Author's Note: Um, about that angst...don't hurt me...but...it begins.
Boot Camp Part 29
Betrayals
Quatre was the one who noticed the slight limp Duo had, when the four boys were on their way back from the showers. "When did you hurt your ankle?" he asked, his keen blue eyes fixed on the other boy's leg.
"Aw...landed hard after the wall...the ground was too soft," Duo muttered, trying harder not to let the limp show.
"How about a detour to the infirmary?" suggested Quatre.
"Good idea, Winner," Heero responded, before Duo could object. "We'll all go."
So the four boys stopped to see Doctor Po, who looked at Duo's ankle, pronounced it mildly sprained, and wrapped it snugly for support, extracting a promise from the braided boy that he'd keep it elevated the rest of the night, and try to go easy on it the next day.
"But I can still do the cross-country race, right?" he asked carefully, giving her his best pleading look.
She scowled at him. "If you want to make it hurt like hell for a few days after, go right ahead," she snarled sarcastically.
He grinned brightly. "Thanks, doc!" He darted out the door before she could argue that she'd been kidding.
"Do you not understand sarcasm?" she called after him.
~*~
Heero was scowling at the braided boy as they crossed the compound. "Why did you not mention your injury before, Maxwell?"
"Because it's not that big a deal," shrugged Duo.
"It will be if it takes you out of action."
Duo's eyes narrowed. "It'd take more than a little sprain to take me out of action, Yuy. I've dodged cops with a broken arm...I think I can run a little race with a sore ankle."
"You should have said something," Heero insisted.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Duo crossed his arms over his chest. "Damn it, Yuy. I'm a big kid. I think I can tell the difference between a real injury and a momentary 'boo-boo.'" Then his mischievous expression returned, and he batted his lashes at the team leader, knowing exactly how to coax him out of his mood. "But if you want to carry me back to the barracks, sweetie, that'd be just fine."
The blue eyes shot him a dangerous glare, and then suddenly Duo found himself bodily picked up and slung over the other boy's shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"Yuy! Put me down!"
"You said it would be fine."
"I didn't think you'd do it!"
"You should know by now not to dare me to do things, Maxwell. It's bound to backfire on you."
"Heero...this isn't comfortable!"
"It's not meant to be."
Duo looked behind them at Quatre and Trowa, his face beseeching. "Guys! Wanna give me a hand here?"
As if on cue, both boys began clapping slowly...exaggeratedly.
"I fucking hate you!" Duo growled, letting out a grunt of discomfort as Heero's shoulder dug into his abdomen.
Quatre and Trowa were laughing so hard by then they just about had to support each other the rest of the way to the barracks.
~*~
The five o'clock wakeup seemed especially early the next morning. After having been thrown onto his bunk quite bodily, Duo had refused to get down again, and made Heero wait on him for what remained of the evening, citing "doctor's orders." The team leader had taken it in stride, making it a power struggle between the two of them, which seemed to end in a tie. It also kept them up a little later than usual, so there were yawns and groans as they rolled out of their bunks in the morning.
Duo flexed his ankle, taking a few experimental steps around the room. "Feels good," he decided, noticing Heero watching.
"Honestly?"
"How many times do I have to say I don't lie?" Duo sighed in exasperation.
"What's up with that anyway?" Trowa asked from across the room, pulling on his shirt, and running a hand through his hair. "You seriously never lie?"
"Yeah, seriously," Duo replied with a scowl. "I may evade a question, but I won't tell a flat-out lie...ever."
"Why not?"
Duo shrugged, looking away uncomfortably. "I promised someone a long time ago that I wouldn't."
"Who?"
"Sister Helen...an' Father Maxwell," admitted the braided boy, not looking up from his foot locker. "At the orphanage."
"Oh." Trowa backed off at that, realizing if he pried further, it would only annoy his teammate. He figured it had been enough revelation for one day.
~*~
After morning calisthenics and breakfast, all the inmates assembled at the track, which was where the cross-country race would begin and end. Although much of the course was off the main base, in the woods and rugged mountain trails, there would be soldiers running along with the boys to ensure compliance with the 'no-fighting' edict.
In addition to having escorts, the teams were to set off at fifteen-minute intervals, which meant there was little likelihood of one group overtaking another.
