Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing boys, nor am I making any money from this. The idea of a Confessor is from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. I am using them without permission. Warnings; AU shounen-ai, violence Pairings; 1+2 3+4 The Confessor Series Part 5 "So, Quatre. How long have you been out of the academy?" Duo asked out of the blue as they made they way deeper into the mountains. It had been three days since he had 'joined' the small band of soldiers. At least they didn't try to tie him up anymore, he reflected. He had willingly submitted to the indignity but as soon as their backs were turned he would untie himself. He was always there in the morning though, watching the sunrise. They were smart enough to catch on to the fact that he was going with them on his own accord and left it at that. Quatre looked surprised at the question. "Only a few months. Is it that obvious?" he asked. "Quatre, my friend, you are so green, you offset the grass here. Why did you join the military anyway if you want to be a mage?" Duo wasn't a believer in tact. He figured that if you want to know, you ask. Plain and simple. "The only way to become a powerful mage is to get experience. Joining the military will get you the most experience in the shortest amount of time, if you survive. There are enough occurrences of wild magic in the world that it makes it dangerous to travel in uncharted areas. Most good commanders make sure that they have a mage in their party to help counteract them." Quatre shrugged. "There are so few mages that even I got a few choices of companies." "So why did you pick this one?" Duo was fascinated. He knew that Quatre was being modest. The Academy of Magic's did not turn out underachievers. You either graduated with honors or your body was buried out back and your name was crossed off the roster. "Captain Yuy is one of the best soldiers alive. He has a perfect record of completing his missions so they give him the hardest. That is where you get the most experience. It would take me years to get that if I chose a guard squad." Duo smiled at the small blond. He liked Quatre a lot. Of all the soldiers, Quatre was the only one willing to talk. Of course, Quatre wasn't really a soldier. Just then, Trowa appeared cantering back to the group. He had been scouting ahead. Now, though he looked concerned, or as concerned as Trowa ever looked, which wasn't saying much. Duo wondered if all soldiers had some mandatory behavior classes that they had to pass before becoming real soldiers. Like: How To Not Laugh 101, Grouchiness for Beginners and Duo's own personal favorite, Looking Constipated Without Really Trying. Those three must have been class leaders, he decided. Then immediately felt ashamed. They seemed like decent people. What right did he have to make fun of them? "Report." Heero said as he pulled Wing to a stop before Heavyarms. "There is a village up ahead, about four miles. Something is wrong." Trowa looked uneasy. The other three clustered around, waiting for him to elaborate. "There is no smoke from fires, which there should be this time of day. There is no activity in the streets, nothing moves." Trowa looked at Heero, knowing he would decide what they should do. "Hn, nothing obviously dangerous then?" Heero asked. If there were no overt dangers, they would stay on the path. He hated to lose time taking unnecessary detours. At the same time, he felt this should be investigated. Trieze had conquered this part of the country so it was his duty to make sure that it was safe for soldiers and travelers. "Nothing obvious, no. Just deserted." Trowa confirmed. "Alright, we'll go in in the following order. I will lead, then Wufei. Quatre, you are next, then Duo. Trowa, you will bring up the rear. Keep us covered with your bow. If anything looks even the slightest bit wrong, do not hesitate to kill. Understood?" Heero caught each of their eyes as he issued the orders. Duo's heart was pounding with excitement. "Lets go." They made their way to the village, briskly but not hurrying. When they got there, it was just as Trowa had described. It was small, even as far as villages go. There were only a handful of houses, one store and a small temple. They walked down the main path of the village. And the strange thing was that nothing moved. There was no sound of animals, not even birds. Just a slight breeze rustling the trees made the only noise. Duo shivered as they walked by the silent houses. Their windows reminded him of the empty stares of the people he had used his power on: blank, devoid of intelligence. He wanted to close them. So they would stop looking at him. Heero stopped Wing in the center of what passed for a village square. He slid off of Wing and looked around thoughtfully. "Split up and look around. Yell if you find anything. There were people here not long ago. I want to know what happened to them." Duo made his way to a small cottage off to the right. It was obvious that the occupants were poor, but the cottage had been well cared for. A small garden, free of weeds, was in full bloom near the unpainted fence surrounding the yard. A few toys were scattered