Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor am I making any money off of this. The concept of the confessor is from The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Warning: VIOLENCE both graphic and implied is ahead. If you have a hard time with battle scenes and mutilations, I suggest you skip this part. I am NOT kidding folks. I have been reading way too much Simon R Green lately. The inspiration for the scene between the bandit leader and Duo was actually in the first Sword of Truth novel Wizards First Rule. Pairings: 1+2, 3+4 both implied Archive: Sure! Ask and you shall recieve Note: All spelling and grammatical errors are my own The Confessor Series Part 6 It didn't take Trowa long to locate the raiders' trail. They didn't even bother to hide it; it went straight away from the shattered village into the forest. He estimated that there was about forty of them, each mounted. Trowa follow the trail for several miles to make sure that it didn't double back or disappear, then went back to report to Heero. "It looks like they went straight back to where they came from. I'd say there about forty of them and each has his own horse. The thing that bothers me is that there is no sign of forced entry into any of the houses. Those people knew them and trusted them enough to let them in their homes." Trowa finished. He knew the same thought would have occurred to Heero too. Heero stared thoughtfully at the village. He knew that he should go get reinforcements and come back. But some part of him demanded vengeance now. In the three weeks it would take to go back and get more troops those animals would probably be long gone. He looked over at his own men. He knew Wufei would go after them in a heartbeat and the blademaster would want to take them all on alone. Knowing his skill with the blade, Heero would bet on Wufei every time. He also knew he could count on Trowa to cover them with his bow. Trowa was as good with his bow as Wufei was with his blade. Both of them he would willingly put his back to in a fight. Quatre he had only worked with a few months but Heero knew that he was up to the task. The young mage was green but Heero had yet to see him lose his cool. He would be needed if those they were going after had any unpleasant surprises of the supernatural kind. He also had a handy trick with his sword. Quatre could hold his own in a fight. The only unknown was Duo. He had no idea of Duo's abilities in a fight. He knew that the confessor was fast, almost impossibly so. But he didn't carry a sword, just a knife. Heero did not want to endanger the lives of his men if Duo proved a liability. He made a decision. "Duo, you wait here." Duo was shaking his head even before Heero had finished that short sentence, causing his braid to swish around his waist. "No, Captain. I am going to help find and kill these bastards. You can't make me stay here. I am not one of your subordinates and am under no obligations to follow your orders. With or without you permission I am going." Duo's voice was quiet but firm. The others looked anywhere but at the two of them when they heard Duo refuse to obey. They knew what was coming. "I will NOT put my men at risk because of your need for revenge. They know how to fight as a unit and you are not part of it. You would only get in the way and endanger our lives if you get into a jam and we have to bail you out." Heero was calm, too calm. The others knew that was a sure sign he was about to lose it. "How are you going to keep me here? Tie me up? That will hold me for about three minutes and you know it." Duo snarled back. Biting his lip, Trowa knew he had to do something. He didn't want to get sidetracked now. He stepped in between them. "Heero, how about he stays with me." There was a tense silence as a message passed between cobalt and green eyes. Then Heero nodded and turned to Wing, vaulting into the saddle and riding away without another word. Quatre and Wufei followed quickly, neither of them speaking. Trowa turned Heavyarms to catch up when Duo stopped him with a hand on his knee. "Thanks Trowa." Duo said, looking up at the brown-haired archer. Trowa just shook his head and replied in a cool tone. "Don't thank me, I didn't do it for you. I'd rather have you where I can see you so if you do screw up, I can make sure you don't get anyone else hurt. Captain Yuy deserves more respect, especially from you." He nudged Heavyarms and cantered after the others. Duo stood looking at the retreating backs of his captors/comrades. Shinigami came up behind him and he felt her hot breath on the back of his neck. Absently he reached up and stroked her soft muzzle. "Blew it again, didn't I?" She snorted softly at his question. He looked down at rag doll still in his hand, and his wistful expression hardened as he tucked the doll into his belt. No, he would avenge this. Heero focused on the upcoming battle. He would go in with Wufei and Quatre. Trowa would stay back undercover to cover them. There were forty of them, making it about ten apiece. Shouldn't be too bad. He looked back at his troops. They were the best he could hope to have, and he knew they wouldn't let him down. His eyes fell on Duo following at the rear. He