Captain Chang sent Team Wing out first, figuring the safest course of action was to put them in the front, where no one could set up any sort of ambush, or booby trap.
The six-mile race was meant to genuinely test the boys' stamina on an individual basis. For this event, the team didn't have to stay together. In fact, it was expected that there'd be a few boys who failed to finish entirely.
Of course, none of those boys were part of Team Wing. Trowa set a positively scorching pace, with his long legs and lean build, and Heero ran like a machine...steady and tireless. Duo and Quatre were pretty well-matched, just slightly behind the others until around the fourth mile, when Heero passed the tiring Trowa, and the acrobat decided to fight for the lead. At that point they pulled away from their teammates, who were quite content to stay side by side at their chosen pace.
And again, at the end of the morning, Team Wing turned in the best times. Although as an individual, Austin edged out Duo and Quatre for third place in overall time, when teams were totaled, no one came close to Wing's score.
The staggered starting times ensured that as each team finished, they could change and shower without other groups in the facility, another precaution Wufei thought would be wise. He also stationed a soldier outside the shower building, just to discourage any sort of harassment or horseplay.
And then, when all the teams were together for lunch at the mess hall, Captain Chang announced a surprise.
"First off, I'd like to commend each team for the restraint they've shown this week." His dark eyes scanned the room carefully. "I know that competition can cause rivalries to flare. But you've all behaved remarkably well. I expect that to continue." His tone carried a clear warning that it would continue, or else. "Secondly, in view of the growth I've seen in your maturity levels, I've decided to allow each of you an opportunity to try out our latest model of Mobile Suit Simulator." At their questioning looks, he gave a rather sly smile. "It's a free-standing structure I've had set up a short hike from camp...you strap into a perfect replica of a mobile suit cockpit, and an interactive virtual reality display allows you to experience the feel of real piloting, without the hazards. Well...most of them." He shrugged slightly. "It also has machines that mimic the motion of a real suit, so you can get jarred a bit, if you take the simulation far enough." He gestured to his corporals. "Each liaison will bring his group to the field after lunch. We'll all get to watch each attempt at the simulator."
As the boys returned to their lunch, Wufei smirked at the lieutenants beside him. "This ought to be good for a laugh, at the very least."
~*~
Thus it was, after lunch, the boys all found themselves sitting in ranks looking up at a house-high metal structure, which did genuinely resemble a mobile suit. But it had a framework around it to allow the motors to move and turn it for a more realistic experience. And a large screen, similar to a drive-in movie, would allow spectators to view some of what the person in the simulator saw.
Wufei stood up by the structure, a slight smirk on his stern face. "This, recruits, is a Mobile Suit Simulator. Inside it, you'll be hooked to interactive programs that test your aptitude for piloting real mobile suits. The mechanisms on the outside will enable you to 'feel' the experience as if you were there." A perfectly vicious grin lit his face. "Most new recruits puke their guts out the first time. I hope you all ate light lunches...any volunteers?"
Heero chose that moment to tug the end of Duo's braid, and when the other boy's hand rose to slap his away, Captain Chang grinned even more widely.
"Maxwell! How daring of you. Come on up."
Duo shot Heero a deadly glare. "I will so get even for this, Yuy!"
The team leader smirked back. "Promises, promises."
Face taut with unease, Duo walked up to Captain Chang, eyeing the big machine warily. "Uh, about that light lunch, sir? You sure you don't want to send someone else first?"
"Your hand moved first, Maxwell," came the smug reply. "You win." He gestured to the machine. "Try not to puke on the controls, okay? It's a mess to clean up."
"Uh, yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Duo drawled sarcastically, following one of the lieutenants to the machine, and allowing him to get him settled in and properly hooked up. After a brief explanation of the controls and what to expect, the soldier gave him a reassuring wink, and left.
When the door closed, Duo found himself in a vast expanse of darkness, with Captain Chang's quiet voice over the intercom his only connection to the outside.
"Ready, Maxwell?"
"As I'll ever be," Duo sighed. And then the screen lit with a display of scenery, crisscrossed by targeting grids. "Whoa," breathed the boy in awe. "Kinda like an arcade...only...wow!" A small smile touched the corners of his lips as he experimented with the controls for maneuvering and firing. "Wow."
