Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ G-men ❯ Exhaustion and Panic Attacks ( Chapter 28 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Author's Notes: Long part here. The lemon has been postponed - this part was just getting a little too long so I had to cut it off. Expect the next part to be shorter (by half at least).

For those upset by Zechs' character in this, I do have good reason for it, most of which should come out eventually, and one reason I don't mind saying now - I want to bring out Wufei's overly judgmental side. He came off as a nice-going person during his friendship with Duo, but that isn't all of who he is. Anyone who thinks back on the 'onna' episode in the anime knows he's too quick to dismiss 'weak' people. I can't have any growth of his character if I don't play on his main character flaw. Zechs helps me do that, and if you look back, you'll see that I've only given minor details about Zechs. It's only been a few -days- since they met him. o.O There's a lot going on, just give me a chance to develop him. Right now the characters are judging him based entirely on 'appearance' - Zechs may have read them so he knows everything about the boys, but not even Trowa has bothered to read Zechs to find out about him. They barely know him at all. I think readers are following Wufei's example and judging Zechs without wondering why he is the way he is, but that's Wufei's main character flaw - he's too quick to judge people and to pass off 'weak' people as useless (including himself). I didn't mean to make readers think he was right to behave that way, so I apologize for the confusion. I'll try to work on my character building to avoid that in the future. Remember, I never claimed to be a good writer, I learn as I go along. :)

As for Zechs, I'd love to explain everything right now, but it would wreck havoc on my timeline. This is not a short fic. It was my first AU fic, and remains my longest running (I wrote the first part in 2000 - note how short and simple the early parts were). I don't want to rearrange it now that it's finally going somewhere.

This is a vague fusion with the original x-men animated series.
Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, AU
Warnings: minor angst, shonen ai, light humor
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Kurama+Hiei, will be 6x5
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Website/ Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/ arigatomina

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 he 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," Kurama said, his voice quiet so no one else would overhear. 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. 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?" Wufei asked. 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, 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 said, his gaze shifting 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, giving 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 he 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."

"He said that?! 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, wincing 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."

"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," Heero said. He'd assumed as much, but it was better to be sure. He 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. 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?" Wufei 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." Heero 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?"

Heero nodded, his expression still dark. "I didn't think he could. That's why I wasn't watching."

"Complete or foggy?" Hiei asked. 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?" Heero asked. "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, he'd 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, glaring as he tried not to hurt Duo with his hold. "The idiot didn't just turn the ground, 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." He 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.

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? What purpose would that serve?"

"Transfer," Hiei sniffed, still glaring at 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?" Heero asked. He frowned when he noticed that Hiei wasn't looking at him, but he didn't get a chance to ask again.

"Days," Hiei said, tearing his eyes away from Zechs to frown at Heero. "Unless he gets a charge. Do any of you transfer energy flows aside from him?" He jerked his head toward Zechs.

Heero frowned at Zechs again, but he shook his head. "He isn't injured," Zechs explained. "I can't find anywhere to direct a healing."

"It wouldn't matter," Hiei said. "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. He'd 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 he shook his head. "As far as I know, her talent is ice. But if he said to ask her, it can't hurt."

"Do you know where she's at?" Wufei asked.

"I can't read from down here," Zechs said. "But it would probably be better to take Duo to her anyway. We can't have her down here when he comes back."

"You don't think he went to get her?" Wufei frowned at how quickly Zechs shook his head.

"Not a chance. 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? 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. 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...?"

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?" Heero asked, hovering at the girl's side. "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. 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?"

"I can't seem to disconnect," Zechs mumbled, rubbing his temple. "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 shook his head. "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," he 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. His friend 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, 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."

"But-"

Hiei sniffed. "If it'll shut you up, meet me here on Saturday. But if I hear another word until 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. Not another word. 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! 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. 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. His complete adoration was written so brightly on his face that he thought the girl should have been blinded by it. Then 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, 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?" he asked. "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 asked. "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?" Heero asked, his voice low.

"He should be all right now," Yukina said, giving Heero a consoling smile. "His sleep is much lighter."

Zechs turned, brushing a light bit over the boy's mind and nodding. "Dreams. 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, turning 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?" Heero asked. 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? 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, he 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 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?" Zechs asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wufei nodded. "Doesn't he look like a bumbler to you?" 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," Heero said. "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?" Quatre asked, surprise written on his face. Heero nodded.

"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, his eyes glinting at Wufei, "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. 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, I'm sure they would have been much more vocal."

"True," Wufei said. "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 blinked when Wufei sent him a strange look and he winced, shaking his head. "Don't mind me, I'm just having some problems with this."

"With what?" Quatre asked. "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?" Trowa asked. "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 he 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?"

"No," Zechs said. "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," Zechs said, a faint smile showing 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 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," Wufei said. "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."

"Oi. You're in my seat."

Wufei turned just as an arm fell down around his shoulders, a familiar boy slouching down beside him. "Yusuke."

"Newbie," Yusuke nodded. "Who're your friends? And where did you take Kuwabara off to? I can't find the baka anywhere."

"He was with Yukina the last time I saw him," Wufei said. He blinked in surprise when Yusuke gave a wide grin.

"That explains it," Yusuke sniffed. "Told you he had a bad case of Yukina-worship. So, you going to introduce me or what?"

Wufei turned, giving a quick introduction to his friends. "This is Yusuke," he said. "I met him last night in the front hall." That was enough. He could tell from their faces that they had made the connection and realized this was the other 'bumbler' he'd told them about.

"Yep," Yusuke nodded. "But you sure do get around fast. Just last night you didn't know anything about the demons. Then this afternoon there you are strolling along with Kurama like you're the best of friends. What gives?"

"He was helping me with my talents," Wufei hedged, not wanting to say too much. "I'm an elemental."

