SongBird
by Snow Tigra

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Heero got out of bed the next morning bright and early and immediately began formulating his plan as he was getting dressed. First he would stop at the library and look around for those books Zechs had requested. There had to be some significance, especially since Zechs hadn't known where Duo was hiding. So those books had to be important...

Wasn't he searching for something about a myth, about a bird?

Heero's thoughts were interrupted as there was a timid knock on his dorm room door. A second later the door opened a bit, but only enough for the person outside to peak in.

"If I come in you're not going to shoot me are you?"

Heero turned an amused look to his roommate and just shook his head. "You live here, I won't shoot you."

His roommate sighed with relief and stepped into the room, still watching him warily. "That's not what you acted like last night."

Heero frowned, remembering the state he'd been in the previous night. He shrugged. "Sorry about that," he muttered.

"No worries I guess, I mean we all have our bad days. But I swear you looked ready to kill last night. What happened? Did it have something to do with you losing your job and why you've been skipping class lately?"

Heero nodded as he slipped his wallet into his pocket. Then he paused and glanced at his roommate.

"I need your help."

**

The professor glanced up through his glasses and frowned as he saw Heero walk into the library. "I thought I told you to find another job."

"You did," Heero replayed in a deadpan voice.

"Then why are you here?"

"I am a student. I have classes too. I need to get some books."

The professor just continued frowning. "You worked here, you know where to find them."

"They're in the basement."

This time the professor gave a heavy sigh. Standing up, and making a great show of just how much he hated standing from his computer, he picked up his keys and headed for the other end of the desk. At that moment, right on schedule, Heero's roommate came running in.

"Hey Prof!"

The older man groaned and looked at the kid.

"I need your help finding some books. See my professor gave me this report to do and I've never been in the library before."

Heero did his best to keep in his smirk at that. After a little talking his roommate had decided to go along with the plan easily. Adding in a backward baseball cap and a wrinkled T-shirt completed his slack-off-student look and helped so that the professor wouldn't recognize him, least not right away. As for the never being in the library part... well that was mostly the truth. And what better person to have for an actor then someone who wasn't acting?

The professor groaned loudly and tossed the keys to the basement storage room to Heero and turned on him with an angry glare. "I'm trusting you just this last time Yuy, you had better not mess up or I'll see that you're expelled!"

Heero nodded and turned, heading for the basement as fast as he could. He knew he didn't have much time to find the book. Racing down the stairs he left his roommate to stall the professor and tore into the room, moving immediately to the mythology section. In a matter of moments he'd gone through a good number of books, skimming over their indexes for the correct words.

Birds... bird... birdies...

But he couldn't find anything. There wasn't a single myth book with those words and he was running short on time. Finally he grabbed the last of the huge myth volume and flipped to the index... and there it was!

Songbird.

Dropping to the floor Heero opened the book as wide as he could. He knew nothing in the basement room could be checked out and every book had pieces that would set off the sensors. But there were advantages to being a former library employee. Bending the book completely backward he located the magnetic strip behind the binding and ripped it out. With a razor he kept in his pocket he made quick work of the bar codes and then hid the book under his jacket. Luckily it was lose enough to hide the large bulk, but just barely. He also kicked the barcodes and security strip under the shelves and headed back for the door.

He met the professor halfway up the stairs.

"Find it?"

Heero shook his head. "We didn't have the one I was looking for. Here." He handed the keys back then passed the professor. As soon as he was out of sight he bolted for the door and out of the library, hugging the book close. All the while back to his room he just prayed this was the right book. He knew he wouldn't be able to get down there again.

**

"So the whole fuss was over this one book?"

Heero shook his head and ignored his roommate, flipping to the next page. His eyes widened as he read.

"Well? Is it what you were looking for?"

Heero could only nod as he read the story. It made so much sense...