About fifteen minutes later, Captain Chang called a halt, and Duo stepped out of the simulator, looking a tiny bit shaky. His face was flushed and he seemed slightly out of breath, his chestnut bangs clinging to his damp forehead. But his eyes were positively aglow, and there was a wide grin on the boyish face. He looked at the Captain, laughing almost giddily. "Holy shit! That was awesome!"
The officer raised an eyebrow. "I take it you enjoyed yourself."
"Hell yeah! What a rush!"
Wufei looked vaguely disappointed. "Don't you even feel a little queasy?" he asked almost plaintively.
"Not even close," shrugged Duo, smiling at the expression on the officer's face. He dropped onto the ground next to Heero, smirking slyly at the team leader. "I think it was even better than sex."
Wufei chuckled at Duo's elation, and Heero's startled expression. "I don't think anyone's ever made that particular comparison before."
Heero gave his teammate a sidelong glance.
"I'm tellin' you," Duo insisted. "It was the biggest rush ever!"
"Then maybe you haven't had sex with the right person, Maxwell," Heero said with a casual shrug.
Duo paused momentarily, and if his face wasn't already flushed from the exercise, he might have blushed. But he forced a cocky smirk. "Is that an offer?"
Captain Chang cut in quickly. "Keep your mind on the business at hand, Maxwell! And, Yuy, you're up next."
Heero stood up, glancing at Duo's teasing expression. "I'll let you know after I try the simulator," he smirked.
Duo gaped at him as he walked away, wondering how serious Heero was, or if it was just the ultimate tease. "Bastard," he muttered.
Quatre edged over beside his best friend. "What was it like, Duo?"
"And you can leave out the sexual references, Maxwell," Trowa put in, having moved close enough to listen in on the discussion.
Duo gave Trowa a sly look, throwing an arm around Quatre's shoulders. "Aw, Barton, all other comparisons just fall short."
"So, tell me about it," Quatre persisted.
Duo launched into a description that kept all three boys occupied until Heero's turn ended, and the messy-haired boy left the simulator looking as sweaty and elated as his predecessor.
"Well?" Duo smirked, looking up through his bangs as the team leader walked back over to them.
"It's a close second," shrugged Heero, unable to keep from smiling. "I could get to like piloting."
Duo almost asked if Heero wouldn't like to just give sex another try, for comparison purposes, but his nerve failed him, and besides, he felt so drained from concentrating during the simulation that he wasn't sure he had the energy for it...well, at least not the energy to do Heero justice. He fell back in the grass, groaning at the ideas that sprang to mind.
Heero flopped down next to him as Quatre headed for the simulator. "So, how about coming to the Academy with me, Duo?" he asked quietly, his tone almost intimate.
Duo turned his head to look at the team leader. "We'd get to pilot suits that do all that stuff?"
"That's the idea."
"Yeah," Duo grinned, looking up at the sky. "Sign me up."
Heero closed his eyes, simply enjoying the perfection of the moment. But it was the last perfect moment he'd have for a long, long time.
~*~
The next morning the competition centered around sparring, and so the boys ended up in the gymnasium, cheering each other on, and participating in elimination rounds. The first person to score three hits within the designated target areas or take down his opponent won the round.
But Captain Chang had miscalculated in one area. By doing open eliminations, he had no control over the pairings for matches. When it came down to the final rounds, the four boys from Team Wing remained, along with Kyle Norton, Austin Pritchard, and Ben and Adam, from Jason's team.
Lieutenant Li took the Captain aside during a brief break. "What now, Chang?" he asked bluntly. "You've got eight finalists who want nothing more than to beat the shit out of each other."
Wufei rubbed the bridge of his nose, scowling in thought. The only quick solution that presented itself was to have the boys from Team Wing compete against one another to eliminate half the problem. "Put Barton and Maxwell together...Yuy and Winner...Norton and Pritchard...and Jacobs and Strom."
The lieutenant smirked slightly. "Are you counting on Barton to beat Maxwell?" he asked quietly.
"It would brighten my day," sighed the officer.