"Weatherman? That's cool." Yusuke smirked, jerking a thumb at his chest. "I'm original. No name for what I have."

It was an invitation to ask, and Wufei smirked, giving in. "And how do you describe it, then?"

"Well, I have this energy that I can shoot at people," Yusuke grinned. "And I can use it in physical attacks, or whatever I'm doing. It's a little like what Kuwabara has, only I don't have a weapon - I am the weapon. That's why I want a match with Hiei. He says you have to have multiple talents to be an A class, but I don't buy that. I might only have one special power, but I can do all sorts of things with it. He's just stuck on the old - one skill means B level kick. Humans thought up the levels, why should we have to go by those classifications? And even if we did, there's always an exception."

That was true enough, especially since this supposed 'S class' was just such an exception to the human leveling scale. Wufei frowned, thinking of his own skills. Aside from being able to block readers, he really did only have one talent. But that hadn't stopped Hiei from saying he was an A class on sight. Did being able to block mind readers really make him better than someone who had a single skill? And Quatre's skills - his main talent was being able to control mutants. Being able to read minds was second to that, but couldn't it all be considered one talent?

The idea that a mutant had to have multiple talents was fine, but no one said they had to be separate, or distinctly different talents. Heero had multiple talents. His speed and his self healing were completely separate. The same was true for Zechs and Trowa, flying or healing combined with mind reading were definitely 'multiple' talents. But Quatre in particular was an exception to that. The more he thought about it, the more it was clear to him. Quatre really had just one talent, mind control. So what was it that told Hiei whether a mutant were A class or below? And if it really was the number of talents, did that mean those of them with only one main talent had others they were unaware of?

"So what about your friends?" Yusuke prodded, drawing Wufei's attention back to him. The others exchanged a quick glance and he raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

Wufei answered it, keeping to main talents. "Quatre's a psychic, Zechs is a healer, and Trowa flies." He had an idea it was best if they didn't publicize the fact that they all had 'multiple' talents, not if the rest of the students were B class mutants.

"Those are pretty tame," Yusuke sighed, giving Quatre a sympathetic look. "Not much fun having talents you can't fight with. But still, reading minds could be neat." The blonde boy was watching him, clearly unsure what to say to that, and Yusuke leaned forward with a wide smile. "I've never talked to a mind reader before. Can you read what I'm thinking right now?"

Trowa's expression closed off, his left eyebrow twitching suddenly, and Quatre's eyes widened as a blush flamed over his cheeks. "Yes," Quatre said sharply, leaning closer to Trowa. "But I'm not interested." Yusuke grinned at him, and he blinked, his face shifting from pink to white. "And neither is Wufei!"

"What?" Wufei raised an eyebrow, looking from Quatre's horrified expression to Yusuke's sly grin. "Exactly what are you thinking over there?" he asked the Japanese boy.

"Heh, just playing with your friend here," Yusuke grinned, waving a hand at Wufei. He turned back to Quatre and gave the boy a less aggressive smile. "Really, I don't do things like that, I just wanted to see your reaction if you read what I was imagining. You should have seen your face." Quatre's stricken expression settled into an embarrassed flush, and Yusuke laughed. "Don't your friends ever do stuff like that? Not what I was thinking! I mean imagine stuff, play with the talent."

"No," Quatre said softly, still uncomfortable. He really couldn't help it, and knowing that Trowa had seen that graphic 'image' as well made him want to crawl under a rock somewhere. It was lucky that Wufei couldn't read minds or he'd probably have strangled Yusuke for thinking what he had. Quatre's gaze shifted with his thoughts and he blushed again. He could barely look at Wufei without picturing the 'scene' Yusuke had given him. That was the last time he'd looked into that boy's mind. Even if it wasn't real, Yusuke had one vivid imagination.

"You should," Yusuke smirked, "that's the whole fun of being a mutant. You can do all sorts of things regular people can't. Take me, for instance. I used to use mine all the time before I came here, scaring the crap out of the gangs in my hometown. It was a lot more fun than just picking fights."

"How old are you?" Zechs asked, frowning at the boy. He'd also picked up on those images and he couldn't for the life of him see why Yusuke would send something so crude to Quatre. A person didn't need to read minds to tell Quatre wasn't the sort to joke about things like that. As for the image of Wufei...he didn't even want to think about that. It would take days to get that one burned out of his psyche.

"Me?" Yusuke asked, blinking in surprise. "Sixteen. Why? How old are you?"

"Nineteen." His friends turned to stare at him, and Zechs shifted, clamping down so he wouldn't have to hear the surprised thoughts coming from Quatre and Wufei. As it was, Yusuke also noticed the looks they were giving him, and his suspicious thoughts were even louder.

"Wait, you guys didn't know how old he is, either?" Yusuke frowned, looking from Zechs to the blonde boy seated beside him. "Did you all just meet up here, then?"

Quatre smiled quickly, nodding. "We met recently, yes." He had to resist sending another look at Zechs. Nineteen? The man looked to be in his early twenties at the youngest. Was it a lie to throw Yusuke off track? But why would he bother to lie about his age? Keeping his calm gaze on Yusuke, Quatre passed a thought to Zechs. "This school is a great place for mutants to meet."

"I guess," Yusuke said, relaxing against the tree. He was still frowning, something niggling at the back of his mind, just out of reach. "But I haven't really tried to meet that many kids here. Most of them clench up in their little groups. It's just like being back in high school again. If I hadn't come here with Kuwabara I probably wouldn't talk to anyone but Kurama and Hiei. The rest of the students just act like babies half the time."

"You came with Kuwabara?" Quatre asked, encouraging him to talk more. He hadn't gotten any response from Zechs, and when he brushed the man's mind he'd met a sharp wall. That was probably to block out Hiei's errant thoughts, so there was no point pressing on it now. Getting past walls was one of those things Quatre still had trouble with, the same reason he couldn't read any more from Wufei than general emotions.

