Due South - prologue

by KatiKat

In one of the ship´s smallest cabins Duo was lying on a narrow bunk he shared with Heero, his eyes fixed on the bed above, the one that would belong to Trowa for the rest of their journey. He was listening to the creaking sounds the ship made as it danced on the waves, tied to the pier into which it bumped from time to time.

Duo sighed and turned onto his side, watching Shinigami scratch himself behind the ear with his paw. Heero and Trowa had disappeared to who knew where, leaving him all alone in the small room with no windows and only the two beds, one chest, a table and two chairs. Not that he complained about their accommodation. It was really nice of Treize to insist that the captain cleared one of the smaller cabins for his guests. Duo couldn´t imagine sleeping with all the men in the long cabin that lay next to the ship´s galley. But he knew that something was going on that no one wanted to tell him about. He heard the sailors, the King´s most trusted men, moving around the ship and shouting orders, preparing to set sail. Even though the captain seemed to be in a bit of hurry, they were still waiting in port. And he suspected that Heero and Trowa knew what was going on.

The braided lifebearer sighed and turned onto his back again, arms behind his head. He watched as the shadows danced around the room. The one oil lamp hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room didn´t do much to light the room. Maybe it was the half-darkness that ruled in the room that was causing his depressive boredom. But maybe it was the order Heero gave him to "Stay and sleep." He was tired of resting. He was no invalid. He did feel a bit lightheaded from time to time but as Trowa said it was normal for a person who had experienced such massive blood loss as he had in the last couple of days. He wasn´t sick anymore and he hated that Heero forced him to feel like he was. And the fact that his friends were keeping secrets from him didn´t help either.

And then there was Howard... Now that they were in the relative safety of the royal ship, he allowed himself to think properly about the old man he had considered an uncle. The mercenary who had burned down Duo´s village and killed all of the lifebearer´s people. And what for? Just because he, Duo, had been claimed by another. Had he always been a madman and the braided young man had just never noticed? Had he always been a killer, murderer and slaughterer? Duo shuddered.

He felt his heart clench as he remembered Solo, his dear brother. What was he doing now? Was he safe? Wufei said that Solo hadn´t been in the village when Howard and his men came, but he could be mistaken. The lifebearer knew that he would probably never see his older sibling ever again, but he hoped with his whole heart that Solo was okay and that he would be happy with Sal...

And Wufei? Duo sighed again. He would never regret the time he spent with the black-haired youth. No matter what had happened between them in the end... He knew that Wufei was a good man, even though it had hurt deeply to be betrayed in the one moment he needed him so much. But on the other hand, if that hadn´t happened, he would have never gotten together with Heero and maybe he would have fallen in Howard´s hands, too.

The last thought brought him back to his present situation and his depression turned into anger. He loved Heero dearly, but the Enforcer shouldn´t think that because his sickness forced him to play the submissive role, it was a natural part of his character. Duo had been taking care of himself and his family since his Bearer died and he had no intention giving up his independence. He was ready to compromise, not to submit.

Suddenly, shouts could be heard from the deck, the sound of many horses' hooves on the wooden pier echoed through the ship. Duo sat up on the bed, torn from his contemplation. For one terrifying moment he thought that Howard had caught up with them and his heart started to beat faster in his chest. But the shouts were ones of greeting. He allowed himself to relax a bit but stayed alert anyway. Something was obviously going on. Even Shinigami sat up straight, his ears twitching as he listened to what was happening.

Curious, Duo got up from the bed and headed for the door, Shinigami slowly trailing after him. But right at the moment he reached for the door knob, the door opened.

"Heero!" the lifebearer shouted, startled. "What´s going on?"

Even though the Enforcer´s face was grim, a sparkle of satisfaction shot through his eyes. "Howard´s dead," he announced quietly. "Treize´s men killed him."

Duo paled. He felt light headed. His knees buckled and he reached out blindly for support. Heero caught him in his arms and together they slowly sank to the floor. "He is dead? Really?" the braided young man asked, clutching the Enforcer´s warm shirt in his fists. He needed the reassurance.

Heero nodded and brought Duo to his chest, hugging him tightly. "They waited for him and his men in the inn. There was a fight and the mercenaries went down together with their leader. The soldiers watched them burn with the inn."

The lifebearer was shaking with relief. Was it over? Was the horrible nightmare really over?

"Yes," Heero whispered in an answer to the question the braided young man wasn´t even aware of saying aloud. He kissed the crown of Duo´s head and caressed his back. "It´s over. He can´t hurt you anymore. Not now, not ever again."

Clenching his eyes tightly shut and pressing himself closer into his mate´s embrace, Duo started to sob with relief. It was over... It was finally over...

TBC