It was late, very late when the police car drove up to Maxwell Manor. Duo, wrapped in blankets, was dozing on the back seat. His ears were still ringing from the screeching sounds of metal on metal, his eyes were still showing him the memories of what had happened, like a CD playing over and over again. His body couldn’t quite stop trembling. Paramedics had examined him after arriving at the scene, telling him that he was in shock - it had taken Duo quite some smooth talking to not be brought to the emergency room. He insisted that he was okay, that he could deal with it. He wasn’t injured but for some cuts and scrapes from the broken glass, and he finally managed to distract the paramedics by focusing their attention on his chauffeur. The man had gained consciousness, only to lose it immediately again; he wasn’t in any state to answer the questions of the police, and he was taken to the hospital right away. Duo was exhausted and wanted to go home. He didn’t have an explanation for the disappearance of the other drivers either, and when the police questioned him, he could only repeat that he wanted to go home. Through the years, the Maxwell family had always been on good standing with the local police force and their commissioner and much to Duo’s relief, nobody gave him a hard time and offered him a ride home.
While they were driving, Duo was thinking about what happened, but aside his ringing ears and the flashing images in front of his eyes of the car hitting the limousine, full impact, there was nothing his mind could come up with. He was drawing a total blank here, not even thinking of Khushrenada or Merquise…strangely enough, he was thinking of Heero, of being held, of being protected. He looked at his hands - still trembling - and wished that he was home already.
As if the man had psychic powers, Hillary was waiting for him on the large steps of the Manor, every light on, the large oak door wide open. Genuine concern etched his face, and he quickly descended the steps as the car came to a halt.
Hillary all but yanked the door open. “Master Maxwell, you are so late…what happened?”
“Nothing much,” Duo answered too lightly, as he got out of the car. He looked completely dishevelled and his voice dropped a little when he asked: “Any news?”
The butler heaved an overly dramatic sigh. When both the Maxwell brothers still were going on expeditions, he was used to get news from all over the world about the trouble they got themselves into, be it with any political force, the law or bad people in general. Duo apparently still had that perfect nose for trouble, judging from the police car that had brought him home and the state he was in. Duo already started to climb the steps, and after a quick “Thank you” to the two officers in the car, Hillary hurried after his master.
“Master Maxwell, I will call the shiatsu therapist to see you as soon as possible, and you need a bath, and your suit…!”
“Any news?” Duo repeated stubbornly, shedding the jacket and dropping it unceremoniously on the hallway floor. Hillary shook his head and closed the door. The loud echo made Duo jump. The butler pretended not to notice and turned around to pick up a few files from the small mahogany side table.
“Miss Schbeiker identified the Chinese man for you,” he said, handing Duo the first file. Hillary cringed when Duo flopped down on one of the large sofas, shoes scraping over the fragile fabric.
“Chang Wufei, presumedly the last descendant of the infamous Chang clan in charge of the L5 colony and their subsequent self-destruction,” the butler supplied.
“That happened ages ago, during the First War between Earth and the space colonies,” Duo murmured. “He’s far too young to have witnessed that.”
“Exactly, but the Chang clan was not eradicated with the tragic self-destruction of L5. Apparently there have been some…stray, or estranged, clan masters and descendants in the rural, more secluded areas of China. Wufei is believed to be one of those, raised in the most ancient and fanatic traditions of the Chang clan. A dragon is their sign, of course - and their gi is a variation on the gi we know from the Japanese culture, only theirs is longer. Slightly impractical, but well…that is their tradition, I guess.”
Duo leafed through the papers, not bothering to read the small text. “No criminal record, no education or job records...not even an official identification, nothing! This guy is a ghost! How in the hell was Hilde able to find him?”
“You will have to ask Miss Schbeiker yourself,” Hillary said, grinning uncharacteristically. “I am sure she will be very pleased with your...ah, compliments.”
Duo laughed, regretting it the next second as his ribs started to ache. He’d been damn lucky to survive such an accident with only cuts and bruises. His body was aching all over, but that was nothing compared to the injuries of his chauffeur. It had been fairly obvious the man had broken ribs and a concussion, maybe even a skull fracture - he made a quick mental note to check up on the man soon. The driver of the car that had rear-ended them should’ve been dead by force of the impact; how could he have gotten away? Duo shivered and swung his legs over the sofa. He stood up and swayed a little to the left before he found his balance again. Yes, he really needed to go to bed.
