Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, AU
Warnings: minor angst, shonen ai, light humor
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, KuramaxHiei, will be 6x5
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . arigatomina . com
G-men
Part 28: Exhaustion and Panic Attacks
The trip back to the manor was tense at first, namely because they'd stopped by to meet up with the others only to find them already gone. Wufei was certain Duo would have waited for him before heading back, so he'd half convinced himself something must have happened. But Heero had been with him, and unlike Duo, Heero wasn't inclined to sit around just so he could accompany a friend.
A bit of debate on the matter, and Wufei passed it off. Chances were, Heero had simply threatened to go alone without waiting and Duo had chased after him. Heero was still a little jealous of his friendship with Duo, so it would be just like him to do something like that.
They reached the town and Wufei found himself looking around more than he had on his other trips through the place. The buildings were so small and old fashioned as a whole, really reminding him more of a village than a modern day town. The people outside the shops had that same 'small town' feel to them, their voices mixing in a pleasant hum that floated over the main street. And they matched that appearance with the way so many of the shopkeepers waved a greeting as they passed. By the fourth person, Wufei realized what was bothering him about the seemingly friendly behavior.
He caught Kurama's eye.
"Are these the same people who were avoiding you yesterday?"
"Not me," said Kurama. He flashed a smile at a woman who passed them, answering her cheerful greeting, before turning back to Wufei. "They were avoiding Hiei. They're afraid of him."
Considering Kurama had stressed that there was good cause to fear Hiei, it was a little odd that he now looked irritated by the idea of the people in the town being afraid of him.
Wufei raised an eyebrow at him. "Because of the attack on the school when you first came? I heard that it was seen by most of the people here, but if you helped then, why aren't they afraid of you, as well?"
"Most of them don't realize that was me," Kurama frowned. "And the ones who do know about my other form don't really care. I'm a polite, intelligent, helpful, upstanding youth, and they eat it up."
Something about the way it was stated made Wufei want to laugh. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Sometimes,” said Kurama. “Especially when I'm with Hiei, who they see as a stain on my otherwise spotless reputation. This may now be a country that shelters and educates young mutants, but the people who live here are still part of a kingdom. They respect the ideal of aristocracy the same way OZ officials do. It's the idea of refinement and airs that appeals to them, appearances as much as anything. Their respect for royalty keeps them obedient, but they don't think twice about snubbing those they see as being beneath their standards."
Kurama nodded to a shop ahead of them, where a group of teens were arguing with a man behind the counter.
"They'll sell to students, and be polite when they have to, but the majority of them don't like it. Their love and respect for the Peacecraft family is what makes them accept the changes that have taken place in the last few years. And they seem to have marked me as one of the few 'respectable' students."
"Do they know you at all?" asked Wufei. They'd reached the shop Kurama had referred to, and paused outside it, watching as the students bickered prices with the owner. "Or is it based entirely on appearance?"
"They know that I'm close to Relena-dono,” said Kurama, “and that I was with her father when he died."
This caught Wufei's attention, and Kurama shrugged.
"My use of plants does make me something of a healer at times. But there isn't anything I can do when a person's heart has given out. All I did was ease him till it was over, and I only did that because he refused to be taken away to a hospital to die. Now the people have gotten it in their heads that I'm part of the royal family, as if I were pledged to marry Relena-dono."
Wufei's eyes widened for a moment before he smothered a laugh. "Really. No wonder you're unhappy with them. I didn't hear that rumor."
"The students know better," Kurama sniffed. "Most of them have actually talked to me, or worked with me and Hiei, so they know I rarely have contact with Relena-dono. Hopefully they'll forget about it once word gets out that Milliardo has returned."
"Zechs? Would they expect him to take control?"
"Not only that.” Kurama’s gaze shifted into a sly look. "They'll expect him to resume his responsibilities as the heir. From what I've heard, he might have more reasons to join the five of you than just being a mutant. He should have had at least two children by now, you know."
