Legal notes: Same as always, I own nothing.
Empty: Part 2
Heero skimmed the mission statement again and sighed. The mission was simple, destroy the OZ military base through any means necessary. But then again, his last mission had seemed that simple too. 'Damn it. Why can't I just let it go?' He could feel the involuntary response to his pain rise to the edges of his Prussian eyes.
He looked down at the small, heavily protected base. The scene was all too familiar. As he jumped out of the cockpit in a nearby clearing, flashes of deja vous pulsed through his brain and into his heart, causing him to shiver. Something black caught the corner of his eye. Turning around, he half expected to see his exuberant partner run up from behind him, but was sad to find that it was only a small tree, black from electrocution or fire. Annoyed, he kicked the charred sapling.
*~*~*
Trowa took a step back from where Duo stood. "But I-er, we thought you were-"
"Dead?" chimed the cocky Shinigami. He stopped to think for a second. "Yeah, I guess that would kind of make sense. But Trowa," he paused again, trying to explain, "you can't kill death."
"But, if you're not dead? What happened? Where were you?"
Duo winked mischievously. "Now I can't go around telling all my secrets, can I? I'll tell you what happened, but only because I'm a nice guy."
"You can explain later. Right now, Heero needs your help."
*~*~*
Heero stepped down the lonely corridor, holding his left shoulder. 'Why was it so difficult to get by those guards? I never thought having him around made such a difference.' He stopped in mid-thought. 'Him... Why is it that I can't even think his name anymore?' Feeling suddenly startled, he sprinted down the hallway. 'I have to get away from this feeling. It wasn't my fault. Damn it, it wasn't my fault!'
He stopped when he reached the control room and casually walked inside. 'But it all ends here. My pain, my suffering, my guilt, it ends with the press of this button. Duo, I'll be joining you shortly.'
*~*~*
Trowa raised his eyebrow as he listened to Duo's story. "I hardly believe that Heero's that careless."
Duo shrugged with indifference. "He's not careless, it was my fault really. I was just so busy gunning down OZ patrols; I totally forgot about everything else. I've got to admit, I get a high off of seeing them die."
"So where were you when the bombs went off?"
"I was in the control room. I had hoped to disarm the security units to make for an easy get away before the time bombs we'd planted went off. I never got that far."
Trowa looked down at the chaotic OZ base. "I think I've found him and I'm pretty sure we're not too late."
*~*~*
Heero laughed maniacally as he programmed the bombs' timers. '5 minutes. I'll give those damn OZ soldiers 5 minutes to try and stop me.' He laughed more. 'By the time they find me, the bombs will detonate, destroying us all and completing my mission.'
*~*~*
Duo ran down the endless hallway following Trowa's lead. 'Heero, you can never do anything quietly can you?' he though with a smirk. They'd found him quite easily after hearing his voice shouting insanely over the intercom.
"Come on OZ," he'd beckoned, "come and get me! I'm in the control room right now! Catch me OZ, unless you're a bunch a cowards!"
In the midst of the commotion, Trowa and Duo had been able to sneak in unnoticed. Duo looked up at Trowa. "Do you think we'll be able to make it in time?"
"We will if you run faster," replied Trowa, who was obviously holding back to allow his temporary partner to keep up.
Duo sighed, but quickened his pace. Finally, they reached the control room. "Heero!" Duo shouted on impulse. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Heero whipped around and stared deep into Duo's lilac eyes. "Duo..." he whispered. "Is that... you?"
"Yeah Heero, it's me!"
Heero clutched his head and turned back around. "No..." he cried. "No, that's not Duo. It's just... It's just my mind playing tricks on me." He turned back around to face his chestnut haired partner. "Why are you doing this to me?" he screamed. "Why don't you leave me alone?! Let me die in piece!" Heero tried to lash out at Duo, but was stopped by the arms of Trowa.
"Heero," Trowa began. "You've got to listen to us. Duo never died. You can resume life with a clear conscious."
Heero stepped back and looked at Trowa's stern face. Then he glanced over at Duo, who was still covering his eyes, anticipating a blow to the face. Suddenly, as if Trowa's words had finally sunken in, Heero smiled, "I'm glad."
Duo stood up. "Glad to have you back Heero."
After a few seconds of calm silence, Heero's face turned dark. "You've got to get out of here. These bombs are set to go off any second now."
"You? Shouldn't it be we?" Duo asked, puzzled.
