Sukuu, Chapter 05

Chapter 5

The doctor carried out a methodical examination, his face a careful mask of neutrality. He’d asked that everyone else leave the room, save for Agent Po, who was assisting him, but panic had flashed across Duo’s face and his eyes had fastened onto Heero in quiet desperation. Heero had refused to leave. The doctor had been too intimidated by the look in Heero’s eyes to argue.

Heero could not tear his eyes away from Duo’s face as the doctor examined the boy. Some unfamiliar instinct in him made him want to reach out and take Duo’s hand. He didn’t understand it. He simply wasn’t the ‘holding hands’ type. He clenched his fists helplessly, feeling horribly awkward.

The damage was bad. Heero did not have to be told that. It was apparent to anyone who looked at the boy. Burns, welts, bruises… Heero thought dark thoughts about the man called Trant.

Duo bore the examination wordlessly. In fact, he had yet to utter a word since they’d taken him out of that place. But his white-knuckled grip on the rails of the bed and the clenched set of his jaw gave away his heightened state of anxiety. Heero knew the boy had to be scared and confused. How could he not be? Heero could not even imagine what might be going through his mind. He seemed to be in some sort of state of shock.

His com unit beeped. He answered it reluctantly. It was Chief Une, wanting him and the others to return to headquarters. Agent Po and her partner would remain at the hospital. Heero grimaced.

"Duo, I have to go. I’ll come back as soon as I can, I promise," he said with uncharacteristic softness. Duo simply looked at him, alarm evident in his eyes, but unwilling to give voice to it. To open himself up to that vulnerability. He nodded sharply, looking away. Heero felt torn. Of course he had to go. It was his job, his purpose, his mission. But he was needed here. He knew it as surely as he had ever known anything in his entire life. He had to get back here as quickly as possible. He gave Duo a quick nod, trying to look reassuring, and then he spun on his heels and left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When they arrived back at HQ, Heero found Chief Une and Captain Noin in an interrogation room, questioning Trant. He and Wufei slipped into the room, while Quatre and Trowa went to assist the other agents in taking statements from the young prostitutes. Apparently Trant was not being very cooperative.

"I happen to value my life, so if you think I’m going to tell you who owned the damned place, you’re fucking crazy!" he was yelling as Heero and Wufei stepped into the room. He looked up at Heero, his eyes flashing with anger as he sneered. Heero barely suppressed a growl. The man had the nerve to act like he was the injured party here, like Heero had somehow betrayed him by going undercover as a client.

"I don’t think you’re fully grasping this situation," Une said, her voice filled with malice. "A man in your place, facing the number and types of charges you’re facing, should be much more… cooperative." Trant sniffed at her contemptuously.

"I’m not saying another word until my lawyer gets here," he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. Une pressed her lips together in displeasure, but rose from her seat, realizing she wasn’t going to get anything from the man. She gestured for the others to follow her and left the room. Giving Trant a menacing glare, Heero turned to follow along behind Noin and Wufei. He was stopped when the man called out to him.

"Hey there, Mr. Agent," Trant sneered, putting particular emphasis on the last word. "Come here for a sec, would you?" Heero narrowed his eyes at the despicable man suspiciously, but came to stand in front of the table, looking down at him. Trant smirked. "Do you want to know?" he asked cryptically. Heero raised an eyebrow, but Trant didn’t continue. He simply sat there quietly, smirking up at him.

"Know what?" Heero finally ground out, against his better judgement. Trant’s eyes lit up, and he leaned forward in his chair, as if he was sharing a great secret.

"What makes Duo so special," he said, leering. Heero’s eyes flashed with anger, and he slammed his hands down on the table. Trant’s grin widened. Wufei had returned to see what was keeping Heero, and clenched his jaw at the tension radiating from his partner.

"What did you say?" Heero growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"It’s because it still hurts him," Trant said, his voice dripping with glee. "Most kids, they get raped a few dozen times, or a few hundred, and they die. Oh, their heart still beats and they still draw air, but for all intents and purposes they’re dead inside. You can see it in their eyes. No better than fucking a corpse. But not Duo. Even after all these years, each and every time someone fucks him, it’s like the first time. It hurts him like it’s the first fucking time. You can see that in his eyes. He still hurts. And that, my friend, is priceless."