However, he wasn't that lucky. While Kyle managed to beat Austin, Duo got very lucky when Trowa slipped on a towel left too close to the sparring ring, and was able to take his teammate down. Heero had beaten Quatre quite handily, despite the blonde's excellent tactical moves, and Ben defeated Adam.
The final matches were determined by drawing lots.
"Norton and Jacobs...Yuy and Maxwell," announced Lieutenant Li, exchanging a worried look with his Captain. They'd both held out hope that Norton might end up against Yuy, which would most likely eliminate the possibility of his sparring Maxwell. But his odds against Jacobs were pretty good, and it was a toss-up as to the outcome of Yuy and Maxwell.
The last thing Wufei wanted was for Maxwell to step into the ring with Norton. He held little to no hope it would end without serious injury to one or both boys. And while seeing Norton brought down hard would cause him no particular grief, after seeing how Maxwell handled the simulator, he didn't want the boy from L2 on the injured list. And he especially didn't want to have to send him to prison for harming a fellow inmate.
He kept his fingers crossed while Norton fought Ben Jacobs, Jason's second in command. But as much as he hoped Jacobs would win, he couldn't will it to happen. And although he half-hoped Norton would use excessive force so he could be eliminated, that didn't happen either. In the end, after a strenuous, but controlled round, Kyle Norton ended up winning.
Duo eyed Heero warily when he realized they would have to compete for the right to spar Kyle. "Hey, Yuy?" he said quietly, tucking his braid down the back of his shirt to avoid the remote possibility that Heero might try his previous trick. "I'll make you a deal. Let me win so I can spar Kyle, and you can have your hair-combing privileges back.
Heero chuckled, blue eyes agleam. "No deal, Maxwell. That's a win-win situation for you. What do I get out of it?"
"The hair, Yuy. The hair."
"There are other ways for me to get the hair, Maxwell," came the cocky response.
"Heh. You wish!" Duo retorted. "I swear, I'll never let you touch it again if you beat me."
Heero turned to face him, blue eyes gleaming. "Would you really?" he asked softly, moving closer.
Oh, unfair tactics! Stop with the smoldering glances! Duo gulped slightly, swallowing hard. "I...might. Maybe." Yeah, who are you kidding? You'd kill for him to run his fingers through the hair again, Maxwell.
As soon as they started sparring, Heero knew his teammate was dead serious about winning, wanting nothing more than the opportunity to thrash Norton soundly. He also knew that Norton would either try to push Maxwell into losing his temper, or would deliberately try to injure the boy from L2. Neither was an acceptable choice. Heero would have to beat Duo, for the boy's own sake.
That proved to be more challenging than he'd thought, as Duo's unconventional moves defied logic and training. The braided boy scored first, with a strike that slipped past Heero's defenses and took him in the ribs.
"Give it up, Maxwell," he taunted defiantly, hoping to shake his teammate's composure. "That'll be the last score you make."
"Ha! You wish!" Duo spun away with a laugh, narrowly avoiding a lightning-fast front kick. He danced back a bit, making Heero chase him, and the Japanese boy began to get the feeling he was being toyed with.
The feeling increased when Duo scored again, darting in for a back fist to his teammate's shoulder.
"Fuck!" muttered Heero, avoiding what would have been the third and final hit, and trying to sweep the braided boy.
But Duo jumped over the attempted sweep, and tried one of his own, almost bringing his team leader down.
Heero narrowed his eyes, realizing their previous sparring match had been nothing but play for Duo. This time he was totally serious and completely focused on winning. And he needed only one more point to do so. The only way for Heero to win was to score three in a row, or use a takedown; it was time for drastic measures.
Heero backed away, his lightning-fast reflexes enabling him to avoid each swift strike, until he'd lured Duo in close. Then he made a sudden grab, pulling his teammate in against him, and pressing his lips to the other boy's.
Duo froze, eyes flying wide as Heero drew him into an unbreakable grip, the kiss slowing and deepening, until the braided boy relaxed and relented, allowing his teammate to coax his mouth open and slide a teasing tongue inside. And then, abruptly, Heero let go.
Duo took a step back, eyes wide and startled, mouth still open in shock. And in the next instant, Heero's foot hooked his ankle, jerking forward, and the braided boy found himself flat on his back.
"Yuy wins!" called Captain Chang, a faintly amused tone in his voice.