"We went to school together," Yusuke nodded. "His sister was the one who suggested we come here. Of course, my mom couldn't have cared less, and we hardly ever went to school anyway. This place is about the same when you really get down to it, only fewer classes and no nosy teachers whining if you don't show up. Less people to fight, though. They keep their streets clean here, no pick-pockets, nothing. It's really dull after a while. I mean, I can only beat up Kuwabara so much before we have to call it quits - wouldn't want to kill him, after all. No one else cares to fight each other, so there isn't much to do here. That's why I wanted to challenge Hiei. Him and Kurama are the only ones who know how fun it is to spar, and they won't do it if people are watching. It 'counters the pacifism this school is governed by' or some lark like that. Kurama has this whole spiel about not wanting to 'corrupt' the students, so they tell people it’s too dangerous to go near them when they’re fighting."

The boy scowled for a moment, then his head jerked up and he flashed them all a bright smile. Wufei raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Saturday," Yusuke grinned. "I got a date with Hiei on Saturday!" Wufei gave him a funny look, and he laughed. "Heh, you know how I said I wanted to have a match with him? Well, he finally agreed this afternoon. You can come watch if you want. I mean, it's Hiei, not Kurama, so it shouldn't be a problem. Kurama's the one who doesn't want to fight in front of the students. I don't think Hiei could care less."

Wufei frowned. "Didn't you say Hiei kept an eye out for you and Kuwabara so you wouldn't be able to watch their sparring matches? What makes you think he'd want other people watching him fight with you?"

"Oh that," Yusuke sniffed. "With me it won't matter. He just doesn't want people butting in on his 'private time' with Kurama. The first time I found out they were fighting in the woods, I went down to watch. I could tell from the way Hiei reacted that Kurama's the reason they don't want people watching them. Because of that silver fox form of his." He gave a wry smile and winked conspiratorially. "If you ask me, he just doesn't like to share Kurama when he looks that way. That's why I call it their private time."

A cool cold voice echoed in Wufei's mind, 'who told you that?' He winced, shaking his head at Yusuke. "I really don't think you should imply things like that about them. That they're lovers, I mean. I get the feeling they wouldn't appreciate the rumors."

"What?" Yusuke stared for a long moment before turning a sharp look on the three sitting across from him and Wufei. "You guys wouldn't repeat what I said, would you? To the other students, I mean?" Quatre shook his head immediately, and Yusuke smiled in relief. Turning back to Wufei, he caught the boy's shoulder and gave him a light shake. "I'm not a gossip, newbie. I just tell my friends what I think they should know. You and Kuwabara, and your friends here. Did you really think I would go around telling those kids out there that Kurama and Hiei are sleeping together?" He raised an eyebrow, disgust written over his face. "Talk about a bunch of bigots, I'd never tell them anything like that. Hell, the only reason I told you was because I figured you already saw the way they were lying in that tree together, so you'd be thinking about the same thing yourself if you ever talked to them. That's why I drug you to the cafeteria afterward, to make sure -you- wouldn't be starting any rumors. Had to check you out, if you know what I mean." He shrugged, tossing an arm around Wufei's shoulders. "You were cool."

"I see," Wufei said. That was a relief, but now he understood why Kurama had been so surprised by his question. Yusuke had told him the students figured they were either lovers or related, and since Yusuke was a student himself, it was true. The rest of the student body probably assumed they were related then, from having witnessed that first scene on the lawn when they arrived. But he doubted many had snuck around at night to see them being 'close' aside from Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Yeah, well, I still think they're lovers," Yusuke shrugged. "I don't know if they're actually shacking up, but they're definitely a couple. It's as obvious as you guys."

The boy had nodded to him and Trowa, and Quatre's eyes widened, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. He was still sitting rather close to Trowa, but he didn't think it was that obvious. "What gave us away?" Quatre asked. Yusuke laughed, and he frowned at the boy.

"You kidding?" Yusuke smirked. "The way you blushed and moved closer to him when I imagined you earlier, and his face. If you really expect to hide that you're an A class, you should learn to control your face better, Trowa. You looked about ready to rip my head off." Wufei's shoulders tensed under his arm, and Yusuke blinked over at him. "What? You did say his main talent was flying, right? So if he read my mind earlier, that would mean he has at least two talents. And everyone knows multiple talents mean A class. What's the matter? Didn't you know?"

"I knew," Wufei muttered, discomfort twisting his stomach.

"Then what's the problem? Did you think I'd be jealous?" Dark eyes flicked to him, and Yusuke grinned. "Don't be dense. I told you, I might only have one talent, but I know I'm an A class mutant. I just need to beat Hiei to prove it."

Quatre gave an uncertain smile, a little uncomfortable himself. He really didn't like this secrecy, not when Yusuke was being so very blunt with them about himself. "We were told none of the students were above B class, so we didn't want anyone to get angry or wary."

"Oh," Yusuke nodded, "that's smart. But you didn't have to worry about that. Everyone loves Yukina, so they're used to A class mutants."

Zechs flinched, his eyes wide. "That's right," he whispered. "Ice and healing. If she has both then that would make her A class."

"Yep," Yusuke said. "And she was the reason they started the school to begin with, seeing as how the king liked her so much. I mean, who could resist Yukina? She's like the sweetest person you'd ever meet, nothing scary or 'demonic' about her. That's why the townfolk didn't throw a fuss when they started the school." He smirked, leaning on Wufei and lowering his voice. "Did you know the people here actually thought all the students would be like her? It's really funny if you think about it. They were expecting a school full of sweet little pacifists and here they got themselves a bunch of rowdy teenage outcasts."

