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"Targets"Written By: Dùlin
Archive: This arc is archived on this site with permission. Do not reproduce it anywhere without permission. Disclaimer : I don't own them. Life is not fair. Rating : An overall NC-17 for violence and language and some mature subjects Warnings : okay, to serious stuff. Pairings : Pay attention people, it's complicated
! Summary : When Mr Winner's charity programs threaten the interests of some crime lords, a criminal syndicate hires Heero Yuy, the best killer of the galaxy, to take care of the problem by eliminating the man's son, Quatre Raberba Winner. But soon, the killer finds himself trapped by his not-so-innocent target into a strange seduction game, in which he does not know if he's the hunter or the prey. Author's note : This story takes place in the GW universe with space colonies and AC calendar, except that there are no Gundams, no Earth Sphere Alliance and no Oz. The boys are just not Gundam pilots. Oh, and for you to understand better, Relena, Duo and Quatre are all around 18, and the three others are 2 or 3 years older. Dedicated to Laurence-sama, my dear best friend and beta-reader and the Japanese gal around!
"Targets"
Part 15 Heero smiled, not really a happy smile. “Well, your abilities may have been overestimated, Agent Wind”, he said. “If I remember well the files I saw, part of your investigation implied my arrest. Are you telling me that in six months, you couldn’t find a single file with a picture to tell you who I am ? I’m disappointed. Or maybe I am just too good at covering my tracks.” “Who are you ?”, Milliardo asked. “Just think a little, and I am sure you’ll find. April 5th, L1-R897, Otto Walker (1). One nice clean shot. You were so eager for him to stay alive that you blocked two of my tries to kill him. That was enough for me to try and discover who you really were.” Milliardo’s eyes widened as he suddenly understood who was in front of him. “You’re Heero Yuy.” “Himself. I suppose the man was one of your informants.” “Yes. He was discovered and you were called to eliminate him.” “Exactly.” Silence fell. Ice-blue eyes and Prussian blue eyes were glaring. Quatre cleared his throat. “Uh, excuse me … but … what is this all about ?” “Well, Mr Winner”, Milliardo explained, “since the Doctors had hired Heero Yuy to eliminate you and was generally a nuisance for my inquiry, I was asked to try and arrest him if I could. But something has changed my priorities.” He turned to Heero. “May I know why you suddenly changed your mind and decided to stop working for the Doctors ?” “No”, Heero replied coldly. “You do not need to know the reason. And if I have to remind you once again that I did not work for the Doctors, but only for myself, I’m sure you will regret it.” Lucrezia frowned, but Milliardo stopped her before she had time to utter any kind of protestation. “Of course, I’m sorry. That very interesting phone call should have reminded me that.” Heero raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. “The Doctors, Treize and Dermail have held a meeting on L3. They wished to ‘deal’ with the problem you represented. I personally think they’re fools to brush your threats away like this. But they will attack soon, whatever happens.” “That’s the understatement of the year, buddy !”, Duo cut in. “Cat and Heero have targets painted on their backs right now ! Heero told us that every lil’ killer in the trade is ready to take him out for free because that will make them the new bosses ‘round, and as far as I know killers, that’s probably right ! We’re in the deepest shit I’ve ever seen in my life, and believe me, I’ve seen a lot !” “Anyway”, Milliardo kept on, “I can give you some information that you may not be able to get your hands on as rapidly as myself.” “What kind of information ?”, Quatre asked. “Well, since I am Treize’s personal assistant and he trusts me, he now lets me handle the dirtiest parts of his business. One of this dirty parts being preventing people from threatening his interests. The only reason Zechs Merquise was not called on your case was because the Doctors had already hired Mr Yuy, without consulting Treize. And then, something must have happened that made Mr Yuy change his mind.” Milliardo was almost sure that Quatre Winner blushed when he said those last words, but it was so fugitive that he wondered if he had not imagined it. “J recorded the phone call, and he made us listen to it”, Milliardo explained. “He is really not happy with you, Mr Yuy. He knows perfectly well that your act sentenced you to death in your community. But he fears you. They all fear you. You are a loose canon now. Everything was fine as long as you were on their side, or neutral. But you practically declared open war on them. And you don’t fear