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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Gundam Wing. I just own the twisted plot. ;p

Warnings: This story will sometimes have violence, torture, blood and guts because of terrorists and Death Eaters.

Harry is rescued from the Dursleys in Chapter One, but Harry will have flashbacks of his abuse, so that will pop up. If descriptions of abuse is triggering please skip any -- italic parts --

This story has M/M romance, but sex scenes won't be very detailed or frequent and can be skipped if you want to.

This story details Harry's recovery from trauma, so be prepared for fluff and healing and lots of tears.

What you need to know about Gundam Wing: Basically it is an AU future of Earth, where humans possess advanced technology. The ultimate tool of war are large robotic mecha machines. The most advanced of which are called Gundams. There were five piloted by teenage boys. They fought in a war where Earth was pitted against the large space colonies where many humans now live. After fighting for their home colonies against the aggressive Earth, the pilots were betrayed, went into hiding, fought in a second wave of the same war, this time against the colonies who were trying to utterly destroy the planet. In the end, they saved the Earth and the colonies. Some people see them as terrorists while others hail them as heroes.

xXx

< < < Really Important >> > This is an AU crossover involving Harry Potter/ Gundam Wing. I began this story about 10 or so years ago on fanfiction dot net, but I left it unfinished because I hated where I went with it. It didn't go where I had imagined - like AT ALL! But 8 years later and I'm still being asked to continue it, so I thought I'd give it a try. The beginning will mostly be the same, I made a few changes, but it isn't until Harry gets to Hogwarts that I change things from the way it went before. I hope you like the story! 

xXx

Tell Me Why

Chapter One

After the colonies and Earth had come close to destroying each other, most of humanity had rejected war and discarded all weapons. However, Une and those like her were not confident pacifism would remain popular. Thus she had created, with the approval of the leaders of the Earth Sphere United Nation, a police organization named the Preventers. Their goal was to make sure no one was ever again armed with weapons of mass destruction like that of the large robotic mobile suits and the more advanced Gundams.

A little over a year after the wars, they'd yet to face any noteworthy terrorists. Unfortunately, that was all about to change. A certain underground movement on Earth had come to her attention. Several companies, unrelated at first glance, had been caught manufacturing weapons parts illegally. Her investigative unit had just delivered a report that made her go cold. It seemed the recent instances were masterminded by the same group.

As her office door swung open, Commander Une looked up from the file she was reviewing, her long brown hair sliding over her shoulders. Heero Yuy, her top agent and former Gundam pilot, entered without a greeting. Cold blue eyes made a sweep of the room for threats before the soldier crossed the thick black carpet to stand in front of her admittedly massive desk. She usually greeted him with a small smile but not this day.

"I'm aware you asked for a week's vacation, but a significant breakthrough in the case has surfaced. We believe we've discovered another operation. There have been reports of an illicit weapons manufacturer in England, under the cover of one Grunnings Drilling company. The mission is to investigate the company and try to get a positive ID on a member of the terrorist cell and capture their partner in the company. I want him alive for questioning."

Heero's expression never wavered, and he answered with a short, "Mission accepted."

"Thank you, Agent Wing. I feel confident with you leading the investigation that we'll soon locate and arrest these terrorists," she told him honestly, her dark brown eyes softening.

xXx

Heero settled into his seat on the jet and pulled out his laptop. He quickly typed in a message to Winner informing him he wouldn't be able to attend the barbecue with the other pilots. He regretted missing the event. It had been months since he'd seen his comrades.

After the wars, Quatre Winner had returned to his large, wealthy family and became CEO of Winner Enterprises Inc. Trowa Barton worked as his bodyguard and was, Heero suspected, Winner's lover. Wufei Chang bounced around between Universities, sometimes as a student, sometimes as the instructor. Heero saw him most often, since the Chinese pilot occasionally worked with Heero on difficult cases. As for Duo Maxwell, the most exuberant of all of them, he worked on his home colony of L2. He had no official position with the local authorities, but he was making significant progress in nearly single-handedly cleaning up the streets.

Heero was the only one who had accepted a position in the Preventer Organization. The others had decided they needed a break from the military. He could understand that. In fact, he envied them their ability to take up civilian lives so easily. He would never posses that ability. He was a soldier. It was all he knew.

Closing his laptop, Heero reclined his seat, using the flight as an opportunity to get some sleep. He had a feeling this mission would be difficult and he wouldn't have the chance to rest for a while once he landed.

xXx

"Hey, Kitty-Cat!"

"Duo!" Quatre laughed as his friend flung his arms around his neck in an enthusiastic hug.

"Man, you're getting tall, there, Q-ball. I think Trowa's rubbing off on you." Violet eyes sparkled as he gave the blonde a sly grin.

Quatre grinned back, seeing his lover's cheeks turn an alluring red from the corner of his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure we're equally rubbing off on each other."

Duo's head tilted back as he laughed loudly.

Quatre's smile only widened when Trowa sent him a mild glare. "Come on. I'll show you to your room."

The mansion was not the largest he owned, but he knew it was still extravagant to Duo. He watched, amused, as his friend ran this way and that, exclaiming over everything he could see. Today Duo wore a black priest shirt, including a white collar, with the long sleeves rolled up at to his elbow. The tight jeans and thick boots were a matching black. It was the outfit he wore most frequently now that he no longer wore a military uniform or flight suit. As weird as it was, the attire looked right on Duo somehow.

"Is Hee-chan or Wuffers here yet?"

Quatre smiled, pulling his attention back to the conversation at hand. "Wufei is out back with Rashid learning how to work the grill." His smile shrank marginally. "Heero cancelled at the last minute. Apparently an important mission came up that he couldn't ignore."

Duo groaned dramatically. "There's always a mission. That boy will never learn. He's a classic workaholic!"

"I agree," Quatre said softly. "I wish he didn't work so hard."

"You could also be classified as a workaholic," Trowa admonished, eyes sparkling. They were a deeper green today reflecting the same color of his turtle neck. The shirt clung to his lean torso and narrow hips. Quatre was rather proud of his selection. His lover looked delicious.

Duo cackled. "Oh, he told on you!"

Quatre blushed bright red. "Shut up."

xXx

Heero repelled two floors down from the roof until he hung outside the President's office. It was the night of the new moon, so there was no light to reveal him as he cut a hole in the window large enough to slide through. No alarms sounded and he smirked. It took only a few minutes before he had the state-of-the-art running and began hacking the files. It didn't take him long to discover the President was involved in nothing more dangerous than the stock market. But even at a glance, some of these numbers weren't adding up.

He quickly erased any evidence of his presence from the machine and booted it down. He'd memorized a schematic of the building before ever entering, so he moved without hesitation. The VP's office was surprisingly well protected. Heero's eyes narrowed. It was even more protected than the President's office. Pulling delicate machinery from his waist pouch, Heero knelt and got to work.

Two hours later, a dark shadow slipped back out the hole he'd created and climbed onto the roof for a quick escape. In his possession, he had several thumb drives of damning information. There were warehouse blue-prints, weapons schematics, evidence of embezzlement and even theft of some serious metals and chemicals. The VP had kept a surprising amount of data on his office computer, but likely the man had thought the advanced firewalls and defense programs would keep it safe. However, he never took into account a hacker of Heero's skills.

Triumphant, Heero made his way back to his hotel to report his findings.

"I want you to apprehend this man personally. I want no mistakes. We need him alive to identify his partners," Commander Une ordered. "A team will be ready to raid the warehouse at 2300."

"Understood, Wing out."

Heero ended the call and glanced at the time. It was nearing six in the morning and he hadn't slept in close to twenty hours. Before hitting the office building, he'd broken into the President's house, but he'd found nothing. Still, he couldn't rest. It would be unwise to attempt the arrest later. There was the possibility that the VP would discover his office had been broken into and flee. Likewise, if Heero waited until tomorrow, after the eleven pm raid on the warehouse, the man could catch wind of the discovery and run. He'd have to go now if they were going to apprehend him.

With a small sigh, Heero changed from his stealth clothes into his grey Preventer uniform.

xXx

Trowa watched his friends carefully. Duo and Wufei were fighting over the last hamburger, their knives in a vicious duel over the plate. This was the second day of their reunion, and he couldn't help but notice there was something almost frenetic about his friends’ motions. He glanced at his love and saw Quatre rubbing his chest absently. There was smile on his face, but his eyes were troubled. Sensing his gaze, Quatre turned large blue eyes his way. Long bangs hiding half his face, Trowa lifted his visible eyebrow in question.

"I'm going to get dessert. Try not to kill each other," Quatre teased. They hardly noticed.

"Wuffers! You're going down!" Duo snarled, tugging at his braid with his freehand, trying to free it from Wufei's grip.

"A lowlife like you will never be able to compete with me."

"Bring it, China man!"

"I'll teach you your place, thief!"

Trowa followed Quatre inside where a large chocolate cake waited on the counter. He felt warm to his toes remembering the late night scene when they'd baked it, and what they'd done with the extra frosting. Quatre was not a strategic genius for nothing. Unfortunately, his lover wasn't distracted by thoughts of what had occurred in the kitchen only a few hours before.

"They're unhappy," he spoke softly.

Trowa frowned at him.

"Not about being here," Quatre reassured with a wave of his hand. "No, they're both very relieved to be together with us again. They're unhappy with life. They aren't adjusting as well as they portray themselves. Same as me. It's getting worse, Trowa." Soft golden hair fell around his face as he looked up. "We're all foundering a bit, aren't we, without the war. We wanted peace for so long. So why… Why can't we be happy?"

Trowa tightened his arms around the lean body in his arms. "It will come, Quatre. One day."

Quatre turned so they were facing each other and kissed him deeply. "I love you."

Trowa gently kissed his cheeks, his lips, his eyes. He didn't need to say the words. He let his emotions speak for him, knowing Quatre could feel them. Blue eyes sparkled happily back at him before Quatre pulled away.

"You play defense why I carry these out. I don't want all our hard work wasted."

Trowa chuckled and led the way, obediently blocking Duo when the exuberant pilot tried to pounce on Quatre and steal a piece of cake.

xXx

The arrest went as expected. The VP owned a four-bedroom townhouse in London. Heero had arrived before anyone had woken, dragged the obese man from the house and secured him in his armored vehicle. He then warned the wife and son they should make themselves available to answer questions should there be any. The wife made a fuss, but Heero was not unused to unmanageable females. He ignored her while he made a quick sweep of the house, the suspect already carted away by local Preventer agents. It was a routine sweep. He hadn't expected to find anything. Especially not this.

Heero knelt in front of the wide-screen plasma TV, having pushed play on the DVD to see what had last been watched. It was a home video, but it was not one of happy memories. A battered little boy looked out at him. He trembled as he posed for the camera, his large green eyes bright with fear. He flinched, clearly getting instructions off camera and began to touch himself very inappropriately.

Tearing his eyes from the screen, Heero opened the drawer that held all the family's DVDs. There was a locked box to the right. He had it open in seconds and numbly stared at the dozens of plain DVDs that rested inside. With a sharpie, words were written carelessly across the silver discs. Dinner time. Strip search. Hide and seek. Bath time. The titles chilled him to the marrow.

The click of a gun being armed had Heero on his feet, weapon out and ready to fire. Sounds drew him quickly from the entertainment room. He pressed his back to the wall, mind calculating scenarios, as he moved smoothly down the hallway on silent feet. The familiar screechy voice became clearer as he neared the kitchen. He swung into the room, weapon at ready, making a lightning-fast visual sweep of the room:

Two doorways, four windows. Two occupants. Multiple possible weapons. One threat armed with a gun.

"…let you ruin my husband, you freak! I should have killed you long ago, you worthless piece of filth!"

The same little boy as in the horrific videos, cowering, sprawled half out of a pantry, a dirty blanket wrapped around his stick thin legs, arms up in a defensive position. His eyes were on the woman's weapon, gaunt face streaked with tears, tight with terror. The scent of fresh urine registered just as the woman let loose an insane scream, her finger tightening on the trigger. 

Heero fired.

The woman fell dead instantly with a bullet through her skull. The little boy screamed as if he'd been lit on fire. Heero rushed forward, intent on covering his eyes from the blood splatter now decorating the cabinets and wall. As soon as he laid hands on the child, the boy's screams rose in pitch and urgency. He flailed and thrashed, beyond hysterical. Heero did all he could to keep hold of the boy. The child’s high-pitched hysterical screams rang in Heero's ears, shaking him to the core. It tore through his nervous system. Slipping his hand around the boy’s neck, he pinched a nerve and, mercifully, the child went limp, unconscious.

Heero sat there, panting, the boy sprawled half in his lap. The large t-shirt he wore was half torn from his abused body. He registered old bruises, scars from sharp instruments and burns. There were welts from a belt. There were cuts and abrasions on his knees, left cheek, chin, palms. Then there was the obvious fact the child was starved, his ribs overhanging a near non-existent abdomen. Every bone could be seen so clearly that Heero could tell a few places where the child had suffered broken bones and they hadn't healed properly even without an x-ray. The tally was truly horrendous.

