AN: Gomen for how long it took to get this out, but I've been a wee bit busy, if you know what I mean. BUT...I finished my finals! FINALLY!!! *throws confetti into the air* Hah hah! YES!!! *Dances around with my Dustbunnies...* yay!!

Okay, now I've gotten that out of my system...enjoy!

Duo stared in horror as his commanding officer slumped to her knees, her face twisting into lines of numb agony and bit off a curse, savagely pushing his way through the crowd to get at her. Unfortunately, he was not the only one that had that idea. A sudden scream of fury from the other side of the arena showed that Hilde had already unsheathed her knives causing the Dominion warriors in front of her to scatter. They pulled out their own weapons, swords that shown blue fire in the cruel rays of the sun, but Hilde didn't give a damn about them, shoving them roughly aside or bowling men down as she swept past.

Oh shit...

Recognizing the murder in her eyes, Duo ran to intercept her, just as she stumbled into the circle, a feral snarl at her throat. Her eyes, normally a placid cerulean, had gone bright amber in her fury and she was glaring at Wufei as battle fever contorted her face into a mask of death.

"Get out of the way, idiot!" Duo yelled at the Chinese warrior and blocked Hilde's downward thrust towards Relena's attacker, nimbly giving the long, awkward weapon a quick spin to throw the slender woman back a little. But Wufei just sat there numbly, cradling Relena in his arms as carmine seeped down his pristine white shirt like the dying colors of a rose's last bloom. Relena's face was getting paler in a direct ratio to the blood she was losing...and there was so much blood...

Forcing himself not to think of it, Duo turned to Hilde who still glared at Wufei murderously in berserker rage and held out his arms to her in a gesture of appeal. "Hilde..." He coaxed quietly, "It's Duo..."

She spat in response, never taking her eyes off Wufei's face, but Duo and his scythe were always there, hindering her every time she moved. Dimly, Duo could hear Dorothy shouting imperative orders to Quatre and yelling for Odin as she ran down the flight of stairs from the balcony. The Dominioners stood like silent sentinels, cold, watchful, but a few of them had already broken from the crowd to kneel by Relena, and someone was tearing cloth to make a makeshift bandage to bind the wound. There was nothing he could do for Relena...he was no Healer. So Duo focused on his partner, his friend, talking to her gently as she stalked around Relena, trying to get past Duo's defense.

"Hilde! Listen to me! Rel's going to be okay, do you hear me?" He blocked her attack with the rod of his scythe then to her complete surprise, flipped it around to pull her roughly against him. Her sounds of fury were smothered against the cotton of his shirt as she struggled to free herself from the scythe that held her to him and carefully, he pulled her closer, the circle of his arms replacing the weapon at her back. She tried to push back far enough to use her knives, but her arms were firmly pinned at her side, and he soothed her, hugging her gently. "Hilde...it's okay. Come on babe, this isn't the girl I know..."

"Sonafabitch!" Her voice was harsh as she pushed against him but Duo took this as a good sign that she was remembering herself enough to speak. If only she would calm long enough to touch her human side again...

Amethyst eyes snapping in determination, he whispered quiet, soothing words in her ear as she fought at him like a caged animal, fighting his warmth, fighting her rage, until her fury wore down in the face of weariness. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she stilled in his arms, leaning her head against his shoulder in frustrated exhaustion as her breath came out in ragged pants. Without resistance, her twin blades clattered to the dust floor and finally she looked up, confusion swirling amidst the panic in the depths of her blue gaze. "Duo...?"

He tried to grin but it only half worked as because his voice cracked unmistakably as he answered, "Damn babe, you scared the shit outta me. Remind me not to get you in a bad mood in 'that time of the month', if you know what I mean."

She shook her head, trying to clear the last of the mindless violence from her head then began to struggle again, this time in desperation and fear. "Inshala...what have I done?! Lena-!?"

Duo allowed her to move past him, but kept an arm protectively around her waist as she threw herself to her knees, grabbing one of Relena's limp hands. The Dominion warrior glanced at her warily with cold Prussian eyes, but when she did nothing to hinder him, he went back to work, wrapping the bandage tightly to stem the crimson flow that marred her pale skin.

Her face ashen fear, Hilde whispered hauntingly, "I didn't-"

"No!" Duo denied emphatically. He glared coldly at Wufei but the man was still in shock as he stared down at his own bloody hands so Duo held his tongue as he continued, "'Jousan got hurt in the fight. You didn't lose control until afterwards."

"All I remember...was...was her falling..." Hilde murmured. "And I knew I had to get to her...because it's my job to protect the-" She glanced at the Dominion warriors warily, "-the Commander. And then...and then...Duo, I can't remember!" She looked despairingly at him, "What did I do afterwards?!"

He put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her firmly to stop the return of her panic. "You knocked out a bunch of the stiff-necks warriors and charged into the ring. Then you went after Mr. High and Mighty over there with a pair of daggers," Duo said with a sickly grin, "For some half-assed reason, I decided that he would be better to us alive, so I saved his worthless life. Now that I think about it, I shoulda let you go at him." A little of Hilde's color returned to her cheek and she let out a shuddering sigh, gripping Relena's fingers more tightly.

