Progress:
4 of a proposed two digit sum
General Notes: Another
chapter, aren't you all happy? (Silence) Ack…can't this author
get just a little appreciation? And before you say it, at least I
think I deserve it. Although Overlord would probably hit me
over the head and call me sad for it, but oh well. Assassin likes to
be liked, and kills those who don't like her…
Proverbially, of
course!
Anyways, well excuse me for likening Duo slightly to
myself. But I thought, since I have a large bed, why can't he have
one? At least he has a large room, I don't! My fudging bed takes up
all the space in my room and leaves me with this tiny little area to
put my desk and this lame excuse of a chair. Sigh. And I had my
chemistry book next to me when I wrote it, so I thought, why not put
the Frasch Process in it? I know it's not complicated, and I'm
still irritated that I memorized it as well as the Contact Process
for nothing, since it wasn't even on the damn SAC. Total waste of
time! Huffs.
Oh, and I apologize for the long time since the last update. Has been
kind of busy with my exams, and then there's that other fic of mine
that I really got into. Sorry for all those who waited so patiently!
Specific Notes: Some more angst in this one,
though…well, not really angst, just…Heero being irritable. Sorry
Bob if I'm killing the cute Heero for you, disappointing I know,
but necessary. We get to meet Quatre at least, and I get a bit more
into the actual plot. Sort of…
Music: Heji – Elfen Lied
OST; Track 1 – (blank) (this track is nameless, since my friend
gave it to me and forgot the name and the people who sang it…kind
of sounds like Linkin Park though); Goodbye – SR-71; My World –
SR-71; Die Another Day – Madonna; Knocking on Heaven's Door –
Guns 'n' Roses
Aeternitas
Chapter Four
Heero was walking home alone again from Duo's place after a night of would-be intensive study. Perhaps they would have accomplished more if Duo had not started arguing and declaring his opinions heatedly every time Heero made a comment about one of his essay points. Honestly, even if Heero was more tolerant than most people to persistent naggings and repetition (considering he has Duo for a best friend), there was still a line to be drawn between tolerance and complete melt-down over the argument that one man's happiness may only be gained from another man's misfortune. Seriously.
The Japanese boy stopped suddenly, left foot halting just as it was about to be lifted off the ground. He could feel somebody's gaze on him, and knew without a doubt that he was – once again – somebody's target. He did not need to turn around to know of the character standing on the nearest lamppost, bowstring taunt and arrow ready for release.
'Don't you get tired of following me around every single night?' Heero asked at last, a smirk evident on his face. He turned slowly, not wanting to jolt the archer into firing the silver arrow, and fixed the said archer with a icy glare. The archer in shadow returned the glare with just as much ice, his aquamarine eyes shining with barely-concealed contempt.
'I told you to stay away from the vampire.' His voice was cold and impassive, but there was no mistaking the formidable air and the lining of dominance. Heero felt a most feral growl slip past his careful composure as his hands tightened into fists.
'I don't like obeying orders from somebody who has of yet not had the decency to reveal their true aim.' Heero grounded, eyes a flashing ice-blue. Archer snorted derisively before jumping off the lamppost to land neatly on the ground before Heero, a short six feet separating the two. The Japanese boy could not make out the other boy's face, but the ocean-green eyes and alabaster skin more than hinted the boy's obvious European decent.
'You'll be sorry if you do not stay out of our business.' Archer murmured softly, but Heero heard every word perfectly. He slowly loosened the arrow and returned it to his pouch, and Heero felt himself releasing a small sigh of relief. Archer still heard him. 'You don't want to be hurt now do you, boy?'
'Boy?' Heero asked with a smirk. 'That seems hardly fair considering that you do not appear much older than I. And do share some information about this "our" you are referring to. Is some sort of organization after Duo?'
'Don't meddle with business beyond your league human!' Archer spat back irritably, blue-green eyes narrowing. 'We do this to protect you! So stop shooting off arrogant words without understand the full impact of what you are saying!'
'I'll say what I wish.' Heero growled softly in a voice which promised pain and suffering, and saw Archer shiver slightly despite himself. 'And I'll protect myself thank you. I have all these years, and I do not plan on dropping my guard to let some kid in a cloak take over.'