An A class and an S class related to each other? Zechs frowned at Yusuke, his mind twisting around this little revelation. Heero had hypothesized that Hiei and Yukina were twins, so maybe that explained it. He'd never heard of sibling mutants. In fact, most mutants were so rare you'd find maybe one for each kingdom, or one for every few thousand people. The only exceptions were close-packed countries with people from varied origins, like the Americas, where breeding between various races and ethnicities made the genetic chances of mutant ability more likely. But even then, he'd never heard of mutants who were related to each other. A set of twins was even more rare. As far as he knew no cases had arisen in which a twin was deemed a mutant and the other not - so maybe twins were the exception to the rule. Still, both being such high classed mutants? It was hard to believe OZ hadn't latched onto the pair for experimentation. They were bound to reveal answers to the genetic lineup that had caused mutations in the first place.

"I forgot that Yukina had an affinity to ice," Wufei was saying, a small frown curving his lips. "I did notice that the air seemed a bit cooler near her."

"Oh yeah," Yusuke nodded. "But that's the only real time you notice it. I mean, she never uses it, and according to Kuwabara she just feels a little cool." He smirked widely. "When he blushes she usually comments on how warm he is and asks if he has a fever, it's really funny. But I guess it doesn't hurt her to touch people. She just avoids it in case it upsets anyone. She's like that. But the only time anyone saw proof that she uses ice was after that attack, you know the one I told you about?" Wufei nodded. "Well, when Kurama went in with Hiei afterward some of the students in the hall said she cried ice." The others looked at him, and Yusuke shook his head. "I know it sounds weird but they swore up and down she cried and her tears turned into pearls or something, like they were little glittery balls of ice. That's what she wears on her neck, you know - to get into the downstairs area. I think Relena has one, too. So I guess it wasn't regular ice, the kind that melts, but they were definitely like ice. Kuwabara's seen her necklace and he swears up and down that it's a gem. But I believe that she really did cry it and it just turned into that after it fell."

Wufei thought back to the little round stone Yukina had used on the door to the room for the voice recording. "Ice that doesn't melt..."

"It would have to be," Yusuke shrugged. "If it melted she couldn't very well wear it. It would have been just a little wet spot on the floor where it landed, and even if she were keeping it frozen herself, that wouldn't explain the one Relena has - she'd be walking around with a wet shirt after a few minutes."

That last bit had been intended as a joke, but Wufei barely noticed. Wet floor, wet clothing...'everything was completely soaked...' That description sent alarm bells off in Wufei's mind and his eyes widened suddenly, flying to Zechs. The white-haired man caught his gaze and gave a slow nod, proving that he'd either read his mind or had thought of the same thing. Twins, one of which had a talent for ice, a weapon that would disappear without a trace once it melted. Only it had left a trace. It had left the entire room soaked. They'd assumed Hiei was the one responsible, they hadn't counted on there being another mutant present at the time. But Yukina? If that were true, surely OZ had made the connection. The girl had to be an identified mutant, what with her adoption being the reason for the school.

Zechs hadn’t read Wufei’s mind, but he was sure he knew what the boy was thinking. He should have made the connection sooner. Hiei’s talents were the opposite of Yukina’s, fire and ice, and that should have clicked the moment Heero mentioned that their foster father had been found in a wet room - something fire couldn’t have caused. Of course, if it wasn’t one of them it made sense that it would be the other. And ice would definitely be strong enough to crush an organ, releasing it once it melted with the liquid settling in the body without a trace. So why had it remained a mysterious death in OZ’s files? Such an obvious explanation, Treize had to know. But as much as he wondered why OZ hadn’t done anything about the twins, something else was drawing his mind away. It was the idea of Yukina killing someone. That just didn’t fit with the girl he’d met, or the gentle mind he’d brushed earlier. Even with just a brief contact like that, he had gotten a reassuring ‘aura’ from her. She exuded gentleness, and any suffering hurt her more than her own. That was the type of person she was and it was written so clearly over her being that a mere brush of her mind proved it. How could she have killed?
‘If you want answers, find them yourself.’

The arm on his shoulders tightened suddenly, and Wufei blinked in surprise at Yusuke. The boy had flinched and was looking around him with a suspicious expression. It reminded him of how the boy had pinpointed him in the stairwell the night before. “What is it?”

Yusuke scowled, staring up into the empty tree behind them before scanning the lawn again. “I thought Hiei was looking at me.” That odd statement made Wufei raise an eyebrow, and he shook his head. “You know how you get the feeling someone’s staring at you? Like the hairs on the back of your neck rise? It’s like that. But I don’t see him.”

Wufei wondered briefly at that, but he did know the sensation. It wasn’t a mutant ability since humans frequently had that feeling. But Yusuke hadn’t said ‘someone’ was looking at him, he’d said Hiei specifically. Turning, he looked over at Zechs and Quatre to see what they made of it. And his eyes widened. Zechs’ face was ashen, his hands curled in his lap, and Quatre was watching him with what looked like a concentrated glare. “Guys?” Trowa shook his head at him, reminding him of Yusuke’s presence and he ducked out of the boy’s loose grip. “Yusuke, would you mind showing me this power of yours? We could use the area downstairs. Hiei and Kurama aren’t there, and I do have access to it.”

“You do?!” That managed to work as a great distraction, Yusuke jumping to his feet with wide eyes. “How did you manage that?”

“We’re working with Kurama and Hiei to build our talents,” Wufei said, drawing the boy after him, “so they thought we should be able to go in there instead of having to use the woods all the time.”

“I can see that, but I can’t believe they’d give you access just for that. I’ve never even been down there, almost no one has.”

The two moved off, Wufei throwing one quick glance back at the others. He hated being left out of whatever was happening, but he’d just have to come back and get filled in later.

