Dragons on the Doorstep
~*~ H
Very early the next morning, Quatre was up and dressed before anyone else. The apartment needed to be prepared for its visitor. The last thing he wanted was for Heero Yuy to think he had not been taking adequate care of his Chosen by treating him in a place that wasn’t clean.
So he swept and mopped and tidied as much as possible without waking Trowa or their guests. When he’d finished, the apartment fairly sparkled.
Next, Quatre changed into outdoor clothes and shrugged into his winter cloak, found his gloves and snagged a shopping bag, and went out to get the finishing touches. When he returned, he had flowers to arrange and soup to make.
He found vases and set the flowers in the lounge room and the workroom. He scrubbed out the soup pot and peeled and chopped the vegetables for the soup and set it to simmer on the range.
About an hour later, Duo wandered out, wearing Quatre’s silk robe, and inhaled deeply.
“Making soup?”
“Yes. Your Chosen has traveled a long way; I thought it would be nice to offer him something to eat when he arrives. I’m not sure what the hospitality rules are in Japan or with dragons, but I think food is welcomed for everyone.”
“Always.” Duo came to hug Quatre. “Want Chosen to taste wonderful soup. Another reason to have Quatre in Japan - fresh soup!”
Quatre laughed. “There is that, true.”
He gathered up the vase with its floral arrangement of sunflowers, gerber daisies and purple carnations and carried it into the lounge room. Duo followed and sighed before poking Wufei.
“Wufei! Is morning! Must get up! Heero will be here soon! Quatre is making soup!”
He grinned at the dragon on the sofa and received a grin back. “You are right. I am being lazy, but I feel so happy to have you back and to know that Heero will be here soon. But soup? You are excited for soup?”
“Must taste Quatre’s soup! Is amazing!”
Wufei noticed that the Healer was moving around the room, tweaking and tidying. “I am sorry! I am in your way. Let me change and put these things away. Do you have a laundry in-house or do you use a service? I will pay for it this month if you do.”
“Oh no. We have machines in-house. I will just add those things to our usual chores.”
Chang Wufei folded the blankets and sheets neatly and stripped the case from the pillow. Quatre directed him toward the laundry corner of the workroom.
“Oh my,” said Wufei when he entered the kitchen. “That does smell delicious. Is this the soup that Duo has been raving about?”
“It is,” said Quatre proudly. “My own recipe and good for rejuvenation, healing and relaxation.”
“I have a feeling that all the dragons will be clamoring for this recipe, once they taste it. Even the scent of it is invigorating.”
Quatre preened, even though he found his own behavior silly. “It would be my pleasure. I enjoy cooking and sharing my recipes.”
Duo bounced into the room, fully dressed now. “Is almost fifteen hours! Chosen should be here any minute!”
“Oh heavens!” exclaimed Quatre. Trowa was still in bed. He rushed into the Mage’s room and shook him awake. “Trowa! Get up! Heero Yuy will be here any minute! I’ve already cleaned and shopped and put out flowers and started soup! Up, Mr Slugabed!”
“I’m up, I’m up!” The young Mage struggled out of bed and reached for clothing. “What time is it and I smell fresh soup.”
“It’s after ten and I made soup. Heero Yuy is flying a very long way; I’m sure he will be hungry when he arrives. We must be good hosts.”
“Right… I’d better shave…”
“Yes, you should. It’ll help you wake up.”
Quatre bustled out to the kitchen where Duo was inhaling the steam from the soup.
“Smells so good!”
“I hope your Chosen will consent to eat with us.”
“Of course will. Part of argument ask Quatre come to Japan,” Duo said.
Quatre could only laugh. Duo certainly took the argument seriously, though Quatre doubted that Heero Yuy could refuse his Chosen anything.
“Is here! Has just landed! Coming!” He ran to the outer door and flung it open to find a lean, dark-haired man standing on the mat. “Chosen!” cried Duo and flung himself into the man’s arms.
Heero Yuy clutched the Kewpie to him. “My love,” he murmured. “Ai’shiteru, my angel.”
Wufei came to stand next to Quatre, once again in human form. “I love seeing them together; it gives me hope,” he said softly. “That I can someday find such a love.”