here and there. Duo could picture children happily playing in the yard with those toys, leaving them there as they ran when called for dinner. A doll that was nothing more than a bundle of rags with eyes drawn on it leaned against the doorjamb. Like the little girl who owned it had put it down just for a minute and would be right back. He picked it up and walked quietly into the cottage. He paused for a few seconds in the doorway so his eyes to adjust to the gloom. Dust motes filled the sunbeams that were stabbing through the narrow slats in the shutters. The cottage was silent except for a buzzing of a few flies. He took a step into the main room, wincing at the creaking the boards made under his boots. Unease began to seep through his body, like an itch just out of reach. A thick cloying smell filled the room; some part of Duo, deep inside began to insist that he get the hell out of there now. But another part, the part that didn't want to let his new comrades down kept him moving forward. He put the rag-doll in his left hand and drew his knife out of its sheath, grateful for its presence. It was the one that he had thrown at Heero, who had been nice enough to return it, despite the shoulder wound. When Duo had tried to apologies Heero had just shrugged it off. He didn't even seem too angry about it. He spotted something lying at the far end of the room near the fireplace and cautiously made his way over to investigate. When he got a few feet away he was able to see more clearly and dearly wished he had listened to the first voice, the one that wanted to leave. A young boy, no more than nine or ten was lying in a crumpled heap in a corner. A tremendous blow had caved in his head, his eyes were still open, staring unseeing up at Duo as if pleading with him to explain what he had done to deserve this. Blood and gore clotted the fragments of skull that had splattered on the wall behind him. The body lay in a thick pool of blood, dry and black. Flies crawled over his face and in and out his parted lips. Duo ruthlessly clenched his stomach and his jaw, trying not to vomit. He forced himself to look dispassionately at the scene, trying to find details of the obscenity before him. Then his eyes were drawn to a door leading to the back of the small cottage. Knowing that he had to find out what happened, he made his way to the door. He felt curiously suspended, like his legs were no longer attached to his body. He felt like he was watching from far away, he saw himself open the door and step into the small back room. It was a small bedroom. Undoubtedly the whole family slept there. A small chest that held the clothes that they wore for nice occasions lay open and ransacked on its side. Pallets that had once been arranged neatly were now scattered here and there. Under one of the overturned pallets, Duo saw a bloody hand lying palm up on the floor as if in supplication. He edged his way over to it and moved a blanket with his boot. The sight of a middle-aged woman lying in a pile of her own intestines nearly sent him over the edge, but he held on. He forced himself to study her face. She had prematurely aged with harsh living conditions and childbirth, but she had a pleasant face. One that told you she would bake a pan of bread to comfort a skinned knee or rock you back to sleep when there were monsters under the bed. Lying next to her was undoubtedly her husband. His throat had been cut so deeply Duo had no problem seeing the white spine inside the huge gash. But it was hard to tell if that had killed him, or the deep stab wounds in his chest and abdomen. The copper smell of blood was so thick that Duo was surprised it didn't cloud the air with its scent alone. Looking up, he saw that it had splashed on the walls and pooled on the floor, making it sticky under his boots. He forced himself to breath, in and out. "Look at this and remember, Duo." He whispered to himself. "I will find who did this, and I will pay them back tenfold for each hurt they have paid on this family. I swear by all the devils in the seven hells, by Shinigami herself, this will be avenged." A hand tapped him on the shoulder and he whirled around, automatically reaching out to grab his attacker. And found himself staring into cobalt eyes that flashed with compassion at the horrific sight in the bedroom. Duo flushed when he realized that he had been standing there staring for quiet some time. Heero motioned for Duo to follow to follow him back out into the sun. Duo was glad he hadn't spoke, it seemed wrong to do so in that place. "Is the whole village like this?" He asked, keeping his voice soft. "Yes, whoever did this was quite thorough." Heero confirmed in a queerly flat voice. Every man, woman and child in this place had been butchered and each home had been ransacked. The others had gathered back in the square. Quatre was pale but composed. Wufei was seething with rage, his black eyes practically shooting off sparks. Trowa was more expressionless than usual. And Heero was focused with an intensity that held the red, sullen glow of obsession. "We will find out who did this, and then we will punish them." Heero bit off each word. He had a new mission.