'Arrogant human!' The boy spat acidly. 'Do not say things you do not understand!'
'Make me understand then.' Heero felt all his patience slip away from him, and it was all he could do to keep himself from lashing out at the boy. A calm exterior was what Heero Yuy was famous for, but he was definitely having a problem maintaining that farce at that moment.
Archer glared, aquamarine eyes cold. Then, ever so slowly, he smiled and Heero felt his ill-will falter slightly. Despite the fact that most of Archer's face was in shadow, Heero could still see his features lighting up under the smile. It reminded him of one of Duo's smiles, so carefree and calm, a smile just for the moment. He could not decide whether it alleviated his fear or fueled them.
'Come human.' Archer's voice was warm. 'Join me for a cup of tea.'
As it turned out, Archer lived at a small flat only two streets down from Heero's house. Two bedrooms and a lounge – both of which were exquisitely furnished – and a balcony from which one could easily scout the neighborhood from. Heero removed his shoes as usual at the door, despite Archer insisting that he did not have to. His mind was in conflict, with one side deathly curious and the other horrendously paranoid. But it did not matter. He was here, and Archer had not tried to kill him yet, and if it finally came to a fight, then Heero would definitely give the ocean-eyed boy a run for his money. Respectfully, Heero stood before the couch in the living room and waited for Archer's assent before sitting down. Archer himself, set down his bow and arrows as well as removed his cloak before joining Heero on the couch, a teapot and two cups in hand.
'Do you like tea?' Archer asked, setting the china down on the coffee table. Heero shrugged unconcernedly, not really minding what he drank at the moment as long as it did not end up killing him. When Archer finally gave him a cup filled with the slightly brown fluid, he found himself sniffing carefully at it and testing some on the tip of his tongue. Drinking only ensued once he confirmed that there was no poison or other drugs within the beverage. Archer laughed. 'Very careful are you not?'
Heero shrugged once again. Archer smiled and leaned back on the couch before taking a sip of the tea, eyes momentarily closed in pleasure. The Japanese boy felt an eyebrow on the verges of quirking, and killed the urge before it could be performed.
'My name is Quatre Winner by the way.' Archer introduced with a smile. 'I'm Arabian, just so that you know.'
'Arabian?' This time, the eyebrow did fly. 'I thought you were a Yank.'
'I assure you I am Arabian, but the hair and the eyes are a bit misleading.' Quatre laughed, gesturing mildly at the blond hair and the blue eyes. 'And you are Heero Yuy are you not?'
'No, I am Julius Cesar of the Roman Empire.' Heero deadpanned. Quatre snorted.
'Somehow, I could not picture you with a sense of humor.'
'We all have humor.' Heero confessed with a shrug. 'Some of us just don't prefer to show it.'
'I agree.' Quatre set down his cup. 'On to business, Mr. Yuy. Stay away from vampires, all of them. It hardly matters if that one is your friend. He'll still go wild and lust after your blood if you spill before him.'
'Duo said he doesn't drink blood.' Heero stated firmly. 'I believe in Duo.'
'I'm sure you do.' Quatre suddenly looked very tired. 'I assure you, you are not the first human I've seen who has decided to ally themselves with a vampire. But when the situation arises, you'll find that animalistic instincts are difficult to fight.'
'I trust Duo.' Heero repeated, tone unwavering. 'But I don't trust you.'
'As expected.' Quatre's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Heero. 'But you'll find that I am the only insurance you have, and therefore should be given a large slice of your confidence.'
'I am my own insurance.' Heero stood up quickly, startling the archer slightly. 'I do not care if you are one of the Vampire Hunters Duo spoke of. However, I will tell you now: if you ever try to harm Duo-' Heero's eyes narrowed into an icy glare '-I'll kill you.'
'If we engage in combat Heero Yuy,' Quatre's voice was deathly quiet. 'I will spare you no mercy.'
'I do not expect any.' Heero growled, already heading towards the door. He put on his shoes quickly, his movements hurried – an obvious sign of agitation. Then Heero stood, gave Quatre a polite bow before exiting in the flat.