Quatre found himself studying the man standing with the little Kewpie. Chocolate brown hair, shaggy and mussed, blue eyes so intense they might be radioactive; clothing similar to Wufei’s, a spring green tunic with long bell sleeves, slim black trousers, and black cossack boots. Very handsome, almost beautiful, Quatre noted. A heart-shaped face, thin lips and dark brows. Lashes long enough to embarrass any woman. In one ear, a sapphire stud, in the other a platinum ring. The Healer stared hard at the sapphire stud. That was not just a gemstone earring… Aha! It vibrated with an unusual frequency. It was a communication device. How clever! He glanced at Wufei and noticed for the first time that the other dragon also wore a sapphire stud in his right ear.
Quatre blinked. The platinum ring…
“Wufei, what is the platinum earring Heero wears?”
“It symbolizes that he is Chosen. Why?”
“Did Duo wear one, also?”
“Yes… Yes, he did. It’s missing. His earring is missing,” he breathed. “That thrice-damned chikan took his ring.”
“I didn’t know,” whispered Quatre. “I’ve been looking at him for over a week and just now realized that the spot on his ear was an empty piercing. Then where did his earring go? It is platinum, isn’t it?”
“Yes… Very valuable. Almost pure platinum. Dragons do not give mediocre presents.”
“Didn’t think so.”
He raised his voice to catch the attention of the others. “Duo’s earring is missing. It might have been pawned.”
Trowa blinked and looked at Duo, as if expecting to see the jewelry. Heero and Duo looked up, the dragon noticing that his Chosen’s symbol was gone. He touched Duo’s cheek and rumbled something in a foreign language. Duo touched his ear and shook his head.
“Oh no! Took ring! Did not even notice!” His face fell and tears sprang to his eyes.
Heero Yuy hugged him close and murmured softly. Duo replied in a whisper. Yuy clutched him tightly, voice going rough. A moment of whispered conversation, then Heero turned with his arm around his Chosen and bowed to Quatre.
“Master Healer, my beloved Chosen has told me of your skill in healing and your sadness at not being able to save our child. Thank you for saving the life of my beloved.” He bowed to Trowa. “Thank you, Mage for finding my beloved and for working so hard to restore his voice.”
Both humans returned the bow and then Quatre took charge. He shepherded everyone into the lounge room. “Trowa, tea for everyone, please. Everyone, please sit. I'm sure you have many questions, Mr Yuy. We will do our best to answer as many as we can.”
They all sat, Duo choosing to sit on Heero’s lap, within the circle of his arms. Heero murmured quietly to Chang, smiling at his friend. A sharp gesture and he produced a scrap of parchment.
“Oh!” cried Quatre. “You got the seeking! I am so glad it found you!”
“Ah. Did you send this?”
“Yes! I wasn’t sure if or when it would find you. Trowa did the seeking for Chang Wufei, because Duo thought you would be flying and that Wufei would be easier to find. My magic is very different from Mage's magic. And as it turned out, Wufei was indeed easier for his seeking to find, and mine eventually found you.”
“Quatre modest,” declared Duo with a laugh. “Quatre had idea for seeking and gathered information for success. Quatre excellent Healer! Want Quatre to come to Japan for next baby! Bring soup and tea recipes!”
Wufei tried to stifle a laugh and failed. Heero met the laughter with a raised eyebrow. Duo giggled. “He spent the better part of yesterday telling us that you would hire Quatre to be his Healer for the next baby! No questions asked.”
“This is what or who you want?” Yuy asked with a smile.
“Yes! Only Quatre!”
Trowa entered with the tea tray then, and Duo expanded on his demand. “Quatre and Trowa should come to Japan!”
Trowa managed to hide his startlement at the Kewpie’s insistence, and handed round the teacups. He settled next to Quatre and looked expectantly at his friend. “What did I miss?”
“Just the Whys and Wherefores of your seekings. Why don't you give Heero the whole tale in order of occurrence?” suggested Wufei. “Even I have not heard the whole story, in order. Until Duo regained his voice, he was forced to write everything out, so condensed a lot.”
“We can do that,” grinned Quatre. “We'll do our best and Duo can remind us if we forget something.” Duo nodded eagerly.
They began the tale with finding Duo in the alley and bringing him home and discovering that his voice had been silenced, continued through the miscarriage and Quatre’s attention to his injuries and the fact that without care Duo would have died in the alley. Duo explained his shock at finding his voice gone and then his surprise at surviving. Occasionally one of the dragons would ask a question. Heero asked why Duo was naked when found and Trowa replied with their guess that it was to make identification harder. Duo bemoaned the loss of his leather jacket and Heero promised a new one as soon as they got home.
