FicWad

TITLE: CAPTAINS
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background
RATING: R/NC-17
GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance
WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex
DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me
SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

Chapter 21: The Trust's Hungerer

Duo woke up refreshed shortly after dawn on the following morning. It had been pretty late when he had gone to bed after his chat with Quatre, so he had slept little, but surprisingly well. As a matter of fact, it was the second night in a row that he managed to sleep through the night in spite of the dreams that had plagued his sleep as usual. It seemed like his bout of insomnia was a thing of the past and he couldn't easily discard the thought that this unhoped-for remission came about at the same time that Heero had boarded the Deathscythe. At least now he knew what that expectant feeling had been all about: somehow he had been waiting for Heero. That didn't make any sense. He didn't know what forces were at work here but he wasn't sure he liked it. He wasn't all that sure that he could entrust his life in the hands of fate; she hadn't been very kind to him in the past.

He exited his cabin and walked on the deck, inhaling the crisp morning air which would warm up all too soon. He could see Wufei gracefully exercising on the afterdeck, his shadow stark against the glare of the rising sun. Practicing his weird Chinese martial arts at dawn was a morning ritual of sort for the young man and the sight calmed Duo with its familiarity. He was however reminded of their unusual state of affairs by the absence of Meiran who often joined Wufei in his exercises.

Duo looked up to the crow's nest from which Abdul waved cheerily. He took a few steps in the helm's direction but caught sight of Rashid already handling it. It looked like everything was under control. Hernan and Quatre were probably still sleeping as they weren't exactly morning persons but there was a fair chance that Auda would already be at work in the kitchen. That's where he went, thinking about piling up a tray with breakfast delicacies and bringing it down to share with Howard. His old friend was most likely alone in his cabin as Gene only slept a few hours a night and would already be locked up in the ship's bowels labouring over yet more schematics.

Auda beamed at him proudly when he caught his Captain sneaking a feast away from his kitchen. It was heart-warming for a cook to have people so appreciative of his talents. Duo thanked him cheekily and went on his way. Howard welcomed him with a chuckle and a ravenous expression. In spite of his horrendous nightshirt made of garish canary yellow velvet, he looked better that morning. He was still feeling too weak to reasonably get out of bed though. At least, his appetite didn't appear to be suffering and Duo felt somehow reassured. He had known the man for years and was used to him being a force of nature. He felt uneasy seeing him sick. Howard was probably the closest he had had to a father in a really long time.

"So, what brings you here Kid? Not that I don't appreciate you visiting me, mind. It's just that ain't really your style to play nurse maid."

"Are you implying that I'm not a dutiful Captain?"

Howard scoffed. "Ain't implying nothing you brat! I'm sick, not stupid and I know you well enough to know when something's on your mind. So, what gives Kid?"

"Will you ever stop calling me /"Kid"/? You must understand how inappropriate it really is by now..."

Howard gave him a worldly look. "Ah, you know Duo I'm an old man and contrary to some people I'm actually getting older. I'm set in my ways and I learned along the years that some things are better left unsaid. If something were to shake my view of the world at this point that'd probably drive me around the bend and as I have every intention to die of sound mind... well as sound as it gets anyhow, I'll continue to call you "Kid" for as long as I live. And no matter how old you are, you really are a brat."

Duo grinned at Howard, silently acknowledging his reluctance to pursue that line of talk. It didn't really matter anyway. It had just been stalling; he'd originally come here to discuss something else entirely. He thought a moment about how to broach the subject then finally took the plunge, going for the direct approach.

"Well, it's about our stowaway... I'm... I don't know what to do about him. Quatre says he might prove to be an ally in the future but I'm just uncomfortable with the whole deal. I had this weird feeling since we left Sank: insomnia, nightmares and the likes. It's like somehow I knew Heero would be coming on board. As if someone... something was warning me. No, not really warning, preparing rather. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Duo shrugged helplessly and hung his head dejected but Howard didn't keep him waiting for long.

"Oh but you are. So... did you sleep with him already?"