“What about the other file?”
“Master Howard wants to talk to you about the artifact, the staff in particular,” Hillary said. “He has found something in late Master Winner’s notes and was able to find some legends on the subject. He also managed to expand on late Master Winner’s notes. He spent the entire day studying them.”
“Good ol’ Howard,” Duo muttered. “As soon as possible, or…?” Knowing Howard, he appreciated being called immediately, no matter what the hour.
“As soon as you got home, Master Maxwell. He didn’t mind the time.”
“I thought so. Oh, one more thing, Hillary…”
“Yes?”
“Have my office extensively swept for bugs of the tiniest and most annoying kind,” Duo said, though his voice lacked any vehemence. “That’ll be all.”
“Of course, Master Maxwell. Thank you, and have a good night.”
“Good night,” Duo replied, not bothering to stifle a yawn as he tugged at his shirt. He had forgotten that he had thrown his jacket on the floor earlier. It was morning already, he could see the sun rising through the large windows. He didn’t need another reminder that he needed some sleep. He was exhausted.
Lost in thought, Duo crossed the large hallway, his steps smothered by the thick carpet. The same carpet was put in all the rooms on the first floor, except for the music room. His father had installed a wooden floor there to heighten the acoustic experience. Duo never played on the grand Bösendorfer, he had loathed the boring music lessons. Solo had adored the piano, and that was the only reason it was still in the house.
There was no sound but the ticking of the large clock in the hallway. It was so loud he could even hear it all the way up here, on the first floor. A small shiver ran down his spine. The clock was one of the many heirlooms of the Maxwell family, a monument still standing century after century, simply ticking. Duo shivered again. The clock reminded him that he was living all alone at this huge mansion. Sometimes it gave him the shivers as if his time was running out, literally. No more time to be with someone, no more time like the time he spend with Heero. His feet moved, one in front of the other. Hillary had his quarters on the ground floor, and even though Duo valued him as a friend, he wasn’t family.
Duo opened the door to his bedroom, trying to steer his train of thoughts towards more pleasant things. A hot shower for example, with some of that new shampoo he recently discovered? This Armani suit was itching, he felt like a dressed up chimp. He took off his watch and dumped it into a copper bowl on a sidetable. Snapping the tie on the end of his braid, Duo walked over to his bed, yawning again. He picked up the phone, a small smile gracing his features as he had no trouble finding Howard’s pre-programmed number. Even after everything that happened, he hadn’t dared to erase the number of one of his best friends. As the phone rang, he unbuttoned his shirt and sat down on the bed, taking off his shoes.
He heard some faint mumbling and grunting on the other side of the line and said: “Howard? You’re awake? Do you want me to call you back at a decent time?”
“No, no, Duo, it’s fine, I wanted to talk to you,” the man answered gruffly, and Duo overheard the creaking of bedsprings as well as rustling of fabric - Howard was probably putting on a robe.
“What is it you got?”
“All right, listen to this. I have searched everywhere for information on the Never-Ending Circle - the two parts, the staff and the artifact in general, comparing everything to Winner’s notes. We’re very lucky that he has been so meticulous in documenting his research; he had scanned pictures and drawings of the staff, and I used your equipment to magnify and study it.”
Duo nodded, listening to the other man. He didn’t object to him using whatever he needed.
“And?”
“I managed to track down the first and oldest of legends concerning the artifact. It mentions a certain power that broke the scythe in two, and that same power will awake when the parts are reunited again. Apparently, the God of Life and the God of Death ruled together the Earth and the universe as we know it. The God of Life initiated the circle of life of course, and the God of Death ended it, and then it started all over again. Death was never painful, and never feared. More so, death was welcomed at the end of one’s life, knowing that dying was simply the beginning of another life.”
“Sounds like some kind of utopia to me…”
“However, the people…ah…‘invented’ murder. Like Cain killed his brother? But death was only granted by the God of Death himself, that was the power he had. For whatever reason, people discovered they could take each other’s lives. As such, they devaluated their life’s worth in the eyes of the Gods, as it was never meant for people to decide when their time had come, or when to start a new circle of life. The God of Death broke his scythe in frustration because people ended lives of their own, instead of him.”