Wufei asked what Quatre had meant when he said that Duo’s earring had probably been pawned. The attacker, he explained, had probably been smart enough to get rid of the jewelry, but not smart enough to pass up the value. It suggested, said Quatre, that the attacker was an amateur and had hopefully made other errors. Heero asked if it was likely that Duo’s clothing had also been pawned. Trowa agreed that it was very possible, since Duo had described it as designer label.
Quatre suggested checking the local pawn shops and Wufei agreed to take on that task. The Healer offered to go with him, since he knew the area, and it seemed as if the attacker would try to get rid of the clothing and jewelry as soon as possible.
One thing no one had thought of was brought up by Heero.
“How did he get Duo from Tokyo to Willowmarsh? Is this a Mage or Wizard?”
“Oh my god..” breathed Trowa. “We’ve been so caught up in making sure Duo was all right, we never considered how he got here!” He turned to Quatre. “A portal, do you think? That would increase the likelihood that the attacker is familiar with this area. Maybe even the university.”
“It must be,” Quatre agreed. “But who do we know who can cast a portal? I certainly can’t. I don’t think any Healer could. Would it be more likely a Wizard or a Mage?”
“I think a Wizard, more than a Mage. I don’t know any Mages at the school who can make a portal large enough to move two people at once. I can make one about four inches in diameter, but it takes an insane amount of preparation and about six hours of time. And it’s exhausting. It’s been almost… six months since I made one. A Wizard might be able to do it, but again, an insane amount of prep and personal energy expenditure.” He looked thoughtful and everyone waited for him to continue. “I think, just think, mind you, that the best bet for a portal that large would be a Sorcerer, and I don’t know of any Sorcerers in the area.”
“Maybe,” began Quatre, “It was a Sorcerer who used to live here. Maybe he went to school here. Is there any way you can find out at the school when the last Sorcerer was here?”
Trowa blew his bangs up. “You know how seriously they take privacy; I’m not sure I could get anywhere. And if we asked an instructor, we’d probably have to tell them about Duo.”
“Oh!” cried Quatre. “Duo!”
Everyone stared at him. “Duo’s magic! Duo, can you ask your magic to identify a Sorcerer? Does it work that way?”
“Do not know…” said Duo thoughtfully. “Maybe attempt, work out parameters… Will think on idea.”
Duo ruminated on that suggestion as his hosts returned to the tale of finding and helping him.
They detailed attempting to get the grimoire to cooperate and Quatre’s decision to recover the book as a result. Wufei told of answering the summons and finally finding Duo as a result and being shocked at all that had happened. They offered their conclusion that the perpetrator had most likely been a human with a grudge against Kewpies in general as opposed to Duo in particular.
Heero added that lately there were more visiting humans in the area in which they lived, as it was convention season in Tokyo. That may have led to Duo being targeted.
After a couple of hours, Quatre offered lunch and Duo demanded that they all stay for soup. Wufei added his own praise for Quatre’s cooking and Heero agreed, with good humor, that he'd better try it.
While they ate, they considered again the possibility that Duo’s assailant lived in or was at least familiar with the area, since they knew where to dump him. It was pure good luck that he was found by someone who knew about Kewpies.
Heero and Duo determined they would canvass the neighborhood to search for the scent of the attacker. And they agreed that they would handle that person when found.
“Duo is right,” said Heero. “This is delicious soup. I taste magic, as well, yes?”
“I like to add healing, and restoration in general to my cooking, because sometimes life is exhausting,” explained the Healer.
“I've already told him that he must share his tea blend with us,” declared Wufei. “It was wonderful after my long flight. Made me feel fifty years younger.”
“Love Quatre’s cooking,” said Duo dreamily. “Healing and soup together work miracles. Saved life.” He leaned his head on Heero’s shoulder. “Truly.”
“I am in your debt, for the life of my Chosen.”
“Not necessary. I am a Healer; it's what I do. I can no more walk away from someone in need than I could flap my arms and fly to the moon. But I willingly admit to finding Duo likable, charming, and adorable. I am proud to call him a friend.”
“Quatre great friend! Quatre and Trowa both great friends. Trowa found and Quatre saved. Want in Japan.”