Wufei choked, doing his best not to laugh aloud and draw even more attention to them. "He didn't mention that."
"I'm not surprised," Kurama smirked.
"Oi! Kurama!"
"And the newbie!"
Wufei turned just in time to avoid a very familiar and heavy hand that had been aiming at his back. He ducked aside, glowering at the hulking teen, Kuwabara grinning back at him.
Kurama hadn't moved so quickly, but he didn't seem bothered to have an arm slung over his shoulders, pulling him down so a cheerful Yusuke could lean over him.
"Didn't know you guys knew each other," Yusuke commented. He gave Kurama a light shake before easing up.
Kurama straightened with a resigned smile, his gaze shifting between the two familiar teens.
"Wufei and I were working together this morning," Kurama explained. "We left early, so you must have missed seeing it after that late night snooping session the two of you had."
Kuwabara froze, his face going a bit red as he shuffled his feet, but Yusuke wasn't the least bit bothered.
"So you guys saw us after all," Yusuke sniffed. "I told you not to make so much noise."
He frowned, looking over at Kuwabara. The orange-haired boy glared back, and Yusuke shrugged.
"So you're working with the newbie, eh? Any chance Hiei might want a distraction while you're busy?"
Kurama sighed, shaking his head at the boy's hopeful expression. "No matter how many times you ask, Hiei won't fight you, Yusuke. Now, if you need help with your talent, one of us would certainly be willing. But an unnecessary fight is out of the question."
The boy glowered at him, and Kurama tilted his head to the side, a small smile curving his lips.
"Unless you need the humiliation," said Kurama.
"He said that?” Yusuke growled. “That cocky punk! I swear, one of these days I'm just going to tackle him and make him fight me, whether he wants to or not. Then he'll see who needs the humiliation!"
"I really wish you wouldn't," Kurama winced. "Hiei's going to be rather busy for the next few days, and the last thing he needs is a lecture from Relena-dono for incapacitating a student."
"What! Why won't you give me the benefit of the doubt? You guys haven't even seen what I can do, you just keep ignoring me. I'll have you know I once beat every guy in my-"
"I'm going to go ahead," Wufei interrupted. He winced when Yusuke scowled at him.
Kurama sighed and stepped to the side, Yusuke having gotten in front of him in an attempt to hold his attention.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow morning, if not before then," said Kurama.
"Right."
Leaving them behind, Wufei let out a breath of relief.
He didn't know exactly what Yusuke's relation to Kurama was, but he'd rather not have it come out that he'd also been a part of the 'snooping session' last night. Hopefully Yusuke would be too busy bragging and conning to mention it.
The rest of the walk was uneventful, but Wufei got a chance to see what Kurama had meant about the people's feelings toward 'students'. A few watched him as he passed, but no one made any sort of greeting and while they didn't exactly sneer at him, he could feel an aura of disapproval coming from them.
The main question in his mind was whether it was dislike of mutants in general, or just young unruly ones. He hoped it was the latter.
Relena hadn't said anything about the people having a prejudice against mutants, and it would be rather dangerous to shelter so many in a place where the inhabitants were set against them.
Of course, the fact that they supported the idea of Kurama marrying Relena told him they didn't care about mutants when it came to the ruling class.
He had planned to stop by the cafeteria first, to see if Heero and Duo were there. But since Kurama had been waylaid, he headed for the underground area instead.
Using the voice code was a little strange for him, considering a few students stopped to give him suspicious looks when he paused at the door. Obviously they weren't used to seeing new students with access to the area. He had an idea very few were even allowed inside.
The door opened for him just as it had for Yukina the night before, and he entered without responding to the curious eyes that followed him.
While he hadn't known what to expect, Wufei was surprised to find Hiei standing just outside the door at the bottom of the stairs. The black-haired teen was leaning against the wall, and he flicked a sharp look at him when Wufei opened the door.