Shaking, Heero bundled the child toward his chest, cradling him with one arm as he rose to his feet. His free hand pulled his phone free of his belt, and he quickly dialed the local department requesting CSI and an ambulance. He was sealing this entire house as a crime scene.

 xXx

"Maxwell's famous pies, what's your flavor?" Duo asked cheerfully as he answered his phone. 

He was striding through the spaceport, having just arrived back from his visit to Quatre on L4. L2 was slowly recovering, but there were still a plethora of beggars at the port. He dodged reaching hands with the practiced ease of a lifetime, keeping alert for any thugs or pickpockets, only half his attention on the call. He came to an abrupt stop, however, and moved quickly to a defensible nook when he heard the impossible.

"Duo… I need your help."

Violet eyes wide, Duo practically dropped his duffle. "Heero? Where are you?"

"Earth. London, England," came the succinct answer.

Adrenaline dumped into his system and he felt the cold, murderous rage that haunted him all through his childhood and the wars begin to fill him. Somebody had really fucked his buddy up if the Perfect Soldier was admitting to needing help, and he'd actually said Duo's name! And that meant Duo was going to seriously fuck up that Somebody. Fuck them up 'til they were dead.

"I'm on my way. Status?"

There was a pause that sent panic sizzling down his every nerve. His heart rate kicked up and his breathing deepened in preparations for battle.

"Undamaged," Heero finally answered.

"Position?"

"HQ."

"ETA 16 hours," Duo reassured. "Do you need supplies? Do I need to come in hot?"

"Negitive. Negitive."

"Should I contact the others?"

Another little pause and, damn it, there was something really fucking wrong here. He would have shaved his head fucking bald in exchange for the ability to teleport to Heero's side. His free hand gripped his beloved waist-length braid.

"I don't know."

Duo gave a sharp nod, even knowing Heero couldn't see it. "All right. I'm already at the spaceport. I'm getting my ticket now. Hang tight, Heero."

"Roger," his friend answered, voice tight with strain. "Sixteen hours."

The call ended. Duo snatched up his bag and sprinted back inside the port, his hand already speed dialing. Quatre answered on the second ring. "Cat! Man, some major royal shit is going down. Heero just called me requesting assistance. He's on Earth, London. I don't know what's happened, but I'm meeting him at HQ in 16 hours. He says he's uninjured, but his voice wasn't all perfect monotone either. He was under some serious strain for me to hear it."

"Duo, slow down. Do you know anything about the mission?"

"Nada," he snapped. "Hold on." 

Duo quickly worked the machine to secure a ticket on the next available flight to Europe. Finished, he snagged the ticket and ran toward the gate. He had twelve minutes before it closed. "I'm heading to the gate now. I'm not sure if Heero's told the head honcho about whatever's gone down, so do your digging subtly. I'll call you as soon as I know anything more. Get a hold of Wufei. Everyone should be on standby just in case."

"Of course," Quatre exclaimed. "And you better call me immediately!"

"Will do," he promised rather grimly. "Gotta get on my flight. Later!"

Duo quickly snapped his phone shut and thrust his ticket forward just as the gate began to close. He slipped through and ran down the corridor to the shuttle. I'm coming, Heero, he promised once more.

xXx

Heero had seen some really horrible things in the war. He'd accidentally killed civilians. The worst was the little girl and her puppy on one of his fist solo missions. He would never forget them and had returned several times to the spot where they'd died to bring flowers. He'd accidentally killed a plane full of peace diplomats, mistakenly thinking they were the enemy. He'd watched his comrades risk death. He'd seen them tortured and beaten. This… This he wasn't sure he could handle.

He was surprised and sickened. Worst was the rage. Rage he didn't think he could keep tamed much longer, and he was beyond the point where he feared what he was capable of. He was reaching the point of looking forward to the destruction he would reap. Une had Dursley locked up and had refused to let him near, otherwise the man would be dead by now. Heero was a breath away from storming the building and severely damaging anyone who got in his way, orders be damned.

"01!"

Heero's eyes snapped up to the figure darting across the street. The slender teen moved with quick efficiency, a long rope of chestnut hair flying behind him. "02," he answered, voice cold, vision tunneling. He was beginning to slip.

Then Duo was there, right in front of him. His violet eyes reflected Heero's capacity toward violence, they raked his form, looking for injuries, and Heero gave a little smirk. The injury was inside his mind, festering, writhing, waiting to break loose. Duo held his gaze for a long moment. He took everything in, analyzed and understood in a way no one else could besides three others.

"Mission accepted," Duo said, sounding exactly like Heero normally did. It reminded him of his strict training, and he grasped at it desperately. "Details?"

Heero breathed deeply. He knew if he spoke out loud it would set him off again, and he was only just maintaining control. But he had come prepared. He shifted his laptop case, made a desk of his arms. Duo opened the computer, putting his back to the building to ensure no one could read over his shoulder. Heero's deadly gaze scanned the street and kept anyone from approaching from that direction.

The machine was already primed, the windows ready with written reports, copies of the DVDs found in the house, pictures taken inside, real-time updates on the lab results and the medical reports of the victim. Heero could see it all in his mind's eye without having to look at the screen. It was burned on his retinas.

In his peripheral vision, he registered Duo growing tenser and tenser. He heard the brunet's breathing grow quick and rapid in reaction. Heero concentrated on keeping his own deep and slow, still trying to keep from blowing up the whole goddamn building just to kill the bastard who'd done that to the boy.

"How did you find this?" Duo asked, voice a low hiss.

Heero shivered at the sheer threat in that sound. "Dursley is VP for a company building weapons illicitly in their warehouses. He's been in contact with a terrorist group behind many such operations. I went to his house to perform the arrest. During a casual sweep after the fact, I found one of the videos. The wife tried to kill the boy in a fit of madness, thinking if he wasn't alive that would somehow protect her husband from being prosecuted for his crimes against the boy. I killed her."

"What do you need?"

Heero remained silent for a long moment. What did he need? It was a good question. He wanted revenge. He wanted to eradicate Dursley so thoroughly it would erase his presence from the past and keep any of this from happening to the child. But, more than that, he wanted to fix it. He wanted to never hear that boy scream in terror like that ever again. He wanted to protect him with every fiber of his being.

"He was hysterical when he woke up. Violent. Terrified. Non-verbal. They had to sedate him." Heero turned to look at Duo for the first time since handing over his laptop. "They say the abuse was so severe they don't think he'll recover. They project he'll be in ICU for a few weeks and then sent to an asylum."

Duo sneered, his brows sloping sharply down. "Bastards."

Heero nodded. He couldn't stand the thought of that boy being locked up, drugged and shut away as a lost cause after everything he'd been through. "I want to try. I want to give him a chance. But they won't give him to me."

Duo's mouth fell open in utter shock. "You think they'll give him to me? No way! Not with my record!"

"Your record of dealing with street kids and war orphans and turning them around? You know what can help him, Duo. That's what your record says. I think they'll grant us joint custody if I pull some strings with Commander Une."

Duo blushed bright red, mouth still open. "You're crazy! You should have called Quatre!"

Heero shook his head sharply once. "No. His empathy will be an asset, but it will also hinder him. The boy is clearly overemotional. It will affect Winner's judgment. He also has no experience with children, let alone abuse. Same goes for Chang. Barton is familiar with abuse and is good with injured animals, but he also has no experience with children. The primary candidate for enabling a successful rehabilitation is you." He took another deep breath. "Will you do this?" 

He stared into his fellow pilot's eyes, aware of what he was asking. This would be a full-time commitment for an unknown length of time, but Heero had to ask. He couldn't walk away from this case or this child, but he didn't have the skills required for the mission.

"Damn, man," Duo breathed. He unconsciously twisted his braid in his hands. "I was all set to rescue you from terrorists, but you're asking me to raise a kid with you. This isn't going to be a walk in the park. They might be right. Some kids just don't recover from the shit they go through, ya know?"

"I have to try," Heero said resolute.

Duo shook his head, a grin beginning to spread across his face. "Who woulda thunk it? The great Hee-chan's a teddy bear." The smile fell, and he rubbed at his eyes roughly. "All right. Yeah. I'll do it. Course I will." He pinned Heero with a hard stare. "As long as it's clear we're doing this together. I don't want you running off on missions for weeks at a time while I'm grounded with the kid, trying to piece him back together alone."

Heero nodded, his shoulders relaxing and the killing urge backing off significantly now that he had a new mission to focus on. "I will request a longterm leave of absence when we file for custody."

Duo laughed. "I never thought I'd have the great Heero Yuy asking me to have his baby!"

"Baka," Heero growled tiredly, though secretly he was amused. Nothing kept Duo down for long. That's what he was counting on.

xXx

Trowa sat against the headboard of their bed with Quatre between his legs sobbing against his chest. He ran his hand soothingly through the soft blonde hair, down the teen's back, again and again. Duo had sent them all the information he and Heero had gathered about the case, and it wasn't pretty. Molestation, rape, physical torture, starvation, depravation, exploitation… The boy was only eight years old.

Not even Duo's amusing stories about the battle of Heero verses Une could dampen the horror of the situation. Needless to say, Heero had won. He and Duo had been granted custody of the child, and Heero was given an "until further notice" leave of absence. Still, recovery would be hard, and Duo and Heero couldn't do it alone. Thus Duo had solemnly asked for their support. Quatre had instantly agreed, of course, and Trowa had given his own heartfelt promise. He knew without a doubt Wufei would as well.

The phone rang on the private line. Trowa reached a long arm over to the nightstand, his other hand never ceasing its petting motion. "Barton."

"Who is this child? How did he end up with that monster?" Wufei demanded in loud outrage.

"Apparently he is their nephew, one Harry James Potter, but there is no official documentation regarding the boy. No birth certificate or death certificate of the boy's parents. He never attended school nor received medical attention. Nothing official assigns the boy to Dursley's custody. Dursley reported the boy was simply dropped on his doorstep at fifteen months of age with a letter explaining he was his wife Petunia’s nephew and that his parents had been killed. The letter also provided basic information like the boy’s name and his birthdate. The wife confirmed she’d had a sister, and so they took the child in. Duo suspected Dursley was lying and simply kidnapped a street kid for profit, but a DNA test revealed the woman is closely related to the child, so the boy truly was her nephew."

"Outrageous!" Wufei was near incoherent with rage. "They should be executed for these crimes! I will be glad to arrange it myself if it is not already being done!"

Trowa shook his head. "The woman was killed on the scene by Heero. The man is still in custody involving a weapons manufacturing case and protected by Une."

"Despicable!"

"They are bringing Harry here in two weeks when he's released from the hospital, so they will be busy arranging transportation and acquiring intelligence about the child's requirements."

"What can I do?" Wufei asked immediately, understanding at once.

"If you have time available, we could use your help with Dursley’s internet site.” Trowa felt cold as he explained the details to his friend. “Apparently the man began sexually exploiting the child two years ago. He’d gotten the idea to make some money by posting videos of the boy in compromising positions. A few months ago he began to prostitute the boy out for an even bigger payoff. Fortunately…” 

— God! To use that word in such a situation felt nauseating. Nothing was fortunate about this! Except the truth was the boy could have/should have died after all the abuse he’d suffered. The fact that he was alive with relatively minor injuries was nothing short of a miracle. — 

Trowa cleared his throat, forcing himself to continue. “Fortunately, it looks like the boy’s only had three clients so far, and Dursley apparently let him recover between each session, so Harry should make a full recovery, but the rapes were filmed and posted to Dursley’s site. If you could go onto Dursley’s account and make sure all the footage is corrupted, maybe create a virus to infect the computers of all who purchased the movies… Heero doesn't want this to come back to haunt the child in the future.”

Wufei’s heavy breathing reached his ears. ”Understood,” he bit out, clearly barely holding it together. “If it was filmed…?”

“They wore masks,” Trowa answered, defeated. “Identifying the rapists will be impossible.” 

After a tense moment for Wufei to swallow his impotent fury, he finally managed to ask, ”How is Winner?"

Trowa said nothing as he stroked the head of his sobbing lover. They were all the same, he suspected. Not well at all but very determined to help this little boy.

"If there is room and my assistance is welcome, I am willing to come."

Quatre reached up and gently took the phone from Trowa's hand. "Of course,” he rasped, voice hoarse from crying. “You are always welcome, Wufei."

"Thank you."

"When should I expect your arrival?"

“It will take me two days to fully eradicate Dursley’s account and create the virus. Once my task is completed, I will help with the preparations for the house."

"That's very helpful." Quatre managed a ghost of a smile. "See you soon, Wufei.” The connection ended without saying goodbye. All the pilots were a bit superstitious. 

Trowa accepted the phone back and set it aside. He slid down until he was lying flat, cradling his lover to his body.

xXx

Heero was out of uniform, technically on leave, wearing a plain white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. The loose shirt and leather jacket kept hidden the gun tucked in the back of his pants. On leave or not, he'd never go unarmed. His computer case also held advanced tools and two more weapons. Duo sat beside him in similar attire. He was also armed. His gun was in the same place at the small of his back, but his other tools were secured in his waist-length braid instead of in a laptop case.

