KC: Okay, now I have to start writing this part...

Heero: What's wrong?

KC: I dunno. Lately I've been feeling...lethargic. Like I can't get up the mood to write. I've got like five or six good stories, not just with you guys, but I can't make myself get to them. It's very frustrating.

Quatre: Maybe she's depressed.

Duo: Maybe she's overstressed.

Trowa: Maybe she's repressed.

Wufei: Maybe she's retarded.

Heero: That must be it.

KC: *waves hand vaguely*

Heero: What was that all about?

All: 0.0

Heero: What? Why are you staring at me?

Duo: Well, at least your hair already looks good in moss green.

Heero: *looks in reflection on gun barrel* Oh hell. All green.

Treize: Well, what do we do? If we don't get her a pick me up, she won't write and we'll be stuck in this fic forever!

Quatre: Yeah, she'd never finish.

Readers: Arrgh! Grrr!

Trowa: *looks out window* Uh oh. The villagers are coming with pitchforks and torches.

KC: That's nice.

Readers: Brains! Brains!

Heero: None here.

Duo: This is serious. We've gotta do something.

Trowa: Wait, I have an idea! *grabs a tv*

Quatre: Dear, what are you doing?

Trowa: A Batman Beyond marathon!

KC: Huh? *watches as show starts*

Heero: How long will this take?

Wufei: Hopefully only a few hours.

*Three Days Later*

Treize: That really is a slow moving mob.

Heero: No, I gave 'em a few pictures to slow them down.

Wufei: Pictures?

Heero: See? *displays photos of Quatre, Trowa and Wufei in hot, steamy passion*

Treize: Hey, he's mine!

Wufei: Ack! *faints*

Quatre: Ooh...3+4+5 lives!

Duo: Can I have two wallet sized ones?

KC: No time! I have to write! Out of my way! *knocks Wufei's limp body into Treize's arms*

Treize: Um...I'll have him back for the scene, I promise. *vanishes with Wufei*

KC: Okay, here we go again! Time for my Tim Burton influence to shine! Oh...hey...can I have a copy of those pictures...?

*

Duo's spirits, high from his successful work during the masquerade, gradually diminished the farther Heero took him. Although he could still hear the musicians and the dancers in the distance, they met fewer and fewer people in the hallways until they were completely alone in a part of the palace Duo did not recognize. After a few minutes of walking, they came to a small wooden door cut into a corner and hidden in deep shadow. Heero reached forward and grabbed the handle, deliberately turning it three times to the right and once to the left. There was a satisfying click as something fell into place and the lock opened.

Duo cringed when he heard the door creak on rusty hinges. "What is it?"

"Stairs," Heero said. "Narrow, and steep." He seized Duo's hand, twining their fingers together. "Don't let go of me. I don't want you getting lost or falling."

Duo frowned. Heero's skin was cool, almost clammy. "You scared?"

Heero shook his head. "Just nervous. You'll see why."

After the first few steps, Duo realized Heero had not exaggerated when he said steep. The door shut behind them, and neither of them could see anything in the sudden pitch black. Duo instinctively put his hand on the wall and came up with a wooden beam running along the cold stone.

"Can you feel the railing?" Heero whispered.

Duo nodded before he remembered Heero couldn't see him. "Is that this long thing on the wall?"

"Yes, hang onto it. If you start to fall, it'll hold you up."

"How far do we have to go?"

"Not too far. Not far enough." Heero tightened his hold on Duo's hand, almost squeezing painfully hard. "Don't be afraid. I'll be right by you the whole time. Just don't touch anything or get close to the king."

"Heero, what's down there?" His soft shoes slid along one of the steps and he grabbed the rail. He didn't slip, but the sudden pounding in his chest did not help his confidence.

"It's J's personal laboratory," Heero answered. "I don't know exactly what he has, he'd never let me know, but I don't think I'd want to know." He sighed and forced himself to continue moving. "I hope this is the last time I ever come down here." Burn the damn place out once and for all.

"Spreading lies about me again?"

Heero halted so abruptly that Duo nearly bumped into him. When they looked down, they saw a thin ray of green light gleaming from the cracked door at the foot of the stairs, and the high pitch of metal creaking against metal made them wince.

"Well, come down, boys. No use staying up there."