For a second, Wufei had the distinct impression the boy was smirking at him. Then Hiei's hand shot out, nabbing something off the bottom of his pale shirt and holding it up so they both could see it. The boy must have had very good eyesight to spot that little silver hair.
Wufei blushed, abruptly wiping his clothes just in case there were more. "It's not what you think."
Hiei raised an eyebrow, doubt plain on his face. "No? He sheds on everything he touches. Be glad you didn't wear black."
If anyone else had said that, Wufei would have laughed outright. But something in the way Hiei was eyeing him told him not to. The boy tossed his head, directing his gaze to the middle of the gymnasium.
Wufei jerked, leaving him as he hurried over to where Zechs and Heero were crouched on the floor, Duo lying between them.
"What happened?"
"He doesn't seem to be injured," Zechs was saying. He glanced up at Wufei before turning back to the dark-eyed Heero. "He isn't dreaming, but I'm sure it's some sort of deep sleep state."
"Exhaustion, then," said Heero.
He'd assumed as much, but it was better to be sure.
Heero looked up when Wufei crouched beside him, and he shook his head. The boy's glare told him that he was being blamed for whatever had happened, and he agreed completely.
"He pushed himself too hard,” Heero explained. “I wasn't watching him, so I didn't notice until it was too late to do anything about it."
"Then he burned himself out?" asked Wufei.
He glanced back to where Hiei was standing across the room, thinking of what Kurama had said about the consequences of using too much energy at once. It had struck a definite nerve with him at the time, since he almost always felt weak after attacks that involved a lot of energy. But he hadn't thought of something like that happening to the others.
How much effort did it take to use a talent like invisibility? Duo had spent years being invisible at all times, so his endurance had to be as close to perpetual as a mutant could come.
"That or vertigo," said Heero. He shook his head, moving so he could pull Duo into his arms in preparation for heading upstairs. "He seemed to think it was some panic attack, but the symptoms sound more like exhaustion. He said it hit him the moment the ground disappeared."
"He did it, then?" asked Wufei.
Heero nodded, his expression still dark.
"I didn't think he could,” Heero admitted. “That's why I wasn't watching."
"Complete or foggy?" asked Hiei.
The teens turned to look at him, Wufei jerking a bit in surprise at finding the boy right next to him.
Hiei sniffed, his gaze still locked on Heero.
"The ground?" asked Heero. "It was clear. I could see the moss glowing on the walls below, no mist or dust or anything hindering the view."
"And how wide did it stretch?" Hiei prodded. "The diameter of the area he changed."
Heero frowned as he tried to remember what that first startled glimpse had been. He'd seen the gulf first, very deep and dark with that shimmering pale green at the bottom. But he hadn't thought much about the width at the time. Now he pictured the area in his mind the way it had been when he'd left the rock afterward.
He definitely hadn't seen the bushes that had been to the left of his platform, the ones closest to the clear area Duo had focused on. And the nearest thing on the far side of that gaping void had been an oak with poison ivy growing on it. He remembered that because he always made note of potentially dangerous things, or potentially annoying things, even if they were on the periphery of his vision.
It seemed to be taking Heero forever to answer that simple question, and Wufei scowled at him. He couldn't help but be angry that the boy hadn't noticed how hard Duo was working.
Sure, Heero had had his own things to do, but the entire reason Duo had asked him to join him was so he'd have company. Wufei was certain he knew what had happened - Heero had sat there ignoring him the entire time. The only question he had was why Duo hadn't done anything to get the boy's attention. He must have been too deep in his own talent, but even that resulting silence should have been enough to get Heero's attention.
A sharp growl jerked him from his thoughts, and Wufei blinked at the way Heero had pulled Duo closer to him.
"The trees," Heero spat. He glared, doing his best not to hurt Duo with his hold. "The idiot didn't just turn the ground invisible, he turned everything above that cave. I should have known - I could see the trees behind him, all of the bushes and plants, everything was gone."
Wufei paled, his eyes widening as he dropped his gaze to look at the sleeping boy. "Everything...?"