'Che…' Quatre sighed softly as he sat down once more, a forlorn look on his face. 'I was hoping I would make a friend of you, Heero Yuy.'
Duo was distraught, unsure what he should make of his childhood friend. It was a given that Heero would be slightly anti-social, moody at times and terribly temperamental when he was agitated (which was a rare occasion), but even Duo had never seen the boy so irritated. He had picked up Heero as usual from his home, given the same greeting and chatted about the same inconsequential things. But throughout it all, Heero did not utter a single word, appearing more to have spent his time glaring holes into the air before him and mulling over something extremely distressing. When Duo asked him what was wrong, he did not appear to have heard, taking the time instead to send a glare Duo's way. The braided boy made sure to keep his questions to himself after that.
When they finally arrived at class, Heero took his seat at the back of the class with the window on his left and Duo on his right; normal behavior. However, when the teacher sent a question Heero's way and demanded to know why the Japanese teen had not even opened his text book, the said teen sent a full-force death glare his way. The calculus teacher immediately sent the question elsewhere, and spent the whole session avoiding Heero's corner of the room. It soon became apparent to Duo that the Mr. White had shared intelligence with the other teachers, as nobody else bothered Heero again after that, which included the janitor who Heero rammed past in the hallway on his way to his literature class. The normally irritable man did not even voice his complaints, and seemed to disappear into the crowd faster than most of the bad guys from cheesy action movies.
And now they sat in the cafeteria, trays of "food" before them and the rowdiness of the Laconia High Cafeteria around them. Duo was trying desperately to tell Heero a light joke he heard off one of the jocks during basketball practice, but the other boy seemed intent on destroying his jelly (orange and completely inedible due to having no bounce at all, contrary to the rest of the week). It was already looking like the lunch of a five year old after being swallowed and then pushed back up the throat again, and the Japanese boy was still attacking it with his spork. But what bothered Duo most of all was that Heero's eyes did not show anger.
He was worried.
To the normal human eye, Heero was currently furious and smashing up his jelly into toddler vomit just to show his rage. However, Duo knew better. Even if they had not seen each other for eight years, Duo was still sure he was one of the best at reading the other boy, and his intuition was telling him that Heero was very worried over something. But it was unusual, because Heero was hardly ever worried about anything. The last time Duo had seen Heero so stressed was when they were younger, and the Japanese boy had just found out that Duo would be leaving. But nobody that Duo knew of was leaving, or injured, or dying for that matter. And worry just was not something Heero ever felt in regards to school work. Perhaps it was about his girlfriend, Duo wondered dully as he shoved his spork into his share of the non-bouncing jelly, though with a bit more force than he should have, because the utensil ended up going right through the bottom of the plastic plate. Heero eyed him warily for a second before resuming the pulverization of his jelly, which was fast turning into liquid. Great, now Heero was going to direct his irritation at Duo as well for poking a hole through the cheap, school paper-plates because it interrupted his own jelly mashing, Duo thought, feeling his own irritation finally surface.
'What is wrong with you Heero?' The braided boy asked, extracting his spork and shoving it into the supposed main-course (cafeteria beef-casserole, which resembled brown sludge more than anything else). 'You've been acting like an agitated hawk defending her eggs!'
Heero opened his mouth to retort, thought better of it, and shut it again, eyes fixed firmly on the tray before him. Duo frowned, and felt his anger recede to give way to genuine worry. There might have been times when he would have paid to see Heero speechless, but now was not one of them. The Japanese boy's gaze dropped to his plate, his spork drawing stabbing the liquid-mush that was once jelly without much conviction.
'Will you ta-'
'I'm sorry.' Heero apologized softly, barely audible over the cafeteria background noise, but Duo heard him anyway. Blue eyes met violet almost timidly, and Duo was shocked by the fear he saw there before Heero's mind caught up with it and hid it away. 'I have been acting like a total loser, to both you and everybody else. I apologize, Duo. I should not have let my feelings get the better of my actions.'
'It's okay Heero, honestly.' Duo sighed. 'Won't you tell me what's wrong?'