"Move out of the way, now!" Dorothy's voice cracked sharply over the din of the crowd and with no semblance of dignity at all, she shoved them roughly aside, her eyes narrowed into cold slits. Her platinum locks whipped around her flushed face, freeing themselves from the loose chignon at her nape and she glared coldly at the Dominion warriors before entering the arena in a swirl of silver and black skirts.

Stripping her gloves away, she knelt Hilde's side, ignoring the dust that settled on her expensive dress. With careful skill, she touched the line of Relena's arm, frowning to herself as her sensitive fingers felt the awkward angle that signified a break in the bone. Without looking at Hilde, she asked commandingly, "Preventor, are you well?"

"Ma'am." Hilde nodded crisply and she seemed to take strength from Dorothy's self-assured confidence. "What is your order, Lady Catalonia?"

"Find Odin Lowe. Inform him of the situation and advise him to explore the southwest gate of the palace to find the perpetrator. Quatre was able to spot the disappearance of a hooded figure from the scaffolding of the structure and loosed a shot. He believes his arrow was on target. I however, will not allow chance to cheat that man of his fate; he will be brought to justice by nightfall or I will have a reason why." Hilde nodded again and with a lingering glance at Relena, she disappeared into the crowd.

"Maxwell."

"Command me, Lady." There was no hint of sardonic humor in Duo's voice as he snapped to attention, his normally devilish expression unusually remote.

"In my room is my medicine bag, my bone setting kit, and a vial of krisanth. Bring it to Commander Peacecraft's room immediately and await us there." He saluted quickly and Dorothy turned her ice-cold gaze on Wufei, then just as quickly dismissed him with a contemptuous flash of the eyes before she glanced towards Heero. "Lord Yuy, I, obviously cannot carry Lady Relena on my own and Quatre still plays his game of hide and seek with this would-be murderer. Therefore, carry her and follow me."

Without waiting for him to answer, she roses to her feet, magnificently ignoring the dirt that clung to the fabric of her dress and made her way to the guestrooms of the Imperial Mansion, not quite at a run. In front of her, the throng parted like a sea, standing respectfully, or perhaps warily, back from the arrogant Sanq diplomat, somewhat bemused by this imperious female in their midst. Heero stared with narrowed eyes at Lady Catalonia's departing back but nonetheless rose, cradling Relena gently in his arms as he turned to follow.

Before he left he paused, looking down at Wufei and a flicker of pity flickered across his impassive face. "Wufei..."

The man didn't look up at him, but his voice was ominous and quiet as if he was replying to some unspoken accusation. "I let my anger get the better of me, and if the woman dies, I will bear forever the shame of this twice made life-debt...once because she has saved my life from an assassin's knife, twice because it is I that spilt her blood after owing the first debt."

For a second more, Heero stood over Wufei, not saying anything. Then he walked away rapidly, leaving Wufei sitting quietly in the dust with his sword, victorious, yet in his victory, bereft.

***

Dorothy barely acknowledged Duo as she ran into the door, hands already rummaging through the black bag to pull out a packet of bloodsbain, bruising the pungent leaves between her fingers. She tore off the bandages, packing the wound firmly with the leaves and Relena roused enough to moan in protest as the antiseptic quality of the herb.

"H'shala Relena." Dorothy crooned softly to her foster sister as she tried to stop the bleeding, but dark carmine still leaked through the gray green of the leaves, turning it a muddy oxide brown. Relena shifted, beads of sweat trailing down her high cheekbones to mingle with the dirt caked in her hair and translucent skin. She whimpered feebly, not quite awake but still conscious enough to feel pain so Dorothy glanced sharply at Duo, nodding her head to the vial that sat on the mahogany counter next to the bed. "Maxwell, the krisanth."

Duo picked up the silver blue bottle and knelt by Relena's side, trying to keep her head still, "Jousan...drink, onegai..."

But she tossed her head as he tried to dribble the liquid into her parched mouth, causing the krisanth to slip down the side of her cheek and stain the buff pillow beneath her light lavender. Duo growled impatiently, catching her chin and trying to force her to stillness, but perversely, that caused her to resist even more. She struck out blindly with her hands and feet, crying out even those slight movements sent pain coursing up her arm, and Duo stumbled back from her flailing limbs, swearing under his breath.

"Shit-"

"Maxwell, keep her still!" Dorothy ordered sharply, and she threw her upper body over Relena's to keep her convulsions from jarring the broken arm any further.

"Yeah, I know! Wanna tell me how?!" Duo snapped back sarcastically. Before Dorothy could come back with an equally snappish reply, Heero moved forward fluidly, plucking the aquamarine bottle from Duo's fingers and pouring half of it into his own mouth. Violet eyes flared dangerously as the Dominioner shouldered Duo aside, firmly grasping Relena's face with one hand and her arm in his other to keep her from hitting him. "What the he-?!"

Ignoring Duo's outburst, Heero bent down and firmly pressed his lips to hers, forcibly opening her mouth to receive the sedative. Relena arched her back in a final futile attempt to resist but the pooling liquid at the back of her throat forced her to instinctively swallow. He kept a grip on Relena's wrist and mouth until the bitter taste of the medicine was gone and her body finally went limp on the bed. Only then did he finally lift his head, nodding curtly at Dorothy to finish setting the bone.