**

He felt hands on him, that was the first thing he noticed as he woke up. Hands slid over his body, getting entirely too close for his own comfort. Duo held his breath and forced himself to not move as one hand slid under his night shirt. The sickening touches caressed his body and it took all his willpower to not move. He couldn't move, he wanted Zechs to think he was still sleeping. Maybe the man wouldn't do anything too bad as long as he thought Duo was still sleeping.

The hands brushed between Duo's legs and he couldn't hold himself anymore. Nearly on reflex he jerked away and rolled out of the bed, landing hard on the floor. Starring with wide eyes he watched Zechs with fear. Please let the man stay in the bed. Please don't let him hurt him. Please let him not be angry!

But Zechs just shrugged the reaction off and pushed the covers back to get out of the bed on the other side. Crossing the room, not caring that he was nearly naked save for a set of boxers, he moved to the bathroom for his shower. Duo took those moments of not being noticed to stand up and quickly move back into his giant birdcage, where he took a nervous seat on the swing.

Zechs entered the room a bit later and watched him for a moment, then began to get dressed.

"You should get dressed Duo," he said, as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't been touching Duo in the bed. As if it was just a normal morning.

Duo kept himself from glaring at the man's back. How could he act like it was just a normal morning! Things would never be normal again! Not with that box! Not with him never being able to leave! Not with what he feared Zechs could do to him at any moment!

Still he nodded and stepped out of the cage to his own chest, pulling out the dress on the top to wear.

"Choose which ever one you want. I can't help dress you this morning, I need to go out and pick up some things, but I will be back soon."

Duo blinked at Zechs and just watched as the man pulled on simple and comfortable clothing. He was definitely going out shopping, probably to get food and supplies for the club. But Duo wasn't about to ask or sound like he was complaining, he was just happy to see the man leave for a while. Any time alone, even if he was trapped in the club, was time he would welcome.

Characteristically Zechs left without saying much else. However the man didn't have his mind on other things because he remembered to use his keys to look all the doors to the room, and even to lock Duo in his large birdcage. Duo sighed softly and returned to his seat on the swing after pulling on a long dress made of embroidered forest green fabric. Swinging back and forth he began the long process of pulling a brush through his hair.

He could already tell things weren't going to stay this good - as if this could even be called good.

Zechs had his sleep in his bed last night, and Duo guessed that would soon become a pattern. He didn't want to sleep next to the tall blond; he didn't even want to be in the same room as that man. Everything about Zechs now disgusted him, even the looks he gave him.

Before they'd been happy, then that one night when he'd refused to sing Zechs had gone mad and snapped. Ever since then Duo could literally see the hunger in the blonde's eyes. Oh, it had disappeared the first day he'd returned after hiding with Heero, but only until Zechs showed him the box. The hunger had returned almost immediately after Duo had opened that box and realized that he could never leave.

He didn't actually know what was in the box, it had been too painful to look at the time, but he knew that it was something horrible. The feeling was something that would stay with him forever, always reminding him how powerless and how much of a slave he actually was. Because of that box he couldn't deny Zechs anything. Because of that box he could never run away again. And because of that box he could never tell Heero the truth, about how much he really wanted to escape Zechs forever.

"It's not fair," he murmured softly. Pushing his half-brushed hair over his shoulder he dropped off the swing and laid down on his bed of pillows. Pulling Heero's coat close, he his face against the well-worn fabric. The scent was soothing; it still smelled so much like Heero. Curling there on the floor, not caring about wrinkling his dress, he held the coat close and breathed in the scent. It was all he had left of Heero... The only thing he had left...

A sound from the far side of the room startled him and he sat up quickly, his eyes flying around the room.

What was that? It sounded like...

A door rattling?

Duo stood up, still holding Heero's coat close, and moved to the edge of his cage. His violet eyes scanned the room and fixed on the door to the alley. Yes, it was moving, like someone was trying to get it open. Was it Zechs? Were his keys not working? Had he forgotten them?

Or was it...

Duo cut that thought off, not even daring to think it. Instead he just watched and held his breath, waiting for the door to swing open. Backing away slowly from the edge of his cage he took a seat in the shadowed back corner. He didn't want anyone to see him if it was someone breaking in. Maybe if he stayed still enough they would just take what they wanted and go away.