Wufei laughed. “Heero, you might as well agree to hire them; Duo is not giving up until you do.”
“I will not argue with my love on this,” said Heero with good humor. “But I would like to revisit this idea of a Sorcerer able to make a portal. Duo, my love, have you considered whether you could find such a person?”
“Theoretically could… but not sure how to go about. Think more information needed. Does university keep lists of students or graduates?”
Quatre snapped his fingers. “Alumni rolls! Would those list the graduates by specialty? I have a class tomorrow with Dr Ivy; I can ask her!”
“In the meantime, I can try to figure out some parameters for Duo,” offered Trowa. “Let’s see, first would have to be large portal magic, Sorcerer, grudge-holder… what else, Quat?”
“Um… Shepherd’s Crossing area? Bis Shanoden… No way of knowing what, if any specialty he took… Huh. Bad deal maker?”
Wufei raised a finger. “Question? We all keep saying ‘he’ or ’him’; why? Is this not something that would be within the capabilities of a woman?”
“Oh, good question!” said Trowa. He looked at Quatre. “What do you think? Could a woman have done it?”
“Well… Duo is small; a strong woman might have been able to carry him, but I don’t know if a woman could do the damage we found. The shoe prints were rather large. And the bruises were also from large hands. I just don’t know… I’m having trouble thinking a woman could be so very brutal, and then to get rid of his clothing and jewelry… That suggests someone with a very well-thought-out plan. Not that a woman could not come up with such a plan, but would she? And the miscarriage… That suggests pure cruelty.” He considered it thoughtfully. “No, it just doesn’t feel like a woman to me. It’s always felt like the kind of anger only men are capable of. And maybe more than a bit of masculine ego…”
“Also, I don’t know if there are any female Sorcerers currently working,” said Trowa. “I haven’t heard of any, and they are rare enough that I think everyone would know if there were any currently active.”
“Let’s continue with our original supposition,” said Heero. “The injuries you have described are more likely to have been inflicted by a man. No insult to you intended, but human and part human men seem more inclined to take their anger out on those smaller than themselves.”
“None taken,” murmured Quatre, “And yes, some human men do tend to beat on those weaker than themselves to make themselves feel better. I don’t understand it, but it is an actual psychological condition, so I have to keep it in mind when I encounter cases of domestic abuse.”
Duo looked at him with shimmering eyes. “Friend deals with that? So sorry, so painful for Quatre.”
“It is, yes. It’s part of my job, though.” He sighed deeply. “It’s wearing, I won’t lie, but that’s why I make the Healer’s tea.”
It was Heero who made the logical jump. “You are empathic as well as a Healer,” he said softly. “It must have been an ordeal to help Duo, as badly as he was injured.”
Reluctantly, Quatre agreed. “I am used to pulling the pain of others into myself.”
“But it is more than a traditional Healer does. Again, I am awed by your commitment to saving my Chosen. If ever you are in need of anything I can do for you - anything at all - you must call on me. I swear this by the Great Dragons.”
Quatre blinked at his insistence. Surely the man was deeply in love with his Chosen to swear such a thing to someone he barely knew.
“If it pleases the dragon, I shall,” he replied formally.
A portentous silence hung between them for a few minutes, until Wufei cleared his throat.
“Do we want to do our searching today, or to wait until tomorrow? Is it too late today to find pawn shops open?”
“No,” said Trowa. “Most pawn shops here stay open until midnight. Not everyone wants to be seen going into one during the day. There are fewer than a dozen in this area; I think we can cover them all in a few hours. Shall we do it today?”
Quatre looked at the clock. “I think there is time, but is Duo up to stalking his attacker today? Duo? What do you think? I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”
“Think…” began Duo thoughtfully, “can do at least a few hours. May have to stop early, though.” He looked to his dragon. “A few hours, with the caveat that may bring back if get too tired.”
Heero embraced him and said to Quatre, “We will start today, even though we may not finish. We will at least make a start. Does everyone agree?”
He received four nods. “Then we will go now. What will each of us be doing? Duo and I will search for the attacker’s scent.”
“Quatre and I will go to the pawn shops,” said Wufei.
“I’ll see if I can get my hands on the alumni lists,” said Trowa. “And I will ask about any Sorcerers currently active.”
“Agreed,” chorused five voices.