blew a breath of exasperation. He didn't want the confessor along. Some small part of him admitted that it wasn't just because of Duo's unknown fighting ability that might endanger the team; deep inside he was terrified that the confessor might be hurt in the upcoming fight. He justified it by reasoning that he had to bring the confessor back alive to Trieze, of course. He heard harsh laughing and shouting up ahead and raised his hand to signal a stop. He then signaled for the others to dismount and secure the horses. He drew his sword and motioned for Wufei and Quatre to join him. They vanished into the brush. Trowa strung his longbow and grabbed his quiver of arrows. The brown-haired scout signaled to Duo to follow him and they made their way noiselessly through the brush. He was glad Duo could be silent when he chose. They dropped to their bellies and wormed their way right to the edge of the camp. Trowa tapped Duo on the shoulder and pointed up into a tree. Duo nodded his understanding and backed away from the edge. They crawled up the old gnarled oak and perched in the lower branches, hidden by the thick leaves. The camp consisted of a few ratty tents and a bunch of stuff jumbled throughout a large clearing. Campfires smoldered unattended and the sour odors of sweat and filth hung in the air. The camp was crawling with men doing various things, mainly drinking and fighting. Duo noticed that some of the clothes that they wore resembled the uniforms that Heero and the rest of them wore. He looked questioningly at Trowa. Trowa's face was set in a firm scowl. He too recognized the outfits, and saw Duo looking at him for answers. "Deserters." He whispered. Now Trowa understood how they had access to the villagers' homes. The townsfolk would have welcomed soldiers because Trieze had a policy to win over locals by having the military pay double asking price of goods, repairing bridges and fences, and distributing excess food to the poor. Good policy but it had backfired in this case. He then pursed his lips and did an uncanny imitation of a sparrow. Duo smiled in delight and it grew wider when he heard an answering call from across the camp clearing. Without warning, Heero, Wufei and Quatre walked casually into the middle of the camp. All of them standing back to back to back had their swords drawn but pointed down. They stood patiently, waiting to be noticed. After a few minutes, someone actually saw them and pointed to them with a yell. Soon, all eyes were on the trio in the center of the clearing. A huge man, bald and weighing nearly three times as much as Heero, all of it sheer muscle and very likely the leader, swaggered up to them. "Well, now. What're you boys doing with those sharp swords? Don't you know that you could hurt playing with those things?" He laughed coarsely, dirty yellow teeth flashing. The motley band was gathering around them now, surrounding them on all sides. Heero never changed his expression; he just glared at the big man in front of him. In the tree, Trowa readied an arrow and pointed it at the crowd in general, waiting for a specific target to surface. Glaring at the large man, Heero raised his sword and said in a firm, clear voice "I am Captain Heero Yuy, and you are guilty of the murders of 26 men, women and children. In addition, you are guilty of desertion and theft. For these crimes you are sentenced to die, with no quarter." The large man's eyes grew wide at Heero's speech, and then narrowed. He couldn't imagine the nerve of this whelp to say that to him. Well, he was going to teach this so-called captain a lesson that he would never forget. With a wild yell, he drew his own sword, a huge two handed broadsword and brought it crashing down on Heero, who in a blink of an eye had moved to the left and parried easily. That was a signal for the others to attack. Wufei was in his element. With one stroke, he sliced off the head of some inept fool in front of him and cut the hand off another sword wielding soldier on the backstroke. Each time he raised his sword, someone died. He was a blademaster and was unbeatable. He was doing what he did best and there was none better in the world. Wufei was content. When Quatre saw the heavy guy draw his sword, he reached deep inside himself and found that place that glowed brightly. He readied his will and focused. When the clash of swords rang out he spoke a single Word of Power. Bright light crackled and hissed down the length of his sword. He wasn't as skilled as Wufei (no one was) or as strong and sure as Heero. But he had one advantage; the balefire on his sword cut through anything. He sheered through chain mail armor to gut a filthy deserter in front of him. There was surprisingly little mess as the sword cauterized as it sliced. He parried a stab at his abdomen and as the man pulled the handle of his now-shortened blade back, Quatre followed up with a lunge through the heart. The smell of charred flesh made him want to retch, but he ignored it. Though the balefire was a constant drain on his energy, he wouldn't give it up. The advantage was too great. Heero fought ice-cold against the big leader. He whirled and cut and dove in and out. The brute was fast, but Heero was better. He