them.” Heero smirked. “Does it mean that you’re not going to try and arrest me, Agent Wind ?” Milliardo looked at him very seriously before he answered. “Even if I wanted to arrest you, Mr Yuy, I doubt I would be able to do it now and here. For one thing, I also took the liberty to research your background. The fragmented pieces of information I was able to gather are enough to prove that I am not up to the challenge yet. And then, I suppose those three young men would do anything in their power to prevent me from arresting you. So, no, I am not going to try and arrest you. I am not even going to mention this meeting to the man I am forced to call my superior. However, Colonel Fujirawa will need to be informed. But not through official channels.” “Okay, so let me see if I sum up everything alright”, Duo interrupted. “You (he pointed at Milliardo) work for the good guys and pretend to be a bad guy to arrest them. You (he pointed at Heero) were hired by the bad guys to kill Quatre but somethin’ we won’t talk about here made you decide to protect him. You (he pointed at Relena) had absolutely no idea any this was goin’ on and just happened to be the one who messed everything up without knowin’. You (he pointed at Lucrezia Noin) … well I have absolutely no idea what you are doing in all this shit. And Wu, Cat and I are stuck in the middle of that ! Okay, what do we do now ?” Milliardo gaped at the young American throughout the tirade. This was probably going to be more difficult than he had expected. All of those young men were very stubborn. That Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei were protecting Quatre Winner. The young man seemed perfectly aware of the fact that Heero Yuy had been hired to kill him, and yet he was allowing the man to follow him around and protect him. Sure, in the phone call, Heero Yuy had clearly stated that he would protect Quatre Winner. But Milliardo had assumed that he would stay in the shadows and kill anyone who would try to approach him. But there was something strange between those two. They had not even exchanged a word since the beginning of the conversation, and just a few looks, but … Milliardo couldn’t help feeling they understood each other very well. Maybe a bit too well. “Well, I didn’t really have time for a plan, but basically, you don’t need to do anything else that what you’ve been doing so far”, Milliardo explained. “Mr Winner, you should keep on setting those charities as if you knew absolutely nothing, while your friends will do their best to keep you alive if need be. I, for my part, could warn you if I get any information about someone sent after you.” Quatre nodded. “Is there any threat we should be aware of at the moment ?”, he asked. “Yes”, Milliardo sighed. “The Doctors asked Lady Une to finish the job.” Quatre, Wufei, and Relena stared blankly at him, but something lightened in Heero’s blue eyes. Although he showed no signs of nervousness, it was obvious the Japanese man knew who was talked about. “Lady Une ? Now that’s interesting. Why do they think she will do better than me ?”, he asked sarcastically. “She has been given free rein to do whatever she wants to stop the charities”, Milliardo said. “And she’s ready to do it for free. She didn’t ask for a reward, except for the, I quote, uttermost pleasure of killing you.” Heero’s eyes narrowed. “If she’s taking it personally, it’s different. That could become dangerous.” “That is why I’m warning you. I had absolutely no idea as to how I was going to stop this.” “Who is Lady Une ?”, Quatre interrupted. “Hired killer”, Heero said. “One of the best, but unfortunately for us, not one of the sanest. She could become very dangerous.” “She’s a psycho”, Duo said, earning puzzled glances from everyone in the room, especially from Heero and Milliardo. “How come you even know her name ?”, Milliardo asked. “Hey, let’s not forget where the street rat comes from, okay ?”, Duo replied. “I’m a street child from L2, if that means anything to you. The orphanage I lived in was burnt, and to hell if it was an accident ! People didn’t like charities at that time either ! She was the one who started the fire !” “Duo … you never told me that”, Quatre said. “What good would it have done, Cat ? What’s over is over, and my friends will not spring back alive by magic ! I just know she’s the one who did it, so I’m not gonna let her take another friend from me !” Duo lifted his chin to give a sense of finality to his words. It could have been funny if the backstory hadn’t been so dramatic. The silence that followed was heavy, until Quatre smiled to his best friend and squeezed his arms. “It’s okay, Duo”, he said. “I’m not really keen on dying either, and I do seem to be lucky for the moment. As long as we work together, we will all be fine.” Milliardo