Duo looked up to see Heero holding out a hand to help him up. But he ignored the offer, eyes alight with anger. Instead he rolled aside and pushed himself to his feet, turning to face Heero. "You fucking, manipulative bastard!"
Heero sighed. He'd expected this outburst, though he'd kind of hoped Duo might take his defeat with a bit more grace and humor. "All's fair, Maxwell," he shrugged, not caring what he'd done as long as it kept Duo out of a sparring ring with Kyle.
Duo's jaw dropped slightly. That's all it was? That goddamned 'first kiss' Heero had said shouldn't be shared with a bunch of strangers? Apparently he only meant it shouldn't be shared, unless it was a tactically sound move. In the next instant, Duo's fist connected with Heero's jaw, knocking the team leader over backwards.
Wufei gestured his assistants back, wanting to let Heero handle this himself. You made the bed, Yuy. Now lie in it.
"Feel better?" Heero asked, pushing up into a sitting position, and wiggling his jaw experimentally.
"Fuck you, Yuy!" Duo spat angrily, taking a step closer as if he might continue the attack. But behind the anger in his eyes was something else.
"Oh, Allah," Quatre breathed quietly, sensing the hurt and betrayal Duo was feeling. Heero had used the braided boy's affection against him; and regardless of his reasons, Duo wouldn't get over it quickly.
Heero stood up slowly, brushing himself off. "Y'mind?" he said, forcing his tone to be cold. "I have another match, and you're in the way, Maxwell."
The indigo eyes widened, and then narrowed. "You just blew it, Yuy. You and your fucking team, and your goddamned Academy can all go straight to Hell!" He turned and stalked off the mat and out of the gymnasium.
"Winner," Heero said, shrugging slightly.
"Yeah." Quatre took off after Duo, not really caring that he'd miss the final match of the competition.
Trowa just shook his head, giving Heero an almost pitying look.
"Norton and Yuy...final match of the day," Captain Chang said calmly. He walked past Heero, patting him on the shoulder as he did so. "You did what you had to, Yuy," he murmured under his breath.
Yeah, and you have no idea what it just cost me...
Heero turned to face Kyle, a cold gleam in his blue eyes. Beating Duo had been hard...brutally hard, because he cared about the boy from L2. He'd have no such hesitation in taking Kyle down hard and fast. He smiled, showing even white teeth.
"I've been waiting for this, Norton," he said calmly.
~*~
Duo slammed into the barracks, not even bothering to close the door behind him, and literally flung himself up onto the bunk. "I hate him...I hate him...I hate him..." he sobbed into his pillow, slamming a fist into the mattress. "God, I fucking hate him..." And then his words were choked off by angry tears as he crushed his face into the pillow, wishing he could just crawl into a hole somewhere.
He didn't hear the door close quietly, or the soft footsteps. And he didn't stop crying when he felt a soothing hand on his back. But after a few moments, he became aware of Quatre's quiet voice.
"...and it's okay to let it out, Duo. Allah knows, it's been an emotional week..." Quatre murmured gently. "But Jase will be okay, I'm sure, and the competition is going great...it'll get better, Duo. I promise."
Gradually regaining his self-control, Duo pulled back from the pillow just enough so he could breathe. "Goddamnit, Quat...he fucking cheated..."
"Yeah, that was a pretty dirty trick," Quatre acknowledged. "But you know why he did it."
"Yeah...because he didn't trust me," Duo said hoarsely.
"No, Duo, that's not it," Quatre argued. "He wanted to protect you...from Kyle and from yourself. You know if you lost your head sparring Kyle and really hurt him, you'd end up in prison."
"So you don't trust me either," Duo growled, drawing a sleeve across his eyes, and pushing up onto his elbows. "Fuck off, Quatre."
"No, Duo. I won't," came the stubborn response. "You have to listen. As capable as you are, you know full well you wouldn't have been able to remain objective while sparring Kyle. You'd have been thinking about what happened to Jase, and either you'd have made a mistake and gotten hurt, or you'd have seriously hurt Kyle."
"Or, maybe I'd just have kicked his ass out there and proven to him that just cuz I'm gay, doesn't mean I'm weaker or dumber than he is," Duo snarled back. "You ever stop to think of that, Quatre?"