She wasted no time, mixing water with the powdered cement and shaking the resultant mixture to give it an even consistency. Grabbing her brush, she carefully applied the concoction on the fresh bandages that covered Relena's sword arm from shoulder to wrist, making sure that it dried evenly. When it had hardened into a shell-like caste around the wounded arm, Dorothy sighed, slumping back wearily against the leg of a nearby table.

A faint smile touched her bloodless lips and Dorothy touched Relena's fingers lightly with her own, murmuring more to herself than anyone, "Inshala bless...you will yet use this arm sib...and for more than wielding a loveless blade."

Raising weary azure eyes, she reluctantly turned to thank the taciturn Dominion warrior when she realized that sometime between his help and her finishing, he had already left the room. Well, that was fine; this was his land and he could go where he pleased. That was not what had disturbed her. The thing that unnerved Dorothy was that she, who had been trained against assassin, thief, and silent spy, had not heard the warrior leave.

***

Heero strode down the corridor rapidly, cobalt fire flickering in his implacable eyes. He was angry and his clipped walk and clenched fist were all that were needed to show that fact eloquently. How could he be so careless? How could an assassin penetrate the guards placed at the gates and walls of the Imperial Palace? Even yesterday, he would have said it was impossible...obviously, he had just been shown that his overconfidence was misplaced. Not only had an intruder entered the gates of the city, he was here, within the very walls of the palace. And he, who should have anticipated such an intrusion, had not, putting innocent lives in danger.

Men rushed past him, congesting the narrow stone halls of the guest wing and the candles flickered uncertainly in their holders, throwing strange, writhing shadows and light across the windowless passage. Ominous silence seemed to hang in the stillness of the air...disturbing. He looked up as he heard swearing and saw two of the Sanq Preventors heading towards the rooms, one leaning heavily on the other and clutching his side.

"What happened?" He demanded and the blonde, Quatre Winner, one part of his mind thought distinctly, glanced up at him in weary greeting but he was not the first to reply.

"Son'fabitch!" Odin swore fiercely, "That damn son'fabitch came at me w'tha knife!" Crimson welled from between Odin's clenched fingers and he glared at it accusingly as if faulting his body for betraying him. Then he scowled at Heero, snarling, "I'd almost had 'im and he got away, th'bastard..."

"Did you see his face?" Heero asked impatiently, but Odin shook his head, frustration lining his features.

"'E 'ad a hood on, couldn't see past it 'cept for that he had blasted green eyes...but he was damn fast, like Dashva on his silver wings...got me 'efore I could even react. " He chuckled bitterly, "Noirell take his soul...I had 'im..."

Heero nodded once sharply and moved aside, allowing them to make their way to the chambers. As he continued on his way, a tingling warning chilled his spine, causing him to stop, hand straying to the cold steel hilt of his sword. Moving his head slightly, he looked behind him with narrowed Prussian eyes, then relaxed as he saw the prowler.

"Nanashi."

"Heero." The other warrior greeted softly, and detached himself from the shadows with catlike grace. His inscrutable eyes were flecked with gold and olive in the dancing flames and he tilted his head slightly to one side, querying softly, "News?"

"Lady Peacecraft will live. However, we have yet to find our would-be murderer." Heero replied and bowed curtly to Nanashi. "I will keep you updated of any further developments."

Spinning on his heel, he walked away, leaving Nanashi leaning against the wall, a thoughtful expression painted across his shadowed face. Slowly, he unfolded his graceful hands and touched his cheek lightly with his fingertip before letting his emerald eyes travel the way that Odin and Quatre had gone, a strange, troubled smile flashing across his face.

"Indeed."

Tbc...

AN: sorry, short chapter, but I didn't want to overdo it....^_^

So, my fellow intelligencia...given all your background information, who is the murderer? *grins cheerfully* Aww...is it really that obvious? Well, keep your guesses and tell me at the end of the fic if what you guessed was right.

Dictionary terms

Krisanth: a light sedative that is steeped in a mixture of opium poppy, light honey, and the petals of the krisa flower which give it its name.

Bloodsbain: herb used to stop bloodletting

H'shala: Quiet (usually used for a small child or affectionately)

Dashva: God of the chase: it is said that he wears silver wings given to him by his one-time lover, Nelsis, an innovative metal nymph that tried to woo him into marriage. He kept the wings but declined the matrimony, breaking her heart so that she forged her soul and body into an unbreakable sword so that she might never hurt again. They say that every time a sword is forged and the hammer rings on an anvil, you can hear her crying to Dashva and mourning her pain.

Noirell: Black God (thus noire). He is the judge of the dead, although he does not control the entire afterlife, (which is controlled by his twin sister Istall) However, misdeeds and good deeds are written in his book and are used as a criteria to judge whether mortal men will reach the Havens (heaven) or the Shadow Lands (hell). However, everyone in the Shadow Lands are eventually given a chance to work free of their debts, and eventually enter the Havens.