"As he'd turn a building invisible merely by being inside of it," Hiei stated. "That was the main idea. But he shouldn't have done it on the first try."
Hiei glared at Zechs, his hands clenching in fists. That made two of them now who'd ignored the normal progression of growth and simply jumped past the barriers. It was too bad Zechs hadn't passed out from exhaustion as well, it would have soothed his anger some.
The idea ran circles through Heero’s mind. A building that couldn't be seen? There were benefits to that, if a plane were to fly overhead and be unaware of its presence. But the scope was still unnecessary, and even an invisible building would show on radar.
Heero eased his grip on Duo, his self-directed anger shifting a bit to include Hiei.
"Why would he want to turn a building invisible?” asked Heero. “What purpose would that serve?"
"Transfer," Hiei sniffed.
He didn’t so much as glance at Heero, his glare locked tight on Zechs. The white-haired man had noticed the gaze and was carefully avoiding it.
"If he can turn a piece of grass invisible just because it's touching the ground, then he can turn a person invisible who is touching a floor. The key would be doing it without turning the surroundings invisible as well, channeling it to affect only what he wants it to. Indirect contact would suffice. The same way he might teleport something without touching it with his hands, he could change things around him that have only a vague connection to him."
The possibilities were endless, but as much as Heero's mind wanted to latch onto them, he pushed the thoughts aside. There was time to imagine that later, imagine having an entire group of invisible mutants at their disposal.
Right now, he just wanted Duo to wake up.
"So how long before he'll get his energy back?" asked Heero.
He frowned when he noticed that Hiei wasn't looking at him, but he didn't get a chance to ask again.
"Days," said Hiei.
He gave up on riling Zechs, the man too set on ignoring him for his glare to do any good. Instead, he turned his attention on Heero, frowning at the teen.
"Unless he gets a charge,” Hiei qualified. “Do any of you transfer energy flows aside from him?"
He jerked his head toward Zechs but didn’t bother to look at him.
Heero frowned at him again, but Zechs shook his head.
"He isn't injured," Zechs explained. "I can't find anywhere to direct a healing."
"It wouldn't matter," said Hiei. "You retract it afterward. He would need a charge he can keep as his own. Otherwise he'll be comatose till he can replenish it himself."
"Kurama," Wufei said sharply. "He combined energy with me this morning when I was working on my talent."
Hiei dismissed that idea in a heartbeat. "He retracts as well. That energy is his talent, his controlling ability. It cannot be transferred indefinitely."
Rather than accepting that, Wufei found himself thinking back to that very old tree Kurama had chosen. Kurama had claimed that it moved on its own after he transformed in it that first time. If that were true, he had to have left some part of his energy behind.
He turned to tell Hiei about that, and paused. The short boy looked strange, his face was so expressionless he might have been dead on his feet.
"Ask Yukina."
Don't say anything to me, don't ask me, don't speak to me, don't look at me, I hate this, don't say anything, don't.
The thoughts were a loud mantra in Zechs' mind and he flinched from it, turning to stare at Hiei. He hadn't made any effort to push into the boy's thoughts, but they were broadcasting so loudly he couldn't help but hear them.
Dark red eyes met his for a second before the boy turned on his heel and disappeared in a flash of black. His speed was blatant. Zechs barely saw the door move before the four of them were alone in the area.
Wufei and Heero both turned to look at him, and Zechs shook his head.
"As far as I know," said Zechs, "her talent is ice. But if he said to ask her, it can't hurt."
"Do you know where she's at?" asked Wufei.
"I can't read from down here," said Zechs. "But it would probably be better to take Duo to her anyway. We can't have her down here when Hiei comes back."
"You don't think he went to get her?" Wufei frowned at how quickly Zechs shook his head.
"Not a chance,” said Zechs. “He left so we wouldn't ask him why he mentioned her, and so he wouldn't be here if we did decide to bring her down here."