Heero saw red. Somehow he found himself with his fists tangled in the front of Trant’s shirt, slamming him back against the wall with enough force to make the man cry out in pain.

"You fucking bastard…" Heero breathed, slamming him against the wall again. "I’m going to fucking kill you." And he meant it. He wanted to rip the pitiful excuse for a human being to shreds, wanted to see his blood run, wanted to hear him scream. And it still wouldn’t make up for it. It still wouldn’t make up for what the bastard had done to Duo. He hauled back his fist, ready to pummel the now-sniveling bastard into oblivion, but Wufei grabbed onto his arm, stopping him.

"He’s not worth it! Heero, he’s not worth it. If you beat the shit out of him now you can kiss your career in the Specials good-bye. Hell, you can kiss your career in the Preventers good-bye. I know you don’t want to give this bastard the satisfaction," Wufei said urgently, trying to calm down his enraged partner.

Heero didn’t want to listen to reason. He wanted to tear the man limb from limb.

But he knew Wufei was right. Trant was not worth throwing away his career. He let the rage seep from his veins, loosening his grip on the man’s shirt. Trant looked visibly relieved, his face having gone an interesting shade of white when Heero had attacked him. Heero felt a small smirk twisting his lips. At least he’d given the bastard a good scare. But he could still feel the rage boiling beneath the surface. It confused him. This was a case. Why was he allowing himself to get so worked up over a case? Why had Trant’s taunts about Duo affected him so… so personally? He gave Trant one last shove, and then turned to leave the room.

"You’ll see what I mean, though!" Trant called after him, regaining some of his attitude now that the danger had passed. "You’ll see what I mean when you fuck him. I know you’re dying to do it. You can’t fool me. You can’t wait to fuck him!"

Wufei had to bodily restrain Heero from launching back at the man. He’d never seen Heero so enraged, so out of control. He pulled his snarling partner from the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him. He pushed Heero against the wall.

"For heaven’s sake, get a hold of yourself!" he yelled. Heero looked at him with eyes gone blank with rage, but suddenly sagged against the wall, the fight leaving his body. He looked back up at Wufei with eyes that once again held a trace of reason.

"I’m sorry… I don’t know what happened there. Let’s go see what else the Chief needs us for. I want to get back to the hospital as soon as possible," he said. With that he turned and headed down the hall, still breathing heavily from exertion.

Wufei stared after him. Back to the hospital? Back to see Duo… Well, they were certainly going to have to go get the kid’s statement. But Wufei knew that that wasn’t what Heero had in mind. Heero just wanted to see Duo. He cared about him. Trant’s taunts echoed in Wufei’s head. Surely they weren’t true. Heero couldn’t be interested in the kid in that way. Heero had never shown much interest in personal relationships, aside from the close friendships he shared with his partner and with Quatre and Trowa. It was just his nature. For all Wufei knew, he was still a virgin. There was no way he could possibly be interested in that, that kid, who had to be at least six or seven years younger than they were. There had to be some other explanation for why he seemed to care so much about him. There had to be. With a sigh, Wufei followed Heero down the hall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was late afternoon before they wrapped up at HQ. The other kids from the brothel had all been interviewed and given quick examinations by agents from the Medical Unit. None of them were injured, so they were turned over to the Juvenile Unit, who would find placements for them. The building was being combed over by the Forensics Unit, gathering evidence. Tomorrow morning the Specials were sure to have piles of collected evidence to sort through. But for today, the work was done. Except for Duo. They still needed his statement, if he was up to it. Chief Une had no objection when Heero immediately volunteered. Quatre and Trowa opted to accompany Heero and Wufei to the hospital, though the two of them were officially off-duty.

When they arrived back at the hospital, they found that Duo had been assigned to a private room in the ICU. Sally Po was still with him. Informed of their arrival, she met them outside his room. Heero walked past her and straight to the observation window, staring through the glass at Duo. The boy lay on the bed, heavily bandaged, an IV dripping fluid into his arm. His eyes were fixed on the window, and the expanse of sky that lay beyond, quickly darkening from day into evening. There was a mix of wonderment and disbelief on his face. Heero felt an unfamiliar lump in his throat. It was a view the boy had not seen in six years. He tore his eyes away and fixed his attention on Sally, who was patiently waiting for him.