Neither Quatre nor Zechs noticed when the boys left, and Trowa turned his attention back to that dark ‘cloud’ surrounding them. It was numbing, reminding him of the mindless haze he felt when he dropped his control. And there was no need to wonder where it came from; it had a distinct signature to it, that pressing force he’d felt when Duo first met up with Kurama and Hiei and they’d lost contact with him. What he didn’t understand was why it seemed to emanate from Zechs rather than an outside source. And oddly enough, he couldn’t see through it. Not a block, but some sort of cloud masking the mind, hiding it from ‘sight’ of even his mind-reading abilities. It left him outside with nothing to do but hold Quatre’s shoulders. His lover was focused on controlling rather than reading, and that looked like it might have more effect than his attempt had.

If he’d been able to read Trowa’s mind, Quatre might have told him this wasn’t a block. Oh, Zechs still had his block up and active, and Quatre couldn’t read past it any more than he’d been able to a moment ago. At best, he had felt the man’s emotions, sudden shock, terror, and blind panicky resistance that reminded him of Une when he’d forced her to obey him. That was what had made him use his powers. Now he was focused on making the man drop his shield so he could see what was attacking him, for it was surely an attack of some kind. Quatre knew he couldn’t read past shields, but he’d never really tried to force a mutant to drop his shield. If he could control mutants, surely he could force them to let go of voluntary mental shields. Unlike Trowa or Wufei, Zechs didn’t have an involuntary shield. He put it up and dropped it himself, so controlling him should have controlled the shield. Only Zechs didn’t want to drop it, and the result was a battle that left Quatre strained and guilty. In trying to help his friend fight whatever was hurting him, he was he was in fact attacking him as well.

The struggle heightened until a crack appeared in that black block, a small crevice at best, through which something sprang free. Quatre grasped at it, meaning to identify the thought, or presence, whatever it was. And the backlash caught him in a blaze of pain unlike anything he could remember. It was like pure mental fire striking his mind and just that small wisp made him reel physically, his jaws snapping shut, instinctively swallowing the cry that tried to break free. He withdrew so fast he might have fallen if Trowa hadn’t been crouched behind him.

Trowa’s take on what happened was clearer, so he wasn’t surprised when the boy fell back. Quatre’s control had done just what he’d intended, caused Zechs to loosen his mental block. And now he knew why the man had resisted him so much. Even that slight break in his block was enough to hurt Quatre’s unguarded, focused mind. Aware that students were starting to send looks at them, Trowa kept his voice low. “Quatre? Stop pushing.” The boy was breathing raggedly through his nose, his teeth clenched shut, and he gave a faint nod. The pressure surrounding them seemed to lift after a moment, as if a cool breeze swept past, blowing away the smokey haze. And Zechs opened his eyes.

“Never...never do that again,” he whispered, his aching hands uncurling slowly. He turned a worn look to Quatre, anger shifting to worry when he saw the boy’s pained face. “With a block...you might have had...enough protection. But...to force it like that...”

“Not here,” Trowa said, eyeing the man. “Can you move? We should get away from the students.”

Zechs nodded, his joints seeming to crick when he straightened his legs. He felt as if he’d been sitting with tense muscles for hours, like the joints would break if forced into motion now. But weak as they felt, his muscles obeyed him. Quatre hadn’t faired so well, leaning heavily on Trowa. Their progress inside was doubly slow as a result, but he didn’t particularly care about the curious eyes that followed them. He’d never had a mindreader search him before, not one who could control him as well. And as strong as his own psychic talent was, Quatre had an iron force when it came to control. It had taken every bit of him to resist the boy and even that hadn’t been enough. It was like having someone come in and pry his mind open, a shocking attack that was even worse than the one that had made him lock down to begin with. Oh, Hiei was in for a rude awakening once he started working with Quatre. If he thought having him best his jagan was bad, he was bound to be furious once the seemingly sweet boy exerted control over him.

They went to Trowa’s room, where Quatre immediately shuffled to sit against the headboard, his pale face spotted with sweat. Zechs sank down beside the bed, leaning his head back on it while Trowa frowned down at the both of them. Folding his arms, Trowa directed his gaze to Zechs first. “What was that?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” Zechs warned, taking deep breaths to calm his pulse. “You know how I said I was getting random thoughts from Hiei? What I didn’t mention was that earlier I felt something in him, like some alien presence in his mind. He passed it off, but I know what I sensed. Just now I was thinking of Yukina, about her talent being ice and how that man was found in a wet room. That made me think of Hiei and then it hit me, like I was reading him again. I didn’t plan to, and I don’t know if I actually tried to read him or if one of his thoughts just got to me despite my mental block. Regardless, it was that dark...thing, that presence. I panicked.” He turned his head without lifting it, dark gaze shifting to where Quatre was watching him with tired eyes. “I was trying not to hear it when you jumped in. What the hell were you thinking?”

Hurt blazed over Quatre’s pale face and he frowned at Zechs. “I wanted to help you...I thought something was attacking you, but I couldn’t tell what it was because you’d blocked me out. I just thought if I got past your block I’d be able to help.”

Zechs winced at the reproachful look Trowa shot him, but he kept his tired focus on Quatre. “Have you ever used your controlling talent on a telephath?” The boy frowned and Zechs closed his eyes. “It was worse than trying to resist Hiei’s jagan, a direct attack on my will, not just my mind. Complete domination. If I’d known you would react that way, I’d sooner have listened to whatever thoughts that thing in Hiei’s head was trying to send me. That I might have a chance of resisting. You, though, you’re horrifying.”

Wide eyes shimmered in a very pale face, and Trowa sat down beside Quatre, pulling the boy against his side. Quatre bit his lip, pressing close to the teen’s warmth. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, “I didn’t know. I would never have...I’m so sorry...”