Duo squirmed every time he heard that thin, mocking voice. It sounded unnatural, as if the monarch spoke out of a metal tube. Heero put his arm around Duo's waist, drawing him forward when the slave tried to back up. Before he could place his hand on the door, however, it was pulled open from the inside.

"Really, Heero, you probably have that poor boy thinking I'm going to eat him. I would have thought that was your specialty."

Duo uncharacteristically sniffled at the crude joke, made more emotional by the surging adrenaline and the unfamiliar territory. Still, he wiped his eyes and allowed Heero to tug him into the laboratory. A sick smell nearly drove them back, nauseating Duo who coughed violently for a moment.

The green light didn't penetrate even halfway across the room, leaving most of the area obscured in shadows. All they could make out nearby were dark silhouettes of tables and odd shapes, some of them moving, most not. Small flames reflected underneath glass beakers and vials, creating glowing colored liquids that bubbled and vaporized.

Across the room the king's body blocked some of the light, which apparently came from whatever he was manipulating. Duo could see he was dressed in white, which surprised him since he expected J to be covered in blood stains, but he also noticed the lack of one arm and the hanging useless sleeve.

Duo glanced back and forth from the king to the door, then frowned. "How'd he open the door?" he whispered to his master.

"I didn't," J replied smoothly. He gazed over his shoulder, the light glaring off the glass over his eyes, and smiled. "You did."

Confused, Duo looked at Heero, who didn't reply.

"Oh, you haven't told him yet." J's smile turned into a grin. "Since when do you have such a high regard for other people's emotions?"

"You know why I've come," Heero stated.

J's smile vanished. "True." He turned back to his work. "It won't be long now. Wufei is powerful, but even he can't stop the reaper. I didn't think I'd need so much time, but...light the torches, Heero."

Heero complied immediately, snapping his fingers. Torches lined along the wall burst into flame, instantly illuminating the room. Duo waited for his eyes to adjust and took a look around. The fires and liquids were the same, only now he could see more of the glass contraptions that distilled and gathered certain gases and fluids. Wooden tables held dissected animals, most of them rotting with age, which told Duo exactly what was releasing the unbearable odor.

On a close table he could see three severed arms, all in varying state of decay. The most recent still had its skin, but it was turning green and warping. Another was nothing but a mess of muscle and veins colored black and clinging to bone. The third was a mere skeleton, polished white. Each lay in a tub half submerged in a violet solution, and each of them twitched, the fingers curling into an occasional fist before relaxing again.

Duo edged closer to Heero, but he couldn't help his curiosity. The opposite table held a jar filled with clear water and two tan orbs connected by a string. When he stared, the orbs opened, revealing eyes in skin upturned as if they were dead. Worse, they blinked and closed.

Of course there were more ordinary items, knives still covered in gore, trays and innocuous jars lined on clean tables, but these could not compare with the shelves lined with bottles labeled bats scream, basilisk gaze, dragon breath or ravens omens. Cobwebs covered almost everything, adding to the thick dust that lay even on a skinned snake that wriggled in its own blood.

"Heero..." Duo whimpered, shutting his eyes and standing close.

The prince gently drew him farther into the lab, guiding him past the worst displays until they stood near the king himself. "What was so important you had to force my sorcerer into silence?"

J chuckled and held something up before them. "This...my Zero."

*

"You should try to sleep," Treize whispered. "You're exhausted."

Wufei nodded, but he didn't close his eyes. "I...want to stay awake. I'm too nervous to sleep."

"I'm sure that will fade in a few minutes. Probably just all the excitement." He gave his slave a soft kiss and stood. Wufei's gaze followed Treize around the room, watching as the captain first put the crystal globe back in its little corner of the trunk and then brought the wash basin close to the bed. The sorcerer glanced away before Treize noticed his look.

"Good thing I keep this filled," Trieze said, mostly to himself. With one hand he undid the clasp at his throat and removed his outer shirt, tossing the uniform on the back of the chair. He dipped in a clean rag, wrung the excess moisture away, and lay the folded cloth on Wufei's forehead. He needs to sleep, and badly. Oh, Wufei, you're nearly burning up. "I knew tonight was going to be bad. I just knew it."

"We're alive, aren't we?"