"So?" he inquired. Sally sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose wearily.

"I know I don’t have to tell you it was bad. You could see that very well for yourselves. But… it was bad. He was beaten pretty severely only a few hours before the raid. He has numerous fractured ribs, and a fractured sternum. Luckily the x-rays haven’t shown any complications to his heart or lungs, beyond the pain, of course, though he’ll have to be closely monitored for the next few days. There’s a fairly bad concussion… I’d say he’s lucky his skull wasn’t fractured. As for the burns…" She grit her teeth, her eyes looking to the observation window before she continued. "We had to soak the tensor bandages off of them. I can’t believe that someone was so idiotic as to wrap tensor bandages over burns. To use tensor bandages on fractured ribs at all… the injuries could so easily have been aggravated…" She shook her head in disgust. "The burns were caused by a… a cigar. Two fresh ones on his back, fourteen on his chest. They’ve been properly cleaned and bandaged. There were welts, too, probably caused by some kind of whip. Some of them broke the skin enough that they’ll probably scar. A few more to add to the numerous scars he already has…" She frowned, gritting her teeth again. "There were other injuries, of varying age… more welts and bruises, some… electrical burns… and, of course, injuries from sexual assault. We did a rape kit and took some samples. Stitches would have been necessary, but at least that so-called doctor who was looking after him was competent at that. So much scarring, though… it’s been happening for such a long time. I don’t know how he’s survived. If not physically, then mentally. The hospital’s going to send a rape crisis counselor to speak to him in the morning. What he’s been through… it’s beyond imagining." She returned her gaze to them, her eyes filled with weariness. She looked at Heero. "He hasn’t said a word. I think… I think he’s been waiting for you, though." Heero gave her a curt nod, looking again through the window at Duo, whose eyes were still fixed on the sky.

"Why don’t you go home? I’m sure it’s been a long, hard day," Quatre suggested gently. Sally nodded tiredly.

"First we have to stop back at HQ. Agent Williams took a photographic record of all the injuries and scars, and they have to be dropped off, and we have to file our own reports," she said, gesturing at the quiet woman sitting in one of the waiting chairs with a camera bag in her lap. She turned to Heero. "I suppose you can try and get a statement from him tonight, but it’d probably be better to give him some time. I doubt he’ll talk to anyone but you, though. I’ll be back here tomorrow, too. We’re going to need more information about the care that he’s been given. It’s apparent that he’s suffering from malnutrition, but he wouldn’t answer any questions today. Understandable, with the shock that he must be feeling. We can try tomorrow." With that she bid them good night and she and her partner left.

Heero remained for some time at the observation window, watching Duo as he watched the sun set. The tightness in his chest was an alien, unfamiliar thing. He wanted Duo to be okay. He needed him to be okay. Where the hell had this feeling, this need, come from?

Quatre came to stand beside him, his eyes also fixed on Duo. "God, I can’t even imagine it," he said. "To have that happen to him, so much. God, he’s… he’s been raped thousands of times!" Heero started, canting his gaze at Quatre with something akin to horror. Quatre nodded to himself, oblivious to Heero’s scrutiny.

"I mean, if he was there for six years… say a conservative estimate of four customers a day… and Trowa and I certainly saw more than that yesterday… and even say only three hundred days a year… that’s still over seven thousand times…" Quatre continued, his eyes haunted.

"Quatre… Shut up," Wufei said, his voice strained.

"Hmm?" Quatre said. Wufei gave him a pointed look. Quatre looked at the others. Trowa looked decidedly green, as if he was going to be sick. Heero’s fists were clenched so tightly he was surprised blood wasn’t dripping from his palms, and the expression on his face was deadly. Quatre flushed with shame, but Heero had already turned his attention back to looking through the glass.

"What’s going to happen to him?" Heero asked, after they’d been silent for a long moment. Wufei blinked at him, suspicion stirring as to why he would ask such a question.