They were waiting at the hospital for Harry to be released into their custody. A medical vehicle was waiting outside for transport. It would take them to the port where an emergency equipped shuttle was on standby ready to take them to one of Quatre's smaller houses on L4. While they waited for Harry to get the all-clear, Heero had been intensely studying all the medical reports and procedures so that he would be qualified to handle Harry’s medical needs. The teen was practically a qualified nurse now. 

Duo chuckled at that image. Nurse Heero, the patients would run screaming! Dark blue eyes cut toward him briefly before returning toward the waiting room doors. Duo sighed. "This is going to be a longterm mission. Revealing stress will only upset the kid, so you might as well learn to relax now."

Heero glared but gave a sharp nod.

Duo grinned. He was surprised Heero was listening to his orders as well as he was, but as soon as the topic was not about Harry's wellbeing or mentality, Heero refused to take direction or accept assistance. It was reassuring. Duo didn't quite know what to do with a passive Heero Yuy. "So what's up with the Dursley guy? How’d he get involved with terrorists?"

"Apparently they found Dursley’s pornography site and blackmailed him into giving them access to the materials his company harvests. Eventually he was recruited and joined the cause willingly, so he’s loyal to them now. He insists they are simply defending Earth from the threat of the colonies. Une has her best on the job. He’ll give up what he knows soon.”

Duo felt fury burn bright and hot in his chest. “Those bastards arranged for Dursley to get promoted to Vice President a year ago, didn’t they? He wasn’t hurting for cash! Why the hell did he keep using Harry like that? Even going so far as to sell him to those sickos!”

“Dursley said it was a hobby. That it was a way to blow of steam.” Here’s voice was darker than Duo had ever heard it. “He claims the boy is a freak. Said the boy wouldn’t be good for anything else. At least this way he’d make himself useful.”

“Want me to take care of him?” Duo asked seriously. It didn’t matter how locked away Une had him. There wasn’t a security system out there that Duo couldn’t beat. If Heero said the word, Dursley would be dead in less than twenty-four hours. 

“Negative,” Heero answered, voice completely flat. “Une promised a quick execution once she gets the information she needs. It shouldn’t be long now.”

Duo studied his partner. Heero stared back at him, his expression blank, but that didn't fool Duo for a moment. The dark brown hair was messier than usual, the blue eyes tight with strain. Bags were beginning to form under them. Even the Perfect Soldier had limits. It was Duo's job as Heero's new partner to make sure he didn't exceed those limits. Good luck, Duo thought to himself, giving a wry snort. But, hell, Duo Maxwell was the king of making the impossible possible. He forced a big grin on his face. 

“Well all that really matters is that you found the kid. He wouldn’t’ve made it much longer. You saved his life, Heero. Now we're gonna make it better!"

"Family of Harry Potter?"

They both jumped to their feet and were on the nurse in seconds. The woman paled and took a hasty step back. Civilians often found all five of them intimidating in the best of times. With Heero breathing down her neck, he was surprised the woman didn't turn and flee. 

Duo quickly brought out the charm, hoping to defuse the tension. “That's us! It's so exciting to take him home at last! We've been waiting forever!"

The nurse focused on Duo, trying to pretend Heero wasn't there at all. She gave him a weak smile. "If you would follow me, I will take you to him."

"Great!" Duo bounced a little in place, bring his hands up to link behind his head.

Her smile firmed, and she turned and made her way steadily deeper into the hospital. "He's been heavily sedated. He shouldn't wake until you arrive on L4. If he does begin to regain consciousness, it is strongly recommended you sedate him again. He will undoubtedly panic. If he accidentally pulls out any of these tubes, it could cause serious damage."

"We'll be very careful. Nothing will hurt little Harry on our watch," Duo promised.

"Good. Here he is."

She pulled back a curtain and revealed the little boy lying on a gurney, deeply asleep. The bruises were fading, the abrasions and cuts were nearly all healed. His skin was no longer deathly pale but had a healthy flush to it. Duo smiled as Heero immediately went for the chart at the bottom of the bed. He flipped through it quickly, reading the latest reports. 

Duo turned to the nurse keeping her engaged and distracted while Heero made his own check of the boy. "This is the perfect day for travel. The weather systems are completely mild. I take that as a good sign that everything will get better from now on."

"I hope so. That boy deserves it more than anyone else," she said sadly, eyes wet as she watched Heero finish. He began pushing the gurney forward without a word.

Duo smoothly moved forward with him, steadying the bed to ensure it moved in a straight line. He eyed the pair and snickered. "They kind of look alike, don't you think? Same messy hair?"

It was nearly the same color, too, a dark brown that was nearly black. The similarities ended there. Duo hadn't seen the kid's eyes much, but he knew they were a light color, lighter than Heero's cobalt blue, and the boy was much paler than Heero's tan skin. And of course their features were rather different. Heero had a slightly Japanese cast to his face, whereas the boy was clearly English, but the messy hair was nearly identical.

The nurse laughed, walking with them to the loading bay. "Yes. They could be brothers."

Duo kept up a running chatter to the unconscious child in the bed, telling him about Quatre and Trowa and Wufei, innocent things that a nurse could overhear. It made them look more innocent and less like they were stealing the boy from the hospital. Even still, Heero's mission face drew several suspicious looks. Luckily, it wasn't long before they reached the loading bay.

"Do you need help?"

"We've got it. Thank you for everything," Duo assured her.

She smiled again. "It was our pleasure. Please take care of our little prince."

"Like you'd never believe," Duo assured with a laugh, thinking of Quatre and Heero in mother-hen mode. "We'll keep you updated!"

They had Harry loaded and were pulling out of the hospital parking lot in less than twenty minutes.

"In a hurry?" Duo asked wryly.

"I want to get to a secure location."

Duo nodded, understanding the feeling. He also wanted Harry off the sedatives. They were the right move for now, but it was definitely not a long term solution. The sooner they had the boy aware, the sooner they could start work on healing him. Duo sighed and bent forward pressing his cheek to the child's scarred forehead. It would be a long time before Harry would consciously accept reassuring contact such as this, but hopefully soon Duo would be able to hold him willingly.

xXx

Discomfort and the never-ending hunger woke him from a deep sleep. It was dark but not silent. There was the soft chatter of voices. Not close. The next room over maybe. Something soft was all around him. Definitely not his cupboard, then. The smell was different, too. Not musty. No dried blood or piss. No sweat or sickness. It smelled of fresh laundry. He began to get scared. Was he going to play with Uncle’s friends again? He didn’t want to!

He lay curled in a tight ball, frozen, eyes wide and blind in the darkness. But nothing happened. The voices never changed. Soft and regular and light. So unlike the voices he was used to: loud and hateful or sickening sweet. Afraid, confused, lost, he lay still and prayed no one would find him. He didn't want to be hurt. The pain wasn't eating him from the inside out anymore. It was quiet. He'd do anything to keep it like that.

But eventually the dark became not so dark. Light began to spill through what appeared to be curtains around him. He realized in shock he was under something. He estimated he could crawl, but he'd never be able to sit up. The tight space didn't frighten him. It made him feel safe. Uncle and his friends were way too big to get him in here. Even Dudley was too big. And Aunt Petunia would never get on her hands and knees. He was safe in this strange nest of soft blankets and pillows. It was utterly baffling. Why was he in such a nice place? Would he get in trouble for being here? He wasn't allowed to touch nice things! The fear came alive inside him, never far away, and he gave a tight whimper.

The voices stopped for a moment. His eyes went wide, absolutely terrified. Had the voices heard him? Were they coming to get him? He shook so hard his teeth began to chatter. He couldn't get his breath. When the panic attack passed, he realized the voices were talking again. They weren't very close, but they were clearer now. He could understand the words. He listened, eyes wide, and stuffed his fingers in his mouth to muffle anymore noises he might make. Gotta be quiet! Gotta be good!

"My name is Duo and my friend is Heero. We're your new keepers. We have food here. We want you to eat, but you have to look out. If you look out, I will give you this food. I won't touch you. I won't make you come out from under the bed. This is your room now. We will never come in the room unless you are in danger or you are hurting yourself. Do you understand? We are sitting just outside the doorway, holding this lovely food just for you. Just push the curtain aside and look out so I can give it to you. Easy, yes? I know it's scary, but it will make you feel better to eat."

The words seemed like they'd never end. A lot of it didn't make any sense at all. It seemed like the voice was talking to him, but no way! Why would he have a room all to himself? What would they make him do to stay here? The thought made his mind go away again for awhile. 

When he blinked, he heard the voice still repeating the same words from before. He waited for the voice to get angry, but it didn't happen. Then a second voice began to say the same things as the first voice. But this voice said his name was Hero. Hero? Harry’s heart sped up. Had… Had a hero really come and rescued him? He’d long ago stopped praying for that, but… what if it had?

Inching forward, he stretched out his hand. He touched the heavy fabric of the curtains falling to the floor all around him. He touched it and breathed deep through the fear. He was hungry. That could be fixed if he obeyed. The fear would never go away. He couldn't wait for that to happen. He had to just do it. He had to obey Duo and the hero. Shaking, weak, he closed his eyes and shifted the curtain. He felt the segments part. Felt cooler air hit his face and froze, eyes still squeezed shut. But he made the voices happy. That was good, right?

"You are doing so good. Almost there. You just have to look out, now, remember, and I'll give you food," the Duo voice promised.

"You don't have to come out from under the bed. We won't touch you," the second voice, the Heero voice.

Slowly, holding his breath, shaking, he opened his eyes. Daylight. He blinked rapidly as they watered. His breath came out in a whoosh. The curtain wavered, fell almost closed again, but he steadied his hand because now he could smell the food even better. So hungry, want it so bad. He blinked until things became clearer. There was a doorway across the floor. Two people sat just outside, just like the voices said. There was a tray in front of them. The food was there.

"Good boy," Duo's voice said so warmly that his eyes began to water again. He was a good boy? Really? "I'm so proud of you. You did so good."

"Here. I'm going to push the food to you slowly," the hero told him.

He watched in amazement as everything happened just as the two kept saying. The tray moved slowly closer. He held his breath, terrified Duo and the hero would change their minds and snatch it away. Uncle liked to torment him, promise him something and take it away. Uncle’s friends were the same. They’d only give him nice things if he let them… 

He quickly blinked, forcing the memories away. He was hungry. He needed to focus. But the tray wasn’t taken back at the last minute. And he wasn’t told to do anything for them, either. Amazed, he reached out a shaky hand and pulled it into the dark under the bed. The curtain fell closed, hiding him from view. He was safe! He had food!

Sobbing, he tore into the soft, warm bread with sticky sweet jam. He moaned as the gnawing hunger finally had something else to chew on besides his insides. There was a small glass bottle of milk. He drank that down. There was a metal bottle of juice. He drank that just as fast. Before he knew it the tray was empty, but that was a good thing. If he ate another bite, he was certain he'd puke. 

Warm, safe, not so hungry, he curled up once more and began to fall asleep. He could hardly believe it… It seems so impossible… but maybe he’d really been rescued by a hero! Maybe just maybe if he was really, really good, they’d let him stay?

xXx

Four hours to get the boy to eat. Heero stared into the bedroom, eyes unseeing. His chest was still tight with tension from listening to the panic attack and then the soft sobs of pained relief as the boy finally ate. He jumped as a hand settled on his shoulder.

"That was good. He still has the ability to trust," Duo said softly, voice husky from overuse.

Heero nodded. Duo had explained everything. He'd told him what to say, how to act. He'd informed Quatre how to set up this room for the child so he would feel safe. It had all been as Duo had predicted. They hadn't forced Harry to comply or do anything. It had all been his choice, a very slight return of his power. They gave him orders, something that would be familiar and comforting at this stage, and they didn't exceed what they'd told the child to expect. This was a good beginning, but it was still heartbreaking.

"Come on. Let's see what Q-ball picked up. Harry shouldn't wake up for a few hours. Then we'll feed him again. We'll start slow, but each time we'll ask him to add one more new thing to do. For example, next time we'll ask him to push the tray out from under the bed before we give him the new tray. Doing this, we'll slowly work our way up to a stronger trust and more complex expectations that he'll feel safe enough and capable enough to fulfill."

"Thank you, Duo." Heero looked up through his bangs into wide violet eyes. He held that gaze for a long moment before he stood and silently made his way to the nearest sitting room where their state-of-the-art monitoring devices were set up and where the other three pilots were waiting for them.

The sitting room had been transformed into a command center. Half the room held computer equipment and displays, the other half held couches and tables for relaxation. Quatre was curled up on the lap of Trowa, quietly crying. Wufei sat at the desk infant of the monitor that displayed Harry’s room, eyes averted. His fists were clenched on his thighs. Duo pushed past Heero with his trademark bounce. 

"Don't be like that, Cat! It was a very good first interaction. Nothing went wrong. He has every reason to trust us and keep trusting us. We'll get through this."