Treize rolled his eyes. "Barely." He yanked one of the pillows out from under Wufei so he could stretch out and lean back. "What were you doing with all those circles?"

Wufei pretended he didn't know Treize was distracting him and explained. "The orange spell was Laoshi's, the white one was mine. His was supposed to let him send things to us and...bring things back. It didn't work right, though. His spell got caught in mine, so those...things...were acting on their own, not on command."

"What do you mean, 'bring things back'?"

Wufei sighed. "It was a transportation spell. If my circle hadn't been there, it could have expanded until it found its target, or until those things pushed the target in, and sent it to him."

"The target. It was you, wasn't it?" Treize wrapped his arms around Wufei, hugging him close. "I could've lost you..."

Wufei shook his head. "No, you'll never lose me."

Treize gently lay him back on the pillows, smoothing his loose hair back. "Was there anything else?"

Wufei shrugged noncommittally and turned his head aside, staring at the far wall. "Not really."

"Wufei..." Treize started, dabbing the soaked cloth on his throat. "You're hiding something."

"N-no, I'm not..."

Treize set his hand on Wufei's jaw and forced him to look back up. "My love, I know when you're lying. It's obvious. And I don't like it."

"I don't...know...where to start."

Treize could see his slave's thoughts hovering indecisively in his eyes. "You mentioned that when the backlash hit you, for a moment you felt everything. What did you mean?"

Wufei tried to sit up to answer, but Treize anticipated the move and kept one hand splayed out on the darker chest, the skin tones contrasting without their notice. With a little grimace, Wufei relaxed again.

"I...I could feel the spell," he started, his voice uneven. "It's intent, the way Laoshi formed it, the path it used...and...I could feel the prisoners."

"Go on," Treize nudged him, hiding his smile. Explaining magick is so calming to him...

"For a moment, I knew all their thoughts, every feeling they'd ever had, every emotion, every bit of knowledge...for one burst. I knew what their bodies were thinking when they woke up."

Without realizing it, Wufei edged closer to Treize, tilting his head toward the warm hand with the wet rag. Treize leaned over onto his side so his slave could snuggle against his chest. "But I thought their souls were gone at that point."

"They were."

"But bodies don't think."

Wufei laughed without any hint of humor. "They think, but they're not supposed to. Not like that." He smiled at Treize's confused expression. "You have two minds, love. Your head," he lay his fingertips on Treize's face, then moved them to his chest, "and your heart. Your thoughts and your body. Both of them combine to make you. You need both of them."

"And when we die?" Treize asked. "What then? Do we lose a mind?"

Wufei shook his head. "No. The body and mind become so tangled that, wherever they go after death, they go together. It's when..."

He faltered, and Treize hugged him close until Wufei continued speaking. When he did, Treize brought up another blanket and placed it behind the sorcerer, covering his back while keeping his arms free to hold his lover.

"It's when the death is not natural, when something interferes, that things go wrong. The souls spoke in riddles because they could not help it, they had no body to anchor them to reality. They had no body's soul. That was kept in the flesh so it could be manipulated like a puppet."

"And when you severed the strings?"

"The body...the heart...was left to think...without the mind...without the body, the mind shred to ribbons. The body went insane and the soul died."

"Soul death?"

"As if they never existed in the first place." Wufei sniffled and buried his face in Treize's clothing. "But it doesn't feel like it."

"You mean something more than how awful that fight was," Treize murmured. "What did you see?"

"They...they were..." Wufei shook his head to himself. "They were taking bribes from Romefeller," he said, his voice suddenly stable. "Oz...isn't loyal, it only runs on their money. They'd only need a leader..."

"Wufei..."

His voice sped up, as if he couldn't control it. "It's Duke Dermail, that's who was paying them. War would be good for his weapons business..."

"Wufei--"

"He's not the real enemy, though, he's the pawn of something bigger, I don't know--"

"Wufei!"

The boy jumped in his arms, startled and frightened at once.

"Calm down." Treize didn't try to force anything out just yet. He rubbed his lover's back and arms, trying to warm the cold skin. The lithe body began to tremble as if in mortal danger. "Your safe, I'm here. It's all right." He whispered sweet platitudes, stroking the soft brown skin from the base of his neck down his spine until the bones disappeared. With numerous well placed kisses, the shaking diminished into quiet sobbing.