Duo startled and lifted his head fast enough that he had the time to catch the accompanying leer on the old pirate's face. "Howard!"

"I've never seen you quite that shade of red. Didn't know you could blush so pretty."

The comment only succeeded in reddening Duo's face even more.

"Oh come off it Kid! That's the problem with you youngsters, you always think you invented sex."

Duo pointedly ignored yet another inaccurate reference to his age and got back on tracks.

"But he's a man Howard. How can you speak of such things so... cavalierly?"

"/Cavalierly/? Don't get on high horses! So he's a man, so what? You won't be the first bloke to try a less white bread. When I served in the Military, I used to get it on with my mates even if I always preferred the ladies if they were available. Hey, Gene and I even tried it a few times when we got lonely..."

"Eeeeeew that's an image I so didn't need."

Duo looked a little green now and Howard burst into raucous laughter. He wondered how many shade of the rainbow he could make his Captain turn before the discussion was over.

"Ah well, not everyone can be as fair-featured as you two boys. If you gonna go for a bloke, might as well go for a pretty one and I certainly cannot fault your taste on that one..."

"That's true he's pretty for a man. Did you see his face? Soft as a girl, but he still can pull off the manly-man look. He must have some Asian blood... Japanese maybe; we Europeans don't have such sweet faces."

Howard stared at him blankly. "And you would be the living proof of that of course, what with your harsh features and all..."

Duo laughed. "Okay, you got me there Howie, but I am more the exception than the rule. When you get past the hair I don't look that feminine. I'm not petite or delicate, just small and young-faced." When Howard looked on skeptically he added: "I have neither a little nose nor a curved jaw, not like he has."

"Goodness gracious! You have it bad. I'm warning you that if you burst into lyrics, I'm outta here... even if I have to crawl away."

"Ha ha! Everybody's a comedian. I was just making an objective observation, there's no need to be droll. It's not my fault if that man has a girly face, it's a fact."

"That may be so... but I still think you have it bad." Howard dismissed Duo's growl with a grin. "You might be onto something though because I can't quite shake the feeling I've seen that face sometime in the past and I'd have sworn it was on a woman. It's familiar somehow... Does it ring any bell? My memory isn't what it used to be."

The Captain mechanically began tapping his fingers against his chin as was his habit when he was thinking. "I don't know. If I ever met a girl with a face like his, there's a fair chance I bedded her and I don't remember anything of the sort."

He made a dubitative little snort and shrugged but Howard wasn't to be cowed. Suddenly, the old pirate straightened and pumped a victorious fist in the air. He exclaimed in a triumphant voice: "Aha! I knew it! Remember that couple of runaways we took in when we were still running with Captain Haluk's crew?"

Duo took on a faraway expression and went back thirty years to those days when he was still learning the hows of pirating among a Turkish crew that was terrorizing the Mediterranean Sea. That had been a fun period of his life... well up until Haluk's betrayal and his subsequent near-death experience. Howard had been the one to fish him out of the water and to patch him up that time. He was not yet thirty at the times and hadn't hesitated for a minute to throw away the life he had known to follow Duo on an uncertain journey. He hadn't left his "Kid" ever since.

Relatively speaking that hadn't been that long ago and Duo should have been able to remember it well. The problem was that he had already so many memories in his head that he had learned long ago to discard the unimportant ones in a corner of his brain and to keep at the ready only the most relevant or formative ones. A human brain could only take so much and it had been the best way he could think of to keep his sanity or the little that was left of it after long past ordeals. A little dusting of half-forgotten memories was thus necessary in order to catch onto what Howard was talking about. In the end, it came back to him in flashes and it was almost physically painful.

"You mean the lovebirds we picked up in Spain and brought all the way to Egypt. They were planning to take another ship in the Red Sea to go to Japan."

"Yes that's the ones! The girl was Japanese and so sweet. They were eloping because the man's father didn't want him to marry a foreigner. That was a nice bloke that one and he was so obviously wrapped around her little finger it wasn't even funny. He had a weird name... Nordic, the name of a God I think... "Thor" or something..."