"It's not right that a child so young knows such fear," Quatre said as he sat up. His eyes were bloodshot and red. His expensive shirt and vest were wrinkled from lying against Trowa. "I don't think I've ever felt that kind of unrelenting fear, and he lives with it constantly."

Duo wrapped the blonde into an embrace. "The world's a scary place, but that's only 'cause he thinks he's alone. But that's not the case anymore. You'll see. He'll come around. We just have to really work at it. Work as hard as he's going to."

Quatre's expression hardened. "Yes. We will.” He even managed a smile. “I did sense something interesting. When you said Heero’s name, he felt shock and disbelief, but by the end he felt hopeful.”

Duo’s smile was bright with joy. “That’s excellent news, Cat!” He looked around at his friends. “If he can still feel hope, if he can still trust, we got a real shot of saving this kid.”

“Let’s get started,” Heero said firmly, determined to succeed.

xXx

He'd been here for a while now, and he'd been given lots of food. There were five new Uncles, including his hero. They came two at a time, always with food. Sometimes they had tasks for him to do, but nothing like Uncle’s friends! Things like cleaning up under the bed or brushing his hair and teeth. When he did good, they gave him something amazing! And if he couldn't do it, they didn't get mad and hit him, and they still gave him food! 

Sometimes it felt like he was dreaming! He certainly slept a lot, and that made him nervous. He was a lazy freak, and they would hate him and punish him soon. It was only a matter of time. Shaking his head, he focused on his task, pushing the ever-present anxiety away. 

His hero had given him a piece of paper for untying his shoe laces when they'd gotten knotted. It made him feel so good to be able to be useful. His small fingers undid the knot easily. And Uncle Trowa had given him a blue crayon when he'd managed to recite the ABCs without a single mistake. Quatre had given him a green crayon when he'd counted to one hundred all by himself. Wufei had given him a penlight for flossing in between each of his teeth after he’d shown him how. 

Safe under his bed, he'd used the penlight, and the paper, and the two crayons, and he'd drawn a picture as best he could. He drew trees and a lake and flowers flying in the sky on a wind. He wanted to show his new Uncles that he could be useful with the things he was given. He wanted to say thank you for all the good food even though he was a lazy freak. Tears burned his eyes.

"Hey, little one, time to eat. Can you look out so we can see you, please?"

He moved the curtains aside and stuck his head out from under the bed. He blinked still sensitive eyes and saw Trowa and Quatre sitting in the doorway. He turned around and pulled his paper out.

"What do you have there?" Quatre asked sweetly, smiling with big blue eyes.

He stared at the picture in the light of day and saw that it was terrible. It was nothing like he had seen in his head. It was ugly. Just like him. He was a useless freak. He should just come out and take his punishment because that's all he was good for.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry. It'll going to be okay."

He looked out and was surprised to see Quatre crying. He gasped. Was it his fault? Oh, he was in so much trouble! They would whip him for this for sure!

"That is a lovely picture. Is that for us?" Trowa asked, deep voice soft as always.

Panting in fear, shaking badly, he curled up back under the bed in a ball. The curtains were still open though, and he stared in horror at Quatre, waiting for the new Uncle to leap forward and beat him senseless for making him cry. He knew the picture was bad! What was he thinking, trying to do something good? It was useless. He was a bad freak. He'd never do anything right. He needed punishment! But he didn’t want this to end!

Quatre began to stand, crying harder now, and he flinched, a whine rising in his throat. Trowa reached out and pulled the blonde back down. He wrapped an arm around Quatre and held him close to his side.

He blinked rapidly, confused. Trowa was awfully gentle. Not like an Uncle at all. And he was being so nice to Quatre. The blonde had even stopped crying, his face pressed to Trowa's shoulder. Slowly, he stopped crying, too. The fear bled out of him until he lay limp and exhausted on the floor. He had no idea what was going on, but he was beginning to realize that these new Uncles weren't the same as Uncle at all. Eventually, Quatre faced him again.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I wasn't crying because of you. I had a bad day, and your picture is making me feel much better. Thank you so much for letting me see it."

He blinked, shocked. His picture was helping Quatre? A warm feeling began to bloom in his stomach. Quatre was smiling softly, looking at his picture and no longer crying. Feeling reckless, he crawled out from under the bed. He watched the two carefully, but neither reacted. They just watched him with calm expressions. He picked the paper up and scooted closer very slowly. Trowa gave him a gentle smile and Quatre looked really happy. Never taking his eyes off them, he held his colored paper out to Quatre.

"Make feel better," he said, voice a hoarse whisper.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Quatre reached forward and he tensed, but the blond only took the paper gently. 

As soon as he did, he scrambled back to the bed. He disappeared into the safe darkness underneath before carefully poking his head out. He was breathing hard, his heart racing so fast. Eyes wide he watched the blond to see if the two Uncles were angry, but the blond held his picture like it was something beautiful. 

“Oh, I love it!” he said, eyes shining with genuine joy. “I will put it on the wall so everyone can see!"

He felt a shiver of exhilaration! His new Uncle actually liked the picture! He'd finally done something good for his new Uncles.

"Here, little one. Eat," Trowa told him.

The tray was pushed forward with a broom handle like always. He snagged it and ate in record time, still afraid it could be taken from him. When he finished, he pulled the small jug with his pee from the corner and put it on the empty tray. Trowa pulled it all back with the rope that was tied to the tray. He then pushed the tray back with a new, empty jug. He took it gratefully and the tray went away again.

"I need you to do something for me," Trowa said.

He lifted his head from his folded arms, suddenly really tired. He was still half out from under the bed facing his new Uncles. 

"You will have to go poop soon. To your left, that way, is a doorway. Can you see it? It's a bathroom. I want you to go poop in the toilet."

He stared at the indicated doorway, a feeling of unease swirling in his gut. He was afraid to get too far from his safe place. He’d never had a safe place before! The idea of losing it was beyond terrifying. What if they grabbed him when he left?! What if they took him away from here?! What if when he tried to come back, it wasn’t even real?! What if he woke up and this was all a dream, and Uncle Vernon was there and was angry at him for sleeping! What if his new Uncles were playing a trick on him like Uncle Vernon did! What if one of their friends was in that room wanting him to make them feel good?! He could barely hear Trowa over the roar of his blood, the terror screaming through his head. 

"Sweetie, if you don't go to the toilet, you need to poop in this bowl here. And when you're done, one of us will have to come in there and clean everything up."

He burst into sobs. It was over. This good dream… the feeling of safety… It was over, just like he knew it would be eventually. He’d just wished… well, it was stupid to wish. He grabbed his blankets and curled up in the only safe place he’d ever known and cried.

xXx

Quatre stalked into the command center. He paced the room, ignoring Wufei's raised eyebrow. When he felt he had enough control not to yell, he spun on his lover. Trowa stood patiently against the wall, his arms crossed. Quatre narrowed his eyes dangerously and strode over to stand inches from his face.

"What were you thinking? He actually spoke! He actually came over to us! How could you push him like that?" he demanded in a low, furious voice. He didn't want Harry to hear him, after all.

"Our mission was to inform him about the toilet," Trowa answered, which was no answer at all.

"You could have told him about it next time with Wufei!"

"The schedule…"

Quatre spun, turning his back on the lanky teen. "Sometimes the schedule must be adjusted!"

"Duo said…"

Quatre turned back sharply. "I know what Duo said. And maybe he's pushing for too much too soon! He doesn't know what Harry's feeling! He's never dealt with such an extreme case, and you broke his heart bringing up the toilet! He thinks it’s all over! That we’re going to force him out of there, and he’ll never be safe again!”

"If we don't push him, he'll never grow past where he is now," Duo interrupted. He stood in the doorway, hands braiding his loose hair. "We can't let him keep hiding from the world. It’ll only get harder and harder to leave if we do."

“It’s only been five days! That’s hardly enough time to erase a lifetime of abuse," Quatre argued heatedly. "He's not ready! And we shouldn't be threatening him!"

"He needs to learn that he’ll keep that space even if he leaves it,” Duo insisted.

"Shut up!" 

Quatre was so sick of planning out every encounter with the boy. Harry wasn't some mission; he was a child! A hurting, wounded child, and they were playing mind games, telling him they were his keepers because that's all Harry would understand, threatening to break into his safe space if he didn't comply with their orders, and… and… 

Tears blurring his vision, Quatre pushed passed his friend and stormed from the house, needing to get away.

xXx

Wufei sighed as he set the untouched tray on the kitchen counter. It was the first time Harry hadn't taken the food they'd brought. Duo had devised the schedule. They each saw Harry twice a day, arriving at his door in pairs. First it was Heero and Duo, then Duo and Quatre, then Quatre and Trowa, then Trowa and him, and him and Heero. That led to five small meals a day, each getting a little bigger than the last. The most important aspect of each meal was the canister of juice and the bottle of milk. Each had powdered nutrients mixed in. 

After nearly a week of this, Harry still looked gaunt, but his green eyes were brighter, his skin had more color, and the general air of sickness was dissipating. The boy was getting stronger, but maybe Quatre was right. Duo didn't know everything. Perhaps they were pushing too far too soon. Harry had finally spoken to them. He'd colored a picture and willingly approached them, and now he was shut down just like he’d been when he’d first woken.

"Hey, Wu-man, no success?"

"Thanks to you," he snapped. He turned and saw Duo standing in the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes wide at the attack. "Winner's right. Barton shouldn't have pushed the bathroom issue, not when he finally reached out to us."

Duo crossed his arms, on the defensive. "Hey, man, Harry's ready for more. We can't baby him too much or he'll never recover."

"You sound like Yuy," Wufei growled in disgust. "That's a little boy in there, not some soldier you can push until he breaks."

"Fuck you, Chang!" Duo yelled. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Do you? That'd be a first. You're always fucking up. I don't know what we were thinking putting you in charge of a little boy!"

Wufei braced himself as Duo lunged forward, fury burning in his eyes, only to relax when the braided pilot jerked to a stop. He saw Heero over Duo's shoulder, his hand holding tight to Duo's braid. Duo spun and yanked his hair free. He shot both of them death glares before storming out of the room. Heero pinned Wufei with a look. 

"Harry has been constipated due to the starvation. He will have to release his waste soon, and the issue could not wait. You must consider that Harry is aware that defecating on the floor or in a container is unsanitary and unacceptable behavior. Allowing him to do so under the bed will only increase his belief that he is subhuman and exempt from the rules of society. By informing him that he is expected to use the toilet, we are in essence telling him he is normal. Duo also hoped to ease any anxiety about the issue by stating clear rules and expectations that Harry could understand before the need became distressing."

Wufei stared as Heero turned and marched out. He cursed and leaned over the kitchen counter, his head hanging. 

Those were all good points. He was just frustrated. They'd been working in shifts, getting barely five hours of sleep a day, and had been cooped up in this house for going on six days now. It was wearing on all of them. 

xXx

His hero and Wufei were here with his tray, and he couldn't ignore it anymore. Trowa was right. He had to go potty. He was afraid of coming out, of leaving his sanctuary, of everything disappearing and going back to the way it had been, but… He didn't want to poop in the bowl. It was filthy! And he didn’t want to be filthy! He was afraid, but he was always afraid. He had to do what he always did and push through it. 

The bottom line was he had to go potty, and he couldn’t stay here to do it. Trowa said there was a bathroom over there. He opened the curtain and peeked out. His hero and Wufei were sitting just outside the doorway. They had a tray of food with them, and he was hungry because he hadn't come out when Trowa and Wufei had come. First, though, he had to go to the bathroom. He bit his lip. 

Maybe… Maybe it would be okay? His hero was there. Heroes saved you, and the hero had saved him! Maybe he’d be okay if he went to the other room. Maybe he wouldn’t lose everything?

"Hello," Wufei greeted him, dark eyes solemn. "We have food."

He stared at his hero for a long time. “You’ll save me?” he asked quietly.

The hero met his eyes evenly. “Yes,” he answered firmly.

He wasn’t as talkative as Duo, and not as gentle as Trowa or friendly as Quatre, or as strict as Wufei. His steadiness was reassuring. He knew what to expect with the hero. He never asked him questions and didn't show emotion, so maybe he really would save him. Maybe he wouldn’t let anyone take his safe place away or grab him in the other room.

Trembling, he met the hero’s eyes and nodded. “Okay.” Then he crawled out from under the bed. Taking a shaky breath, he stood and shuffled quickly over to the other room. Cringing, ready for someone to grab him, he pushed open the door. He burst into sobs as relief punched through him.

It was an empty bathroom! Just like Trowa had told him. Cool white tiles on the floor, a bathtub with a blue shower curtain, a white toilet, and a small sink and counter. A small step stool was placed in front of the sink so he could easily reach it. There was even a small window he could get through if he had to, so he wasn't trapped! 

Still crying with amazement and relief, he quickly sat on the seat and went potty. He felt much better when he was done. He washed his hands and it felt so good, he carefully slipped out of his shirt and put it on the toilet-seat lid. Getting a washrag wet, he put it under the water and began to wash his face, arms, and chest, too. He was alone, so he could make the water whatever temperature he wanted, and he made it nice and warm and practically melted in pleasure as he carefully scrubbed himself. 