"There's something else..." he prodded, never raising his voice.

"No."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not."

"Tell me."

"But..."

"Tell me."

Wufei choked his tears back in a vain attempt at his usual impassive attitude. "They...were the ones. In Corazon."

"The ones?"

He nodded once, his head jerking down.

Treize closed his eyes. Failed him. Again. Swore I'd find them, kill them. "I'm sorry...I should have...but...that's...that's not all, is it?" he whispered in a ragged voice.

"Master..."

"Now I know you're hiding something else. You've said one thing, but you're still hiding something."

"I can't say..."

"Why not?"

"You won't love me."

Treize rose up slightly, staring at Wufei in nothing less than shock. "What?"

Mourning the loss of the warm arms, Wufei only broke into a harsh crying jag. The captain rushed to wrap him back up again. "Why on earth would I stop loving you?"

Wufei mumbled something, but he couldn't hear.

"What?"

"...weak..."

One word, but it told Treize everything. He laughed once or twice, relieved in a strange, sorrowful way. Did it really boil back down to Wufei's fixation on strength?

"Ah, my wounded warrior," he whispered. "When are you going to realize that being hurt or sick is not weakness?"

"It is!" Wufei insisted, driving a nail through his own heart. "I'm worthless...weak...unclean..."

"No," Treize shook his head and held Wufei closer so he couldn't even move. "No, you're not. You're strong, and powerful...you've kept this up for so long, no one else ever could. You're...you're so much better than everyone else..."

"The strong don't feel pain."

"Who taught you that lie?" Treize growled. "The strong feel nothing but pain. You carry more than anyone else does, than anyone could...without complaint. No wonder it hurts."

"But it will hurt even more..."

"More?" Treize tried to look down into his eyes but all he saw was the loose black hair beneath his face. "What's..." he cursed under his breath. "The connection, it's hurting you?"

"Not...pain, but..."

"But what?" He edged back just enough to look into Wufei's eyes. "What does it feel like?"

"Like a cold hand," Wufei replied. "Around my heart."

"And when he dies?"

Wufei shook his head. "I'm not sure. His soul will...be wrenched out of mine...I've seen it happen before. Other sorcerers in the caravans...their masters would die and the broken connection...they would scream so loudly their throats would bleed."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Treize gasped. "When Sally was here?"

Wufei wiped a batch of tears from his eyes. "I couldn't. J commanded me not to."

"Then why now?"

"Because he's dying. His geis is fading..."

*

Heero stared at the stone and chain in J's hand. A white gem lay embedded on a black chain, obviously made into a necklace. "Jewelry?"

"Ah, you always were hard to impress," J smirked. "Well, it's not just one necklace, it's seven, all complete. I wanted to give you a powerful army of perfect soldiers, but I'm afraid this was all I had time to come up with. Seven elite warriors, although I must admit, one of them is the prototype and the last is a little more...aggressive...than the others."

"What?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't seen yet." He moved back to the wall and opened one of the cabinets there, ignoring the shrieking creak as the hinges turned. "The Zero unlocks the weapons..."

Duo tried to get closer to Heero, but his prince stepped forward while Duo held back, hugging his arms around himself as if he were cold. Two wings of the cabinet extended out, revealing a handful of strange weapons.

A red whip. Two curved blades. A black pole. A crossbow. A silver pole. And oddest of all, two pairs of sword hilts without any blades.

"What are they?" he whispered.

"Wing," J said, stifling a cough as he picked up one of the hilts. "In Heero's hands, this will become a powerful sword, able to cut through anything and spread a holy light." He motioned at the other hilt. "The blue one is Tallgeese. The prototype. Same style, but not as strong. The two kamis together are Sandrock. If thrown, they return to the warrior. The crossbow is extremely heavy, as it carries a thousand arrows in a separate dimension. Once those are gone, a blade extends from the bottom to form an awkward knife. It's Heavyarms. These," he pointed at the poles, "are Deathscythe and Shelong. They are energy weapons fueled by magick, one is a scythe, the other a spear. And this," he pointed at the red whip. "That is Epyon, the last one. Very aggressive, but controllable."