got up, ending the meeting. “I think this is all I can tell you for now. I will keep you informed as much as I can without leaking confidential information. I don’t need to ask you to be careful, Mr Winner.” “You’re right, you don’t need to”, Quatre said. “Then, shall we go back to the reception ?”, Relena asked. “Mother will wonder where we are, and there must be at least thirty people looking for Quatre.” Everyone agreed and they filed to leave the room. Milliardo did his best to fall behind and to be the last to leave the room with Quatre. “I know it’s probably none of my business and you must know what you’re doing”, he said very low, “but are you sure it is a good idea to have any kind of relationship with Heero Yuy ?” Quatre looked up at the tall man, all friendship leaving his eyes. His voice was a bit cold when he answered. “You’re absolutely right, Mr Peacecraft. This is none of your business.” **** Back in the reception room, the little group composed of Duo, Wufei, Heero Quatre and Relena was strangely silent. None of them really knew what to say. They had just learnt that Zechs Merquise was an undercover GSA Agent, that a crazy killer was after Quatre and Heero, that they could help bring down crime lords … Relena was not the less confused. She had known that her brother worked for the GSA, but she had had no idea what it was he was really doing. As someone rich and famous, she had already received death threats, but she had never spent half an hour in the same room than a hired killer. “So …”, she said tentatively, “that was something different tonight.” “Relena, I am sorry you had to be dragged into this”, Quatre said, coming out of his thoughts. “Maybe I should have warned you that I was not a very safe person to be around at the moment.” “What kind of stupid thing is that ?”, Relena said. “I care about you, Quatre. You’re my friend. If you’re in danger, I think it is best to know now. Would it be better if I just cried over your body once you’re dead ?” Quatre smiled. “Of course not, you’re right. Thank you, Relena. You are a true friend.” “I know it’s probably useless to tell you that, but please be careful. I really want to see you again alive and in one piece.” “You will, I promise. If the Perfect Soldier didn’t kill me, I don’t see who else could.” Relena shot an uneasy glance towards Heero, who just stared back. “I should go see my mother”, she said. “She’ll be worried. Take care, Quatre. Please call me regularly, I would like to be sure you are alright.” She hugged him to say goodbye. “Duo, Wufei, … Mr Yuy, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll see each other soon.” The young men watched her go away. As soon as she had disappeared, Heero turned to Quatre. “I must be going now. There are some things I need to check and some people I need to see.” “What ? Now ?”, Quatre asked, distressed. “I was hoping you would come back with me tonight.” Heero got closer so as not to be overheard. “I would like to, Quatre, but I need to check if the infos he gave us are accurate. And if they are, I need to contact some people. I need to check Lady Une’s whereabouts before she knows I know she’s after you. I may be dead for my peers, but there are still some people who are afraid of my name.” Quatre sighed, but hid his disappointment. “Okay”, he said reluctantly. “Just call me when you’re done, then.” Heero took Quatre’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” The Japanese man then shot a look to Wufei and Duo. “Just do what you have to do, Yuy”, Wufei said. “He’s safe with us. We won’t leave him even for a second.” “Am I still allowed to shower alone ?”, Quatre protested. “Because I have nothing against us three in the same bed, we did it before, but I need my personal space some times too.” “Aww, Cat, you mean you would be cruel enough to throw me out of your shower ?”, Duo joked. “Take away all the pleasures in my life. I need to get laid !” “Don’t even think about asking me, Maxwell”, Wufei interrupted. “I’m not sure I could control myself, and you could end up dead, and that would be useless.” “So you’re admitting that I have some kind of use, Wu ?” “Apart from annoying the crap out of me, you mean ?” In the heat of the bickering, none of them noticed when Heero left silently. Milliardo watched the little group pensively. “He is so young”, he said suddenly. “Who ?”, Lucrezia asked. “Winner ?” “I was thinking about Yuy, actually. I didn’t think he was so young. He mustn’t be more than 21. But actually, they are all awfully young to be involved in dangerous stuff like this.” “And you’re not ?”, Lucrezia countered. “Didn’t you tell me that they could take care of themselves ?” Milliardo smiled. “They probably can, if Une doesn’t lose it and decides a massive extermination. I didn’t know about that