Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing©.... they all belong to Sunrise & Bandai...
Dedication: To *Sagittaruis Girl* for being there....
Slowly, ever so slowly, these nightmares seem to somehow manage to bring the two closer together emotionally and physically. The real question is, will they be in time to protect, save their dreams, their lives, their sanity?
___________
" The dream is always the same.
I'm standing,
Waiting for something.
If they knew of these dreams,
they'd shut me down.
The question is will I be in time to save the Earth...? " - Aki Ross; Final Fantasy: The Sprits Within
___________
* * *
* * *
// AC 201 \\
Flash!
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drow-- "
" I know what damn well fucking nearly happened to me!! "
Flash!!
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drow-- "
" I know what damn well fucking nearly happened to me!! "
Flash!!!
" Ahhh!! " twenty one year old Heero Yuy cried out as he sat upright in the bed, the neon lights off to the right side of the room flashing every second, the words Centerfolds blinking repeatedly as he sat there, slouched over, hand slowly raising to meet forehead.
Large beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face and down the front and back of his muscular body, the droplets of prespiration rolling over the ridges of his spine, the contours of his abs in the front and along the contours of his toned chest.
The soft snores of his best friend, the God of death; Duo Maxwell drifted over to him, assuring him that it was all a dream, nothing more, nothing less. Heero was slowly beginning to remember what had happened earlier that night, how Duo had managed to pull him away from his laptop to go out with him and the boys for a night and for a few drinks.
God, how his head pounded now. It was like being shot in the head and then being able to walk around afterwards, the tissue of the brain pulsating around the bullet as the afterburn slowly worn off to a small numbing that just wouldn't go away. Heero opened his mouth and let out a deep breath as he pushed aside the sheets of the bed to swing his long legs over the side of the bed, the bottom of his bare feet hitting the cool refreshing tiles of the floor.
' When is this going to stop? ' Heero asked himself as he lazily scratched his chest and slowly stood to uncertainly walk across the bedroom to enter the bathroom and close the door.
As he passed the mirror, he glanced at it from the corner of his eye and caught sight of the unruly strands of thick chocolate as they nearly stood up on end. Heero frowned and reached up with a hand to try and smooth it all down as he reached over with his other hand to bring the toiletseat up.
As he slowly disposited, his deep prussian blue eyes were beginning to droop slowly. Heero snapped his eyes open and forced them to stay open as he stared at the picture on the wall overtop the toilet; a nearly naked model, hands roaming over her slim and well figured body, the long legs spread, hips thrusted forward, head thrown back.
Heero blinked a few times and then frowned as he continued to stare. It was like she was looking at him, her dark mysterious eyes telling him not to get caught in himself, to not take a wrong path, a path that perhaps she had taken and wasn't liking. Like she was telling not to get too ahead of himself to a point where there was no returning.
He snorted outloud at the thought and quickly flushed to walk up to the sink and turn on the cold water. Waiting for a few minutes, Heero stared at himself and just stared. The dark blue eyes stared back. It was like the whole reflection was mocking him, daring him to do or say something.
" Whatever... " Heero muttered as he reached down, cupping his hands together and scooped the water to splash it on his face.
Chills ran through his lean body, making his teeth chatter together as he splashed his face once more before turning off the water and reaching out to grasp a towel. Once his long fingers found the soft cloth, he yanked it from the shelf built into the wall and applied it to his face as he slowly stood up.
When upon bringing the cloth slowly downwards along his masculine(and did I mention... sexy? ^^) face, he immediately took note of the prussian blue eyes that weren't prussian blue anymore but a light green with golden specks hinting the edges, a bright topaz blue outlining his pupil. Heero also took note of the thick strands that weren't thick, nor dark chocolate, but a light blonde, pulled back in a loose ponytail at the back of his neck, the front, a bunch of stray strands, thick and loose hanging about the sides of his face, the tips brushing up against his cheekbones.
Heero blinked; the face in the mirror blinked. Heero brought a hand up to touch his cheek, tracing the line that defined nicely; the face traced it as well. Heero blinked again, completely confused at what he saw; the reflection blinked as well, but the look of confusion wasn't in it's eyes. Something entirely different was.
Fear.
Pain.
Hatred.
For who? From what?