As he scrubbed, the good feeling was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety. He shot an anxious look at the bathroom door. Was he talking too long? Would the new Uncles come in after him? Punish him? He bit his lip. His hero was out there. He said he’d protect him. Still, he should be quick. 

He washed his body with the rag quickly. Getting everything as clean as he could and then pulled his shirt back on. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, but he'd done it! He'd used the bathroom and even washed up, and nothing had grabbed him or hurt him. Bracing himself, he peered out the bathroom door, checking to see if his safe place was still there. Or had they taken it to laugh at him? But his hero and Wufei were right where he’d left them.

"Excellent job," the hero said, calm as ever. "I'm very proud of you.”

His mouth dropped open, still standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He was proud of him? A feeling of disbelief washed through him. He had to be dreaming!

Wufei nodded his head. "That took a lot of courage. You are a very brave boy."

He laughed out loud. He covered his mouth desperately, knowing he’d get in trouble for being loud, but he couldn’t help it! The hero was proud! Wufei through he was brave! His head got even dizzier as he laughed and cried, but it felt wonderful. Eventually his tears stopped, and he realized he was rocking back and forth on the floor next to the bathroom door.

“Are you hungry?” the hero asked. 

He couldn’t believe he was going to be allowed to use the bathroom, allowed this safe place, AND still get food! Dazed, he crawled over to sit just out of reach in front of his Uncles. Wufei smiled and pushed the tray of food toward him.

He ate fast, shoveling everything into his mouth. It tasted better than ever! When he was finished, he crawled back under the bed into his safe place and grabbed the bottle of pee. He brought it out and put it on the tray before pushing it back toward his Uncles. Wufei took it and handed him an empty bottle for pee. Feeling brave, still high on his unexpected success, he shook his head. 

"No. Keep. Use toilet."

"Very smart decision," Wufei approved and kept the bottle.

He grinned, fit to bursting! He didn’t understand why everything was so good. It was terrifying! He was certain everything would be yanked away any moment! But he never wanted it to end! 

“I have something for you,” his hero suddenly said. 

He flinched back, adrenaline screaming, but he wasn’t grabbed or hurt. Instead, his hero reached to the side and revealed a soft looking stuffed bunny. It was grey with long ears stuck up and folded over in the middle. A brown silk bow hung around its neck. It had two black button eyes, a brown triangle nose, and a smiling mouth made from black yarn. 

He stared at the toy in utter longing with wide eyes. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around his chest again, afraid he'd reach out and get punished for being a greedy no-good freak. But then the impossible happened. The hero reached forward and handed him the toy! His mouth fell open in utter shock.

"For you,” the hero impossibly said. “You were very good today. I promise we will never take it from you. It's your responsibility to take care of him from now on. I'm counting on you."

Everything got floaty as he looked from the soft bunny held out to him and to his hero’s face. He didn’t look like he was making fun of him or like he was playing a mean trick. Dazed, he reached out and took the bunny. It was just as soft as he'd imagined. He pulled the precious gift in toward his chest and hugged it desperately. Tears welled up in his eyes and he began rocking again. He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. He stared up into the hero’s face completely mesmerized.

“Do you like him?” the hero asked, holding his eyes evenly with no trace of hate or that weird look like he wanted to feel good with him.

He jerked. Oh he was a bad freak! Not saying thank you after getting all these nice things! "I will take good care!” he babbled, practically screaming at the hero. “I promise! Be very good boy! Thank you, Uncle! Thank you!”

"We aren't your uncles," Wufei corrected.

His eyes snapped over to the asian man and widened. “You Uncle’s friends?” he asked in horror. Oh no! Was this all a trick! To make him sweet before they began to play those touching games?

“No,” the hero said very firmly. “No one will touch you like that again. I’ll make sure of it.”

It was just all too much. He could only stare dumbly at them. 

"We're your… brothers," the hero said, and it felt like the words were coming through a long tunnel to reach him.  

Brothers? Not Uncles? He'd never had a brother before. Just a cousin and an aunt and Uncle.

"Rest," the hero ordered. "I will return with your brother Duo, and we'll have more food for you."

He turned obediently, unable to process anything else, and crawled under the bed. He lay perfectly still, eyes still wide and dazed as he clutched the bunny close. His mind just grayed out in completely overwhelmed static. 

xXx

Duo and the others huddled around the screen as they watched a replay of Harry using the bathroom and washing up with a look of bliss on his face, and then the expression of absolute wonder on his face when Heero handed him the stuffed bunny. 

"Good one, Quatre,” Duo said with a big smile, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “You were right. He loved that thing!"

Quatre blushed and turned to face his friend. His blue eyes sparkled with tears. "I'm sorry I questioned you, Duo. You were right about the bathroom and about needing to push him." He leaned forward placed a kiss on Duo's cheek. Violet eyes widened at him. "I can feel how much you worry and doubt yourself, but you're doing great. Heero was absolutely right in picking you. No one could do better."

Duo smiled sheepishly, blushing a bright red. "You're killing me here, Q-ball."

"I apologize as well, Maxwell. I should not have taken my frustrations out on you," Wufei added, solemn.

"Forget it." Duo waved his hands in front of him in dismissal. "It never happened!"

"What's the next plan?" Trowa questioned, obliging Duo by changing the topic.

"Weeeelllll…" Duo tilted his head back and tapped his chin. "We wait a day. Let everything sink in a bit. I’m sure he’s in shock. Then we get his butt back out from under the bed. He's needed a lot of sleep to recover, but he needs some light physical activity soon or he'll never regain true strength. So we need to think of something that he can do that will stretch his muscles and make him work a bit while still in his bedroom."

They all went silent in thought. Unsurprisingly it was the statistician that came up with an answer.

"We can print up picture instructions and have him build a small bookshelf. That way he can put his things on it when we begin his schooling. I assume that will happen soon?" Quatre questioned.

Duo nodded. "Yeah, kid needs to learn to read in the worst way." He grinned and flung an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "I like it. It will also ease him into the idea that the whole room is his if he starts filling it up with his things. Then maybe we can convince him to actually sleep on the bed. But that probably won't happen for a while."

"Is it safe?" Heero asked. "Constructing a bookshelf will require nails and a hammer."

"Not necessarily," Quatre countered. "We can buy one that already has holes and comes with screws and washers. Then he'll only need a Phillips head."

"I'm in!" Duo exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

xXx

A day or so after getting Sage, his bunny, Duo and the hero pushed in a box with all the pieces and the instructions to building a bookcase. It looked hard, but he’d do anything for his hero! Luckily, the instructions weren't in words, so he didn't have to read. After looking at the pictures for a while, he shifted so that he had a good view of the doorway in case his brothers came back and opened the box. With one eye on the door at all times, he got to work.

There sure were a lot of pieces, but he took a deep breath and kept the instructions close. He triple checked everything before putting a piece together. The wood was heavy, but he lifted and pushed with both arms. Soon he was sweating, but it felt kind of nice. He didn't have bruises or welts. He actually felt really good. Better than he had in a long time, maybe ever!

"It looks great!"

He jumped in the air with a scream of fright, almost braining himself as he dove under the bed. Panting, safe in the dark with the curtains pulled shut, he lay there, blinking fast as the panic slowly faded, leaving him feeling exhausted and nauseous.

"Sorry, kiddo. Didn't mean to scare you," Duo's voice reached him, soft and remorseful.

His eyes widened. Had Duo just apologized? To him? No way! He reached out and pulled the curtains open. Sure enough, Duo was staring right at him, a sorrowful look on his face.

"Next time I'll remember to make more noise when I come to the door, I promise. I know it's hard to believe, but I really won't hurt you. Not even when I get mad, I won't hurt you. I don't like pain, so I'm not going to give it to you, either."

He just gaped at his brother. He didn't believe it for a second, but… Duo sure seemed to. "S'okay," he offered, not knowing what to say. He just wanted Duo to be happy again. Duo was sure nice to him, and he didn't want him to be sad. Not cause of him. He wasn't worth it.

"Thanks for understanding. That means a lot to me," Duo answered and smiled brightly.

He smiled back, still uncertain, but it was a lot better than Duo being mad and hurting him.

"The bookcase is perfect. You did a really good job," Quatre spoke up from next to Duo.

He ducked his head, embarrassed but also really proud.

"Now you have somewhere to put your school books,” the blond continued, completely taking him by surprise.

His crawled out from under the bed and sat down facing them. “My books? Shelf for you,” he said confused.

"Nope!" Duo said cheerfully. “The bookshelf is yours! We’re going to teach you math and reading, so you're going to need somewhere safe to put your books. That bookcase is just the thing! You can put it anywhere in your room that you like since it’s yours now.”

He couldn't help but stare at them as if they were crazy. "Too stupid for school,” he tried to warn them, tried to tell them that it would be a waste to get him books! “Done too much! I don’t need more!”

"Nah," Duo waved his concern off. "Stupid is like being sick, and books are like medicine. Once we teach you, you won't be stupid anymore. You'll be smart!”

“And giving you books and teaching you is what we want to do,” Quatre assured him with a nice smile.

He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. They wanted to be nice to him? They liked it? It just didn’t make any sense! Confused, happy, terrified, he hugged his bunny to his chest and ducked his head down.

"What's his name?" Quatre asked suddenly, pointing at his bunny.

“The hero gave him to me!” he said excitedly and held him out so they could see, but not out far enough they could reach and take him away. “He Sage,” he answered proudly, grinning. "He's the bestest friend in the whole world!”

Quatre gave him a big smile, blue eyes dancing. "I bet he is. I have a best friend, too. He’s a teddy bear, and his name is Fredrick. Maybe they can play together one day."

His eyes went wide and he pulled Sage in close to his chest. "Will Fredrick hurt him? Sage is… is…" His face scrunched up as he thought of how to explain the fear. "…sick. He has to be careful."

Quatre nodded in understanding. "Fredrick is always very careful. He's sick sometimes too, so I'm sure he wouldn't hurt Sage."

"Okay," he allowed reluctantly.

"Where'd you come up with a name like Sage?" Duo asked. His hands were linked behind his head and he wore a silly grin. "It's a great name. I'd never've thought of it!"

"I cook,” he admitted. “Use sage sometimes. It's soft grey like Sage's fur."

"It's a good smell, too," Duo agreed.

"Here, I bet you're hungry." Quatre pushed the tray to him and he ate it quickly as he always did. "When I come with Trowa, we'll have the first book to work on, okay?"

He nodded, giving a yawn. “If you want me to.”

"Get some sleep, kiddo," Duo told him.

He nodded again and crawled under the bed. Curling up, he fell asleep with Sage safe in his arms.

xXx

Heero stared at his computer screen and the message from Une. He'd expected it and was only surprised it had taken this long for her to summon him. It had been six weeks since he'd brought Harry to the house. The boy was making outstanding progress. 

He would now sit within reach of them when they came to the doorway to work on his studies. He did his homework and kept his books neat and organized on the bookcase he'd built. He went to the bathroom without showing significant signs of panic. He used the toilet and the bath with no difficulty. He even let Quatre touch him once or twice when they’d been playing with Fredrick and Sage. Unfortunately, Harry still panicked if any of them mentioned him leaving the room and coming into the house. Duo said they'd have to push the issue soon. If they let the fear take hold, he could develop agoraphobia.

"Whatcha doin?"

He turned to see Duo enter his room and flop down on his bed. The braided pilot rolled on his back, head hanging over the edge as he looked at Heero upside down.

"A message from Une. She says she needs me to come in. It's urgent."

Duo groaned. He sat up and hugged his legs to his chest. "You goin?"

Heero nodded. "If the mission isn't critical, I'll turn it down."

Duo looked away with a frown.

Heero stood and came to sit by his partner. He waited patiently for a reaction, knowing he'd get one, but he wasn't prepared for what he got. 

Duo uncurled and grabbed his shoulders. Heero's eyes widened as that soft mouth pressed against his. He swallowed hard, his heart rate elevated as he stared into the violet eyes so close to his own. His lips tingled with heat. Then Duo pulled away.

"Be careful, Hee-chan." With a dismissive wave, Duo walked out of the room, braid swaying like a cat tail along his spine.

Heero stared at the empty doorway wondering what the kiss had meant.

xXx

Une glanced up as her door opened. She gave a smile at seeing Heero. The ex-pilot wore boots, spandex shorts, a tank top and a bomber jacket. It was definitely off-duty attire, and a statement to remind her that he hadn’t consented to return to work yet. 

She was still surprised that Heero had taken to the poor child he had rescued so passionately, but she couldn't say she was surprised at how serious he took his job as the child's caretaker. Once Heero assigned himself a mission, it got his full attention until it was completed. That's why she had supported his guardianship of the boy even though he and Duo Maxwell were only nineteen themselves.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you," she opened.

Heero said nothing, merely watched her with his intense stare.