"Odin. Namiko and Odin. Sweet-faced Namiko and blue-eyed Odin... Heero would be the right age too..."

Comprehension dawned on Howard's face. He threw his hands to the sky before voicing their shared conclusions in a disbelieving mumble: "I'll be damned! Your Captain Lowe must be their kid. How is that even possible? As far as coincidences go, that one is a little too big to possibly wrap my mind around."

"Coincidences my ass! I told you there was something weird going on. For once I'd like not to be the butt of a cosmic joke. I don't know if it's Fate or something else that's doing this but I'd appreciate if whoever would keep their nose out of my business. So much for Mankind and their so-called freewill! I feel like a damn puppet."

Howard observed his distressed friend helplessly. He wanted so much to offer him comfort but knew it wasn't that simple. For all that he loved the kid like a son and even suspecting the other loved him like a father, they had also never shared a close relationship. They were tough men first and foremost and not the sort to indulge in displays of affection. The truth was that Howard didn't know if a gesture of comfort would be welcomed. Duo might be good-natured, small and young-looking, but he was still nowhere near cuddly. He had a core of strength that had been honed by years of hardships. Whenever you were dealing with him and no matter how goofy he was acting at the moment, it was hard to forget he was also the fearsome Shinigami. That didn't make him an easy man to comfort and yet God knows how much he needed a hug once in a while, would he only be willing to accept one.

In the end, the old man strengthened his resolve and following his instincts, put an arm around Duo in a loose embrace. It was awkward at first with the way the Captain initially tensed, obviously not knowing how to react. Growing in confidence, Howard pulled the other man a little closer and hesitantly ran a hand in comforting circles between his shoulder blades. Duo stilled once more before releasing a small gasp and years of tension and literally collapsing in the welcoming arms. Howard was a little out of his depths on that one but he was willing to learn and in that case that was all that mattered.

He enfolded the smaller man in a bone-crushing hug as if to hide him away from the world. He could feel the erratic breathing muffled on his shoulder and wondered if Duo was crying. He wouldn't have blamed him, even men as strong as his Captain needed to let go once in a while and the poor man had to put up with a lot more shit than most people on a regular basis. He didn't feel any moisture seeping into his nightshirt however and guessed that even at his most weary that was a step Shinigami wouldn't cross. He always said that men didn't cry.

Howard was amazed by how easy comforting came to him once his first inhibitions past. He had never had a child of his own and yet he knew instinctively how to cradle Duo against him, how to let him hide his face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder, how to rock him slowly back and forth. The nonsensical words to say to soothe and console came naturally. Howard had never felt so protective or tender toward another human being, but he wasn't that surprised: he had always known his Kid was special and not only for the special place he held in his heart.

He was glad to see how right he had been to think that Duo needed affection. He had often heard told the story of his childhood in an orphanage and suspected he had never known a mother's loving kiss or a father's protective embrace. Howard didn't know if his parents died or just abandoned him, he didn't think even Duo knew, but whatever the case might be, the old pirate sincerely felt sorry for them for missing seeing their boy grow into the fine man he was today.

After the long minutes spent in that desperate embrace, Howard felt Duo tighten his arms around him one last time before he began trying to disengage from the hug. Howard freed him immediately, knowing it had already been more comfort than he had ever hoped seeing the other accept. If the sweetly embarrassed blush, the bright eyes and the soft smile were of any indication, it might well have been enough too for Duo to go on a little longer.

"Thank you. I needed that." Shinigami said in a little voice before shyly dropping his eyes to rest on his hands clasped in his lap.

Howard brushed it off with a grunt, unwilling to undo all the good done by making a big deal out of it. He made a show of straightening his pillows and rearranging his comforter instead, allowing time for his Captain to pull himself together. When the other man appeared calmer and more assured, Howard picked up the conversation where they had left it as if there had been no interruption.