orphanage, I think I may have to do some research.” “That’s horrible”, Lucrezia agreed. “But somehow, they don’t seem to be afraid. Do you want me to run a search on them ?” “I have all the info I need about both Winner and Chang, and I doubt I will be able to find anything more on Yuy if he doesn’t want me to. But if you could try to find something on Duo Maxwell … although I doubt you will find a lot either, if he really is a L2 street child.” “I’ll do it, and I’ll inform Colonel Fujirawa in private. I’ll get back to you with her instructions.” “Thank you, dear.” Lucrezia suddenly noticed how tired Milliardo sounded. “What is it ?”, she asked. “Nothing, it’s just … That undercover thing must be eating me out. It’s very stressful, and Treize is not easy to work with.” “He’s hitting on you again ?”, Lucrezia asked with a frown. “He never stopped from the first day on, Lucrezia”, Milliardo said with a tired smile. “It is very difficult to keep him just at the right distance but not reject him totally. He trusts me because I let him flirt with me. I really must look like a total slut.” Lucrezia put her arm around Milliardo’s waist. “Well, as long as you’re my slut, I don’t care.” Just at that moment, Milliardo noticed Quatre Winner and Heero Yuy talking to each other. He saw the killer gently taking the blond young man’s hand, and his face soften as he spoke. ‘Now there is something going on there that I am not likely to find on any database.’, Milliardo thought. ‘You are playing a dangerous game, Mr Winner. Entrusting your life to someone who was paid to kill you is not the best way to stay alive. Unless you really meant it when you said this was none of my business. I just hope you know what you are doing.’ **** Quatre agreed absentmindedly when his father asked him to come with him into the car that was going to bring them back to the hotel, leaving Duo and Wufei to climb in the second limousine. Mr Winner didn’t really pay attention to the fact that his son looked and sounded distracted, and began talking as soon as the car began to move. For his part, Quatre was far too lost in thoughts to really listen to what his father was saying. There had been so much happening lately that the blond young man was sure his brain was displaying a big flashing sign “Too much incoming data, processing error”. Killers, double agents, crime lords, corporate crime … All that explained why Quatre was absolutely not aware of what his father was talking about, just throwing occasional “hmm” when there was a silence. That is, until a familiar name came into the conversation. “I am glad you think that way”, Mr Winner was saying. “I talked to Mrs. Peacecraft, and she told me that Relena likes you a lot too, so maybe it would be a good thing to make it all official, don’t you think ?” “Hmmm … WHAT !?” “You don’t want to ?”, Mr Winner asked, frowning. “It’s the way things are supposed to happen, you know that, Quatre. And the Peacecrafts won’t have it any other way.” “They won’t have what ?”, Quatre asked, trying to gather back what his father had said, then suddenly understanding. “Allah, no. Don’t tell me you and Mrs. Peacecraft think that there is something between me and Relena.” “There isn’t ?”, Mr Winner asked, a bit taken aback by the news. “She’s a friend, that’s all ! For Allah’s sake, I met her last week for the first time ! I didn’t even flirt with her, and I certainly don’t want to marry her, if that’s what you had in mind !” “But Mrs. Peacecraft …” “Yeah, I’m sure Mrs. Peacecraft thinks Relena is infatuated with me”, Quatre interrupted, “but she also thinks her daughter loves pink !” “Excuse me ?” “That’s nothing”, Quatre said shaking his head. “Just forget about all this, okay ? There is absolutely nothing between me and Relena, and neither of us wish to get married.” “But Quatre, what is wrong with that ? You’re eighteen, after all, and I am sure you would get along perfectly well.” Quatre felt anger build up in his chest. Great, now his father wanted him to get married, and best of all, he wanted to pick the girl too. His next words flew out before he could hold them back. “Father, for the last time, I don’t want to marry Relena ! Or any other girl, for that matters !” Mr Winner stared at his son in astonishment. “What is that supposed to mean ?” Quatre sighed. He could feel his own anger, and also the anger that was starting to spread through his father’s mind, and it was giving him a headache. But he had never made it a secret that he was gay, and he had even brought some of his boyfriends back at the Mansion. Had his father been so absorbed in his work that he hadn’t noticed a thing ? “Honestly, Father, we’ve been living in the same house for more than six months, and you haven’t figured it out ?” Comprehension suddenly dawned on Mr Winner’s face.