“Bitchy,” Duo said.
“The scythe being broken in two doesn’t influence its working when it’s reunited again,” Howard continued. “Thanks to Winner’s hard work, we know how he managed to locate it. For instance, he kept an eye on all kinds of rods and staffs when they were offered at auctions or black markets, and he had a lot of contacts in the field. He was the first to presume that the artifact was broken - a complete scythe was far more conspicuous and would be noticed.”
“Go on,” Duo said, standing up from his bed and wandering around aimlessly while shedding his shirt. Finally, he sank in one of the large chairs, hand trying to undo his belt.
“I studied the staff to the very detail. Khushrenada and Merquise managed to lift it from Cuba’s seabed, off the coast of the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, thanks to Winner’s preliminary research.”
“Oh yeah, the ‘lost city’,” Duo said. “That was marvellous to explore.”
“Indeed,” Howard agreed. “Winner has written about how he was able to trace it exactly to that location, but that’s far too elaborate to tell you right now. Believe me, it took him years and quite a bit of money to get so far.”
“I can imagine. And?”
“Like I said, I studied the staff itself to the very detail and noticed some very interesting, almost familiar markings. Makings that Winner wrote off as being unimportant, thinking it was the ravages of time.”
“Markings?” Duo perked up.
“Some kind of inscription,” Howard explained. “I haven’t been able to identify it, let alone translate it. I’ll come by in the morning… hmmm, make that the afternoon, to show it to you in person. Duo, I think it has something to do with the Sanq Kingdom.”
“What?” he shot up straight in the chair.
“No shit Duo, this is really real. I studied Sanq religion and mythology for years, and I used some of my own research to compare the markings. I was at least able to trace it back to the earliest discovered scriptures, but I think this incription even predates those.”
Duo was silent. Sanq was almost the same as the Holy Grail in his field of work. The country itself, so small that it hardly deserved the name, had been abandoned by its population since decades. Once, it had been a wonderful nation with an independent capital, basking in wealth and prosperity…but war had taken its toll when the land was manoeuvred and crushed between several conflicting political ambitions and factions, and Sanq’s persistent pacifistic point of view had led to its downfall. Its rich history however, was a source for continuous excavation and research. If anything, many agreed that the former kingdom of Sanq was a hidden treasure and unexplored archaeological area.
The royal family, the Peacecrafts, had been living in exile for decades as well, meanwhile making their way up in governments and political functions. Relena Peacecraft was their most prominent -and prolific- descendant. Relena. Holding Heero’s hand.
“How the hell did it end up in Cuba?”
“How the hell should I know?” Howard retorted. “That’s a question you never ask, Duo. Artifacts always pop up at the worst and strangest locations possible, you know that. It’s our sport to track them down and uncover them.”
“Your sport, maybe,” Duo snorted.
“No, your sport too,” Howard immediately shot back. “You’re good on your own, but as a team you’re unstoppable. Solo, Heero...”
“Solo ended up dead because he waited too long, and I was a young pipsqueak who thought he could take on the whole world,” Duo answered bitterly. “Heero left because of God knows what, and I haven’t even considered going on an artifact hunt ever since…”
“Then why did you accept Winner’s commission? You must’ve felt that you were ready for it, Duo, otherwise you would’ve said no, without hesitation.”
“I only accepted it because if I succeed to find the fucking thing, Winner would donate a substantial amount of money to a trust fund of my choice,” Duo answered, a little snippy. “A fund that doesn’t have anything to do with the collection or the Maxwell family.”
“You have an impressive heritage to bear, don’t keep adding to it,” Howard said. “Sooner or later, your back’s going to break.”
“My heart’s already been broken, I think my back can take it,” Duo snorted. “I’ll talk to you first thing when I wake up. Thank you, man.”
He quickly disconnected before Howard could answer, all but throwing the phone on the floor - the plush carpet would break its fall - and he buried his head in his hands tiredly. He wasn’t trembling like before, but he still couldn’t shake the images of the crash. He wanted to sleep, sleep for an entire night and day, but his body wasn’t allowing him to, no matter how exhausted he felt. It was silent, blessed silence, and he was just about to get up and move over to his bed, when a soft voice suddenly spoke:
“I’m sorry.”