"Regardless of what you intend to do with the prisoner on a more personal level Captain; I think you should consider Quatre's suggestion about him being a possible ally. The lad is rarely wrong with those things and even if Fate or whoever had a hand in putting Heero in your way, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was for a nefarious purpose. The man is an officer of Sank and I think he would be as incensed as all of us if he heard about Kushrenada and Merquise's plans. Sank is a country of pacifists for the most part and I doubt they will see eye to eye with men planning world domination, no matter if the prodigal son as a hand in it. And we also know the bloke's parents were decent people, maybe the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and he can be trusted..."

He purposefully used Duo's rank to address him in an unspoken affirmation that the emotional breakdown hadn't diminished his Captain in his eyes in the least. Howard rarely used the formal address and the message was heard loud and clear. Duo acknowledged it with an imperceptible nod and another shaky smile.

Shinigami was glad that his old friend was helping him to overcome his embarrassment. He knew he could always count on Howard to be there for him, no matter what "being there" implied that week. That's why he had come to speak with him in the first place. He knew Howard meant him well and he couldn't thus discard his advice easily. He wasn't sure he was ready to trust Heero though.

"I don't know. As a rule you know I don't trust governments and as I see it, a good soldier thinks, speaks and acts only at his government's behest. Yet you say I should trust this one to be different. It would imply not only sharing our knowledge of the plot we're suspecting but also all that business with the cross and even Deathscythe's secrets... It's a lot of faith to put on a stranger."

Howard had listened and understood Duo's hesitation to a point, but he also knew that a man couldn't do everything by himself, not even Shinigami. He was about to argue his case when they heard the heavy steps of someone coming down the stairs at a run.

"Captain! Captain!"

That was the voice of Auda and he sounded frantic. Howard and Duo shared a worried look, the thought of more mischief from the malediction weighing heavily on them.

"I'll think about it." Duo offered with a wary sigh to conclude their discussion before turning to the door to confront the latest problem to arise.

Almost at the same time, Auda burst through the door looking every bit as frantic as he sounded. However, upon laying his eyes on Duo, he looked instantly relieved as if convinced that whatever it was, his Captain would make it better. Not for the first time, Howard thought it was a lot for Duo to live up to and he wasn't sure that the pirate was even aware of this devotion he inspired in his crew.

"Ah Captain! There you are!"

"What is it Auda?"

"There was an accident on the deck..."

The man suddenly paused looking uncomfortable. He lifted a hand to his head and scratched a spot behind his ear sheepishly. The nervous gesture disrupted his ever-present fez till it came to rest precariously balanced on the opposite ear. He didn't appear to notice but instinctively tipped his head on the side to compensate, unconscious of how ridiculous that made him look. Howard smothered a chuckle that was surely inappropriate in the circumstances, whatever they were.

Obviously not so amused, the Captain prompted irritably: "Well go on. What happened?"

"Abdul fell from the crow's nest." Auda looked him in the eyes and shrugged helplessly. "There was a loose board or something and he lost his balance when he leant on it."

"Oh God! How is he? Is he okay?" asked Duo now frantic himself, standing abruptly and taking a few steps toward the door in his haste to go see for himself.

Auda stopped him with a placating gesture and answered in an unfamiliar tone that was somewhere between awe and disbelief. "Not too bad... considering. Rashid thinks his leg is broken though."

That made Duo stop. He stared at Auda as if the man had lost his mind. "A broken leg? That's it? What is he made off? Rubber? He should be dead."

The cook looked even more uncomfortable at that and dropped his eyes to the floor. "That's the thing Captain... Wufei kind off cushioned his fall."

"Beg your pardon?" Duo's eyes were bulging out now, he was picturing the scene in his mind and his imagination made it out to be quite gruesome. He was pulled from his disturbing thoughts by Auda who was continuing his tale, still refusing to meet his Captain's eyes.

"Wufei was walking under the crow's nest and Abdul fell on him... He's out for the count and he's going to have a big bump on his head."

"You're kidding right?"

"Afraid not Captain."

Then the poor man seemed to collapse on himself in a sudden release of nerves and burst into laughter. There was a fairly hysterical edge to it. At least that explained his embarrassment all along his report. Howard could sympathize: that must have been quite a comical scene out there on the deck and once reassured that the two men had no serious injuries, the relief must have made it hard not to laugh.