Heero nodded sharply, shifting Duo and standing with an expression of intent. "We won't bring her here, then. Lead the way."
Once they were upstairs, Zechs sought out the girl in question, passing over students until he locked on the right mind. His eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of the person she was speaking to.
"She's with Une."
"What?"
Heero glared at the students who were hanging around, staring at them. They were lucky none had asked what was wrong with Duo yet. He fully intended to deck the first person to get in their way.
Zechs held the stairwell door for him, and he glanced at the man as he passed.
"Why is she with Une?” asked Heero. “Was it Quatre's idea?"
Zechs nodded, pressing the edges of Quatre's mind to confirm that. "And it seems to be working well enough. I'll warn him that we're coming so we won't have to bring Duo in where Une is. Just take him to your room and they'll meet us there."
As it turned out, the distraction came at a good time. While the lady had enjoyed the conversation, Quatre didn't want to hold Yukina too long. Rationing her company would keep the lady asking after her, and that was the sort of open communication that they wanted.
He didn't explain what the problem was, just stating that it was time to let Yukina get back to her studies. That excuse made the girl blink in surprise, but she didn't argue when he and Trowa escorted her outside of the room, leaving a thoroughly disappointed but quiet lady behind them.
Zechs and Wufei were waiting by Heero's door when they reached them, and Zechs nodded to Yukina.
"Duo used too much energy this morning,” said Zechs. “Hiei told us to ask you if you could help him."
The girl seemed to freeze, almost literally if the cool air around her gave any indication.
"He...he did...?" asked Yukina.
Zechs didn't know if she meant Duo or Hiei, but he nodded anyway. "Is there anything you can do to help him?"
"I..." Yukina stood for a long moment before nodding her head firmly. "Of course."
They drew her into the room and she leaned over the bed where Duo was at. It didn't take long to tell that he was very deep, past dreams and in a state not unlike what Hiei fell into after using his kokoryuuha. Her brows drew together in a frown.
"This is good for him," she whispered, "this sleep. But he doesn't seem to be recovering on his own the way he should be. I can help him some, but I don't have enough life force to bring him out alone."
"Life force?" asked Heero. "Is this a certain talent, or something any mutant would have?"
"We all have it," Yukina sighed, "but giving it requires skill. I need to find Kazuma-san. I know he's done this before."
"Who is that?" Zechs asked from the doorway. "Tell me where to find him and I'll get him for you."
"Kuwabara Kazuma," Yukina said quickly. "He's one of the students, so-"
"Kuwabara?" Wufei groaned, shaking his head at the girl. "Tall guy, orange hair?"
The girl beamed at him and he winced.
"I just saw him before I came in,” said Wufei. “He was in the town. I'll get him."
Zechs followed, catching up quickly. "Where did you last see him? I may be able to locate him."
"He was with Kurama," Wufei nodded. "Not far from the school."
Anyone else and that wouldn't have been a problem, but there was no way Zechs was going to try reading Kurama to see if he was still with the boy. Instead, he did a sweep, listening for anyone with thoughts of someone matching the name and description.
He abruptly stumbled, nearly knocking Wufei down the stairs.
"What is it?" asked Wufei.
"I can't seem to disconnect," Zechs mumbled. He rubbed his temple, shaking his head. "I keep getting random thoughts from him even when I'm not trying to."
A glance found Wufei giving him a strange look and he sighed.
"There's someone matching that description on the front lawn, near that tree. And he's with Kurama, so that's probably him."
Just like he'd said, they did in fact find the boy beneath the large tree on the main lawn. And Kurama was standing a few feet behind the youth.
What Zechs hadn't mentioned was that they were watching as Hiei had a somewhat one-sided debate with a very angry sounding Japanese boy. Wufei instantly recognized him as Yusuke.
He joined Kurama, catching the redhead's attention away from the boy who looked like he was trying to talk Hiei into a fight.
"Duo's comatose," Wufei said quickly. "We think he used too much energy."