Heero did not respond, and his gaze slipped back to his liquid jelly. Duo smiled it off, insisting that it was okay. Heero grunted a truly expressive grunt which told Duo jack-all, and then proceeded to mash the jelly again.
'The jelly is dead Heero.' Duo offered blandly, jabbing his plastic spork in the path of Heero's rage. The other boy gave a second grunt, shoved the plate off his tray and proceeded to attack his fried rice (the cafeteria was trying to be oriental today). Duo just sighed, leaned back in his seat and inspected his meal from afar. This was definitely not a good day.
Duo had basketball practice after school again, and for the first time in an age, he did not feel like going. He really wanted to skip practice so he could keep his eye on Heero. He was not quite sure why he felt the other boy might get up to something dangerous and hurt himself while he was not looking, or the fact that if the Japanese boy decided to do something, there was hardly anything Duo could do to stop him. Not that he was speaking from experience. He and Heero had never gotten into a fight to the point where fists were used, but he had definitely seen Heero fighting. They were seven and the Japanese boy sent four other boys to hospital, two of which sported broken limbs and a third with a mild concussion. Heck, Duo could not even remember what the fight was about, although he did recall somebody making a jab about his braid. Nonetheless, even if Heero did not play sport, he was strong. Very strong. Even the more stockier jock boys were scared of him, even though Duo was quite sure they had never seen Heero fight. Dully, he wondered just what Heero had done before Duo transferred into the school.
In the corner of his eye, Duo saw Relena enter the gym and take a seat beside Heero. The Japanese boy looked up from his literature essay, offered her a polite greeting and went back to writing. Relena smiled and took her seat beside Heero. Her mouth was moving, but Duo could not hear what she was saying. But whatever it was, it certainly caught Heero's attention, because the Japanese boy was staring at her with a mild expression and responding every so often. Duo felt a twinge of jealousy, and wondered what Relena had to say that was so interesting. He threw the basketball, watching it fly in a large loop before hitting the corner of the backboard and bouncing off in a strange angle. A few of his teammates made exasperated noises and his coach gave him a lecture.
Heero and Relena were still deep in conversation when he turned again, and Duo had the feeling that Heero had not seen his obvious miss and subsequent reprimand.
The strange pain in his stomach increased.
The rest of practice went about as abysmally as Duo supposed it could possibly go. Heero had left with Relena a while back, and he had been completely distracted since. He wondered where his friend had gone, and what he and Relena were doing together. Did they go off to discuss about the debating topic as Heero had said yesterday, or were they off chatting about something completely different at a cozy little coffee house somewhere. For some reason, the thought bothered Duo. Heero was Duo's best friend, his confidant and his pillar of support when things went down the drain. He had been when they were children running around with ideas of jumping off roves and taking flight, and he was still now, even if they had only been reunited for a couple of weeks. Dejectedly, Duo wondered if Heero had even considered him as anything important.
After all, Heero would have told him instead of Relena what had been bothering him, had he put all his faith in Duo, would he not? He would have been chatting animatedly with Duo instead of Relena, should have been chatting with Duo instead of the other way around. He would have told Duo that he had a bloody girlfriend, instead of giving that look that said without words that it was a supposed forbidden topic. Duo threw the ball, and it flew cleanly over the goal and bounced off the opposite wall. It just occurred to Duo just how little about Heero Yuy he actually knew. He did not know Heero's favorite color, did not know his favorite food. He had never even come close to hearing anything about Heero's social life outside of him, and then there was the interests topic. Duo told Heero about every fling he had, every crush and every infatuation. Heero was always the first to know when Duo liked somebody, or when Duo went out with somebody. They had been friends again for twenty days, and Heero already knew Duo Maxwell's life story to date. Duo threw the ball and it bounced off the hoop. What did he know of Heero Yuy that nobody else knew?
Duo showered quickly, wanting to get out of school and possibly find Heero as soon as possible. He could hear a couple of the jocks joking about random things, but it was the comment about Heero and Relena going out that snagged Duo's attention. He listened attentively, hoping to catch something that he did not already know. But the conversation was mainly about how lucky Heero was, considering how popular Relena was and how rich her family was. They were all joking rather crudely at just how Heero, who they considered the epitome of nerdiness, ended up with Miss. Peacecraft. When they started to speculate about whether Relena was a good kisser or not, Duo decided to take his leave. He was dried, dressed with his bag slung over his shoulder and running out the gym within five minutes.