--------

It appeared that being unconscious was exhausting because in spite of his lengthy coma, Heero had still been tired. He had finally let himself succumb to sleep with a grumbling stomach some time after hearing the weird noises that had worried him so. Slumber had been effective in shaking the last of his headache and drowsiness, thus, when he woke up the following morning, it was bright and early. His very first thought however wasn't for his improved state of health but for his ravenous stomach that was making its discontentment known... vocally.

His board didn't include room service apparently. Well, that was a let-down. He noticed the tea tray still lying forgotten on the bedside table, regretting that Quatre hadn't had the presence of mind to bring in cookies or scones or something with the tea the previous day. Of course the previous day, Heero hadn't really been in any state to eat --what with the nausea and all. Now however, he was in such a state of desperation that he seriously considered the possibility of chewing the used tea leaves. He then remembered the lemon drops and looked around for them, ready for once to overlook his dislike of sweet things. Unfortunately, the little candy bowl was nowhere to be found. It looked like Quatre hadn't been feeling so chastised that he'd forgotten to palm it while leaving.

Heero weighed his options. Quatre had been barred entry to his cabin and in light of the recent lack of food in his belly; he had a growing suspicion that the blond was the only person humane enough on this ship to feed the prisoner. The conclusion was foregone: if food wasn't coming, he would have to go looking for some, preferably before he passed out from hunger.

Standing up with the determination of a man on a mission, Heero walked to the door. He turned the handle and watched the door not opening. That wasn't exactly a surprise; he heard Duo push the lock in place after all. He swept an assessing look over the door, appraising its sturdiness, noticing the steel reinforcements with growing dismay. There was no way in hell that he was smashing that door open. It would have been a bad idea anyway; he didn't want to attract attention. He flashed back briefly to Shinigami's warning to behave but shrugged. If the pirate wanted him to play nice, he should have first thought about feeding him. Heero wouldn't starve for anyone, not even for the admittedly pretty eyes of one Duo Maxwell.

So, seeing that the door wasn't an option, how about the window? He marched to it patting absentmindedly his still growling stomach. "Soon Big Boy, Daddy's working on it." Heero giggled at that; it must have been something in the air because he didn't recall being quite that insane the last time he had checked. He observed the window with relief; it looked much less sturdy than the door: he could break that. However, further observation showed him he wouldn't even need to. Luck seemed to be on his side for once as, contrary to most windows on a ship, this one wasn't fixed but actually opened.

Heero unlatched the window and pushed it open before peering outside. He was quite high above the water and he guessed this cabin must be on the upper deck. He looked to the hull above him looking for some protrusions he could use to climb the last few feet separating him from the deck. He was glad to note there were quite a few. He noticed that there was no blinds though and that disproved his half-assed theories of last night to explain the weird noises and the window suddenly coming clear. Writing that down on his growing list of things to ask about later, Heero climbed on the windowsill carefully balancing his weight in order to avoid an unplanned bath in seawater. He stretched his body of all its length and grabbed a metallic bar that seemed to be part of a complex armature serving as a kind of armour for the ship.

That's when it hit him. The Sandrock didn't have armour and neither was its hull painted black as he could now see up close and personal was the case for this ship. He obviously wasn't onboard the Sandrock anymore. He must have been brought onboard this new ship while he was unconscious. It wasn't any ordinary ship either: he was onboard the real Deathscythe. He had to forcefully suppress a burst of childish glee and concentrate on finding further purchase for his hands and feet. It would be well time enough to enjoy the wonder of his dreams coming through once he was done with the climb and in security once again. But God! It was /The Deathscythe/!

Heero was in peak physical condition and managed to reach the deck in no time in spite of his excitement. Once there he looked up to the ominous black sails and took a moment to take them in in silent awe. He was really onboard the Deathscythe. He had step foot on a legend and even for someone like him who didn't believe that Shinigami and his crew were otherworldly beings, that was still an extraordinary experience. The Deathscythe might not have been a ghost ship but it was still an incomparable frigate. Heero had to concede that even his Wing which he was so proud of couldn't hold a candle to this beauty.