“Jesus fuck!”
“That’s another way of putting it…”
“Quit sneaking up on me,” Duo said as he turned his head frantically around. “Where the fuck are you?”
“Here,” Heero said and disentangled himself from the dark bedpost - nothing but a mere shadow moving. Duo hadn’t turned on the lights in his room but for a small lamp next to the chair he was sitting in.
Duo shook his head. “Christ, Heero, it’s been a very rough night. I don’t feel like…What are you doing here anyway? We’ve only seen each other a few hours ago. You’re trespassing, by the way.”
“I know. I came here because we have…no, we need to talk,” Heero said, raking his hand through his hair, tousling it even more. “By the way, your alarm system still is in perfect condition. It took me at least four tries - impressive.”
“We are finished talking,” Duo answered him curtly.
“Goddamnit Duo, will you shut up and listen to me!”
He cowered in his chair, curling up foetus-style. Hearing Heero swear was something akin to the world coming to its end, and he protectively drew up his knees to his chest.
After a few seconds of silence, Heero closed the distance between them and sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged as if he was a casual visitor, just dropping by. He heaved a sigh before starting to talk.
“Duo…I don’t know where or how to begin. I know that with saying ‘sorry’ not everything is forgotten and forgiven, but this…this is going to tie in with everything that happened in the last years. I care for you, Duo, I lov…Duo, I loathe everyone who’s hurting you and I’ll do anything to protect you.”
As Duo remained silent, he continued: “This… case with the Never-Ending Circle is too much for one person alone, Duo. You have no idea about the things that have been going on, and it’ll grow above your head soon.”
“You said that before… how about indulging me?” Duo said, wrapping his arms around his legs. He tilted his head a little. The dim light cast shadows on Heero’s face, expressing the intensity of his blue eyes - Duo felt that pang in his heart again, that familiar feeling of…longing and wanting. He had heard the little slip-up as well and reminded himself not to see or read into things that weren’t there. Maybe it was an honest slip-up. Maybe.
Heero raked another hand through his hair. He never made repetitive movements - to Duo, it was the unmistakable sign of severe trouble brewing.
“Duo…at the same time your brother died, Relena was kidnapped.”
Duo’s eyebrows went up. “What? Really?”
“Really,” Heero nodded. “She was invited by Duke Dermail of the Romefeller Foundation to talk about her father’s legacy. Before he died, he had established the first peace treaties with the colonies. When she arrived at his mansion, she quickly found out that she wasn’t going to leave…Dermail wanted her to be a spokesperson for the Romefeller Foundation, to turn her into a puppet and use her charm and influence for his own ambitions. She could either agree, or agree- he left her little choice.”
“Spokesperson? Since when does Romefeller have any political ambitions, and how does that tie in with the Never-Ending Circle?”
“She’s a Peacecraft,” Heero said soothingly. “A descendant from a royal bloodline, a family that has played a prolific part in world history. Her name and her appearance are equal to trust and peace in this world. Dermail simply wanted to use her for propaganda purposes, as he had plans for Romefeller to become an active political party.”
Duo shifted his legs a little, forcing himself to keep his eyes open. “What kind of political party? Why do they want to venture into politics? Romefeller’s just a stuck-up club for spoiled kiddies…”
Heero showed a weak smile. “There’s much more to Romefeller than that, Duo. Why else do you think Khushrenada is such a prominent member? They have influence everywhere - the corporate world, the entertainment business, even porn and gambling - you name it, you can find a link back to Romefeller. It was only a matter of time before they would end up in politics.”
“And why the pretty princess?”
“You’ve met the guy next to Khushrenada…”
“That Merquise guy?”
“His name isn’t Zechs Merquise, but Milliardo Peacecraft.”
“Holy fuck!”
“Exactly,” Heero said, stretching a little. He threw a longing look at the comfortable chair, but remained sitting on the floor.
“Milliardo Peacecraft works for Treize Khushrenada? I still don’t see what it all has to do with the artifact.”
“Dirty business,” Heero muttered. “I don’t know to what extent, but a dirty game’s being played. Milliardo Peacecraft participated in the war, as an active member of the resistance when Sanq was trampled by the military. He has blood on his hands, blood that doesn’t belong on the hands of the heir of a family that is such an advocate for peace that they choose to have their country invaded by foreign forces and who reject any form of fighting or weapons.”