He pulled the redhead a bit further away so Hiei wouldn't overhear.
"Yukina is there and she says she can help but that she needs Kuwabara's help as well."
Kurama nodded sharply, not asking any questions. With a bright smile, he moved to where Kuwabara was scowling up at Hiei. Hiei was in the tree, doing a very good impression of a deaf person, while Yusuke was giving his usual plea-slash-threat. Kurama stood on his tiptoes and whispered a few choice words in Kuwabara's ear that resulted in the boy letting out a very high-pitched squeal, a wide smile spread over his blushing face.
Hiei twitched, nearly falling out of the tree, and Yusuke clapped his hands over his ears.
"Baka!" Yusuke yelled. "Scream like a man, not a schoolgirl!"
Nodding to where Zechs and Wufei were waiting, Kurama directed the happy Kuwabara to follow them. He did so with glee so blatant Yusuke sagged in defeat.
All Kurama had said to the boy was that Yukina-chan needed his help and that Wufei and Zechs would show him to her. But that was more than enough. The three headed back into the school, Kuwabara pushing them to hurry.
With that taken care of, Kurama turned back to Yusuke with an enigmatic smile.
"Yusuke,” said Kurama, “I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I need to steal Hiei back now. We have things to talk about."
The boy bristled, then pouted, then bristled again. Kurama just kept smiling as Hiei jumped down to stand beside him.
"You can finish your conversation another time," said Kurama.
"But-"
Hiei sniffed.
"If it'll shut you up,” said Hiei, “meet me here on Saturday. But if I hear another word before then, forget it."
"Right!" Yusuke beamed, slapping a hand on both Kurama and Hiei's backs. "It's a match! You won't regret it, either. I'm going to beat you so badly you won't even-"
Hiei turned to glare over his shoulder, and Yusuke grinned.
"Eh...yeah,” said Yusuke. “Not another word out of me! You two go have your private time. Don't mind me."
.-.
When they returned to the bedroom they found that Yukina had already started. Exactly what she was doing, they couldn't say, but it was visible. A shimmering pale blue light seemed to flow from her hands and glint around Duo.
Kuwabara immediately pranced to her side, oblivious to the glare Heero shot him.
"Yukina-sama!” cried Kuwabara. “I am here to answer your call!"
Heero's eyebrow twitched at the boy's goofy grin, but Yukina beamed up at him, that pale light dissipating.
"Thank you, Kazuma-san,” said Yukina. “He's very weak from using his energy and his body doesn't seem able to replenish it. I don't think he's ever used it all like this before, so his body can't cope. If you would please give him just a bit I'm sure it would let me wake him."
She turned wide pretty eyes up to the boy, an expression of pleading innocence and confidence.
Heero wouldn't have been surprised if the boy had melted into a puddle of sticky goo right then and there. Kuwabara’s complete adoration was written so brightly on his face that Heero thought the girl should have been blinded by it.
The boy turned to lean over Duo, and Heero moved closer, watching to see exactly what it was he did. Kuwabara placed his hands over Duo's chest, palms crossed, and glowed.
That made two people here with visible energies that Heero had seen, but unlike Yukina's pale blue light, this was a deep mottled yellow, bordering on orange. And the way they had both aimed it directly at Duo's heart made him wonder if they were jump-starting him.
A few moments later, Kuwabara let out a deep sigh, turning to smile at Yukina again.
"If that's not enough,” said Kuwabara, “I'll give him more. Anything for you, Yukina-sama!"
"I'm sure that will be enough," Yukina smiled. "Thank you, Kazuma-san."
A slight case of Yukina-worship. That was what Yusuke had called it, and Wufei could definitely see it now. Only it didn't look slight in the least. He'd call it a full-blown obsession.
The girl moved to Duo once more, exuding that pale light of hers, and Wufei caught Kuwabara's attention.
"What did you do?" asked Wufei. "I've never seen that done."
"Oh! I forgot you were here." Kuwabara blinked at Wufei, a vague frown passing over his face. "I was giving him some energy."