“You were trying to help,” Zechs sighed. He opened his eyes and gave a pained smile to the boy. “I know you had good intentions. Just please, never do that to me again. I don’t think I can handle it. And this time you nearly got yourself hurt as well. That mental block you were trying so hard to make me drop? That wasn’t just keeping you out, it was keeping those thoughts in - the ones Hiei was sending me. And just like I had to pass the jagan to read those, you would have to do the same. It took a lot of pain before I managed to disregard that defense of his. If I had dropped that shield like you wanted me to, you would have taken the full brunt of it. And as forceful as you were, it would have hit you like a freight train.” The blonde boy had lost his guilty, almost tearful expression and was starting to look worried instead. Zechs nodded to Trowa. “It isn’t quite like your uncontrolled mind,” he told the boy, “but similar. The immediate force of it is enough to render a psychic senseless. Quatre would need to build a tolerance before taking it head on.”

Quatre’s voice was soft, almost emotionless. “Then you weren’t just resisting me to keep out those thoughts, you were protecting me at the same time.”

Zechs gave a weak laugh, shaking his head. “Don’t think I’m a saint here. My first instinct was to keep that thing out of my head, pure cowardice really. I can’t help but feel like it’s a sentient being or something. It scares me. Protecting you was second to that, and I still couldn’t keep my shield up. If you’d kept pushing you’d have had it down entirely without my being able to so much as warn you.”

“What is this thing?” Trowa asked. “I felt as if a cloud fell over us, that would be the jagan, or the protection lining Hiei’s thoughts. But I never felt them earlier when you said you were getting thoughts from him. Did he come closer or something?”

“I think it was because the thoughts were lined with that thing, that presence.” Zechs knew they didn’t understand, and he shook his head. “The thoughts I got from Hiei were just like the thoughts I’d get from anyone - the only difference was that I got them even when I didn’t want to hear them. This, though, this was like the voice I heard when I was reading him earlier today. Cold, dark, aware. It was as if that thing was trying to send something to me, more than just an errant thought. It may have even been trying to communicate with me. I did think that it spoke to me earlier, though Hiei denied it. He said it was a part of him, his subconscious voice. If that’s the case, then it’s shrouded in a thick...death. That’s the only way I can describe it, almost evil, dark and scary.” He smirked at that, shaking his head again. “It makes me feel like I’m a little kid and it’s the boogeyman slithering out of the shadows to get me.”

“If it can communicate, then it could be a part of his subconscious,” Trowa said. “Perhaps he can broadcast and he just isn’t aware of it.”

“Maybe,” Zechs shrugged. “But if so, his subconscious is twisted. I didn’t get very far into his past this afternoon, but I did notice that most of his memories are dark. I guess it isn’t that strange that his subconscious would be a reflection of that - a mass of darkness.” He remembered that and turned suddenly, catching Quatre’s gaze. “He doesn’t forget anything,” he said sharply. “All of his memories are as clear as any significant memory you’d find in a person. It’s amazing and overwhelming. That’s why I didn’t get very far today. It’s too hard to pinpoint one when they’re all the same strength.”

“But a person can’t remember everything,” Quatre protested.

“I told him the same,” Zechs said. “He says a person can if he...’controls his thoughts.’ I don’t know what to make of that any more than I know why that presence scares me so much. But now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.” Trowa raised an eyebrow at him, and Zechs sighed. “I panicked because I felt that thing directed at me, just like I felt it turn its attention on me earlier when I was reading Hiei. I knew it was...coming to me, focusing on me.” He shivered, giving a weak grin even as his arms moved around himself. “I didn’t give it a chance, I automatically retaliated by putting as much as I could into my block, hoping to keep it out of my head. For all I know, it could have been trying to send me a memory - one of the ones I was looking for earlier but couldn’t pinpoint on my own. I have no idea what it was trying to do, if anything. I just felt it and clamped up, deadbolting the door to keep the monster out. But I couldn’t keep all of it out, some essence of that slipped in. So when Quatre cracked my barrier, it touched him as well.”

“I want to read him,” Trowa said. “If some part of Hiei really is seeking you out, just because you passed the jagan, then it’s too dangerous to let Quatre test it.” The blonde boy beside him scowled, and he shook his head firmly. “I know you want to work on getting past blocks, and to build a tolerance so you can work with my mind as well. But if there is something attacking those who surpass Hiei’s block, then we need to identify it first. You don’t have any resistence, Quatre. You know that.”

“But I’ll never build a resistence if I’m sheltered from it,” Quatre countered. “And you’ll be busy learning to control your own unbridled powers. You won’t have time to practice mind reading - that’s not your main talent. It’s mine.”

“No,” Zechs said, smiling when Quatre turned his glare on him. “Your talent is mind control, Quatre. And your talent is set. I’ve no doubt about that,
if you were to turn that power on Trowa, you could tear down his block and even his need to protect you wouldn’t be enough to stop you. Reading Hiei’s mind isn’t what you’ll be doing at all. What you need to do is control him. That will build that defense you want. Just take it slowly and I know you’ll succeed. The only question is whether this aware presence, or subconscious entity, or whatever it is - whether or not it will attack if you try to force your dominance over it. And if you met that on your first attempt, it would tear you apart. We need to find out its limits before you encounter it, so you’ll have to wait. It’s just too dangerous for you to rush headlong into this.”

“But how am I supposed to take it slowly if I don’t even get a chance to test myself against Hiei’s jagan?” Quatre scowled, glaring at both Trowa and Zechs.

“You can ride me,” Zechs said. He smirked when his choice of words made Trowa raise an eyebrow at him. “Ride my mind, I mean. The next time I read him, you can do mental sweeps over us, pulling back if the jagan hurts you. That’s better than a direct confrontation, and hopefully this thing won’t latch onto you.”