"Well, they’ve been unable to get an ID on him. So unless he provides one, and he has family to take him in, I imagine they’ll find a foster placement for him, once he’s well enough to be released from the hospital. Or, more likely, considering his age, a group home," he replied. Heero frowned.

"I want him to stay with us," he said finally. Wufei nearly choked.

"What?!" he said. Quatre and Trowa stared at Heero in astonishment, though they remained silent.

"I want him to stay with us," Heero repeated, more firmly. "There’s plenty of room. He won’t survive in one of those group homes."

"But… but we aren’t even registered as a foster home… there’s no way social services would agree to it… " Quatre sputtered in shock.

"One of your sisters… Janice… or something…" Heero inquired.

"Jana?" Quatre said.

"Yes, Jana. She works with social services, doesn’t she? District supervisor or something? She could arrange it, couldn’t she?" Heero asked, turning his piercing gaze on the blonde.

"Um… I suppose… it’s possible…" Quatre answered, looking at Wufei and Trowa uncertainly.

"Look… He’s going to need a lot of… of care. Do you honestly think that you… that we can handle it? That we’re qualified to look after a severely traumatized teenager?" Wufei asked. Heero looked at him, his eyes dead serious.

"Do you honestly think he’d be better off in a group home, where no one knows him or gives a shit about him?" he asked. Wufei looked away, not having an answer. "Do any of you seriously object to this? Especially you, Quatre, since it’s your house. He needs us. I know he does," Heero said, looking through the glass again. There was silence for a long time.

"No," Quatre finally answered, his voice firm as he, too, looked through the glass.

"No, there’s no objection. If you’re sure, I’ll call Jana as soon as we get home tonight." Heero nodded, even as uncertainty stirred in his chest.

It was the right decision, wasn’t it? The thought of Duo ending up in some impersonal group home… it was just unbearable. He would be much better off with them, wouldn’t he? What Trant had said… that had nothing to do with it. Of course he didn’t want to have sex with him. Duo was just a kid, for Christ’s sake. A kid who’d had far too many people take advantage of him sexually, as Quatre had made painfully clear. No, he couldn’t possibly be attracted to him. He was just… worried, concerned. But even that was strange. He just didn’t get emotionally involved in cases. It was unheard of. That it was happening now… well, there had to be some explanation. One that didn’t include him wanting to have sex with Duo. The thought was… was repugnant. What kind of law enforcement agent would be sexually attracted to an underage sexual assault victim? No, it just wasn’t possible. He just wanted to take care of him. He didn’t know why, couldn’t possibly explain why. He just knew he had to.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Duo couldn’t tear his eyes away from the window, as day darkened into night. The sun had hurt his eyes, but he didn’t care. The sight had been almost hypnotizing. It had been one he’d thought he’d never see again.

It would be an understatement to say that he felt confused. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Somehow, he was out of that room, that cell. Somehow, he was seeing the outside world for the first time in six years. He’d felt a breeze on his face, between leaving the building and being loaded into the ambulance. It still seemed unreal. He lifted a hand to his cheek, remembering the gentle caress of the wind on his skin.

He was… free. Wasn’t he? In a hospital. A real hospital, where a real doctor had examined him. Had given him real drugs, drugs that had dulled the terrible pain for the first time in years. Though the examination itself had been… unpleasant. He didn’t like that they’d taken pictures of him. But the worst part had been when he’d had to spread his legs. As incompetent and hurtful as he’d been, the old doctor had at least been someone… familiar. Having some stranger… examine him down there, however clinically, had still been… humiliating. He didn’t know why it should be. Enough strangers had certainly seen him naked over the years. They’d even taken pictures of… down there, when they’d examined him. Having Sally there had… helped. She had been okay with Heero, so he found himself trusting her… to a certain extent. He still hadn’t wanted to answer any of her questions. Why Heero’s okay should mean so much to him… he had no idea. But yesterday… Heero had said he wouldn’t hurt him, and he hadn’t. And today… today, he’d gotten him out. All the pain and humiliation of the examination couldn’t change the fact that he was out. He thought his chest might burst.

But he was still out there. He would not be pleased that he had… that he had been rescued. Heero had rescued him. He felt a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with his fractured ribs. Heero had promised that no one would ever hurt him again. But could Heero really protect him from him?