"The terrorists involved with the Dursley case are more dynamic than we'd thought. They call themselves Terrestrials, ardent defenders of Earth. None of the core members have been identified. They apparently are very convincing if they can keep persuading these company men and politicians to be loyal to their cause and break the law against armament."

“What do you need from me?" Heero cut in, impatient.

Une sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Recently, I've become aware of someone trying to find your location. I highly suspect it is someone from the Terrestrials. It isn't outside the realm of possibility that these fanatics will want revenge since you were the lead in the Drunnings operation. The mission would be to let them make contact and capture one for interrogation."

"Such a mission would be long term. I already stated that I am unavailable for any such missions until further notice."

"I understand that, Agent Wing," Une answered stiffly. "But this is vital. This group is more spread out and far reaching than we anticipated. Until we get a handle on the ringleaders, there is no guarantee we will detect their every project before it's too late. If anyone else could do this, I wouldn't have called.” She straightened her back and said firmly, “I'm not asking. You have a mission, Agent."

Heero held her gaze for a long minute, long enough that she felt sweat gather at her nape. "I will let them make contact and capture their agent. I will not go undercover nor will I lead the mission to arrest the group’s core members."

"That is acceptable," she finally answered. It was better than nothing.

"Mission accepted." And with that, he turned and walked out.

Une sighed and relaxed her posture. She hadn't expected her best agent to basically retire at nineteen and start raising a kid. She felt for the child, but she highly resented the loss of her man. Something would have to be done. 

xXx

"Hey, kiddo, got your grub here!"

His eyes widened and he quickly opened the curtain. "Brother Duo?" He saw Wufei sitting next to him. He'd never seen Duo and Wufei together. It was his hero and Wufei's turn to see him. “Where’s the hero?"

Deep black eyes, always calm and watchful, held his own as Wufei answered. “He is a Preventer. Do you know what that is?"

He scrunched up his face in thought. "Ummm…"

"It's like a policeman," Duo offered, unbothered he hadn’t known the answer. "Preventers go after bad guys to make sure they don't hurt anyone else."

“Oh." So the hero was out saving people again? His eyes clouded with worry. Bad guys were dangerous. "He come back soon?” he asked in an anxious whisper.

"Yes," Wufei assured him. “He’ll come home as soon as the mission is done."

The sound of a gun - the splatter of hot blood - his aunt lying on the floor - her head broken open - the memory trembled at the edge of his consciousness, fueling his anxiety. Tears burned his eyes, although he wasn’t fully aware of why. 

He ate the food on the tray Duo pushed over to him quietly and quickly. He was distracted as he worked on math with Wufei, and he cringed when he kept getting the numbers wrong. He just couldn’t stop thinking about his hero out there fighting bad guys. 

The sound of a gun - the splatter of hot blood -

“Let’s take a break today,” Duo said kindly. 

Nearly collapsing in relief, he grabbed his books and homework. “I sorry,” he whispered, trembling.

“I understand. We will try again next time,” Wufei said calmly.

“See you later, kiddo!” Duo gave him a cheerful wave like he always did.

He felt terrible for being bad! After everything his brothers did for him! But he just felt so anxious and sick. He crawled under the bed and held tight to Sage. 

— “Aunt Pe’unia, where’re my mommy and daddy?” he asked, voice small and sad from where he was scrubbing the kitchen floor. His hands hurt from the chemicals, and they made his head all whooshy. He didn’t want to clean anymore.

Aunt Petunia whipped around from where she stood cooking at the stove. “You want to know where your parents are? They were filthy freaks just like you and got what was coming to them. They’re dead! You know what that means? It means you cursed them, just like you’d curse us if we let you, and they got themselves killed!”

He stared up at her in horror, his heart pounding as tears burned down his cheeks.

“You’re a nasty little freak who’s only brought my family bad luck since we brought you in, so you better make yourself useful, you hear me?”

“I’m sorry I’ma freak,” he wept. “I don’ mean to be bad!”

“Shut up, boy!” she yelled furiously. “I don’t want to see a single spot missed or I’ll change my mind and throw you to the dogs! You want that, freak? You want the dogs to eat you?”

“Nooooo!” he wailed, terrified.

“Then make yourself useful and stop that caterwauling right now!” she shrieked.

Choking on his sobs, he did his best to muffle them, stuffing his hands into his mouth. —

— “I got passed up for the promotion again!” Uncle roared in fury, cornering him in the living room. “And I know it’s your fault, boy! You’re nothing but a bloody curse!” 

He cried out as Uncle grabbed him and lifted him off the ground by his shirt. His feet kicked the air, his hands clutching at his uncle’s desperately.

“You do nothing but bring the people around you grief!” Uncle growled, face purple with fury. 

He lifted his arms in a desperate bid to protect his face as Uncle drew back his fist and punched him. Pain exploded hot and sharp in his face as his head whipped back. 

“I’ll bloody beat the curse out of you!” Uncle roared past the ringing in his ears.

Another vicious punch. Blood exploded in his mouth. his arms and legs dangled, still and useless. Vision swirling crazy. Dizzy, nauseous, he threw up.

“You disgusting freak!” Uncle screeched and another punch slammed into his face —

Covered in sweat and shaking, he blinked his eyes as the memories slowly faded back into the recesses of his mind. As the ringing in his ears quieted and his shaking stilled, thoughts sluggishly worked through his brain.

His hero and the others were so nice… He didn't want anything bad to happen to them, but he was a curse, wasn’t he? He killed his parents and now Uncle was arrested and Aunt was… she was… What if something bad happened to Heero because he was there?… What if his curse got his new big brothers?…

xXx

Heero crossed the hotel room to stand at the window. He stood to the side, preventing a good visual angle of his body as he looked out. It was grey and raining, and he could feel the cold seeping through the glass. He was back on Earth, in England. The ring of his phone had him turning back inside.

"01."

"Hey, man, how's it hangin?"

His lips twitched in a smile. "How is he?"

Duo sighed. "Hasn't been talking since we told him what you do and that you're out on a mission. He's still eating, but he won't engage or complete any tasks we assign."

Heero felt a stab of guilt. Was he making Harry worse? "What should I do?"

"I thought maybe you could talk to him, actually. Reassure him that you're coming back.”

"Affirmative," he agreed instantly.

There was the sound of Duo walking and then a soft knock on the wall beside the doorway to Harry's room. He could hear Duo's voice at a distance. "Hey, kid, Heero's on the phone. He wanted to talk to you. Do you feel like talking? … Hey, there. Glad to see you. All right, come on over so I can hand you the phone."

A rustling sound and then he heard soft breathing. Heero closed his eyes, his chest feeling tight. In his mind, he saw dark messy hair falling into big green eyes in a too thin face. There was always such fear in the boy's body language, in the hunched shoulders, the darting eyes. But there was also a lingering willingness to trust in the way Harry came up to them and sat with them at the doorway. The way he made eye contact and offered shy grins. His happiness and pride whenever he completed a task they’d set him.

"Hello, little brother," he said, voice low and even.

The breathing sped up, clearly growing distressed.

"I'm not going to be gone much longer. I should be home in a day or two. I'll bring you something back," Heero offered, scrambling for anything that might make the boy feel better.

"Don't… Don't…" The boy was panting now, his voiced hitching on quiet sobs.

Heero went rigid. He hated feeling helpless, and he had no idea what to do. Duo should have given him clearer parameters! "Don't what?"

"I sorry," the boy whimpered in answer.

Heero winced. The child's speech was underdeveloped due to the abuse, and it made the plea all the more heartbreaking. "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I promise I'll come home soon."

There was a rustling and Duo was back. "Hey. Hold on, Heero. Kiddo, I'll be back later with Quatre with some food. Get some rest, okay?" Then he could hear the sound of Duo walking. "Sorry, Hee-chan. I thought that might make him feel better. I'm not quite sure what's wrong."

Heero sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll be back soon. Take care of him."

"Affirmative," Duo answered with a grin clear in his voice.

Heero rolled his eyes and snapped the phone shut.

A knock sounded at his door. Heero was on his feet, a gun in hand, instantly. Moving stealthily, careful not to make a sound, he pressed his back to the wall. A second knock sounded. Heero turned his torso enough that he could look out the peep hole without putting the core of his body in the frame of the door. 

He saw woman in a white suit, hair in a bun, black glasses, briefcase. Hands in sight. No visible weapons. She looked to the right before knocking again. Something wasn't right, but that was the whole point of this mission, right? To make contact and capture the enemy for interrogation? He had a feeling that's exactly who stood outside his door now.

Bringing his gun down to his side, he stepped back and opened the door. There wasn't a woman in white. Three men in black. Something metal on the door over the eye hole, likely a projector. Two tasers and a canister. 

Heero flung himself backward in a roll, escaping the tasers, but the canister was flung into the room. Gas instantly began to saturate the air. Keeping his eyes narrowed, holding his breath, Heero lifted his gun and fired once. Taser one and two had already dove to the side for cover, but canister guy went down, flung backward by the hit to his chest.

He began to get dizzy. It wasn't an inhalant; it was a contact drug. Heero crab-walked back toward the bed, gun still rock steady and aimed at the doorway. He snatched his phone, one handedly sending a short text. His team should have already arrived as soon as he opened the door. Where were the other agents? The room began to spin. Darkness followed and he was out.

xXx

"I don't care how classified it is! I want to know where he is!"

His eyes snapped open and he pulled the curtain aside quickly. There was no one in the doorway, but he could hear Duo yelling from somewhere close by. He shivered, terrified it was over. The pain was going to come now.

"I don't care! I'm getting Heero back with or without your help!"

He froze. The hero? Oh no! His curse really did get him! He thought maybe it would be okay after talking to the hero on the phone, but… He felt sick. His hero had saved him. He'd wanted him when no one else had. He'd even brought him home and made him his little brother! Now the hero was going to die because he got too close! It was all his fault!

Duo appeared in the doorway. "Hey, kid. I'm going to go get Heero. I'll be back soon, okay. Be good for the others." He winked and was gone so fast that his long braid trailed behind him like an angry snake.

His eyes widened. Now something would happen to Duo, too! Oh god, he had to do something now before it was too late! 

He quickly snagged Sage and crawled out from under the bed. He ran to the bathroom. It took a bit of pushing to get the window open, but then he was outside on the grass. It was strange grass, but it didn't matter. He had to go or his curse would kill the hero and Duo! 

Trembling, eyes wide in panic, he ran.

xXx

Heero regained consciousness in an instant, but he remained motionless, keeping his breathing pattern unchanged. 

He was sitting in a chair, steel by the feel of it. His wrists were attached to each arm with a wide metal cuff; the same around his ankles attaching them to the front chair legs. He still wore his clothes: jeans, boots, t-shirt. His gun and belt were missing. There was nothing in his pockets. The lighting against his lids was neither bright nor dark. 

A door opened to his right. Light footsteps on carpet. Bare feet, he estimated. The swish of fabric. The smell of perfume. A woman. Uncalloused fingertips brushed his cheek, his chin. She had medium length nails.

"I know you must be awake," a high female voice spoke directly in front of him. She had to be kneeling to get that angle while he was seated. "Please stop pretending. We need to talk."

Heero opened his eyes and lifted his head, keeping his expression utterly blank. The woman was about thirty and crouched in front of him just as he'd expected. She was slender, not athletic, and wore expensive slacks. Her silk button-down blouse revealed a good bit of cleavage. Brown eyes, a little make-up, pearls around her throat. No earrings. Her red hair was in an artfully messy up do.

"Hey, there, handsome. So glad you could join me."

He said nothing in response.

"Forgive me for not telling you my name." She touched his face again, ghosting over his cheeks and lips. "You are beautiful, you know that?" She sighed as she stood, backing up so she could sit on the end of the four poster bed he was facing. "They must have done one hell of a job on you. But don't worry, Heero. You're safe now. I won't let them get you."

The accent was American, not British. Nor was it high-brow like her clothes presented her.

"Come on, talk to me," she cajoled, giving him a coy look and pouty lips.

He said nothing. Instead he looked around the room. It was opulent; something that would be right at home in Quatre's most decadent mansions. Rich brown carpet, cream wallpaper with subtle designs, petite crystal chandelier. The bed had a thick navy blue comforter. There were two doors. One most likely was a closet, the other was the entrance. No windows. The bed was the only furniture besides his chair.

"I'm not the enemy." The woman sat straight and crossed her legs. Her expression shifted to something more intelligent, less sex kitten. "I know you're confused right now. The government has you programmed, but it's all a lie. They're just trying to control you. Keep you contained. You can be free, Heero."

She slipped off the bed and once again knelt before him. Her hands pressed gently into his thighs. "We're not terrorists like they told you, Heero. We've attacked nothing. We've killed no one. We just want to be safe. We want to have the means of protecting ourselves just in case. You understand that, right? We just want to be prepared should the worst happen again. We can't count on there being another person like you to come around and save us." She shook her head, eyes large and sincere. "No. You're one of a kind, Heero."

Une's estimation had been correct. The Terrestrials were comprised of fanatics. It was not good news. Fanatics were notorious for being unpredictable and extremely violent. He needed to escape as soon as possible. That meant he had to try and get her to slip up. “Why were you searching for me?"