This was something Heero didn't know and didn't exactly have an intention of finding out. He slowly brought his hand to the mirror; the reflection doing the same, but something happened. As Heero brought his hand to the mirror, the reflection hesitated, as if suddenly afraid of touching his palm to Heero's that was already pressed to the glass that seemed to be rather warm to the touch.
The reflection's head slowly lowered downwards, the green eyes staring at it's hand as it slowly brought it to it's side of the window, pressing it's palm to Heero's on the other side. Heero's eyes slowly and slightly squinted as he watched the face of the person on the other side of the mirror, watched as the thin lips turned pale, the masculine features going pale as well, perhaps a lot paler then the lips.
Those lips opened in slow motion, a soundless scream slipping past those lips as blood dribbled down the chin, as blood dribbled down the sides of the face from the hairline above, as blood dribbled from the eyes that were once green, but now a dark red as they clamped shut, as blood dribbled from the nostrils that were flared.
Heero felt the contours of his face contort into a grimace as that soundless scream hit his ears, actually hit his ears. But how was that possible? He went to take back his hand, but the eyes on the other side snapped open and they stared at him, flames licking the sides of the sockets as the flesh of the face began to melt and fall away in chunks.
" You nearly drowned... "
The eyeless sockets stared at him, the mouth opening to say something to him, the red teeth visible and disgusting. Heero made a face and yanked his hand from the mirror to bring his palm in front of his face and stare at it in confusion. Dark stains of crimson decorated his entire hand. He could feel the warm sticky substance rolling down the front of his hands, slowly oozing through the wide cracks of his fingers as his entire hand began to involuntarily shake.
Bang! Bang, Bang!!
" Dammnit, Heero! What the hell are you doing in there?! Come on... I gotta go!! " Duo whined from the other side of the bathroom door that was locked from the inside.
Heero blinked hard, his head snapping up to stare at the reflection in the mirror that was his own now, the blood skull completely gone, the blood all gone. He snapped his head back down and stared at his hand, turning it over and over, around and around as he looked for the blood, but all he found was smooth palms and callused fingertips.
' What the hell happened? Where's all the blood? That face... where'd it come from? ' Heero asked himself as he slowly brought his head back up to stare at his reflection, the dark hair was there, the deep prussian blue eyes as well, including those lips that never turned upwards in a smile, but screwed up in a frown.
" Heero!! " Duo shouted, his poundings getting more persistent and annoying.
Heero head snapped into the direction of the door beside him, " Shut up alright, Duo! Fuck... " he hollered back as he threw the towel into the sink and walked up to the door to snap it undone and then yank it open.
Duo blinked as he stood there in a pair of black boxers that hugged his legs nicely, fist frozen in the air as it had went to make it's trip to being pounded on the hard surface of the bathroom door, but never made it. Heero scowled at the former Deathsycthe pilot and then pushed past him to walk across the bedroom that was now lit up by an elegant lamp in the corner.
" Geez, man! What the hell's wrong with you? " Duo asked as he turned around to stare after the former Zero pilot, arm resting on the doorframe, frown on his face.
Heero sat on the edge of the bed and then put his head in his hands, digging his fingers into his scalp as he scratched his head hard and slow.
" I... don't know! " he nearly shouted as he tore his hands from his head and crossed the room to grab his blue jeans from the chair by the door.
Duo tilted his head to the side and watched as Heero slipped his legs into the jeans, followed by his lower body, " What's eating you, Heero? "
" Too much to drink... " Heero grumbled as he zipped the gold zipper up and then buttoned the jeans up as he walked back across the room to pick his black muscle shirt off Duo's dresser.
" Well, that's because it was probably your first time drinking, right? " Duo asked as he slowly disappeared into the bathroom.
Heero snorted, " Hn... "
As soon as the door closed, Heero grabbed the key's to Duo black Mercedes', his jean jacket and then silently left the room to make his way through the appartment to the lower are where the cars were parked.
Duo suddenly emerged from the bathroom, towel in hand as he stepped out into the bedroom and found that Heero was no where in sight. This puzzled him. Puzzled him as much as the blood soaking the once stark white towel did when he stared down at it again to make sure it was real and wasn't just a trick of the light and the beer he had previous drunk...
___________
Flash!
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drow-- "
" I know what damn well nearly fucking happened to me!! "
Flash!!
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drow-- "
" I know what damn well nearly fucking happened to me!! "
Flash!!!