“Oh oh”, Duo said. “Not good. Wonder what it was about this time.” They both joined Quatre in the elevator, but their friend was apparently not up to explaining anything. He was standing stiffly, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive gesture, eyes blazing and not saying a word. Wufei and Duo looked at each other, but thought better than to press the issue. Wufei had never seen Quatre that angry, and although Duo probably had, it was obvious he didn’t really know how to react this time. Quatre strode out of the elevator nervously, not even looking up once as he made a bee line for his door. The poor unsuspecting door slammed into the wall. Quatre went to sit on his bed, his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to control himself. Duo looked at Wufei and took a tentative step towards Quatre, careful to stay out of harm’s range. “Cat ?” Quatre looked up, and finally spoke through gritted teeth. “I need to be alone for a while, please.” Wufei frowned. He had no idea what exactly was going on, but leaving Quatre alone didn’t seem like a good idea. After all, Quatre was always the one who pressed people to talk about their problems. “Quatre … “, the Chinese man started , but Quatre interrupted. “Please, Wufei.” “But …” “LEAVE ME ALONE !” Quatre yelled angrily. Wufei took a step back, shock on his face. Duo reacted faster. He took the Chinese man’s arm, made him spin round and dragged him to the door. “Sure, Cat”, he said with a grin. “Don’t get all wired, we’re goin’ out ! Just call us if you need anythin’, okay ?” And without listening to Wufei’s protests, he made him go out and firmly closed the door behind them. Quatre took a deep breath, glad once again that Duo could understand him so well. He would probably have to apologize later, and he knew he would do it, because he felt a little guilty for lashing out his anger on his friends, but he was just not in the mood. Quatre’s eyes fell on the two pictures on his bedside cabinet, the two pictures he always carried with him wherever he went. He picked the one where he was with his father, and looked at it closely. It was difficult to find two persons more different in the world. Quatre had always been told he was the living image of his mother, and from the pictures he had seen, it was probably true. He didn’t look like his father, or at least not physically. Quatre flinched when the heated words he had exchanged with his father came back to his mind. Everything had been going out so well that last week, Quatre should have known that was too good to last. But he hadn’t expected yet another fight because of who he was. So, he liked boys. His life was his own to live, after all, and it was none of his father’s concern who he wanted to spend it with. It was not like there weren’t enough Winners to take on the company if he didn’t have any children. It was no one’s business if he wanted to date boys and if he didn’t want to get married at eighteen and have children. Quatre knew that his father didn’t really mean everything he had said, and that he had only been angry because of the shock. That was why the well-rehearsed speech about being the Winner heir and having responsibilities towards the family had been given once again. But even knowing that, Quatre couldn’t forgive his father for being so obviously narrow-minded. A new wave of anger took over him. “I do not belong to you, damn it !”, he said angrily to the picture. “I have my own life, and I’ll live as I choose. You don’t have the right to decide for me !” Suddenly, he threw the picture at the nearby wall. The glass shattered and the frame fell on the floor with a loud thump. That was stupid, of course, and Quatre knew he would regret this later. “Why can’t you understand that I am not you ? Why is it so hard for you to understand that I love you in spite of everything that’s between us ? Why can’t you just love me for who I am, instead of trying to make me become what you want to see ?” Quatre began pacing up and down in the room. He needed to work the anger out of his system, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it if Duo and Wufei were to pester him and to try and make him talk. ‘Time to use the good old methods’, he thought. He went to the dressing room and changed into more casual clothes : faded jeans, a black turtleneck, a black leather jacket and gloves. ‘Sorry guys, but there’s no way I’m staying locked up in my room. Forgive me, but I have to think, and I have to do it alone.’ Quatre ignored all the warnings in his head that were telling him he was being foolish, that there were killers after him, that Heero would be worried … Thinking about Heero didn’t even make him calm down, because it was obvious Heero would not know what to do anyway. No, Quatre was sure that he needed time alone and away from friends who only wanted him to be alright. He went to the window and opened it. There was only a short walk on the narrow cornice to the fire ladders. The fact that he was on the fifty-fifth floor didn’t bother him in the least, in fact, it gave him the adrenaline rush he needed right now. Quatre walked out of the window, secured it shut, and began to make his way to the fire ladders. **** “What is going on, Duo ?”, Wufei asked with a scowl once they were out of Quatre’s room. “It’s nothin’, Wu”, Duo answered. “Cat doesn’t like fighting with his Dad, so it usually gets on his nerves and he needs time to calm down, that’s all. It’s probably best for us to leave him alone for a while, he’ll be fine.” “It didn’t look like that average fight with your father to me, Maxwell”, Wufei said pointedly. Duo sighed. “Nothin’s ever average with those two, Wu”, he said. “They’re both damn stubborn, and none of them would admit they’re wrong. So usually, it ends up with one of them storming out and then they don’t see each other for a while to cool down. Ya know, Cat’s dad is the only person who can get under his skin so easily. Guess that’s their way of lovin’ each other, but it’s damn loud some times.” “I see”, Wufei said. “It was a bit like that in my home too. Except that I didn’t yell at my father.” “Why not ?” “Because it would have been a lack of respect to one of my elders. I lost it for the first time when they told me I was to get married to this girl I didn’t even know. And the only reason I wasn’t punished was because at the time, I could beat up every person who would have tried to punish me.” Duo shot a look to the closed door of Quatre’s room. “Well, I just hope it won’t take him to long to calm down. It’s not like we don’t have things to talk about. That was quite an evening, uh ? Double agents falling from the sky. He’s gorgeous, that man, by the way, none of you were kind enough to mention that !” “Maxwell, do any of your thoughts originate above the waist ?” Duo scratched his head pensively. “Well … I never really paid attention, but I think the answer to that question would be no, Wu-man.” “My name is Wufei, Maxwell, and Zechs is straight anyway, or did you forget that fact too ?” “I like challenges”, Duo replied with a wide smile. “But then, Miss Noin is quite some competition, uh ? Guess I’ll have to go back to watching and drooling, then !” The playful bickering was interrupted by the noise of broken glass. Wufei began to go to the door, but Duo stopped him. “Nah, man, leave him be. It’s best if he destroys some of the furniture, he won’t hit us that way, uh ?” Wufei looked at Duo, then at the door, then again at Duo, perplex. “I’m not sure that carrying out your frustration on furniture is the best way to calm down, although it can be effective some times.” Both young men heard Quatre’s angry voice as he shouted at the picture inside, then silence fell. Even Duo grew a bit uneasy. It was unusual for Quatre to calm down so quickly, considering the state of controlled rage he had been into. Wufei came closer to the door again and knocked. “Quatre ?” There was no answer. “Cat, you okay ??”, Duo called. “Cat ! Come on, man, that’s not funny !” Again, silence was the only thing that answered. Duo looked at Wufei, and his usual smile vanished from his face. That was enough to convince the Chinese man that something was not normal. The problem was that the door was closed, since the key was needed to maneuver it from the outside. “This is ridiculous, Quatre”, Wufei called. “You did not hire me to break down hotel doors ! Open that door now !” “He won’t”, Duo said. “I’ll do it.” Reaching into his braid, Duo took out a lockpick. Ignoring the surprised look on Wufei’s face, he began to work on the lock and three seconds later, the door swung open. Both Wufei and Duo rushed into the room. Wufei saw the broken frame on the floor near the wall and paled. “Quatre ?”, he called. Duo went to inspect the dressing room and the bathroom. He came out holding Quatre’s white tuxedo vest. “He’s not in there”, he said. “He changed his clothes.” Suddenly, the wind pushed one of the windows open. Wufei stared at it, not ready to believe what his brain was telling him. Quatre would not have done that, that was insane … But Duo voiced it without hesitating. “I should have known”, he said. “He’s gone.” ~ * ~
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