As he expected, Heero was not around.
It was the first time in over two weeks that Duo walked home by himself, and definitely the first time he realized just how far his house was from the school. By the time Duo got home, his spirits had sunk another few proverbial feet. Howard was still away, but he did call the night before to inform Duo that he would be back in roughly a week. The guy was not even in the country anymore! Duo grumbled irritably as he dropped his bag in the entrance hall and stumbled into his room, falling flat onto his bed. He lay there for a moment, playing with the end of his braid while staring up at the ceiling above. He wondered dejectedly whether his good buddy would come over after he was done with his girlfriend.
The phone rang in the background, but Duo did not move to pick it up. The answering machine sounded, and he could hear his own voice announcing the lines "We're either not here or severely incapacitated, so leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we're able." Then went the beep, and Howard's voice came on. Apparently his trip was going to be extended, so he would not be back for another two weeks. He was currently in London, in a quaint little hotel overlooking a very busy street that never got any peace. Duo sighed, wishing he could be overseas.
He must have dozed off at some point, because when he awoke again, it was already dark outside. He grumbled slightly and struggled to sit up before realizing that he was lying properly in his bed, with the covers pulled up. He lay for a moment, staring up at the white ceiling above before getting up and dislodging the covers. Somebody had changed him into his pajamas, and hung his uniform neatly on the back of his chair. They had cleaned up his room as well, and Duo grinned when he saw Heero's neat writing pinned to the billboard on the back of his door.
Don't randomly fall asleep like that, you'll catch a cold.
I brought you some dinner, it's in the fridge. I removed most of the food that was already in there, considering that most of them expired about a week ago, and I replaced your milk carton. The old one had been off for two days. I certainly hope you haven't been drinking from it. If you do suffer any stomach aches, give me a call. I re-supplied your drug cupboard, so you can take some painkillers if things get too bad.
Heero
Duo scrunched up the note with a smirk. The thing was so typically Heero! Who needs a mother as long as he has Heero? He thought wryly as he proceeded to the kitchen, his rumbling stomach egging him on. He wondered whether he should give the Japanese boy a call anyway and ask about what he was doing with Relena, but decided swiftly against it. It was not like Heero would tell him if he asked, being the secretive bastard he was. Duo pulled out the pasta Heero had brought, noticing dully that his fridge was practically empty. There were a couple of new vegetables, and the bananas were yellow again. But it was not like Duo was going to eat them. They may own a fridge, but he and Howard hardly ever used it. Food went in and well, never came out again.
Duo had dinner in front of the television in the lounge. The seven-o'clock news had just started, and the news presenter was delivering a report on some terrorists who somehow managed to infiltrate and bomb a Russian military base. Duo watched with disinterest as the camera swerved around the ruins, while a general of some sort gave out a speech in heavily accented English. Duo wolfed down his pasta in the meantime, his mind carefully painting up a picture where his good buddy still cared for him and looked after him and thought the world of him despite his own blond girlfriend. It was almost working, until the next report came on and Duo found himself choking on his food.
Ten people dead; massacre; local library; blood; neck trauma.
Duo did not need to hear anything else to know that this was the work of vampires.
The victims were all deathly pale, with eyes wide open and glassy. There was the same bite mark on the neck, just over the jugular. Of course, the police investigating were confused and telling the public that to stay on the look out for anybody suspicious. Duo personally felt sick. He had never tasted blood, save his own when he split his lip falling down the stairs, and the taste was metallic and coppery and definitely something he did not enjoy. Nor had he ever seen a vampire feeding on another, save the ultra-descriptive stories Howard sometimes told. But to drink blood in such succession, it could only mean either a powerful vampire succumbing to his lust, or a middle-class vampire controlling a bunch of lackeys. As expected, the bite marks were not neatly shaped, but human like, save for two particularly deep holes where the canines would have been. A bite mark on every one of the ten dead people, all of which were female school girls. It was more frightening than sickening, especially considering how close by the library was. Duo wondered dully whether the hunters would have a field day at this. The Sacreds would definitely converge on the area at the news, which meant he was probably not safe. He had heard from Howard that the Sacreds were very biased in their beliefs, and would eliminate any vampire they came across.