"But how did you give it?" Wufei prodded. "Can anyone do that?"
"I don't know," Kuwabara shrugged. "I've never seen anyone else do it, but Yukina-san healed me once and wore herself out."
His face brightened and he turned on the next words.
"It was wanting to repay her infinite kindness that taught me this talent. Anything for Yukina-sama!"
Another twitch pulled at Heero's face and he swore if the boy called her sama one more time he'd hit him. The fact that he alternated between san, and sama to her face made it plain that the boy wasn't used to using terms of respect on anyone. But to lavish it like that was just excessive. Besides which, it was distracting. He had half a mind to tell him to leave now that his help was finished.
With a dull glare, Heero turned back to stare at Duo. So far the boy hadn't so much as shifted, not a sound coming from him besides his deep breathing. And even when Yukina leaned back again, Duo gave no sign of change.
"Is it not working?" asked Heero.
"He should be all right now," said Yukina. She gave Heero a consoling smile. "His sleep is much lighter."
Zechs turned, brushing a light bit over the boy's mind and nodding.
"Dreams,” he confirmed. “It feels like normal sleep now."
"Not nearly so dark as it was," Quatre spoke up. "If you try, you could probably wake him."
"But this sleep is good for him," Yukina said quickly. She turned to look at the blonde boy. "Any sleep should have been good, but he wasn't replenishing his energy like he should have been. Now, he's resting a healing sleep. Waking him would just make him want to sleep again till he's feeling better."
"How long should he sleep?" asked Heero. He wanted to wake him up, if only for a few minutes.
Yukina frowned, brushing a light hand over Duo's bangs.
"How much sleep did he get last night?” she asked. “If he's very tired, he might sleep for hours. If not, then he will probably wake soon."
Heero felt Trowa turn a look on him, and he sighed, sagging a bit. "He didn't get much sleep last night."
And he'd woken the boy early on top of it.
With a grateful nod to Yukina, and a somewhat begrudging nod to the still fawning Kuwabara, Heero stepped to the door.
"I'll stay with him. Thank you for your help, we appreciate it."
"Of course," Yukina smiled. "I'm always happy to help. I do serve as a sort of healer with the students, so this is one of my duties. Besides that, I'm glad to have helped."
"You are so generous with your talent," Kuwabara sighed. His eyes turned wide and shimmering. "Yukina-sama..."
It looked like they'd have to push Kuwabara to get him out of the room, since he seemed completely oblivious to them. But he floated after Yukina like a joy-filled balloon, his sighs drifting along in his wake.
Wufei snorted the moment they were out of sight. "Definitely Yukina-worship."
"Is that one of the two you were following last night?" asked Zechs. He raised an eyebrow, staring in the direction Kuwabara had taken.
"Doesn't he look like a bumbler to you?" asked Wufei. He turned to Heero, his expression turning sober. "If you're planning to stay here, I can bring some food up for the two of you."
"Thank you," said Heero. "We can meet in the morning."
He sent a look to Zechs.
"I've learned quite a bit about Kurama, so you may not have to get information from Hiei. I don't think they're threats."
"You've changed your mind?" asked Quatre. His surprise was written on his face.
"Yes,” said Heero. “I'll tell you what I've learned tomorrow."
They filed out of the room, and Heero sighed once they were gone. He'd wait for Wufei to return, and then he fully intended to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. It might have been his idea to get up so early, but after the stress over Duo's condition, he felt drained. He wanted nothing more than to curl up with the boy and sleep till Duo woke up. And that was just what he planned to do.
.-.
The cafeteria was filled with boisterous voices, most of the students having congregated in the area, with more taking trays outside where they spotted the lawn. A quick look found them a section that was free, and the four of them made a place beneath the shade tree.
It was curious that no one else had taken it, considering it was the only shaded area on the lawn. And they did get a few looks when they sat down beneath the tree. After a few minutes of the staring, Quatre did a very light reading to see what the fuss was about.