drew blood time and again. Out of the corner of his eye, Heero saw a bandit try for a backstab, but an arrow suddenly blossomed in his throat and he went down gagging. Heero grinned grimly. Trowa was on the job. Trowa, perched in the tree, calmly shot arrow after arrow. Wufie needed no support. He moved with motions so fluid he seemed to dance out there. Heero was good too, so far only one getting near enough to be a problem. But Trowa kept a watchful eye on Quatre, several times saving his back from would-be killers. He tried to judge how many would die at the hands of Heero and his band against how many arrows might be needed. He didn't want to run out. And Duo watched the battle with awe. He hadn't realized how good Heero and Wufei and Quatre were, Trowa too, come to think of it. Heero's words came rushing back to him, that he would only be in the way and maybe get one of them hurt. Heero had been right. He felt humbled and ashamed. He shifted in the tree to get a better view and without turning; Trowa said, "Stay right here." "Sure." He mumbled. Soon, the battle ground to a halt and the bandits were surrendering. Out of forty or so, seventeen lay dead at the hands of the three soldiers in less then three minutes. Soon, only Heero and the big leader where still fighting. When he saw that he was alone, the brute backed away, blood streaming from numerous cuts on his body, dropped his sword and raised his hands. Panting and pale, Quatre stood off to one side, leaning on his now-ordinary sword. The energy he had expended to maintain the balefire was tremendous. He felt like he could sleep for a month, but he pushed the exhaustion away. He would rest later after they had secured the prisoners. Gesturing with his gore-covered sword for the remaining bandits to gather in the middle of the clearing, Wufei began to search the prisoners for weapons. The battle for him was exercise, no more. It had been a long time since he had been challenged in a sword fight and he wished that just once he could find a worthy opponent. As soon as the battle ceased, Trowa and Duo jumped down out of the tree. Trowa still held an arrow ready in his bow. Heero glanced over briefly at them and nodded to Trowa. "Good shooting." Trowa smiled faintly at the praise. Beside him, Duo felt a small stab of envy. As the others busied themselves with rounding up and disarming the prisoners, Duo walked over to check out the tents. He thought that maybe he could find something he could use. He flipped open the flap to the biggest one and walked in. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the reek of sweat and something else, something musky. It was faintly familiar, bringing back memories of terror and shame. Shaking his head to throw off the eerie feelings, he walked deeper into the tent. It was big enough for several people to share but the leader was the only one to occupy it, judging from the single sleeping place. The blankets were filthy, stained and torn. Duo curled his lip in disgust. How could someone live like this? He wondered. He kicked the pile of rags in contempt and jumped back in surprise when his foot collided with something solid. Cautiously he bent down and with his thumb and index finger gingerly picked up a corner of the blanket. He blanched when he saw what was under it and all the strength went out of his legs sending him crashing to the dirt floor. There, tangled in the rotten covers, was a naked body of a little girl. No more than five or six, judging by her size. Long blond hair was matted with blood. Her face was so swollen that she looked deformed and there was traces of blood around her mouth and in her nose. Bruised ringed her throat and her whole chest was mottled black, obviously several ribs were caved in. Her abdomen too was swollen and black. Blood was caked between her legs, gluing her to the coarse fabric. One of her knees was bent at impossible angle. Duo heard a distant voice and it took him a while to realize that it was himself gasping "oh, no" over and over again. A picture of a rag doll on a doorstep flashed though his mind. A shriek started in his stomach and started working its way up his throat. Just before it could claw its way out, a terrible calm came over him, cold and clear. Slowly, as if in a dream, he reached out and gathered up the tiny broken body in the filthy blanket. He wrapped the bundle up and stood up slowly. He turned and in a measured pace walked out of the dank tent and into the late afternoon sun. Heero was the first to notice Duo as he walked through the bloody clearing. They had just finished depriving the prisoners of their various toys and were going to start executing them. He started to turn away and get back to business when he paused and looked closer. Duo was carrying a bundle wrapped in a coarse patch a material. He walked slowly, nothing of his usual bounce or swagger. But what really made Heero take notice was the utter lack of expression and paleness of his features. For a second he thought that Duo was mortally wounded, he was so white. He took at step toward the black-clad figure, but there was such a cold air of terrible purpose hanging around the confessor that he stopped. Duo walked by, not even