She smiled as if he'd given her a great gift. "I knew as soon as the government figured out we wanted you, they'd hand you right on over. You see, Heero? They don't care about you. You're expendable to them. A tool.”

"Why do you need me?" he asked again.

"Dursley thought he was smart. He didn't put the final codes we needed into any of his records. To keep them safe. It took days to get a message to the bastard, and do you know what he said? He forgot them. Had his kid memorize them. But we talked to his son. The brat could hardly remember his name let alone twenty-eight digits in the correct sequence. Then we discovered Dursley was in custody of a nephew. Good job trying to seal those records. Took us about a week to break into them. And low and behold Heero Yuy and one Duo Maxwell are the boy's new guardians."

This was about Harry? His face completely closed off. He would die before he revealed any information that would endanger that little boy.

She sighed and stood, looming over him. "I see the government still has their hooks in you. Don't worry, Heero. I'll get what I need from you, and Earth will be safe, just like you would want it to be."

He stared blankly as she turned and grabbed something off the bed. It was a black case. She set it on the floor next to him. The angle was bad. He couldn't see within it, but her motions revealed it was something small and needed assembly. When the hypodermic came into view, he showed no outward reaction. He'd been trained to resist the influences of drugs and torture, not to mention his biology wasn't exactly normal after his years under Doctor J's care. He was confident he could hold out.

The needle punctured his skin at the crook of his arm. The drug shot through his veins, making him begin to shiver. The room faded in and out. It undulated and tilted. After long minutes of this, the worst of the effects began to fade. He discovered he'd unconsciously begun regulating his breathing, his head hung low, and sweat dampened his skin.

"The Earth's in danger, 01!"

He jumped, muscles twitching for a weapon. Couldn't move. Where? What?

"I need the location! The mission, 01, remember the mission! Tell me the location of the boy! Hurry!"

Boy? He was confused, drugged. That wasn't right. Training kept his mouth shut. A sharp slap. It disrupted his breathing rhythm. He struggled to get it back. Focus on breathing. Focus.

"Dursley's boy! Where is he? He's in danger. You must tell me so we can protect him!"

Heero's head shot up, looking for the speaker, but they were behind him. In a room; hard to focus. Blues and creams. Where? Winner's?

"The boy, Yuy! Where is he? We have to get him out before the strike! Tell me!"

Strike? Adrenaline doused his system and his head cleared a little more. He was drugged. In enemy hands. She wanted to know Harry's location. Rage finished the job adrenaline started. He became more coherent. Harry was his now, and Heero would kill them all before they ever laid a hand on him.

A pale face with brown eyes was in front of him. Hands were holding his head steady. Heero ignored the sweat rolling down his face. His fists clenched impotently as she caressed his face. A gentle kiss was placed on his cheek.

"You're truly one of a kind, taking in a messed up wreck like that boy. I saw the files. Dursley was one sick fucker. Don't worry. We've taken care of him. Slipped him something nice. He died this morning, choking on his own bile. Fitting, I think." She smiled at him, flashing teeth. "See, Heero. I'm on your side. I won't hurt the boy, and I'll give him right back to you, but I really, really need those codes. Please, Heero, just tell me where he is. You came from L4 before arriving on Earth, so you've helped us narrow it down that far, but I need an address. Tell me, Heero, and this will all be over and you can go home with the boy safe in your care."

He was really getting sick of her voice. Jerking his head out of her grasp, he gave his answer in clear, unmistakable words. "I will kill you."

The slap he received sent the room spinning and her shriek of rage drove a spike of pain through his skull. He barely registered the prick of the needle. As the drug began to take effect, Heero shut down. He retreated deep, ensuring he wouldn't give away the location of the little boy he'd sworn to protect.

xXx

Trowa was nearing his limit. They'd been searching for thirty hours now without stopping for more than nutrient bars. Harry was gone. They'd become aware the child had runaway not fifteen minutes after Duo had left in a whirlwind of action and temper. Distracted with getting Duo ready for the rescue mission, they'd left the station monitoring Harry's room unattended. It had only been fifteen minutes. Fifteen too many.

The three of them had made a grid and had been canvassing it for over a day, slowly widening the parameters. Nothing. Clearly the boy had escaped the estate somehow. He was in L4 proper, and the colony was a metropolis. It wasn't going to be easy finding him.

"03 to 04, come in," he rasped into his com.

"04 here," came an equally tired response.

"This isn't working. We need to regroup."

There was silence for a long minute before Quatre responded, defeat in his tone. "Affirmative. Meet back at base. Over."

Trowa gazed out at the maze of streets and alleys before him for a moment longer before he turned and made his way back to the house. It took nearly half an hour. Wufei and Quatre were already present. They stood at the kitchen table, maps spread out before them. Quatre still wore the white button-down and black vest with khaki pants from yesterday. Wufei, however, looked fresh in clean slacks and a light sweater.

"Should we get an APB out?" Wufei asked, black eyes glittering with feverish resolve.

Quatre rubbed at his temple with one hand, the other braced on the table to support his weight. "I'm uncertain."

"We could use more eyes out there," Wufei pressed.

"If anyone figures out we're the ones looking for him, he could be held for ransom or used as revenge," Trowa reminded his friend. They were Gundam pilots, and a lot of people were angry about their part in the war. Not to mention, Quatre's extreme wealth and political power. Harry would be powerful leverage in their enemy’s hands.

Wufei spat out a long string of Chinese. He pushed away from the table and began to pace. Trowa looked to Quatre to see him staring blankly at the table, fists clenched. He stepped close, but he didn't touch his lover. He knew it would be unwelcome right now.

"I'll make a few phone calls," Quatre decided. He held both their gazes, determined. "I'll make it clear to the authorities not to reveal the source of the APB. We'll tell them to hold Harry at a police station until we can fetch him if he's found. Wufei, I need you to get me a picture of Harry from the footage we have."

"Yes," Wufei said and immediately strode from the room.

"You need to rest. Just for a little bit," Trowa cautioned. "We can search in shifts."

"Draw up a schedule," Quatre relented. "I'll rest after I get the APB settled."

Trowa nodded and got to work.

xXx

The hotel was a swarm of activity when Duo arrived. There were two Preventer agents standing on guard at the front door, and he could see more inside interviewing potential witnesses. He debated for a moment on whether or not to sneak in or announce himself. On one hand, he so didn't need imbeciles getting in his way. On another, contacting Une might get him where he needed to go faster and without disruptions. Duo gave a sharp nod. Announce himself it was, and announce himself he did. Duo strode right up to one of the guards. 

"Hey, chuckles, I'm Duo Maxwell, Une-baby sent me. Now tell me where the hotel security station's located, won't you?"

"Let me see some ID," the buffoon growled at him.

Duo flipped him off before handing it over. "Can you make this snappy? I'm about done with your bullshit."

The guard was busy talking into his headset. Duo rolled his eyes and strode past him. The man yelled out, but Duo didn't pay him any mind. In seconds, he maneuvered so he was out of line of sight and lost in the crowd. Idiot. It was a good thing he was here, they'd never find Heero. 

It didn't take long for him to find the stairs and discover the security station on the second floor. There were three agents inside, working over the footage. Duo rolled his eyes. "There is a bomb threat downstairs! The manager told me to tell you," he cried, eyes wide with false alarm.

Two of the guards argued momentarily and one took off down the stairs. An evil grin stretched his mouth. A sharp punch to the remaining guard’s jaw, and there were none. He quickly pushed the body from the room and locked the door. It wouldn't slow the agents down for long, but he was making a point. If Duo had been an enemy, the man would've been dead.

Cracking his knuckles, he got to work. The footage didn't seem to be tampered with. He ran through the hours leading up to Heero's kidnap at triple speed. Nothing. Heero checked in, went up to his room on the third floor, and stayed there. His team were stationed around the hotel in key positions. Static for fifteen minutes, and Heero was gone. 

The agents assigned to Heero’s team never saw anyone suspicious go in or out. They never saw Heero exit. They only knew something was up when Heero sounded the alarm via cellphone. They converged on Heero’s room, but the teen was already gone. 

The door burst inward. Duo straightened his sleeves, nonchalant. 

"I'm done here. Continue on about your business."

"Wait a minute, you little punk!" 

A meaty hand reached for him. Duo ducked and lunged for the door. He was gone before the goons could say another word. Idiots, he thought again in disgust. No wonder Heero felt obligated to work for Une. She'd be useless without him.

Grumbling, jumpy, Duo prowled the parameter of the building. There were three ground floor exits, and Heero could only be taken unconscious. He was smaller than the average man, but he was heavy. The alterations done to his body made his muscles stronger, his bones denser, and that added up to a lot more pounds than you'd think to look at his lean, short frame. A muscle-bound goon could haul Heero out over his shoulder, but it wouldn't be a cake walk. Not to mention a bit obvious and attention getting. No, more likely they put him in something. A trunk, a crate. Heero was small. It wasn't inconceivable he could be scrunched into one. Then two meatheads could lift it, and, poof, Heero was gone. That meant the front door was out. So two exits. The back entrance and the kitchen entrance.

Duo examined the streets in both directions. He began to grin. Across the street from the kitchen exit was a computer café. He jogged across. God, he loved technology. Each of those computers had a video camera. Now all he had to do was hack into the one angled in the direction of the kitchen door, and he might get a visual on the enemy. If he was really lucky, he'd get a visual on the getaway vehicle. Then he could hack into the traffic system and track the car via satellite.

"I'm coming, Heero," he whispered.

xXx

Quatre shut his bedside alarm off with a groan. He rolled naked out of bed and gave a long stretch. Trowa was passed out on the other side, having come in off his shift two hours before. In near total silence, Quatre pulled on some slacks and a pale blue button-down. It was one of Trowa's favorite colors on him. 

He was just doing up the buttons when a red light began to flash. Quatre's eyes went wide. "03! We're under attack."

Trowa rolled from the bed. There was a gun in his hand instantly as he crouched ready to move. "Where?"

"The house alarm has been tripped,” Quatre explained quickly. "I'll notify 05. Get to the garage. Secure our escape."

They moved in sync toward the bedroom door. Trowa went high, Quatre went low. The hall was clear. They bolted from the room, going separate directions. Quatre strained his ears, but he heard nothing. Fortunately that wasn't true of his empathy. He could feel multiple people in the house, all strangers. There was anticipation, excitement, and bloodlust. Quatre felt his mind go cold and calculating. These people were intruding on his house. They weren't going to like his response.

Quatre slipped into the security room and silently shut the door behind him. He quickly examined the monitors, opening his cell phone and speed dialing Wufei. "05, base is compromised. Twelve intruders armed with tasers and semi-automatics. Two SUVs half-hidden outside the northwest wall. Parameter alarm disabled. We're dealing with professionals."

His eyes widened. Two intruders had found Harry's room. He grabbed at his chest as a sense of victory was followed quickly by angry frustration. Alarm jangled down Quatre's nerves. "They're after little rabbit." Narrowing his eyes dangerously, his fingers began flying over the controls. "I'm destroying all records. Regroup at Red 15."

xXx

Pictures flashed before Heero’s eyes, whether from inside or out of his head, he had no idea. Pictures of his team. Pictures of the war torn world, of colonies exploding. The screams of hundreds. And dead bodies, always so many dead bodies. Blood coating every surface. Pictures of 04's houses. Pictures of Harry. 

Heero refused to engage. Only clear thought was to stay silent. Protect Harry. Pain brushed him. Torturing him for answers. He hunkered down to ride it out. Captured. Stay silent. Protect Harry.

xXx

Duo leapt out of the moving van, his rifle at the ready. He wore a SWAT uniform and was backed by fifteen of the best agents Une could muster. They crashed through the front door. Bad guys opened fire. Duo ducked and rolled, coming up on a knee. Firing back, then running for the opposite doorway. A kitchen. He shot a man in the back of the head, vaulted his body, and ran up a set of stairs. 

A narrow hallway, five closed doors on either side. He kicked in one after the other, ducking and diving, but there were no shots taken. Over the com, he heard the squad leader give the all-clear. Duo kicked in the last door. He rushed forward, sliding on his knees. 

Heero sat cuffed to a metal chair, head hanging limply. He was soaked with sweat and shirtless. About a dozen cuts littered his chest. Blood slicked his skin, but the cuts were already scabbed. Duo gently lifted his friend’s head. His face battered. Tears rolled down his bruised and swollen cheeks. His lips were chapped and split. His pupils were blown wide. He was mumbling in a mix of six languages, and his arm had more tracks than an addict.

"Shit," Duo muttered, heart pounding with fury. "01, respond! Can you hear me, 01?" He gently slapped at a cheek bruised cheek.

The mumbling continued, but the brow scrunched.

"It's 02. I'm getting you out of here."

Drugged out cobalt eyes lifted to his face. "02."

"Yeah, it's me." Duo pressed his forehead to his partner's. "You're safe." Quickly, he removed the thin lock picks he stored in his braid and went to work on the cuffs holding Heero to the chair. He winced as he saw the deep bruises along both wrists and ankles. "Can you walk?"