He ended up smiling into his drink.
"They don't sit here," Quatre explained, "because this is where Hiei usually sits when he's on the school grounds. They're wondering why we would do it twice without even checking to see if he were in the tree first. And since some of them saw Wufei and Zechs earlier, they're saying we must be under Kurama's protection."
"His protection?" Wufei smirked, shaking his head at the suspicious looks they were getting.
"It's been so long that I forget what things are like in schools,” said Wufei. “They may be mutants, but they're still gossip-prone teenagers with too much free time on their hands. I guess next time we should make it a point to check the tree before we sit under it."
Trowa smirked when Wufei did just that.
"If he were there,” said Trowa, “I'm sure they would have been much more vocal."
"True," Wufei smirked. "But he was there earlier. It's good that we didn't bring Yukina downstairs or he would have met her when he went back inside."
"He didn't go back inside," Zechs murmured.
Zechs blinked when Wufei sent him a strange look, and he winced, shaking his head.
"Don't mind me,” said Zechs, “I'm just having some problems with this."
"With what?" asked Quatre. "Did your session go badly? I know it looked awful when you left earlier."
"He's insane," Zechs admitted, "but that's not the problem. He's just been broadcasting since the last time I read him. I can't seem to disconnect, so I keep getting random thoughts."
Quatre's eyes widened and he turned a sharp look at Trowa. Trowa frowned as well.
"Are you saying you can't block him?" asked Trowa. "His jagan is supposed to block readers, so that shouldn't be a problem."
"He said I passed that," Zechs frowned. "And he definitely has no idea he's broadcasting to me, so it isn't intentional. Normally I'd just tune it out the way I would anyone who has loud thoughts."
Quatre was nodding, so Zechs directed his attention to Wufei.
"When someone is excited or feeling great emotion, they broadcast to the point where anyone 'listening' will hear it. Readers make it a habit to only let in what they want to focus on. That's what I'm doing. But for some reason I can't seem to break my focus on him."
"Then you're reading him right now?" asked Wufei.
"No," said Zechs. "That's the problem. I'm not trying to read him. I wouldn't do that unless he knew I was doing it. I told him that earlier when Heero came in. We're supposed to resume tomorrow or the day after. I'm not reading anyone right now. I just seem to be getting snips of his thoughts regardless."
"Strange," Trowa commented. "If his jagan functions the way my or Wufei's mental blocks do, then that would keep readers from gaining access to his thoughts. And if you've gotten past that, then you would get any that you sought out. But he never said anything about being a broadcaster. My block prevents me from broadcasting - it doesn't let anything out. His should work the same."
"And it isn't that the block has fallen," Zechs agreed, "or Quatre and you would also be getting his thoughts."
"I'm not getting anything," Quatre said quickly.
"Which means it's me." Zechs sighed, rubbing his temple. "I guess I need to improve my own mental block. I definitely don't want to be listening in if he does something more explicit than purring in my ear."
Wufei choked on the sip of juice he'd taken, sending Zechs a startled look. "He's purring in your ear?"
"Not literally," said Zechs. A faint smile showed his discomfort. "But he's radiating some content thoughts that I really shouldn't be listening to. Do you happen to know why he'd think of Kurama as an overgrown fox?"
Laughing at Zechs, Wufei shook his head. "You really do need to block him out, if you're getting things like that. But yeah, Kurama's other form looks like some sort of gray humanoid fox, at least the ears and tail."
"That explains a lot," Zechs sighed. "I hope this doesn't last too long. If Heero no longer sees them as a threat, then there's no need to spy on them. And I certainly don't want to do it unwittingly like this."
"Heero must have learned something very important," Quatre commented, "if he dropped his suspicions so quickly. He was set on not trusting them, at least not Kurama."
"I'm glad he dropped it," said Wufei. "I think Duo's right about Kurama. He does have an almost...dark side to him, but for the most part he's very straightforward."
Part B