Instead of letting her down as Trent thought he was with his decision, maybe he could be honoring her memory more than he ever could by extending an olive branch.
Overwhelming relief over that notion brought the first smile to the young Hunter's face in days.
This was the right thing. He knew that now.
All that he needed to do now was get the nerve to actually call Duo so that they could talk. Then the real healing might finally begin.
* * * * * *
Early the following morning...
Meiran spun towards her bedroom door, wide-eyed as she listened in on the conversation taking place in the living room downstairs. Completely forgetting her opened suitcase sitting on her mattress that she had just begun to pack, she walked out into the hallway as she continued to strain her ears to pick up her cousins' voices.
Glaring fiercely to herself when she caught a few keywords, her ire was enough that she couldn't have cared less about keeping up a front that she was not overhearing what was being discussed. In a bold move, she dashed down the stairs to materialize in the living room entrance.
A finger wrapping a few strands of her locks, the vixen gathered up her resolve. "So, the human is being trained in defense?" she asked in a sing-song voice that she made sure sounded innocent enough. "I couldn't help but hear the news."
Zechs turned away from his wife to blink in surprise at the raven-haired Infected. Taking a deep breath, he responded flatly, "Yes, cousin. Duo is set to be taught how to defend himself from our kind by Wufei. They've already begun the preparations." Though his tone was calm enough, there was an underlying frustration in his tense shoulders.
Pushing herself from the door frame that she was leaning against, Meiran's eyes narrowed. "And you all support it? Does anyone else not see the danger that would come out of this?" she gritted through her teeth. "That living hated our kind enough that he would have personally wiped us out of existence if he could have."
"That living has a name. And Duo had the right at the time, considering what he'd been through," Noin defended, slowly approaching her cousin.
Body rigid, she wordlessly made it known that she was not pleased for the intrusion and questioning over the matter. "He's changed with time and understanding. Now being a part of the Yuy and Barton family, he has the right to be treated as an equal."
Equal. Meiran scoffed at the word to herself, but kept her disgust from her expression. She knew that even if that boy was turned, he would never be an equal to the likes of her or any Vampire... with the exception of that redheaded bastard that she planned to remove from the picture.
Nothing would have pleased her more than to know that her braided enemy would have been easier to deal with. Now, he had one of the most sought after warriors amongst the immortals to show him the ways of fighting their kind. This bold move on his part might make things a little more challenging than she wished.
But, then again, the fact remained that no matter how good Wufei might be as a trainer, Maxwell would never be able to stand up to her or any Infected for that matter.
Running a hand through her long hair, Meiran's lips curled up in a sweet smile. "Of course he does," she giggled. "That was silly of me to be concerned. I suppose that I cannot help but be protective of my family."
'And her interests,' she thought to herself.
Her shoulders rolling back, the beauty shrugged, "Well, I best go and finish my packing for my trip. My flight out leaves in a few hours." That said, she vanished from the room to soar up the stairs in a blur.
Waiting until they heard her bedroom door close, Zechs and Noin sagged with deep sighs. "Even with such a short time to go, this vacation of hers still is not getting here soon enough," Merquise muttered as he brushed a hand through his long bangs.
Lucrezia rubbed his back, smirking, "Just a little longer for us to see her on the plane to make sure that she's away. With any luck, maybe she will be a changed person when does come back. Nothing would make Treize or Lady Une happier since she's their responsibility for believing there was something good in her."
Checking the grandfather clock, the Councilwoman kissed her husband's cheek before she headed to step from the room. "We should get ready for the drive out to the airport," she suggested. The corner of her lip lifting in a mischievous grin, she purred, "I intend to have a long drink from you so that we cam tolerate the ride."
As his wife stepped out into the hallway, the Council Speaker continued to stare in the direction that their cousin had disappeared. "A leopard can't change its spots," he murmured under his breath, eyes filled with wariness.
For now, Zechs knew that they all would just have to be satisfied in knowing that Meiran would be out of their hair for a long time. And his hunger to join his bride in their bedroom was too great a need to ignore. Grinning, he hurried after her through the front door to move quickly for their own home.
Back upstairs behind her closed door, Meiran was finishing the last of her packing when she removed the black binder she had hiding under her bed. Smiling to herself, she pulled up the zipper that closed its side and opened the flaps to gaze on the contents inside.