“Wouldn’t I have to be downstairs to do that?” Quatre asked. “And if psychics are hurt around Hiei’s jagan, wouldn’t it be just as painful to be near when he uses it as it is to try reading him?”

“I’ll see if I can get him to go outside. If we move to that area in the woods, the distance would be enough to keep it from affecting the students, and you’d still be able to reach us - and pull back if it’s too much for you. It would be like what you felt when Duo went near him, painful, but not so strong from so far away.” The boy seemed to be thinking about it, and Zechs sighed. “But not tomorrow. I know it sounds bad, but I’m not ready to go back into his mind, especially now that I know it can reach me even when I’m not trying to read him.” He eased himself to his feet, giving the two boys a weak smile. “I can work on my healing without a victim, so that should keep me occupied for a day.”

Trowa stood, following him to the door. “You can heal yourself, then?”

“So long as it isn’t in an awkward place, I don’t see why not,” Zechs smirked. “I should be able to, even if it means pretending the injured part belongs to someone else. I’ve never been able to do the instinctive self-healing that Heero has, but it’s worth experimenting with. And who knows, if it burns as much as you and Duo say, maybe that will teach me to master it quicker. I’ll find out tomorrow after we meet.” He paused outside the door, turning back. “Do you think Duo will be well enough for us to meet for breakfast?”

“If not, I’m sure Heero will tell us,” Trowa shrugged. “We’ll meet regardless.” He frowned as he stepped into the hall, looking at the few students wandering around outside. “And I’ll find Wufei to fill him in. He wasn’t happy about being left out.”

“We should probably check out that friend of his,” Zechs said. “He’s been helpful, but if he spends enough time around us he’ll start to wonder. It wouldn’t be good for any of the students to realize why we’re here. Yusuke, though, seems more like one of us.”

“Agreed,” Trowa said. “I’ll speak to Wufei about it.”

“I’m going to see Relena, then.” The reluctance was plain on his face, but Zechs straightened his shoulders resolutely. “I have a lot to talk to her about, so I probably won’t see the rest of you till tomorrow.” Trowa nodded and he turned away, heading off down the hall. Seeing his sister made a knot of discomfort form in his throat, but there was no helping that. He needed to know exactly how much contact she had with the neighboring countries, and more importantly, if she had contact with OZ. The fact that she was now harboring so many mutants made her public enemy number one for the OZ faction. He couldn’t help but wonder how she was keeping the peace with the kingdom’s former allies, and how she was holding OZ at bay.

---

That split-second distraction idea hadn’t been well thought out, as Wufei realized once they entered the area below the school. As much as Yusuke seemed eager to show off his powers, he admitted they were too destructive to use without a partner. He couldn’t very well punch holes in the floor or walls without getting in trouble, so he subsided to merely ‘showing’ it. And like Yukina and Kuwabara, he did that in a visible way. The blinding white glow was like a shroud enveloping him, something that triggered a sharp memory for Wufei. He reminded him of Trowa when the boy had lost control in the OZ complex and gone berserk. The only visible difference was the color, and Yusuke wasn’t floating off the floor. Still, it had that same feeling of...power, as if he could sense the energy radiating off of him. That was more than he’d gotten from watching Yukina earlier, or Kuwabara. This felt like an offensive force, something that crackled the edges of his mind, making itself apparent even from a distance.

After the short display, Yusuke took advantage of the situation, clamping a hand on Wufei’s wrist and dragging him toward the glass windows across the wide floor. “Might as well explore while the demons are out,” Yusuke grinned.

Wufei’s eyes widened and he tugged sharply on his arm, not quite pulling free. “That’s not wise,” he said quickly. “They could be back at any time. My bringing you down here to see your power is one thing, snooping is out of the question.”

“Don’t be dull,” Yusuke admonished, still smirking. He drug Wufei over to the office like room and released him at the door. A quick look proved there wasn’t much to see aside from the sitting area and a small refrigerator that might have served in any office or apartment. He turned away without bothering to go inside. His eyes had caught a more tantalizing sight, the doors to the left of the room. “I wonder which one’s theirs...”

“No!” Wufei kicked himself mentally for bringing the curious boy here, and he darted after Yusuke. He grabbed the boy’s shoulder just as he was reaching for the closest door. “You can’t-“

“Sure I can,” Yusuke said, shrugging him off. “What do you think they’re hiding? This place used to be used for duelists, so it’s probably just dressing rooms and showers. It’s not like I’m going through their drawers looking for dirty little secrets. I just want to see the rooms that are supposed to be down here.” He tossed a look back at Wufei, frowning when he found the boy looking more than a little skittish. “You really think they’d throw a fuss if they found us poking around down here?”

“Yes,” Wufei said sharply. “And there’s no need to snoop. Let’s go. I never should have brought you in here.”

“You’re a little uptight,” Yusuke sighed, “you know that, right? Really, you should take more risks, have fun. Don’t you want to see if the swords are still down here?”

“Swords?”

Wufei’s face had shifted, a little hint of light flashing past his eyes. Yusuke grinned, catching the boy’s shoulders and drawing him over to the door he’d been about to open. “I told you, they used this for duels back in the old days. They probably were just fencers, but you never know. They still have the stands in some of the rooms - the type that hold swords, but they’re all empty now so the students won’t play with them.” He rolled his eyes at the very thought. “But they had to have put them somewhere, ne? I figure down here makes sense. I’m not much one for using weapons, but really old ones like that would be neat to look at. And I’ve been wondering where Hiei got his, it has a strange hilt. It doesn’t look old enough to be from here, but I can’t really tell off-hand.”

“His sword is old,” Wufei nodded, “but well kept. It’s the sort of sword people might keep in their homes in Japan, what old samurai used. The hilt is strange, though, now that you mention it. I don’t think it goes with the blade.”