“So he fought for the survival of his country,” Duo said, a little grouchily. “At least he fought, instead of surrendering like his family. How many people know of this?”
“He was smart enough to not fight under his real name, choosing to go by Zechs Merquise instead, complete with mask and cover-up of his true identity. Still, there are people who know who he really is. If his secret comes out, it will immediately be connected to Relena and her prominent position in the world’s peace order.”
“The brother of the Queen of the World has taken up arms and killed, going against everything his family stands for,” Duo nodded. “It would be a huge scandal.”
“Massively,” Heero agreed. “Not only would it affect her, but the entire family as well. You know they hold high positions in power, and when the Peacecrafts are forced to resign, entire governments are going to be overthrown. They’re the ones responsible for keeping the peace - without them, there’s immediate war upon us. No one, but absolutely no one can maintain the foreign relations between the colonies and Earth like them.”
“Christ…is Romefeller deliberately pushing for another war?”
“Sort of,” Heero replied. “Like I said, I don’t know the full extent of everything, but I do know that there’s something very fishy going on. Both Relena and Milliardo are forced into doing things they don’t like as to avoid international conflicts. Relena is silent and won’t say anything to discredit her brother, and as long as Milliardo works for Khushrenada, his secret is safe, leaving his sister unharmed. Milliardo used to be a playboy who was tearing into his heritage faster than anyone could say “Black Jack”, but he wasn’t a criminal. He fought in his younger years for something he thought was good and just at that time. There was a war going on, and he saw his country going under because his father refused to defend the borders and couldn’t keep the foreign army from invading. How he ended up working for Khushrenada is a mystery to me, but they’re both protecting each other; brother helping sister, sister helping brother.”
Duo was now the one to rake through his bangs, ruffling his chestnut hair. “What a mess…but I still don’t see the connection between the Peacecrafts and the Never-Ending Circle.”
“I’m not really sure about that either. Fact is, Khushrenada wants to have it more than anything. I’m afraid he’s going to try to really use it. Duo, we both have seen many strange things, we both know that legends and myths can be true, and we both know that certain powers are not meant to be trifled with.”
“Tell me about it,” Duo shivered. He wished he had left his shirt on…it was chilly in the room. He had planned on immediately going to bed after calling Howard. Lowering his eyes a little, he looked at Heero.
“So the artifact ties somehow in to the Peacecraft family and Khushrenada, or is that a coincidence?”
“I’m not really sure what the exact connection is,” Heero repeated. “Khushrenada has Milliardo working for him, and he follows him around. I don’t know how Khushrenada found out about Milliardo. Thanks to Winner Sr., they discovered the artifact and managed to uncover the first part. Khuhsrenada plays the part of a greedy archaeologist who wants it simply for the thrill of having it, but I know better. He’s far too smart, and if there’s any power tied to the Never-Ending Circle, he’ll be sure to find a way to unleash it.”
“The power of life and death in his hands. He can start or end a war simply by swinging the scythe. He can hold the world in the palm of his hand just by the threat of war.”
“Controlling life and death isn’t a power that should be in the hands of a mortal…”
“It should be in the hands of a God.”
“Shinigami?”
“Any God of Death who knows how to handle a scythe. This artifact is dangerous, and with so many people chasing after it, each and everyone of them with different motives…”
“Very different motives,” Heero admitted.
“Why did Khushrenada hire you?”
“He wanted me to localize both parts of the Never-Ending Circle. He couldn’t get his hands on the staff anymore since Iria Winner had sealed it into the safe. I wanted to retrieve the staff myself from the safe, but you were ahead of me.”
“What about Chang Wufei?”
“He’s not a killer,” Heero immediately said. “He works for Khushrenada as well, it has to do with his honor. I don’t know why, but he’s taken some oath, a vow to work for him because he was defeated in a swordfight once. He believes strongly that the Never-Ending Circle belongs to his clan and should be returned to the Changs.”
“For revenge of the destruction of L5.” Duo hugged his knees to his chest, getting chillier by the second. “Wielding the power over life and death over millions of colonists who didn’t do a thing and only watched when L5 chose to self-destruct.”