Wufei was not the only expert in hacking computers. Over the course of the last few days, the dark-haired vixen was a busy little bee going through Treize and Lady Une's databases to pull up any and everything that they had saved on their problematic Rouges. Keeping the reports and images from the data maintained, what she had was quite the start to finding these potential friends.
If it was human Companions that these creatures wanted, Meiran would be more than happy to lead them to one.
Criminals always returned to the scene of the crime. And Sharon Berber's site was still pretty fresh... as well as ideal for a Vampire with all the patience in the world and a plethora of places to hide at the scene.
Staring at the large print image of the serene, snow-covered clearing that had been the last place the human saw before she met her most unfortunate end, the Infected chuckled quietly. Were her heart still beating, it would have been hammering in anticipation.
Between the trees surrounding the area for her to perch in and the wildlife living there to feed from, it was an ideal location where she could stay for months on end, whereas the Preventers always needed to stay on the move. However long it took for a clue to finding the Rogues, it'd be worth the wait if the benefits were as wonderful as she expected them to be.
A flight to Paris to appease her family followed by a plane ride right back to Connecticut and she would be well on her way to reaching her ultimate goal.
It was the perfect plan.
* * * * * *
Whistling to himself, Duo entered the kitchen at the first crack of sunlight later that morning. The day was already starting off beautifully...
He was woken by a soft kiss by Heero to kick the morning off right. He was about to go have his first day of training with Wufei. And the icing on top of the cake was that Meiran was gone for the start of, what he hoped would be, a very long vacation.
Life couldn't be any better.
With a warm smile on his face as he plated his Other's breakfast, Heero chuckled, "Nice to see you in such a good mood before our brother puts you through the paces. Be sure to give him a run before you lose that attitude."
Approaching the small table as the living took a seat, the Vampire set the meal of carbohydrates and proteins down before him. "Make sure to eat all of that," he suggested. "You're going to need it for the workout you're going to have."
Duo rubbed his hands together before he took up his knife and fork, more than ready to do any and everything required of him for his tests. "I can't tell you how excited I am about this, 'Ro," he grinned widely before he shoveled a large helping of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
Quickly chewing and swallowing, he reached for his glass of milk as the Infected sat across for him. Pointing at Yuy, he winked, "I'm going to make you proud. Just watch."
"You make me proud without even trying," Heero snorted, his voice sincere. Duo gulped down his mouthful of milk with a deep red blush to his cheeks.
Just as the teenager was wrapping up his breakfast, Anna and Wufei entered the room, both wearing sweat clothes like their 'little brother.' Nodding firmly to the pair at the table, the scaly Vampire smirked, "Good morning. " His wife smiled to the two, waving in her own greeting.
Locking his gaze onto Duo, Chang informed him, "I am going to have a bit of a lesson with you on our kind when it comes to combat this morning while your meal settles. Then, you'll be going out with Anna for a three-mile run to get your heart going and to loosen your limbs before we get to the more physical part of our training today."
His braided head nodding, Maxwell replied, "Got it." Following his teacher and sister into the living room, he stayed close at Heero's side to nudge him in a silent 'thank you' for simply staying back and trusting him.
When they caught up with his siblings, Wufei was in the middle of the room with the long rod of the scythe in his hands. A lopsided smirk curling his mouth, he told his student, "Seeing what you did to the fireplace, I just want to make sure that you won't be able to do the same thing to me if you should make a similar mistake."
Huffing, the mortal crossed his arms with a half-hearted glare at that. In the far corner, Anna's eyes widened with panic and her body went stiff as she watched her husband remove his shirt with an amused snicker at their brother's embarrassment. Before Duo even knew it, Heero was at their sister's side with a hand on her shoulder as though he needed to hold her back.
Counter turning the halves of the staff to bring out the glowing green 'blade,' Chang didn't hesitate in turning it on himself with a downward swing to his left arm. A stifled gasp filled the air as the redhead bit her bottom lip hard at the swift move. The moment the laser contacted the smooth scales that it was brought down on, it bounced back without making so much as a scratch in the skin's surface.
Anna's eyes closed with a relived sigh and Heero pulled her sagging body against his side in a tight squeeze. Turning his head, he kissed her temple and whispered something into her ear that she responded to with a shallow nod.
Duo caught the sad look in Wufei's eyes when they shifted to look on his wife. Quickly regaining his focus onto his apprentice, the scaly Infected held out the end of the scythe to him as he smirked, "Very good. Let's begin."
TBC...
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