"Is this even about Kyle any more?" Quatre mused. "Or is this about the way Heero beat you?"
"Don't even go there," Duo warned.
"How was the kiss?" asked the blonde raising an eyebrow.
Duo pushed himself up, eyes ablaze. "What fucking kiss?" he snapped. "That wasn't a kiss...it was a calculated distraction...an underhanded, dirty cheat! And I don't ever want to hear about it again...not from you or anyone else!" He leaned back against the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest, and wrapping his arms around them. "Shit...everyone in the damned camp will be throwing it in my face by this time tomorrow."
"They'll probably just see it as his way of paying you back for the time you played dead," Quatre said carefully. "Not everyone knows how you feel about Heero."
Duo snorted skeptically. "And how's that, Quatre? Like he's an underhanded snake?" He leaned his head back. "I don't feel anything for him. Not any more."
"Too bad it's not that easy," Quatre sighed.
Duo looked straight at him. "Sure it is, Quat. I'm an L2 street rat. I can turn the emotions on and off like a faucet." He ran a hand back through his bangs. "Next time I see Jase, I'll show you what a real kiss is. I'll just stick to my own kind. That way when I get screwed, it'll be on my terms, not someone else's."
Quatre sighed. Duo had moved from hurt to anger to cold resolve so quickly it was hard to keep up. "Just do yourself a favor, Duo. Sleep on this. Don't try to deal with Heero tonight. It won't go well."
"I have nothing to say to him," Duo retorted. "Not tonight, and not for the foreseeable future."
~*~
Quatre was sitting on the steps of the barracks when Trowa and Heero arrived.
Instead of going inside, Heero settled onto the steps beside him. "Still angry?"
"That's putting it mildly," Quatre sighed.
"Maybe I should go talk to..."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Quatre shrugged. He looked over at Trowa. "You might have better luck with Duo right now. You want to go in and test the waters?"
"Sure, throw me to the lions," smirked the green-eyed boy, his humor not reaching his eyes. He went ahead into the barracks.
"You should have found another way to beat him, Heero," Quatre said flatly.
"I know. But he's too good at sparring, and I didn't have a lot of time to plan it out. I never dreamed it would come down to me, Duo and Norton at the end like that. And I don't think it occurred to Chang, either." Heero looked across the compound, shoulders slumped. "You think I've irreparably damaged our--friendship?"
Quatre gave a short, bitter laugh. "You kissed him in front of the whole damned camp, Yuy, and then showed them it was just a tactical move to distract him so you could beat him. What do you think?"
Heero winced. "I-I didn't mean to--cheapen it like that. But I had to win that match, for Duo's sake."
"He thinks, among other things, that you don't trust him." Quatre met the Prussian blue eyes squarely. "You didn't believe he'd be able to beat Kyle without losing his temper and going overboard, did you?"
"It's not that," Heero insisted. "I just knew I could." He shrugged. "I knew I could detach myself from what Norton's team did to Jason...that I could keep my cool and beat the sonofabitch, without seriously hurting him." He shook his head. "Duo was too close to it."
"I think he just wanted you to let him decide that for himself," Quatre pointed out. His aquamarine eyes were clouded with emotion. "I don't know how to fix this, Heero. I'm not sure you can."
Heero put a hand over his face wearily. "Shit." He forced himself to sit up straight, in spite of the exhaustion he felt. "Y'know, Winner. If it kept Duo out of prison, I guess that's all that matters."
"Not to him," Quatre sighed. He stood and stretched, yawning widely. "Allah, I'm beat. And it's only noon." He gave the team leader a sympathetic glance. "So I take it you won the sparring competition?"
"Of course," shrugged Heero. "And while I didn't do excessive damage, I assure you, Norton will feel every bruise I inflicted." He gave a brief, feral smile. "I think he was headed to the infirmary for some aspirin last time I saw him."
"Good."
Trowa stepped back out onto the steps. "Ready to go get lunch?"
"I take it he's not hungry," Heero sighed, glancing past the auburn-haired boy to the closed door.
Trowa just snorted wryly.
~*~
They'd made it almost to the commissary when Kushrenada stepped out of the administration building, gesturing to Trowa. "Barton! We need to talk!" he called with a wave of his hand.