That last flash of light was bright, extremely bright, leaving a loud echoing sound within her ears that slowly fell to a soft whisper then to nothing at all as she bolted up in her bed, her long honey tresses tangled and messed about her face, her cornflower blue eyes wide and confusion, uncertain as she stared down at the top of the white nearly transparent sheet that was entwined with her long slender legs, wrapped around her flat stomach as well.
Twenty one year old Relena Peacecraft let out a slow deep breath as she twisted her body to the side and reached over to switch on the small light that stood on her nightstand. Light, bright, but not too bright flooded her room, banishing the dark shadows that had played across her ceiling and walls.
Relena slowly brought her body back around and she found herself staring down at the small light chocolate brown teddy bear that Heero had given her for her seventeenth birthday; that was four years ago, just before the Eve wars had begun. She frowned softly and suddenly felt herself withdrawing from it, dragging her body along the soft top of the mattress towards the headboard behind her to get away from it.
" How did you get here? " she asked it.
Obviously it wasn't going to give her an answer. This had been the third time that it had suddenly, almost as if magically found it's way to her bed, right in front of her. It was as if it had used the little legs given to it to walk all the way across the room from it's shelf to climb up onto her bed and then plop down in front of her, the unknown look burning within the dark beady eyes that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.
Yesturday it had been different, it had suddenly left it's shelf to appear sitting on the edge of the tub, right beside her head as she was sitting, relaxing in the warm soothing bubble filled tub after a long days work with the senators and delegations about the Colony in the sixth cluster.
It was then that she had put it into the shelf with the glass door on it and the small bear still seemed to know how to get out of that as well. The bear was spooked, pocessed. That's the only thing Relena could think of. She hadn't told anyone about it in fear of them calling her crazy and then suggesting that she take a few weeks off and go see a councillor or something.
Relena licked her lips nervously and then reached out slowly to grab the bears left arm and then pick it off the bed as she untangled her legs from the sheets and then stood up to walk across the room to put the bear back into the shelf with the glass door.
Once that was done, she slowly made her way back across the room to enter her bathroom. Closing the door, Relena leaned back against it, letting out a long, deep breath of relief as she closed her eyes.
" I swear I'll have that bear gutted or something if it appears like that again... " she muttered as she pushed away from the door to nimbly walk across the spacious bathroom and pull the lid to the toilet up.
Relena lifted her nightgown that was sleeveless and mid-thigh high as she pulled her thong down and sat down on the toilet, reaching over for one of the many romance novels that were stacked carelessly on the top of the counter beside it. While going to bathroom, she read a few paragraphs of her romance novel called; The Rose and the Thorn.
After wiping(blah, blah, blah... ^^) and standing to flush the toilet and pull her underwear back on, she glanced down at the tub and then frowned as she wished she could take a warm bath right now. But she couldn't, she had a meeting to go in the next half hour and it was already five after seven in the morning.
" Great... just gre-- " Relena muttered unhappily, but was cut off as she turned to be greeted by a soft furry thing, smack square in the middle of the face.
She cried out as she stumbled back a foot or two and then ran a hand over her unwashed face as she found herself staring at her bear, the one that was damned. It floated in the air, right in front of her, slowly advancing onto her, that unknown look burning deep within it's beady eyes.
Relena's eyes went wide and she brought a hand to cover her mouth as she tried to stiffle a scream. The bear slowly continued it's advance on her, blocking her way to the door, the side of the tub hitting the back of her knees. She almost fell in, but she shot her hands out and grabbed onto the towel rack beside the towel and above the tub.
Relena quickly scrambled to pull herself up as she threw a towel at the bear, but the bear dodged by swooping low to the left. She then took the oppertunity to push off the towel rack and then make a run for the door. Once in the doorway, the bear called out to her, the voice sounding that of a small child in fear, pain.
" Please... don't run. I n-need help... help me please! You nearly drowned... "
" You nearly drowned... " the bear repeated.
" You nearly drow-- "
Relena cut it off, her voice coming out soft, uncertain, scared as she repeated the next phrase slowly, her eyes wide as she brought them up from the ground to stare at the bear.
" I know damn well what fucking nearly happened to me... "
The bear just floated there, not a single word coming from it. Relena stared at it, suddenly afraid of what it would do. But why would it do it? And how? It was only a bear, a simple stuffed animal that Heero, a man that she was secretly in love with gave to her for her birthday as a simple and kind gift.