His pointedly grumbling stomach reminded him suddenly that he should forget about the sights and get down to business. He did a cursory survey of the premises and saw he had landed on the afterdeck, luckily hidden out of sight behind a few crates. He listened for any sound that might suggest people working about but there was nothing of the sort. That was unusual. It wasn't rare that ships of that size ran with fifty people on crew. Of course pirates tended to prefer smaller crew, but it wasn't that far a stretch to think that at least twenty people were onboard. So why wasn't he hearing anyone? The sun had been up for almost an hour now and sailors were known to rise up early, even pirates, so there should have been a flurry of activity on the decks and yet it was completely silent but for the soothing sound of the surf and the odd creaking of wood all ships made.

Heero peered carefully over the crates. His breath froze in his chest. There was someone on the afterdeck after all. It was that Chinese man Duo had called Wufei. He was practicing taolus/, or a choreographed series of stances of Chinese martial arts for the uninitiated. Heero had a fairly good knowledge of martial arts and thus knew the terms. He could even tell that Wufei was now exercising in a kind of free style that combined /Nanquan/, /Houquan and Wing Chun amongst a few others he wasn't familiar with. All of those were fighting styles including the use of weapons, swords to be exact. Wufei's every graceful move was thus enhanced by the gleam of a sharp looking Chinese sword. Every stance was executed to perfection, with that mix of restrained strength and serenity that made all martial art a thing of beauty. It was clear in every careful gesture that Wufei was a master in his art and Heero would have liked to discuss with him about his practice, to compare the knowledge he had gathered travelling trough Asia with that of a true expert.

Without even realizing it, Heero had walked out of his hiding place and toward the mesmerizing show. He owed his still undiscovered state only to his silent steps and to Wufei's close-eyed practice. Even his breath was so shallow that it couldn't betray him, so engrossed the Chinese man was in his meditation. In the end, it was his untimely complaining stomach that attracted Wufei attention.

The reaction was instant; the ebony eyes startled open and zeroed in on Heero with frightening accuracy, there was a flurry of movement and a sword at his throat. Heero dodged and instinctively rolled away, but it was a close thing. Wufei went in pursuit and tried a slash to his stomach next. Once again, Heero managed to avoid the deadly sword with quick thinking and his own honed fighting skills. The mock fight went on for a while with Wufei attacking and Heero evading the best he could. He was unarmed and thus greatly disadvantaged, he knew he had no chance of winning, but also knew that, save for that first attack which had been instinctive, Wufei wasn't striking to kill. The other man wasn't exactly toying with him either, more like testing his skills. Heero knew enough about the philosophy of Wushu to know that it was a martial artist's way of taking the measure of a man. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't disappoint.

Indifferent to the poetry of the moment, Heero's stomach complained once again even louder than before and both fighters startled almost imperceptibly. It was still enough to break their concentration. Heero was a little off in his next dodge and Wufei lost some of his restraint, resulting in a faint gash on Heero's still bare torso, just behind his left nipple. In honourable fights, first blood usually signalled the end of the hostilities and Wufei stopped before taking a step back. He watched Heero with a blank expression but his eyes glowed with appreciation for a skilled opponent. Heero bowed respectfully and Wufei reciprocated, a slight smile softening his stern features.

The Chinese's next action was to slowly lift his sword and to point it threateningly at Heero's throat. That was expected. After all, honourable fighter or not, Heero was still a prisoner and thus shouldn't be left to roam the ship freely.

"Should I ask how you managed to leave your quarters?" Wufei asked calmly with a faintly arched eyebrow.

Heero opted for honesty: "The window."

Wufei looked surprised. "Of course, we did forget the window, didn't we? You'll have to excuse that oversight. We don't keep prisoners that often, well... never really." he offered apologetically, before remembering he didn't have to apologize to the prisoner. He straightened and asked in a sterner tone: "Anyway, what would your reason be to exit your cabin? You really don't want to piss off the Captain."

