One year later
Duo paced back and forth at another shelter, concentrating his thoughts on what was ahead of him. Blue wall, green wall, blue wall, green wall. Window, door, window, door. Concentrating on anything but Nancy. She'd caught be'lia from him. He should have known better, shied away from her touches and kisses, but no, he just let her infect herself completely. All his fault. He stopped his pacing, slumped in a chair, looked at Nancy for the first time in hours. No use -- the time had only served to make her look worse, not better, as he had wished.
Her frail figure was barely visible among the blankets that covered the bed, her eyes sunken, skin slack, blond hair mostly gone. Her breath rasped, in, out, sighing "you, you". Duo sighed -- it was all too true. That should be him, not Nancy. He deserved it. She'd never done a single thing wrong in her life, always loving and protecting him, believing and hoping when she should have despaired, always there to help him and anyone else in need. Yes, it should have been him dying, not her.
"What'd I tell ya, guys?" Kali shrieked. "Pay up! C'mon!"
"Aw, Kal, it was just a joke, we all knew she was gonna die 'cause of Duo!" Cassias protested.
"Duo's a natural at this, how could he not kill her?" Donovan asked.
"Duo the killer! Duo the killer!" Brennan taunted.
"Go to Hell, all of you," Duo muttered, low enough so Nancy wouldn't hear him.
"Been there, dear, it's really rather nice. Bet you're glad to hear that, hm? Seeing as you'll be joining us one day," Aiden said, showing him a rare glimpse of her form, a beautiful woman with long, raven hair, a black dress, and a smile that would melt Antarctica.
Duo scowled and resumed his pacing. Nancy spoke up from the bed. "H-hey, D-Duo? W-would ya qu-quit p-pacing? It's m-making m-me ner-nervous," she asked, her voice weak, rasping, stuttering on almost every word.
Duo stopped abruptly. "Sorry, Nance."
She smiled at him and the effect was an altogether gruesome one, the smile pulling back her slack skin, leaving wrinkles all over her face. Duo smiled back with difficulty, trying to ignore what he'd done to her.
"It won't go away if you pretend it's not there," Kali murmured smugly.
"Screw you." Duo muttered in response.
"What, Duo? You say something?" Nancy stuttered, trying to lift her head. Duo rushed to her side, putting a gentle hand on her chest to hold her down.
"Nance, don't try to move, you'll just hurt yourself, remember the doc said?" Duo removed his hand and with dismay, saw a purple-blue bruise blossoming right where his hand had been.
"Wow!" Brennan said, laughing.
"I kn-know, I-I know." Nancy said, forcing herself not to stutter on the last word. Duo winced inwardly as several of the demons snickered.
"A killer, that's all you are. You're gonna kill Heero, too, just wait and see," Cassias said smugly.
Go away, Cassie. Duo thought, smiling in his mind.
"I'll get you, Duo. One day you'll be sorry." Cassias snarled.
Duo controlled his instant reaction of fear and laughed in his thoughts instead. After only Aiden, