Part IV: Arrival

***

    “How much longer?” Duo asks, almost whining as he stumbles again and nearly falls until Heero lifts him into his arms and hops neatly across the stream. He sets Duo on his feet against a tree before putting a hand out to help Trowa guide Quatre. Wufei, disgruntled with the pathetic woman, diligently watches the trees for signs of unfamiliar movements.

    “How much farther, at least?”

    “Depends on whether we find anyone waiting for us when we top the next ridge.”

    “Couldn’t we have gone around the bottoms of these things?” Noin complains, “The two young men are visibly worn out, Yuy, and we’re no where nearer the base than we were before.”

    “Speak for yourself,” the two brothers say, looking past their companions. Duo pipes up, “It’s my fault for getting shot anyway, so can it.” Heero squeezes him reassuringly and then loosens his grip with Quatre across.

***

    The scaling of the next ridge is rather quickly because both Duo and Quatre admit their ineptitude at scaling mountains or ridges. Heero easily swings Duo up and then over his shoulder. Duo protests for a moment, until Heero slaps his calf once, and then he gives in, unwilling to fall again in front of the Pilot. Quatre looks at Trowa, who does the same until they reach the top of the first rise, and then he puts Quatre down.

    “Do you see where Heero went?” he asks quickly.

    “Yes.”

    “Follow me, you’ll need to do as he is doing, place your feet near the bases of the trees. If you cannot reach one, or need help, I’ll swing you across, all right?”

    Quatre nods and Trowa lifts him to the first root before going up straight. “Now there,” he points at a slightly closer root than what Heero used.

    Wufei looks at the woman and takes the other, more precarious route up the rocks to the left, rather than the right, knowing where to change over. Dumbly, she follows, almost falling more than once. “I suggest you loose the gloves and dirty your pretty hands a little bit before you fall to your death.”

    “Aren’t you supposed to help me?”

    “No.” She fumes and he smirks, starting quicker up the rocks and swinging himself into the trees as far as he can go before looking back down to her and laughing quietly.

    Meanwhile Heero reaches the top of the tree line and looks at Duo’s unresisting body. He sets him down at the base of the last sapling and says, “Stay here, don’t move, and don’t fall.”

    “Don’t fall he says…”

    “I’m going to go and check to see if we’re being followed.” Heero hops off into the brush and makes his way down by jumping neatly in the thick black dirt. He passes Trowa, who stops him. “No, they’re after us.”

    “Just as I feared. They’re on the other side of the ridge above us, as well.”

    Trowa nods, they make the noise to warn Wufei. He responds with a ‘go around the mountain here,’ and Heero moves back to Duo, a little thankful that he gets to carry him a bit longer. Duo looks up, “Yes?”

    “We have to go around the mountain here.”

    “Why?” Duo asks as he is hefted up again over Heero’s shoulder. Met by neither resistance nor further questioning, Heero heads onward, determined to get his charge to the fort, and his father, Heero pulls out his pistol in one hand, and then debates answering Duo. “How long, Heero?” He sets Duo back down.

    “Now it’ll take days,” Heero murmurs in response, pressing a finger over Duo’s lips, he continues onward, putting one hand in Duo’s and leading him onward.

***

    Dorothy frowns, leading her Rogues through the trees. ‘If only I hadn’t planned that attack, I might have had my shot at getting Kushrenada. I’m so dumb sometimes. I’m such an idiot.’

    “Mistress Dorothy, of what are you thinking?”

    “How we’re going to get the General, Hilde, and how to repay him.”

    “Shouldn’t we just kill him, sir?” Hilde asks, “There is rumor that the Pilots are about.”

    “I am aware of their actions, Lieutenant, they were the ones who took the two boys from me.” Hilde looks shocked, “I’ve got plans for the five of them, do not worry.”

    “But ma’am, you said that the boys would be sacrificed for killing…” The back of the blond woman’s strong hand slaps Hilde. “Do not question me.”

    “Yes… ma’am.” Hilde slinks off to find Mariemaia and alert her to the situation that her sister is about to do.

***

    Heero grunts under the weight as the three of them push against the set of logs. He looks over to where Duo and his brother are hiding, and then over at the woman with her shoulder in together with Trowa and himself. Wufei stands scout above them. He recalls the words of his dream, ‘You and I are going to have to fight one day.’

    Finally, the dead trunk gives, and snaps. Heero tosses his end off to the side and motions for the hiding brothers to come and enter. Wufei heads straight in, sword at the ready, and a few skinny bats exit the cave, causing Quatre to make a startled noise and grab his brother, who sighs and pulls him along inside.

    The stoic boy smiles. ‘The boy makes me smile. Why?’ He thinks back on his encounter with a girl the previous year and scowls again. Her hair had been honey-wheat colored and her eyes a cornflower or baby blue. The other boys around had been happy with the development of her in their lives. But Heero had decided against it, marking the merry girl with ‘unwarranted distractions,’ and the Pilots had left the village, Heero leaving her to the other drooling boys of the village.

    Duo reaches his chosen companion and Quatre heads inside. “Heero, do you have watch?” Heero nods. “I have to go inside, don’t I?”