He coughed again and shut the cabinet. "I'm afraid...you'll have to learn on your own." He passed by them, moving towards the door. "I won't be around to show you. But...no regrets."

Heero took Duo's hand and followed J out of the lab. To Duo's surprise, another door lay beneath the stairs, hidden in the shadows. J went in and Heero pulled his slave in, closing the door behind him. Duo looked around and frowned. This was no room for a king to stay. Nearly as small as the bolt hole he'd shared with Wufei, there was a plain bed with two guards standing in the corners. Upon closer inspection, he could see that they were asleep, heads bowed and snoring even though they were up.

Cool metal around his wrists broke him out of his thoughts. Duo backed into the wall in surprise as Heero finished locking familiar manacles around his hands, dragging his arms down with the heavy weight. "Heero, why are you--?"

"I have to," Heero growled. "Slaves must be chained before the king."

J laughed bitterly. "As if he needed his hands to hurt me." His chuckles turned into coughs, and he lay down on top of the blankets. "Heero, come here."

Maintaining a firm hold on Duo's chains, Heero edged beside the bed. "Yes?"

"Everything you need to know," J paused to take a deep breath, "is in my grimoire. Look inside, learn how to use your weapons. Choose your warriors carefully." He grimaced suddenly and clutched at his heart. "Damn...I knew it would hurt...but..."

*

Wufei cried out in pain, his back arching as he bit back tears. Treize sat up and gathered his slave into his arms. No matter how much he thrashed, the captain would not let his lover injure himself.

"Started," he hissed. "It's started." He yelped again and tried to kick backwards, but his legs tangled in the blankets. Confined by his master's body, all of his movements became small and tame.

"J's dying?" Treize asked

Wufei gave a quick nod and tensed. A cold sweat broke out, chilling his skin. Treize frowned. It wasn't just his skin, his entire body temperature seemed to be plummeting. Reluctantly letting go of Wufei for a moment, he grabbed the blanket and yanked it over the both of them.

"How long will it last?" he asked.

"...don' know..." Wufei screwed his eyes shut as a spasm of pain shot down his arms. He tried to curl up, but Treize forced him to lay still. Better that than suddenly stretching out and taking both of them off the bed. He settled for curling his fingers around Treize's and putting his other arm around the narrow waist, pressing close for much needed warmth. The cold hand around his heart constricted, and he screamed.

*

Duo looked up, frightened by the piercing yell from upstairs. "That was Wufei," he whispered.

"Brat..." J muttered, "...has it easy." His hand tightened on his chest, as if he feared his heart would explode. "Heero..." With an impatient curse he snatched the glasses from his eyes, revealing only whiteness. No pupils. "...don't underestimate Zero...it's strong...it will show you everything..."

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, leaning over him.

"It sees futures...but in the truth...it lies..." J coughed again and snapped his fingers, rousing the two soldiers who looked around in shock. "It will...control you...you must...master it..."

Another scream came from upstairs, followed by several more in rapid succession. Duo winced and ducked his head, scooting closer to Heero when the prince's arm fell on his shoulders. On the bed, J gasped and strained his hand so much the fingers began to dig into his skin. His heart slammed open and shut so hard everyone in the room could hear it.

"Stop holding on," Heero said. "It will only hurt more."

J opened his eyes and stared directly at the prince. "Heero...I release...you..." He groaned and tightened his hand one last time, evoking another scream from the sorcerer. Blood dripped from the cuts his nails made in his own skin. "Lagrange is...yours."

The heartbeat stopped. His body shuddered once, then relaxed. The cold hand slipped aside and spilled a few red drops on the floor. Heero reached down and passed his hand over the dead king's face, closing the eyes. "You," he said to one guard, "bring the doctor and her assistant, with a few servants as witness. You stay here," he turned to the other guard. "Stay with him."

While the first guard ran upstairs, Heero turned and drew Duo before him, slowly leading him up the stairs. "Are you all right?"

Duo nodded with an unintelligible murmur. When they reached the top, Heero took a key out of his pants and unlocked the chains, dropping the metal for some servant to pick up.

"He'll be okay, right?" Duo asked.

"Wufei? Of course. The worst is over now. All that remains is the coronation and..." Heero looked up in dread. "I'm the king...I'm..."