The back door opened, and Duo jolted. He turned around quickly, mind uneasy. But it was only Heero, and Duo felt a wave of relief wash over him immediately. Heero gave him an odd look as he sat down beside Duo, the questioning in that gaze was obvious.
'Did you see the news?' Duo asked, nodding his head towards the television. Heero nodded, fetching his PDA and showing Duo an article on a news website. The same glassy eyes stared back at him. 'Vampires.'
'I figured.' Heero's reply was calm and controlled, but Duo sensed something hiding under there.
'So…where did you go after school today?' He asked innocently, shoveling another spoonful of pasta into his mouth.
'Nowhere.' Heero was busy doing something on that palm PC of his again. Duo gave the device a look of utmost contempt before swallowing yet another bite.
'Had a nice date with Cheerleader-san?' He asked, surprised at how smoothly acid his voice was. Heero sent him a look before turning back to his PDA, stylus flying across the screen and scribbling quickly.
'We did not go on a date Duo.' Heero replied after a moment, eyes still fixed on the screen in his hands. Duo snorted.
'You don't have to lie Heero!' He said with a smile, his stomach twisting again. 'Come on! I always tell you when I go out with someone, why won't you tell me?'
'I'm not going out with anyone.' Heero's reply was surprisingly vehement. Duo blinked, stunned, while the Japanese boy coughed slightly and regained his composure. 'Please don't pester me right now Duo, I'm in a really foul mood.'
'I realized.' Duo sighed, leaning back in the couch. The news had moved to two men found dead in an alleyway, the apparent cause of death being two accurate bullet wounds in the head. 'People just keep dying these days.'
'Hn.'
Duo yawned and stretched back in his seat, feeling surprisingly awkward in the presence of his best friend. It started raining outside, a steady rhythm as water hit glass windows. Duo glanced out the nearest window, seeing only a reflection of the lounge room. His face was tired, his eyes showing obvious the strain the day had brought him. Heero was still staring at his PDA, busy doing something that Duo could not be bothered to check up. He finished his pasta and placed the plate on the coffee table with a clatter, before turning on the couch to lie flat, his head next to Heero's leg.
'Thanks for coming over.' He murmured, feeling suddenly very sleepy.
'Baka, that are friends for.' Heero gave him a look which normally came with a smile on a normal person. Duo smiled back before closing his eyes and dozing off with the rain, television and Heero's ever comforting presence to lull him.
Reality or not, Duo felt a hand rest on his cheek for a moment. It felt nice, and gave him the feeling of being safe that only Heero could deliver.
He wanted that hand to stay there forever.
Endnotes:
Okay, now that chapter was just…weird. I completed this chapter over the course of a week and somehow, I feel like I just completely lost the plot. Whatever it is that I was supposed to write, I did not write it. It was supposed to be angst in the other way, but ended up being angst in the nominal way, if you get what I mean. Sigh. It probably wasn't the best of ideas to finish off this last bit so late at night, after a day of crappy school, but I wanted to write and well, lets just say my mind wasn't in one place. I was supposed to bring Heero and Duo's relationship into the light more, but somehow only managed to make it more than just a tad confusing. Now I'm lost as well…
Sort of did not manage to incorporate enough of the vampire community into this one, so I'll give you the promise that there will be some more meat of the vampire plot in the next chapter. Sigh. Oh well, at least Hee-chan had a nice conversation with Quatre, sort of.
And once again, more jelly abuse. Mineko Yuy asked whether I had something against jelly, since I have been abusing them in all my chapters so far. The answer to that, well, I don't actually mind jelly. But I think it's such novelty! And the perfect food product for Heero to attack, because it is so damn artificial and I just had to make Heero a complete obsessive compulsive psycho in relation to food and hygiene. Hey, nothing wrong with that! And as usual, review folks. Comments, criticism, suggestions and whatever else you have to say are all welcome. Interaction allows me to believe I'm not writing to a wall…