Heero shook his head hard, muttering once more.

Duo wasn't sure if that was in response to his question or the voices he was undoubtedly hearing in his head. Either way, he braced himself, and grabbed a hold of Heero's forearms. He pulled the heavy teen up out of the chair. Heero staggered, and for one second, Duo thought they'd both go down, but then Heero pulled an arm free to grab at Duo's shoulder. He steadied, though his head still hung low.

"Target…"

"Killed or captured," Duo reassured, only to wince as Heero's hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"No. I'm not… target… They want… Harry…"

Duo's eyes went impossibly wide. Why in the hell would terrorists want Harry? "I'm on it. Come on. We gotta get out of here."

xXx

Wufei snapped his phone closed and turned to the others. Quatre was kneeling in front of a motel bed. Trowa sat at the end, shirtless. A bullet had grazed his side during their escape. It was a messy wound, but it wasn't fatal. Quatre was tending to it while the green-eyed pilot sat stoic and still.

"That was Maxwell. He found Yuy. They're on their way back."

Quatre looked up in relief. "Good. Did you tell them about…"

"Everything," Wufei confirmed with an internal wince. Maxwell sure could scream. "Apparently the terrorist group Yuy was investigating wants some code from the boy. Dursley had him memorize it and forgot it himself. The group wasn't too pleased. Dursley died in holding, poisoned."

Quatre's eyes glittered dangerously. “We have to find him."

Trowa stood and pulled on a shirt. “We will."

xXx

It was dark. He was dirty and lost. Sage was damp from when he'd accidentally dropped his precious friend in a puddle. He was trying hard to take care of him like his hero wanted, but it was so hard. He had scrapes and bruises from running from gangs and cops. His shirt was filthy, and he really wished he had pants and shoes. He was getting cold.

It had been three days since he'd run away. He was getting really hungry. When he slept, he dreamed of his brothers. Trowa's soft voice and the gentle way he always moved his hands. Quatre and him playing with Sage and Fredrick. Duo making him laugh with silly jokes or funny stories. Wufei helping him with lessons and the small smiles the Chinese teen gave when he got a problem right. 

He thought about his hero most. The hero who always watched him calmly. The way his dark blue eyes seemed to see right into him and accept what he saw. His hero had promised to keep him safe and gave him brothers.

Back to the alley wall, he curled his knees to his chest and cried. He wanted to go back to them so badly. He wanted to know if the hero and Duo were okay now that he was gone. He hated it! Why did he have to be cursed? He didn’t want to be a freak!

"Hey, there. You hurt?"

His head whipped up and he stared in horror as a gray-bearded man came walking toward him.

"Don't be scared, kid. I ain't gonna hurt you. Are you lost?"

He shook his head frantically and scrambled to his feet. He bolted toward the other end of the alley only to crash into someone else. Arms came around him and lifted him off his feet. In his panic, he dropped Sage. His mouth opened to scream, but a sweaty hand slammed over it. The man he'd run from came up, a grin on his face. He knew that kind of smile. It made him feel lightheaded and dizzy. 

No… Please, no…

"Gotcha, squirt."

Tears rolled down his face. The man tisked and wiped them away.

"Don't cry. I'm gonna give you the best deal of your life. Name's Toshi. I’ll let you live with me and my littles, but you gotta pay your dues, boy." 

The man yanked the hand away from his mouth and kissed him. He went limp, knowing better than to fight. A tongue was shoved past his teeth. It tasted terrible, of sickness and alcohol.

"God, you got a soft mouth. Can't wait to feel it other places."

A dirty hand ran through his hair. He began to cry louder.

"Don't be like that." Toshi grinned. "I'll feed ya and keep you safe from the other gangs. You oughta thank me. What do you think, Dash? Think he should thank me right here and now?"

"Yeah, make him do it. I wanna go next."

He was put back on his feet, a fist tangled tightly in his hair. It shoved his head down, made him bend so his head was level to the man’s waist. He saw Sage and reached for him, but the other man kicked the bunny far down the alley. All fight left his body. He just couldn't do it anymore. He watched with dull eyes as the man shifted a tattered shirt to reveal opened pants. The hand in his hair tightened and pulled his head toward the hard stick. He opened his mouth the way he’d been taught, and his mind went cold and dark and far away.

The numbness encasing him cracked and shattered as he was suddenly dropped. The thick stick in his mouth was ripped free, leaving his throat aching and his mouth tasting slimy and vile. He gagged and coughed, tear rushing to his eyes and falling down his cheeks as he held himself tightly. 

His heart raced with terror. Everything was going so fast. There was yelling and the sound of fists hitting a body. A crash and scuttle. Then it was silent. He realized he was pressed back against the alley wall. He scrubbed a hand across his eyes, not believing what he was seeing! His brother Trowa was crouched in front of him, completely calm and untouched. The two men who’d caught him were on the ground. They weren’t moving, and one had blood on his face.

"Come, little one. I won't hurt you," Trowa promised, his voice as gentle as ever.

He stared dumbly, shocked that he'd been found, shocked that Trowa who was the gentlest of his new brothers had been able to fight and beat the two bad men. He stood shakily, heart still pounding. He should run down the alley. He should escape, but… Trowa held out his arms and he flung himself into them!

He flinched as the strong arms closed around him, but then he relaxed. Trowa would never hurt him. Trowa had fought to save him. And if Trowa was that strong, then maybe he could survive the curse! Maybe now he didn't have to run away from his brothers! He wanted to go home more than anything, where he'd be safe from ever having to play those touching games ever again!

"Hush, baby. I've got you. You're safe now." Trowa's warm voice touched all the painful places inside him as he sobbed. "Look who I found. Sage ran right out into the street to fetch help. You sure have a good friend."

Something soft and sticky was pressed into his arms, and he grasped hold of his bunny desperately. Still sobbing, he pressed his face into Trowa's neck. The strong arms came around his back and behind his knees and lifted. A hand cradled his head close. He'd never felt so safe. Giving a tearful sigh, he let go of everything, knowing somehow he was okay.

xXx

"Trowa found him. He's on his way back," Quatre announced with the biggest smile Heero had ever seen.

He and Duo had just arrived at the motel from the concourse. He still wasn't at one hundred percent, but he was functional. Duo practically ran for the door, and Heero hurried after him. Quatre stayed behind to call Wufei back from his search.

Trowa turned the corner not two buildings away to Heero's right. In seconds they met Trowa, whose long legs made short work of the distance. Heero stared at the small boy cradled in his arms. Duo quickly did a check for injuries as they continued to the motel while Trowa spoke in Japanese, describing how he’d found Harry. 

Heero saw red and sharply demanded if the bastard was dead. Trowa gave a short nod, and Heero hummed in satisfaction. They were in the room now and it was Quatre's turn to check the boy over. Duo had slipped into the bathroom to draw a bath. Harry made a weak sound, and his eyes fluttered open. He flinched deeper into Trowa's embrace at the feel of Quatre's hands. The blonde pilot jerked away as if burned, one hand coming to clutch at his shirt above his heart.

"Hello," Heero said, getting the boy's attention.

Bright green eyes, lighter than Trowa's, shifted to him. "You not dead!" A wide smile split the boy's face.

"No. I am not dead. I promised to come back," he said, aware it was poor consolation for the fear the boy must have suffered. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Duo appeared at his side. "Why'd you run away, kiddo?"

The boy flinched again and whimpered.

"We're not mad," Quatre hurried to reassure the frightened boy. "We just want to know what we did wrong, so we don't do it again."

Green eyes went impossibly wide. "Nothing wrong!" he exclaimed. "Wan'ned to save the hero and Duo from my curse."

"Oh, Harry, you shouldn't have run away because of that,” Duo said, suddenly very grave. "You see, we're all cursed. That's how we all became brothers. That's how we knew you were meant to be ours. Our curses cancel each other out when we're together."

There was such pain in the child’s expression as he said brokenly, "Y-You're cursed, too?"

"We all are," Duo said again, his wide violet eyes staring unblinking into the boy's. "Me in particular. I don't remember my parents. I grew up on the streets, like how you were these last few days. I had a group of friends. We were like family, but they all got sick and died. Only I survived. Then I want to a church and lived there for a while. I made new friends at last, but then bad guys came and attacked the church. They all died, again. I lived alone a long time after that because of the curse, but then I met my brothers, and you know what?"

Harry shook his head, crying silently, eyes locked on Duo's.

"I haven't lost anyone else since then."

Harry's sobs became audible. "P-Promise?"

"I promise," Duo vowed. He reached forward and gently touched Harry's bruising cheek. The boy flinched, but then leaned into the caress. "So don't run away again, okay? We need you to help cancel out our curses, too."

"I promise!" Harry exclaimed desperately, throwing his arms around a startled Duo’s neck. "I wan'ned to come back so bad! Wan'ned to be home!”

"You are always home when you're with us," Heero said firmly, stroking the boy’s greasy hair. "You're Harry Potter and our little brother."

“H-Harry?" The boy looked at him with such awed wonder.

"That's your name, baby," Trowa spoke for the first time. He stared down at the child in his arms with a gentle expression. "Our little brother Harry."

"Come on, Harry." Duo grinned, his serious mood broken. "I think it's time for a bath!”

The boy was still looking around at all of them with wide, shocked eyes, but he allowed Duo to take him from Trowa and carry him to the bathroom. Something pressed against Heero's side and he looked to see Quatre leaning against him.

"I'm so glad he's back," the blond breathed, tears falling down his cheeks.

Heero noted the dark circles around his eyes and moved toward the bed, towing Quatre with him. "You should rest."

The blonde nodded. "Couldn't sleep with him out there. Allah, I'm so glad Trowa found him.” Quatre fell limply on the bed. "You should sleep, too, Heero. You're not looking too good yourself."

"I need food before I rest," Heero countered.

The blonde nodded, eyes already closed.

Heero let Trowa take his position, watching over the blond, and moved toward the bathroom to assist Duo with their boy. 

xXx

They were spread out around the small room. Trowa stood by the window, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Half his face was obscured by his chin-length bangs. Quatre sat at the end of the only bed. One arm was across his stomach, his hand bracing his elbow while his other hand taped at his chin in thought. Duo sat next to him, Indian style, his long braid falling over his shoulder into his lap. Wufei sat primly in the desk chair, his inky black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. His hands rested loosely on his knees. Heero stood, ankles crossed, as he leaned against the dresser behind him. As for Harry, he was sound asleep under the bed. They'd stirred in sleeping powder into his milk to ensure he wouldn't wake for another few hours.

"This is going to be difficult," Quatre murmured. "They aren't going to give up."

"And we can't let Harry know the terrorist are after him," Duo added. "If he finds out, he'll blame himself and think his curse is too strong. He'll constantly try to run away to protect us if that happens."

"What do you know about this group, Yuy?" Wufei demanded.

"Not much,” Heero answered factually. “They are impossible to infiltrate, fanatical, and well organized. They are a highly capable group and very well financed. The woman who interrogated me was in her early thirties, dressed wealthy, but her accent and habit revealed she wasn't born to it."

"We didn't catch her in the raid, just her lackeys," Duo spat in disgust. He twisted his braid in anger. "And the goons didn't know anything."

"We need a plan of attack." Quatre clasped his hands before him, his brilliant mind working fast.

Duo glared in frustration. "We have to strike at the leaders for Harry to be safe, and we have no idea who or where they are. If we try to draw them out, they'll just throw more goons at us."

"Earth is not an easy place to search," Wufei agreed.

"We could give them what they want," Heero suggested. The four other pilots looked at him, surprised. Heero stared back at them. "They only want Harry because of this code. They won't target him if they have it."

"Who knows that that code will do," Wufei snapped. "It sounded like it was the final step in some diabolical project."

Quatre’s eyes lit up. A slow smile spreading across his face. “Here’s what we’ll do. Heero gets in contact with them somehow, says he's thought over what that woman told him and decided they should have their code. Tells them he questioned Harry, but Harry's forgotten the last part of the code. It has been nearly two months, after all. Heero will say he feels like he's failing a mission by not getting them the complete code, so he’ll offer to hack whatever needs this code and make a new one for them. They'll have to meet him in person to bring him what he needs to hack.”

"Sounds good except for the certain death involved," Duo growled. "I mean, Hee-chan's good and all, but no way is he gonna get outta that scene alive!"

“He will if we’re in control of it," Quatre argued. His smile grew scary. "We're taking over the operation. I’ll clear it with Une.”

Duo's scowl disappeared under a sunny smile. "Now that's a plan I can get behind!" He flung his arms around Quatre, laughing. "Good thinking, Q-ball!"

Heero nodded, straightening. "It's acceptable. Maxwell, Barton, Quatre, you’re on the infiltration team with me. Chang, you will stay behind to guard Harry."

Wufei gave a firm nod, his hand on his sword hilt. “I will protect him with my life."

Chapter end.

A/n: I look forward to what you think! Is the story worth continuing?  :D