Duo put his hands on Heero's shoulders. "What's wrong? Isn't that good?"

Heero just stared at him. "All these years, waiting for him to die...and now he...and I'm a king...I'm..." Heero blinked and shook his head. "Your hair's messy. I'd better brush it out."

Duo smiled lopsidedly. "All right. Let's go back to our room." He took Heero's hand and gently tugged him along.

Halfway there Heero paused again. "My room...I'll have to take the center room now...the main bedroom..."

"Worry about it later," Duo advised. "Time enough in the morning."

Heero nodded absently. "You're right..." The rest of the way back, he had a vaguely lost look on his face.

*

After a few minutes passed without another scream or violent move, Treize lay one hand beneath Wufei's jaw and tilted his face up slightly. The sorcerer's eyes were half shut and his breath was shallow, but he seemed fine now. "Wufei?"

"It's over," he breathed, a tiny smile appearing on his face. "He's gone."

"And the pain?"

"Pain's gone," Wufei said. "All gone." He took a deep breath and a relieved laugh escaped. "Feel a lot better, now, actually."

"Good," Treize grinned. "You're warming up." He brushed a few strands of hair from his slave's face, then picked up the soaked rag and began treating the fever again. "And you didn't hurt yourself."

"He let go," Wufei told him. "If he'd held on, it would have been worse, but...he let go." He took another breath and sat up, much to Treize's surprise. "Have you fed Nataku? I forgot all about her."

Treize gaped at him. "You were dying half a minute ago! How can you be so calm?"

Wufei's smile broadened. "I told you, the pain's gone. My magic is rebuilding. I feel better than I have in weeks. Now where is she?"

They looked around and spotted the little dragon on the table, her snout tucked into her tail as she slept. She seemed to notice the attention and cracked one eye at them, then puffed a bit of smoke and closed her eyes again.

"She's fine," Treize said. "And she has more sense than you do. Lay down!" He grabbed Wufei's shoulder and pulled him back into his arms.

"But I feel fine!"

"I don't!" Treize's ministrations with the rag turned rough. "I had to watch my love faint and cry and beg and scream and I couldn't do a damn thing about it! And now he wants to get up and pretend as if the entire thing didn't happen just because of his foolish notions about strength and pride...and...and..."

Wufei had the grace to look contrite. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that."

"Then hush and let me hold you," the captain ordered. "Maybe now we can get some rest. Aren't you just the least bit tired?"

"A little," he admitted. "My body's sore, but--"

"Then you just lay down and close your eyes. Tomorrow's going to be a hectic day."

Wufei sighed. "Meaning I'd better enjoy you while I can?"

"I'm afraid so. Tomorrow we have to plan the funeral, the coronation, the celebrations..."

"Can't you just make Zechs do it?" Wufei complained.

"Sorry. That's what happens when a king dies."

Wufei considered that thought, then shook his head. "No," he mumbled, adjusting his body so he fit neatly into Treize's grip. "I'm still glad J is gone." His master's hand came up and stroked his hair, making his eyes flutter. In another minute, he was fast asleep.

Treize tucked the blanket by his lover's throat and made a valiant attempt at getting comfortable on pillows he couldn't adjust for fear of waking Wufei. Finally he gave up and resigned himself to sleep in an awkward position. "So am I," he whispered.

*

KC: Okay, now are all you readers happy, got another one out!

Heero: They'd be happier if you did it faster.

KC: Hey, I could be one of those authors who doesn't update for months on end!

Duo: You mean like your Ninja Turtle or Labyrinth or Pokemon fics?

KC: Um...

Wufei: So what was the geis on Heero?

Quatre: Yeah, and are there gonna be anymore lemons?

KC: Mm, I'll get to that in later chapters. As for the lemons...I have no idea. I do want to get some torture scenes in, though. And there's still the big fight scene later on...and I still have to explain to Duo what his abilities are.

Trowa: But at least you finally got the gundams in. In chapter 27.

KC: Yup. Now I just have to find out how to get one of the guys to name them that. So, if you'll excuse me, I have essays for my humanities class that I need to get to.

Heero: So...when will the next chapter come out?

KC: Aaaagh! Let me rest a bit and do my school work! Aaaa! *runs off screaming*

Duo: Heh...nice one.

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