“That’s what I thought,” Yusuke nodded. “The blade is definitely newer than that hilt. I bet he switched it with one of the ones down here.”

“If they are down here,” Wufei frowned. He knew he shouldn’t be encouraging this, but he was curious to see what sort of weapons might be stored down here. Yukina had said there were rooms for students if they cared to relocate, she hadn’t mentioned anything about a storage area. Yusuke was reaching for the doorknob again, and Wufei sighed, steeling himself for what would come if they got caught. But it was just a shower room, not too much different from the large one they’d had at the safe house.

Yusuke frowned in disappointment, but hurried off to try the next door. That one led to a short dead-end hall with more doors lining it. “Bedrooms,” Yusuke smirked, “or dressingrooms.”

“Then there’s no need to look in there,” Wufei said sharply.

“Just wait a minute,” Yusuke smirked. He walked down the hall, glancing from side to side, and stopped by the last door on his right. “This one.”

He hadn’t moved from the doorway, and Wufei shifted impatiently. “What about it?” The boy didn’t look back as he opened the door and looked inside.

“Wow,” Yusuke murmured, staring into the dim room. “I wondered.”

“What is it?” Wufei scowled and gave in, rushing down the hall to see what the boy was staring at. And he promptly blushed. With a determined scowl, he jerked the door shut, rounding on Yusuke and pointing toward the exit. “Out.”

“Oh come on, I was just looking.” Yusuke grinned as he was pushed out of the hall, tossing a look back over his shoulder. “They’re about the most eccentric people I’ve ever known, I just knew it extended to their bedroom. And I was right, they’re definitely sleeping together. No one needs that much room if he’s sleeping alone. Looked more like a nest, though, with all those blankets and the plants. Of course, Kurama had to have set that up.”

“Just go,” Wufei growled, prodding the boy out of the hall and shutting the door firmly behind them. “You may not be a gossip, but you’re definitely nosey.”

“Only with my friends,” Yusuke smiled. “And it’s not like they’d really care all that much. You heard Kurama earlier, didn’t you? They knew I was spying on them last night. They probably didn’t realize you were there as well, but they knew Kuwabara and I were. If they didn’t want me seeing them, they wouldn’t have just stayed there and let me watch. I don’t think they care at all. It’s not like I’d hold it against them, and it gives me something to do, investigating. I would have made a good detective, if I weren’t a mutant.”

“You?” Wufei snorted, disbelief covering his face. “No way.” He was still prodding the boy, and he continued, directing him across the wide floor and toward the stairwell. They weren’t staying for any more of Yusuke’s ‘investigating.’ One thing Wufei was not, was a snoop.

“No?” Yusuke frowned. “Then I guess I didn’t notice that you suggested this little trip to distract me from what was going on outside, either. Being so dense, I wouldn’t have realized it had something to do with Hiei and Zechs, or that Quatre was reading the guy when we left. And I definitely didn’t notice that something I said about Yukina struck a nerve earlier. No way would I have put two and two together and figured out that you guys are hiding a lot more than Trowa being an A class. Or that you were asking pointed questions about Kurama because you’d already met him - last night since you were gone all day and had access to this area when you came back, meaning you had to have gotten it last night or the day before. Someone who noticed things like that would make a good detective, and like you said, no way I could be a detective.”

The hand on his back fell away, and Yusuke turned, smirking at Wufei’s blank face. “What? Did you think I was stupid? I might not be a genius like Kurama, but I’m not a moron. Heck, even Kuwabara isn’t that dumb, though you’d never know it unless you spent time with him. We’ve been scoping out gangs for years, force of habit, really. It’s nice to know about your rivals, or your friends. That’s why I like to spy on Kurama and Hiei, to see how they tick. They’re too unique. You guys have that same mystery. If I hadn’t seen how surprised you were when you found out Zechs’ age earlier, I’d never believe you just met recently. You look like a gang, as clear as Kurama and Hiei look like a couple. And gangs don’t function if the members don’t know each other well.”

“We have known each other for a while,” Wufei said slowly, still taken back by this twist. Yusuke didn’t seem different, so it wasn’t as if he’d been wearing a mask before. He just hadn’t expected the boy to be so...quick to put things together. That first impression of the bumblers on the stairwell was simply too amateurish to take either of them seriously. “But we haven’t known Zechs for more than a few days.”

“That makes sense,” Yusuke nodded. “Still funny that you didn’t even know how old he is. I figured that would be something you ask right away. Introductions, you know? Yo, my name is Urameshi Yusuke. I’m a sixteen year old mutant with one original talent, a big galoot for a partner, and an alcoholic mother. I like to tease my friends and beat up my enemies. Nice to meet you.” He shrugged, passing Wufei so he could open the door. “I guess you guys are more closed-mouthed than that. But that’s cool, everyone has his quirks.” Wufei didn’t follow when he took a step through the door, and he paused, frowning back at him. “You coming? You did want to get out of here before those two came back, ne?”

Wufei gave a dumb nod, not sure what to say to the boy.

“Let’s go, then. I need to find Kuwabara before Hiei kicks his ass for hanging too close to Yukina. You’d think he had a death wish, the way he drools over her.” A wide eyed stare struck him, and Yusuke smirked, waving Wufei to precede him up the stairs. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know Hiei and Yukina are twins, I won’t believe you. You wouldn’t have said Yukina was the only person aside from Kurama who’d touch Hiei, if you didn’t know.” The boy blinked wide eyes back at him, and Yusuke laughed, giving him a light shove. “Yeah, I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I. You don’t have to be dumb to be a thug, newbie, just restless.”

“Wufei.”

“Right,” Yusuke smirked, “Wufei. But I’ll call you newbie till you get used to me. It’s more fun that way.”

---
TBC
-notes-
Next part will pick up here, mostly Kurama/Hiei and Heero/Duo, though others might slip in.