Heero's stomach decided it was the perfect moment to express its growing frustration and Heero smiled helplessly at Wufei. "I've had nothing to eat for two days and I never promised anyone to let myself be starved. If it was in your Captain's intentions, I'm sorry to say that I won't take it lying down. Shinigami will have to take a more hands-on approach if it is his desire to kill me."

Wufei looked appalled at that. "Shinigami would never do something like that. Starvation is a dishonourable way to kill a man."

"And yet his actions or lack thereof speak for himself."

Wufei bristled. "You obviously don't know him. If Shinigami wanted you dead, you'd be dead already, trust me on that." He looked uncomfortable then and amended reluctantly: "He might have forgotten that you needed to be fed though, he can't be absent-minded at times."

Heero sighed but decided to play on the newfound advantage of being friendly with the natives which wouldn't work for long if he continued to question the great Shinigami's integrity. "Okay, I guess that was just another oversight. So would I be too bold if I asked for something to eat? I'll even promise to behave."

Wufei cocked his head as if measuring his trustworthiness then nodded. "Very well. I'll lead you back to your cabin and I'll see to it that you'll have a meal brought to you. You have my word."

Heero had a very clear idea of what his word meant to such a man and was satisfied that he would be fed shortly. He turned back in the direction he guessed his cabin should be and opened the way, all the time aware of the sword still held at the ready behind him. They went down a few stairs in silence and Heero recognized his door at the heavy lock distinguishing it from the others. He unlocked the door without hesitation, opened it and marched inside. He turned back to Wufei at the last minute and offered him a last nod, mutely confirming that he would be waiting. The other answered in kind before closing and relocking the door. Heero went back to sit on the bed, confident that the wait wouldn't be long now.

Without his knowing, the heavy door isolated a lot of the sounds from outside and he would have had to have his ear stuck to the wood in order to ear the ruckus that went on on the deck shortly after his renewed imprisonment. He stayed thus unaware that Wufei had been struck out cold by a flying Abdul on his way to the kitchen. All Heero knew was that a few hours later, he was still alone and even more famished. He was also feeling betrayed now. He had really put his faith in the Chinese man and was justifiably disappointed.

--------

At noon everything was finally taken care off. Wufei had been put in bed with a cataplasm on his head that would hopefully lessen the expected swelling. His ribs had been found bruised and had been dutifully bandaged. He had been left as comfortable as could be, but had still to regain consciousness.

Gene had proved helpful in making a sort of splint for Abdul's leg which had stayed his only diagnosed injury even after various thorough examinations. The rest of the crew was still left dumbfounded by that one and there had been plenty of manly back thumping going on to disguise the retroactive fear for what could well have been a much more tragic incident.

Quatre had been awoken by all the commotion and was left to entertain his faithful guard playing checkers. Hernan however, was still sleeping off his night-watch of the previous evening and if all the excitation hadn't roused him, there was a fair chance that he wouldn't be seen before nightfall.

Auda had prepared a cold lunch and left it to everyone to serve themselves and go eat wherever. Lunch had always been less formal than dinner on the Deathscythe and it would have been too disheartening to eat in the kitchen when there were so few people able to attend the family meal.

The Captain was left feeling a little helpless by that new development. He had taken his post at the helm and was wondering how they would make do operating the Deathscythe with such a reduced crew. Abdul was out for the count and God knew when Wufei would wake up and if he would be in any state to work. That left Quatre, Auda, Hernan, Rashid and himself as far as able bodies went. He was tempted to add Howard, but his old friend was still much too tired to pull his own weight and he didn't want to let him risk a relapse...

However you were looking at it and even if they were used to work with a small crew, as Duo preferred it, five men to operate a frigate was nowhere near enough. They might make do when all went smoothly, but with the malediction still lurking around the corner, Shinigami couldn't discount the high probability that they would encounter trouble before long. In an emergency, five men, no matter how good, would never be enough.