    Wanting to say no, Heero forces himself to nod, and the boy walks carefully inside, trying to hide his limp, but the Japanese member of the Pilots notices and his scowl deepens. Suddenly there are noises from higher on the ridge, and Heero ducks behind the part of the tree still blocking most of the entrance, scrambling under and motioning the others down.

***

    Checking everywhere, they dismiss the three quarter log and the entrance it blocks, knowing no one could do that alone, and pass down the mountain. Heero backs up behind the log and waits, knowing his urge to kill them is rash, and just stares after them, peeking carefully for the scouts, which are still above them.

    He ducks inside, motioning with his eyes. The two other Pilots, and Noin, realize his meaning, and start to dig in the ground. Duo looks at Heero in wonder as he tells him to climb in and then gets down on top of him. Quatre blushes, and Wufei fights his gag reflex. Surprisingly, though, she just lies there, breast heaving as she tries to catch her breath. The scouts look in, see nothing unusual, and start to leave, waiting for movement within.

    None of the occupants move out of the holes, only breathe shallowly, which is harder for some than others. ‘What will we do next time? We don’t have hundreds of these here,’ thoughts run through Heero’s head and Duo tenses as his companion’s fingers start to move quickly against the dirt. Panicked, he takes the hands in his own as the scouts lean farther inside to the cave. Heero stares down at Duo and finally, as the scout removes himself, lets his taut muscles release, and lies down on top of him. Duo sighs softly and leans his head against Heero’s.

    Wufei makes a bat-like noise and peeps his head up, then crawls to the edge of the tree, finding the scouts moving down slowly. He whispers, ‘Not yet,’ and they all remain frozen. Duo uses this to his advantage, quietly slipping his arms down and around Heero’s waist. The dark haired assassin stares at Duo with unseeing eyes and stiffens.

Duo grins, having prey unable to resist him, at the moment, and prepares himself to be hit hard once they are allowed to move. Finally, Wufei makes the ok signal, and the other three people begin to move precariously, still attempting silence.

    The only pair not moving is Heero and Duo. With wiry arms wrapped around his waist, Heero is frozen in place and the tickling soft breath on his neck keeps him still. As the noises of the other pair reach them, Duo lets go and Heero gets to his haunches.

    ‘Hey!’ Duo says in a whisper only to have a hand clamp over his mouth as the others turn to look. Heero makes a move for the others to go on ahead and gets a few curious looks before they go. He looks back down at Duo and says, “You’re hurt.”

    “I got shot, what did you expect?”

    “I expected you to inform me if it got any worse.”

    “And so you’re a miracle worker now? We can continue.”

    “Ok, then stand up straight,” Heero says, moving off of him. When the boy looks away he growls. “I’m carrying you.”

    “No, then I’ll just be a burden to us.”

    “If I have to amputate, you’ll be a burden. If I have to carry you, you’re just in pain so come on, get up as high as you can.”

    “I… need you to balance me so I don’t…” Heero immediately extends his arm and Duo pulls himself up. “How do you want me?”

    ‘On the ground, screaming my name,’ Heero quickly banishes that thought because he’s about to carry him. “Across my shoulders.”

    “You’ve got to be kidding.”

    “And loop your braid up somewhere, or it’ll drag on the ground as we go.”

    “I’m not going across your shoulders.”

    “Would you rather just one shoulder?”

    “I’d rather be a little closer to the ground.”

    “I’m not going to drop you.”

    “Fine!” Duo flattens himself out and Heero hefts him up over his shoulders, one arm at his kneecaps and the other at the small of his back and he takes an experimental step.

    “This won’t work.” Duo lets out a sigh of relief and Heero shoves him up over his head and catches him against his chest and starts out.

    “Or we could go the easy way,” Duo replies with an experimental flex of the injured calf. He lets out a small yip of pain as it reaches full extension.

    “Don’t do that,” Heero replies before quickly joining the others.

    “Why are you carrying him?” Quatre asks.

    “His leg is worse, he didn’t say anything until we were in the cave.” Trowa takes his rifle while Heero grabs the strap of his sack, “Leave that, just… right there.”

    “This way,” Trowa says and takes the lead, Heero carrying Duo between flanking Noin and Wufei with Quatre just ahead of them.

    Within less than an hour the Base lies before them. Quatre smiles brightly and gives his brother a concerned look. “Father,” Duo whispers quietly.

    Heero lets his eyes seek out the pale face of the boy, knowing well that they had come to assassinate either him or his lurking foe’s leader. Duo turns his head slowly to look him in the eye and the other boy smiles and him brightly. Wufei starts down, Noin on his heels, as they approach the southern perimeter wall.

    Quatre starts to leap forward, but Trowa holds him back. The two in front start heading towards the south gate and Heero and Trowa follow with the brothers. Finally at the gate, when challenged, Wufei motions for his blood brothers to come forward and the six end up at the general’s door without too much hassle from guards.

    Another door opens and the general himself enters, Treize Kushrenada in person.

    “Father!” Quatre calls and runs forward to hug his father.

    A very stunned father…