Heero glanced at his teammate. "Go ahead. Join us when you finish?"
"Sure." He jogged over to the warden and followed him into his office.
"Ah, Barton...I just have a few details to discuss with you regarding your dog." Kushrenada gestured the boy to sit across from him. "Your sister called from the spaceport, and she'll be here bright and early Sunday to pick up Nanashi."
"Thank you so much, sir," Trowa said warmly. "I really appreciate this."
"I'm sure you do." The warden eyed the boy appraisingly. "I do, however, have a favor to ask you." He leaned forward, tawny eyes intense. "Your team is doing extremely well this week, by all accounts."
"Um, yes sir," Trowa replied, wondering where this was going.
"If your team wins every competition for the next few weeks, you're assured a place at the Academy." He shook his head, frowning slightly. "That could be a problem."
"How so?"
"If I'm to turn the dog over to you. I need a guarantee that you will personally be taking charge of the animal as soon as you leave here." Kushrenada eyed the boy sternly. "I need to know you won't be attending the Academy."
"I'll give you my word," Trowa assured him, feeling only a passing twinge of regret at the idea of foregoing the military school. It would be worth the price...worth any price... if it saved Nanashi.
A predatory smile crossed Kushrenada's face. "I'm sure your word is good, boy, but I'm afraid I'll need a bit more assurance than that." He fixed a steady gaze on the green eyes. "A show of good faith, as it were. I want your team to lose the river crossing competition tomorrow."
"Sir?"
"You heard me. I want you to make sure they don't succeed."
"But, that's not up to m-me," Trowa stammered, suddenly lost. "Even if I didn't help, they'd still--"
The warden tossed a small object on the desk.
Trowa picked it up. "A jackknife? How is this supposed to make us lose?"
"Simple, Barton. You cut the rope through just enough so that when it's pulled taut across the river and weight is applied, it breaks."
"But...someone could get hurt..."
"No one will get hurt, Barton. Trust me. It's not much of a river. The worst that could happen is a good dunking in cold water."
Trowa looked at the warden as if seeing him for the first time. "But why?"
"I told you. In order to trust you with the dog, I need to know you won't be going to the Academy."
"But I promise--"
"I need to see it in action, Barton!" said the man sharply, standing to tower over the boy. "You make sure your team loses tomorrow, or forget about taking Nanashi home."
"I can't do that to them," Trowa said unhappily.
"Then I can't trust you with the life of a dangerous animal," countered the warden. "Either you do as I say, or you can come out to the kennel right now and watch me put a bullet between that dog's eyes. Your choice."
Trowa closed his eyes, swallowing hard. Quatre had been right. Hell, Duo had been right. And he'd been too blinded by the appearance of kindness the warden had maintained, to see what a cold-hearted, manipulative bastard he really was.
"Come on, Barton. What's the big deal? You sabotage one little exercise...your team loses...the dog goes home with your sister. No one will know it was you, and no one will get hurt. But I will be truly convinced of your sincerity in promising to care for Nanashi."
Trowa knew there was more to it than the warden was saying. But he wasn't sure what. He honestly didn't care about giving up the Academy; that was a price he'd gladly pay for saving Nanashi's life. But knowing K.'s history with Duo, he wondered what deeper motivations the man had. Not that the auburn-haired boy cared about Maxwell's feud with Kushrenada...in fact, more than once he'd been jealous of the braided boy's closeness to Quatre, and half-wished the warden would catch him in a mistake and ship him off to prison. But lately it hadn't been that way. It was obvious that Duo was more interested in Heero. And knowing that, Trowa had felt less threatened by his friendship with Quatre. He'd actually begun to think of Duo as a friend, especially after seeing him miserable and devastated by what Heero had done in sparring.
"Make up your mind now!" snapped the warden. "Yes or no, Barton."
The green-eyed boy nodded miserably, sliding the knife into his pocket.
"Good. Make sure you wait until just before the competition to cut the rope," Treize told him. "And then toss the knife in the river where it'll never be found. Unless your team loses, Barton, the dog dies. Don't forget that."
"I won't," Trowa said flatly, his tone so carefully neutral that the tall man couldn't hear the deep hatred in it.
TBC...
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