“Chang has too much honor to be blinded by simple revenge, Duo.”
Heero suddenly rose to his feet and walked towards the bed, tugging at the large blanket lying on it. When he returned, he draped it around Duo, careful as if tucking in a child. Heero’s fingers briefly touched his bare skin when putting the blanket around him, and this time his shiver wasn’t from any chill. Heero took his time, putting much more effort than needed to drape the large piece of fabric around Duo’s shoulders, making sure he was completely tucked in.
“So, Chang works with you?”
“I barely know him,” Heero said, voice soft. “He comes and goes whenever he wants to. I’m not sure about his connection to Khushrenada, and maybe there’s no other connection than the moral obligation he’s feeling. I didn’t know that he went after you until I saw the Winner notes and the staff in Khushrenada’s office.”
So Khushrenada has the first part after all. “You have placed bugs in my office, right?”
Heero was silent.
“How else could you have known that I accepted the commission and was going to be at the charity ball?”
“I have placed bugs in your office,” Heero admitted.
“Fuck you,” Duo answered, though it lacked any anger.
“I just want to keep an eye on you. I kept tabs on Winner as soon as he approached me for the artifact - I knew you were the next he was going to.”
“Why did you decline his offer?”
“I was hard to approach,” Heero said, “indisposed as I was, climbing in the Himalayas.”
“Did you find anything?”
“Nothing much but snow,” he answered.
“Liar.”
“Duo…You have every right to be upset with me,” Heero said. “I wanted to be at Solo’s funeral. I knew how devastated you were with his loss.”
“If people...close to you get kidnapped, the priority is different,” Duo said, voice flat.
“She’s very close, yes.”
“I didn’t know you were so thick with royalty.”
“We studied together at the Gabriel’s Institute.”
“Classy,” Duo said. Of course, it would make more of an impression if he knew how prestigious the school was. He had received private tutoring after he had been expelled from several schools. He just wasn’t the type to still still in class and obey boring teachers.
Heero was silent, studying Duo from the angle where he was standing. Duo wasn’t tense around him, he was rather at ease with his eyes closed, dark lashes brushing his cheeks, his head tilted a little. He didn’t know if it was from plain exhaustion or that Duo was simply feeling so relaxed no matter the situation.
“Why don’t we talk about this after you have rested,” he said, nudging Duo gently. “You’re tired, and we have much more to discuss. I overheard you talking at the phone, and…”
“We’re not going to work together, forget about it,” Duo answered grumpily. “Get out of the house, Heero. You gave me an explanation as to why you failed to show up at my brother’s funeral, and I accept your apology for it. You could’ve told me earlier, though. If I knew, it wouldn’t have hurt so much as it did now. I never knew Relena meant so much to you. You could’ve avoided lots of pain and hurt.”
“I know,” Heero said, matter-of-factly. “It was a mistake I’m not going to repeat. You taught me so much, and I threw it all overboard the moment I was...separated from you. I forgot about important things in life because you weren’t there…”
“It wasn’t like I dropped from the face of the Earth, you know.”
Heero placed his hands on Duo’s shoulders, the fabric of the blanket preventing him from touching bare skin.
“I made a mistake, Duo,” he repeated. “A very big mistake. After what you’ve been showing me, after what you’ve taught me, I still made a mistake. However, I never stopped loving you…I never stopped caring for you. What I did, was wrong…I deserve to be scolded - but please listen to me, Duo. This is going to be too much for one person. I want to help you, I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want to see you in pain.”
“I know,” Duo answered drowsily. “I’m a jerk. I’m sorry. It’s just that I keep grudges.” He barely realized he was leaning into Heero’s touch, shifting around when his fingers started moving in lazy, massaging movements.
“You have a big, warm and open heart,” Heero said. “It was my mistake for breaking it. That’s not going to happen again, never. I don’t want to see you hurt again,” he whispered, continuing the massage. “I’ll personally take care of that,”
“Hmm-mm,” Duo muttered, revelling in the comfort and warmth of the blanket, the relaxing sensations of the massage lulling him into sleep. His breathing evened out and his head sank on his chest. He didn’t notice Heero lifting him up from the chair and carrying him over to his bed, lying him down as his fingers clutched at the other’s shirt.