Now something hard hit the door and it shuddered from the weight, nearly giving in. Once again, the force hit it, and this time the lock broke, the door swinging wide open and hitting the wall behind it. Heero stumbled into the room and caught himself against the doorframe.

Duo stood up in surprise. "Heero?"

The boy nodded and quickly moved to Duo's cage, where he undid the lock and grabbed Duo's hand, pulling him out.

"What are you doing?" Duo demanded in surprise.

"Getting a straight answer." Heero responded, his eyes and expression showing determination.

Duo bit his lip and shook his head. No, he couldn't tell Heero. He had to get him to leave before Zechs came back and got angry. He had to make sure Zechs didn't hurt him!

"Heero, I told you I-"

"Don't lie to me."

Duo swallowed his words and took a step back, not sure what to say.

"I know you don't want to stay here, it's obvious. I can see it in your eyes." Heero's expression softened a bit and he reached out to Duo, but didn't touch him. "Please, tell me the truth. What did he do to you? Why do you think you have to stay? We both know if he hurt you once he'll do it again."

Duo closed his eyes and turned away from Heero, yet he couldn't keep himself from nodding. "I know," he whispered softly.

"Then why did you tell me you wanted to stay?"

Duo wrapped his arms around himself and clenched his fists.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Duo. You know he'll hurt you so we are both leaving. Now either you explain it to me here or I take you back to my room and you can explain there. But I'm not letting him hurt you anymore. And I'm not letting you stay with him."

Duo felt his body begin to tremble and he opened his eyes, staring right at the bedside table. Right at the drawer. He couldn't take his eyes off the drawer which held the box. But at that moment something occurred to him that he hadn't even considered before.

What would happen if he ran away with Heero and took the box with him?

Would Zechs be able to hurt him then?

It was worth a try! But...

But he didn't want to touch that box again.

So instead he took a deep breath and lifted his hand, pointing at the bedside table. "In there. It's in there."

Heero stepped past Duo and moved to the table, pulling on the drawer, only to find it locked. Still, that was easily fixed with the same treatment he'd shown the door. Stepping back he kicked the drawer hard with his tennis shoe and the old wood cracked. A hard yank after that and the drawer came loose to reveal the small ornate box.

"What is this?" Heero asked, pulling the box out and holding it.

"Don't open it!"

Heero nodded.

And with that Duo made up his mind. After all, what did he really have to loose? "We should leave... before he gets back..."

Both boys turned for the door and raced for the opening to the alley. Unfortunately a shadow stepped out in front of them, just as they reached the door and shoved Heero backward onto the floor. Heero fell back, crashing into Duo as they both tumbled hard to the ground.

Both boys looked up to see a very unhappy Zechs standing in the doorway, glaring down at them.

**

Zechs stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him and glared at both of them. Quickly he reached down and wrapped a fist around Heero's neck, pulling the boy up from the floor and nearly choking him at the same time. Heero coughed and struggled but Zechs only gripped his neck tighter.

"You have given me trouble for the last time! I was willing to let you visit the club and watch and still talk with him, but you weren't satisfied with that, were you?"

Heero opened his mouth, clawing at Zechs hands fiercely. He couldn't breathe!

Meanwhile Duo lay on the ground watching in fear. He didn't know what to do and was completely confused. He had to think of something, but he couldn't hurt Zechs, he didn't know how to fight!

But if he didn't do something Zechs would kill Heero!!

Reaching for the nearest hard object he stood up and threw it directly at Zechs' head.

The box hit Zechs square in the side of the head and his grasp on Heero immediately loosened in shock. Heero took that moment to pull out of the grip and crash to the floor holding his own neck and gasping for breath.

What had happened? What had made Zechs let go?

But he didn't get an answer for his questions. Instead all he received was a high pitched scream that sent a shiver down his back. He quickly turned around and his eyes widened at what he saw.


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