noticing him. He stopped some distance away from the prisoners. Slowly, he stooped and placed the bundle gently on the ground. Then he rose up again and turned and looked at the captive men. By then all activity had ceased and everyone was staring at the confessor. As if dreamwalking, Duo approached the former thieves and murders. His eyes were half-lidded and unseeing. Several of the men tried to back away, which seemed rather ridiculous because he was a single unarmed boy, but they couldn't help it, they felt real fear for the first time in a long time. The silent confessor stopped in front of the blood-covered leader. Duo stood there, not moving, staring at the leader's chest, which was eye level for him. The bandit leader grew more nervous at each passing second. Sweat broke out on his forehead and unconsciously he began to shiver. Suddenly he realized that his men were watching him cower in front a mere boy and some of his former bravado returned. With a frightened snarl he drew back his right fist and aimed right at Duo's head. Heero started to call a warning and Trowa was aiming his bow when it happened. Standing perfectly still and without raising his eyes, Duo held up his left hand with his palm out as in warding. The split second the brute's fist connected with his palm, Duo relaxed his restraint. Released for the second time in his life, his power slammed into the bandit leader. Silent thunder filled the air, the impact made the leaves on the trees twitch and sparks fly from the guttering fires. The brute's eye flared wide and his jawed dropped open. "Master." He whispered in awe and reverence. Duo stood there breathing slowly. Then he grasped his knife in his right hand and held it out to the worshipful murderer. He indicated to the man's grime-smeared trousers. "Take them off." Duo's voice was hollow, like the wind through the canyon. Hearing it, the bandits shivered despite the warm sunshine. Death was here in this clearing and it had violet eyes. The bandit leader nearly tore the pants right off his body he was in such a hurry to obey. In less then three heartbeats he stood in front of the confessor naked front the waist down, rapture written on his brutal face. "Take this and cut that off." Duo indicated to the thick shaft that hung limply between his legs. There was a collective gasp from the onlookers. They were pale and many turned away. Trowa looked questioningly at Heero, but Heero shook his head briefly. He had never seen a confessor work before and despite the grizzly scene wanted to see how this played out. The man eagerly took the knife and with one quick slice held it up triumphantly. Blood starting pouring down the man's legs but he didn't seem to notice. All that mattered was that the master was pleased. Several of the onlookers were green, and one man started puking, but Duo didn't react at all. He just looked calmly at the mutilated man in front of him. "Eat it." Now there were frantic protests from the captives as the bandit leader gladly wolfed down his own balls. Quatre turned away swaying and Trowa went over to him, purposefully looking at nothing else. Heero's eyes widened but he held still. Only Wufei watched with calm interest. He wasn't too bothered by the unfolding drama. After the big man finished, Duo held out his hand and took his knife back, the he gestured at the tent. "Go in there." He said in that same sepulchral tone. The man almost fell over he was turning so fast and ran to the tent where he stopped and stood just inside the flap. Duo followed him with his eyes never once losing that calm coldly dreamlike expression. Then he walked in that same measured pace to a dying campfire. The embers glowed as he took the ragdoll from his belt and knelt down before the fire. His eyes focused on the drawn-on eyes of the doll as he reached out and touched the small bundle of rags to the hot coals. A tiny finger of flame licked the edge of the worn fabric. The black-clad figure straightened up and walked to the tent where the bandit leader stood bleeding to death in the door flap. The flames on the doll grew quickly until they almost caressed Duo's hand. With one last look at the small toy, Duo tossed it on top of the tent. Flames roared as the dry canvass caught fire and within a span of seconds the whole tent was engulfed. "Don't scream." The man didn't. Heero broke out of his paralysis and took two steps toward the confessor. Duo's silhouette against the inferno was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. But before he could approach, a shrill scream made him whirl around. Shinigami was bearing down on them and the prisoners leaped to get out of the way. She blew by Heero and was at Duo's side in a blink of an eye. Duo came awake and grabbed her mane. Vaulting on her back she spun and took off. They were across the clearing and in amongst the trees before any of them could react. In the silence that was broken only by the crackling of the burning tent, one man found his voice. "Please kill me before it comes back." He whispered. Author's note: After having seen all the episodes where the G-boys experience the Zero system, I guess the one that disturbed me the most was Duo's. He was just so.. calm.