Shinigami had also taken the time to think about what Howard, and Quatre before him, had suggested. Trusting didn't come to him easily, life had made it so, but if some of his most faithful crewmembers were willing to take a chance on the Captain Lowe, then maybe, just maybe should he take one too. In the end, it wasn't much of a choice anyway because in his present situation he needed Heero too much to hesitate. Nodding decisively to himself, he blocked the helm in the appropriate direction and marched to the prisoner's cabin. It was time to assess the trustworthiness of one stowaway.

Meanwhile, said stowaway was sitting on the bed, curled up dejectedly over his maddeningly cramping stomach. He might have been left to starve a few times in his younger years as a mean of punishment, but he was coming to realize that it had been a long time ago. The Captain Lowe had had it easy these last few years doing the Colonel's bidding without complaints. He had forgotten how painful hunger can get when you're not yet used to it.

Lost in his misery and self-pity, he almost didn't hear the door unlocking and he barely had the time to pull himself together before his visitor entered. There was no way he would give them the satisfaction to see him break. He was somehow surprised to see Shinigami himself, but prepared nonetheless for the gloating that was sure to follow. He might be in for a lecture too if Wufei had revealed his little unauthorized escapade. Resigned, Heero schooled his features into carefully studied blankness. He wasn't prepared however for the opening question.

"Do you know how to operate a ship?"

Heero stared at his interlocutor blankly for a few moments, before his dumbfounded brain caught up with him. He answered then with wounded prided. "I am a Navy Captain!"

Duo cocked his head on the side in an annoyingly endearing gesture given the circumstances and taunted: "So? Is that a yes or a no?"

Heero refrained from shouting his next answer but it was a close thing. "Yes. That's a yes."

Shinigami's eyes met his and it was as if he could see inside of him. It was a little uncomfortable but Heero prided himself of not lowering his own gaze. At long last, Duo nodded. "Great. We're understaffed right now and I need one more person up there."

"You want me to work with your crew?" Heero knew he sounded somewhat stunned but he certainly had the right to be when he had been expecting to be punished or even killed for his attempted escape of that morning.

Duo however didn't seem to be in the mood to indulge neither slow nor confused people, and his following tirade revealed much of his frustration.

"Listen mate I'm having a really bad week. No make that a really bad /month/, so work with me here because I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you. If working for me offends your sensibilities, fine! I can put you in the hold. Of course you'll get bored and I know for a fact that there are rats down there, big and nasty ones. The only alternative is that you make yourself useful and earn your keep like any other stowaway who doesn't want to be thrown overboard. Either way's fine with me. You'll be out of my hair anyhow. So, what will it be?"

Heero carefully studied the dangerously pissed off Captain. When it came down to it, it might be a nice deal, even if he wasn't really sure on what foot to dance with this people changing their minds every fucking minute. He still wanted to ask something before taking a decision one way or another.

"Well, that depends... If I agree to work with you, will you give me something to eat? Because I am really, really hungry now."

"Huh?" Shinigami's violet eyes had grown the size of saucers. Of all the reactions he had expected, this one never came up and he didn't know what to say.

Fortunately -or not, depending on your point of view-- Quatre who was passing by at the time, hung his head on his Captain's shoulder and lectured him in a stage-whisper, all the while winking mischievously to Heero. "He's right you know Duo. The Captain Lowe isn't a house plant; if you want to keep him, you'll have to feed him."

Shinigami blushed prettily, as Heero had observed he was wont to do and stuttered cutely: "K-keep him? I never said anything about keeping him. I just thought he could be useful..."

"Oh I'm sure there are plenty of uses you could put him through." Quatre replied knowingly before strutting away with an evil chuckle.

Heero wisely refrained to comment and waited for Duo to regain some of his composure. Once the pirate looked somewhat calmer, Heero caught his eyes and offered humbly: "If you point me to the kitchen, I'll grab something quick and then I'll be all yours Captain."

Duo immediately ducked his head to hide his renewed blush. "Whatever. I'm sure you can find the way on your own. Report to Rashid in half an hour. You can't miss him: he's two heads taller than anyone on the ship." After that, Shinigami departed urgently without waiting for Heero's reaction. For all his haste, one would have believed the Hell Hounds themselves were upon his heels.