"I gave myself a mission. If I don't complete it, I'll never forgive myself."
"But Heero, I'm here! I'm okay! You're clean of sin!"
"Stop giving yourself an ego boost, this isn't just for you. This mission is for all the innocent lives I've taken. This mission is my penance."
Trowa turned around from his place at the door. "We've got to get going or else we'll all be joining in your reconciliation."
Duo turned to run toward Trowa, but sensing that Heero wasn't following, he grabbed the Perfect Soldier's wrist and sprinted down the hall toward the exit.
*~*~*
Trowa looked back to find Duo, dragging Heero along like a girl with a rag doll. 'Why does he even bother saving Heero? If he let go he could run twice as fast.' He smiled. 'But then again, Duo always has been the stubborn one...'
The light at the end was getting closer. 'Don't be too confident Trowa. Those bombs could go off any second.' Suddenly, he heard a yelp, a thud and then the diminishing sound of running footsteps from behind. 'Shit, what's wrong now.' He stopped and turned around. Duo was crumpled in a heap and Heero was gone. 'Or maybe Heero was the stubborn one.'
Trowa hoisted Duo on his shoulders nonchalantly and sprinted on toward the exit. Duo was hurt, but obviously not unconscious. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" screamed the petite pilot. "We've got to go back to save Heero!" But Trowa continued on. "Trowa! Let me down! HEERO! HEERO COME BACK!"
A voice came over the intercom. "I'm sorry Duo," Heero sighed. "But you must understand. I've lived too long with these bloody hands. Please, don't be sad. I'm finally going to be free."
Finally, after much protest from Duo, he and Trowa made it outside to safety. "HEERO!" Duo cried. "Damn it Heero you're just too pure!" Sensing that Duo was about to run back in, Trowa pinned him to the ground.
"Let him go, Duo. It's the only way."
*~*~*
Duo's hand quivered as he looked at the scene in front of him. "I'm sorry." The flames rose up, as if trying to touch the sky. "I didn't mean to leave you." Another explosion and the sparks began to fly. "Forgive me Heero, it wasn't supposed to end like this."
The End?
*~*~*
Ooo, a circle fic! Fun, ne? Did you like it? Should I write a sequel? Tell me! Ja ne! ~ Cherubic Sasami
Empty: Part 2
Heero skimmed the mission statement again and sighed. The mission was simple, destroy the OZ military base through any means necessary. But then again, his last mission had seemed that simple too. 'Damn it. Why can't I just let it go?' He could feel the involuntary response to his pain rise to the edges of his Prussian eyes.
He looked down at the small, heavily protected base. The scene was all too familiar. As he jumped out of the cockpit in a nearby clearing, flashes of deja vous pulsed through his brain and into his heart, causing him to shiver. Something black caught the corner of his eye. Turning around, he half expected to see his exuberant partner run up from behind him, but was sad to find that it was only a small tree, black from electrocution or fire. Annoyed, he kicked the charred sapling.
*~*~*
Trowa took a step back from where Duo stood. "But I-er, we thought you were-"
"Dead?" chimed the cocky Shinigami. He stopped to think for a second. "Yeah, I guess that would kind of make sense. But Trowa," he paused again, trying to explain, "you can't kill death."
"But, if you're not dead? What happened? Where were you?"
Duo winked mischievously. "Now I can't go around telling all my secrets, can I? I'll tell you what happened, but only because I'm a nice guy."
"You can explain later. Right now, Heero needs your help."
*~*~*
Heero stepped down the lonely corridor, holding his left shoulder. 'Why was it so difficult to get by those guards? I never thought having him around made such a difference.' He stopped in mid-thought. 'Him... Why is it that I can't even think his name anymore?' Feeling suddenly startled, he sprinted down the hallway. 'I have to get away from this feeling. It wasn't my fault. Damn it, it wasn't my fault!'
He stopped when he reached the control room and casually walked inside. 'But it all ends here. My pain, my suffering, my guilt, it ends with the press of this button. Duo, I'll be joining you shortly.'
*~*~*
Trowa raised his eyebrow as he listened to Duo's story. "I hardly believe that Heero's that careless."
Duo shrugged with indifference. "He's not careless, it was my fault really. I was just so busy gunning down OZ patrols; I totally forgot about everything else. I've got to admit, I get a high off of seeing them die."
"So where were you when the bombs went off?"
"I was in the control room. I had hoped to disarm the security units to make for an easy get away before the time bombs we'd planted went off. I never got that far."