" Help... oh, why won't help? " the bear suddenly spoke up, jolting Relena from her thoughts.
" I... I can't... " Relena whispered in a trembling voice as she slowly reached out to grasp the doorhandle and then pull the door closed.
Once the door was closed, Relena leaned against it, slowly sliding down the smooth length of it, her hands both grasping the handle loosly as she closed her eyes and began to cry softly. It was then that the handle rattled to life in her hands, making her sob outloud in fright as she crumsily went to grab the small locking knob in the doorhandle and then twist it to the side.
It was locked. The bear or whatever it was couldn't get to her. Or could it? Relena fell against the door in a heap. Bringing her legs up to her chest, she hugged them hard and began to sob loud and hard at what had just happened. The door behind her suddenly began to vibrate violently as something was thrown against it from the other side, causing Relena to fall forward onto her hands and knees and scramble quickly away from it in case the door flew off the hinges.
Relena scrambled across the room to sit curled in the far corner of the room, her arms around her legs once again as she began to rock back and forth slowly. She watched as the door across the room from her bounced off the doorframe, but the lock never gave away, the strong hold holding tightly.
The wood on the doorframe was beginning to squeak and protest against the violent beatings. For a second, Relena thought it was all going to come off and that the damned bear would come and get her. But... it didn't. Everything suddenly went quiet and Relena continued to rock herself slowly, repeating the same phrase over and over as if she were a mental patient.
" It's just a bear... it's just a bear... it's just a bear. It can't me.. it can't hurt me... it can't hurt me... "
" Please! You nearly drowned... " the bear wailed from the other side.
Relena swallowed and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, " Shut up!! " she screamed.
" Oh, please! Why won't you help? You nearly drowned... please... oh, please. Help! "
" I said shut up!!! " Relena screamed as she grabbed a vase sitting on the table beside her and chucked it across the room, the fragile glass shattering to thousands of pieces as it hit the door.
" Clementine! You nearly drow-- " the bear cried out, but stopped.
Clemetine?!
" I know what damn well fucking nearly happened to me!! " Relena shouted back, hoping it would shut up.
It didn't...
" Clemetine!! " the bear wailed now, the pounding beginning to get more and more violent now.
Relena swallowed and then began to sob again, ' Where's Heero? Where did he go after last night? Duo's... yes... Duo's... ' she thought to herself as she went to her hands and knees and then crawled across the room to the right nightstand that stood between the bed and the window to have her hand sweep across the top and then throw the phone to the ground.
" Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin', Clemetine. You are lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clemetine. Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin', Clemetine. You are lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clemetine... " the bear began to sing in a sick sweet tone from the other side of the door as it continued to beat on it, wanting out.
Relena wept as she scrambled to pick the receiver off the ground and then dial Duo's number with trembling fingers, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her face and dripping off the tip of her nose as she sat back hugging the phone to her ear as she listened to the rings in one ear and violent poundings and the Clemetine song in the other.
" Hello, Duo Maxell speaking! " Duo said into the phone in a breathless voice.
" D-duo? " Relena sobbed.
On the other end at his appartment, a frown showed up on his face, his forehead crinkling as lines of worry suddenly appeared.
" Lena? "
Relena nodded and clutched onto the receiver, " Y-yes... is Heero with you? Is Heero t-there? "
Duo shook his head and walked into the kitchen from his room with the cordless, " N-no... why? What's wrong? Do you need anything? "
Relena nodded her head even though he couldn't see, " Yes... I n-need Heero... please... " she begged, " can you tell me where he is? "
The pounding was almost becoming defeaning and Relena had to plug her other ear to understand what Duo was saying, " I'm sorry... he left just a few minutes ago. What's that noise? Is someone there with you? Do you need help? " Duo asked as he strained to hear what was going on in the background.
Relena slowly shook her head, " N-no... I need Heero. Please, Duo... help me. Help me get to Heero... "
" Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin', Clemetine. You are lost and gone forever, Dreadful sorry, Clemetine... "
" What did you say? " Duo asked.
Relena shook her head and began to sob into the phone, " Duo! Heero... I need Heero! " she shouted and sobbed over the chant of the Clemetine song.
Duo scratched the back of his head and then nodded, " Alright, Lena.. he's driving somewhere in my car. I'll give you the carphone number... 748-2957. Did you get that? "
Relena nodded, " Y-yes... thank you so much, Duo... " was all she said before hanging up and then dialing the number.