Trowa looked down at the chaotic OZ base. "I think I've found him and I'm pretty sure we're not too late."
*~*~*
Heero laughed maniacally as he programmed the bombs' timers. '5 minutes. I'll give those damn OZ soldiers 5 minutes to try and stop me.' He laughed more. 'By the time they find me, the bombs will detonate, destroying us all and completing my mission.'
*~*~*
Duo ran down the endless hallway following Trowa's lead. 'Heero, you can never do anything quietly can you?' he though with a smirk. They'd found him quite easily after hearing his voice shouting insanely over the intercom.
"Come on OZ," he'd beckoned, "come and get me! I'm in the control room right now! Catch me OZ, unless you're a bunch a cowards!"
In the midst of the commotion, Trowa and Duo had been able to sneak in unnoticed. Duo looked up at Trowa. "Do you think we'll be able to make it in time?"
"We will if you run faster," replied Trowa, who was obviously holding back to allow his temporary partner to keep up.
Duo sighed, but quickened his pace. Finally, they reached the control room. "Heero!" Duo shouted on impulse. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Heero whipped around and stared deep into Duo's lilac eyes. "Duo..." he whispered. "Is that... you?"
"Yeah Heero, it's me!"
Heero clutched his head and turned back around. "No..." he cried. "No, that's not Duo. It's just... It's just my mind playing tricks on me." He turned back around to face his chestnut haired partner. "Why are you doing this to me?" he screamed. "Why don't you leave me alone?! Let me die in piece!" Heero tried to lash out at Duo, but was stopped by the arms of Trowa.
"Heero," Trowa began. "You've got to listen to us. Duo never died. You can resume life with a clear conscious."
Heero stepped back and looked at Trowa's stern face. Then he glanced over at Duo, who was still covering his eyes, anticipating a blow to the face. Suddenly, as if Trowa's words had finally sunken in, Heero smiled, "I'm glad."
Duo stood up. "Glad to have you back Heero."
After a few seconds of calm silence, Heero's face turned dark. "You've got to get out of here. These bombs are set to go off any second now."
"You? Shouldn't it be we?" Duo asked, puzzled.
"I gave myself a mission. If I don't complete it, I'll never forgive myself."
"But Heero, I'm here! I'm okay! You're clean of sin!"
"Stop giving yourself an ego boost, this isn't just for you. This mission is for all the innocent lives I've taken. This mission is my penance."
Trowa turned around from his place at the door. "We've got to get going or else we'll all be joining in your reconciliation."
Duo turned to run toward Trowa, but sensing that Heero wasn't following, he grabbed the Perfect Soldier's wrist and sprinted down the hall toward the exit.
*~*~*
Trowa looked back to find Duo, dragging Heero along like a girl with a rag doll. 'Why does he even bother saving Heero? If he let go he could run twice as fast.' He smiled. 'But then again, Duo always has been the stubborn one...'
The light at the end was getting closer. 'Don't be too confident Trowa. Those bombs could go off any second.' Suddenly, he heard a yelp, a thud and then the diminishing sound of running footsteps from behind. 'Shit, what's wrong now.' He stopped and turned around. Duo was crumpled in a heap and Heero was gone. 'Or maybe Heero was the stubborn one.'
Trowa hoisted Duo on his shoulders nonchalantly and sprinted on toward the exit. Duo was hurt, but obviously not unconscious. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" screamed the petite pilot. "We've got to go back to save Heero!" But Trowa continued on. "Trowa! Let me down! HEERO! HEERO COME BACK!"
A voice came over the intercom. "I'm sorry Duo," Heero sighed. "But you must understand. I've lived too long with these bloody hands. Please, don't be sad. I'm finally going to be free."
Finally, after much protest from Duo, he and Trowa made it outside to safety. "HEERO!" Duo cried. "Damn it Heero you're just too pure!" Sensing that Duo was about to run back in, Trowa pinned him to the ground.
"Let him go, Duo. It's the only way."
*~*~*
Duo's hand quivered as he looked at the scene in front of him. "I'm sorry." The flames rose up, as if trying to touch the sky. "I didn't mean to leave you." Another explosion and the sparks began to fly. "Forgive me Heero, it wasn't supposed to end like this."
The End?
*~*~*
Ooo, a circle fic! Fun, ne? Did you like it? Should I write a sequel? Tell me! Ja ne! ~ Cherubic Sasami