The phone rang and rang for what seemed like an eternity before someone picked up.
" Hello? " a deep rich voice asked, uncertain as to who could be calling.
Relena sobbed in relief at the sound of his voice, unable to say anything at the moment, she just sat there and sobbed as she began to crawl back across the room to the corner she was in before.
" Hello? " the voice asked again, " Look, I don't know you or what your business is with calling this number, I don't even know how you got this number, b-- "
" Heero? " Relena spoke up finally.
On the other line, Heero blinked and slowed the car down as he reached over to turn the radio down, " Relena? Relena is that you? Are you there? "
Relena swallowed and tried to speak, but her throat wasn't letting her do so. Heero stopped the car entirely at the side of the road and turned the key in the ignition to off. He sat back in the leather seat, carphone in hand, pressed to his ear as he strained to hear over the chanting in the background.
" Relena? Speak to me! Are you still there? " he nearly shouted.
Relena let out a sob and nodded, " I... I am. I'm s-scared, Heero.... please... " she began, but was cut off by someone else on the line of the phone, " you nearly drowned... "
Heero jerked the phone away from his ear to stare at it in confusion before slowly bringing it back to his ear, " Relena... that wasn't funny. What's going on? "
Relena sniffled and then banged the phone against the ground before bringing it back to her ear, " Heero? Heero, are you there? "
As Heero answered, there was a soft thud in the bathroom as all banging ceased completely, " Relena... what's wrong? Why did you call this number? "
" D-duo gave it to me... "
" I see. Why did you call then? What's wrong, Relena... "
Relena slowly stood up and stared at the bathroom door, her eyes roaming over the doorframe that was cracked in several places.
" I... I need you, Heero... now... " she whispered softly in a trembling voice.
' What did she say!? ' Heero thought as he frowned at the stering wheel
" Why, Relena? What are you hiding? Why did you say what you just said earlier? "
Relena shook her head and hugged the bottom half of the phone to her chest that rose and fell rapidly, her rapid and heavy breathing going into the phone and hitting Heero's ear.
" I... I need you, Heero... " she whispered and then the phone went all fuzzy before her voice was cut off, " You nearly drowned... "
There it was again! Why was she doing this? Saying those things? Could she know? Nah...
" Relena!! " Heero shouted this time, drawing curious glances from the people who walked along the sidewalk beside the car, " Stop it, Relena! That isn't funny. Why did you call.. "
" It won't-- you nearly drow-- away, Heero! Make it-- you nearly-- away, Heero!! " Relena screamed out at him, but her voice was getting cut off.
" That's it, Relena, I'm hanging up this phone now... this isn't some game, you know? I don't understand what you want and I don't understand why you're calling. I'm tired, I'm not feeling well and if you say anything else about me drowning, I'll kill you... "
Relena swallowed and closed her eyes against the fresh batch of tears that came to her eyes as she walked across the room and stood in front of her bed. Heero didn't believe her... what else was new? As soon as she opened them, she nearly screamed as she stared down at her bed that was completely soaked in blood. Whose? She didn't know. How did it get there all of a sudden? She didn't know that either. All she could do was slowly back away from the blood that was beginning to pool out from under the bed, slowly making it's way towards her.
" Oh my God... " was all she managed to whisper before the line went completely dead, the chanting from earlier beginning to start all over again from not just the other side of the bathroom door, but from all around....
" Oh my darlin',
oh my darlin',
oh my darlin', Clemetine.
You are gone and lost forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clemetine. "
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Author's Note: MWUAH HAHAHAHA!!! Whatcha'll think of that first chapter? Pretty neat, eh? It isn't confusing... right? I mean, you did manage to follow it alright? *giggles* You're all probably wondering about the 'killer teddy bear' thing, well, to tell you the truth... wait a minute! There is no truth to it, it's just there... MWUHAHAHHAHA! No... actually, the teddy bear is the one thing that completes my plot for this story. The entire plot mainly and probably will revolve around that one single teddy bear. As for these... visions, stay tuned for more of Wing of Death... next week, chapter two... to find out what they really mean and what sort of impact that they'll have on the the lifes of Relena Peacecraft and Heero Yuy....
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Constructive Criticism? Leia Avenrose or Leia Avenrose Don't be afraid to email me or something... I'm not going to bite... hard.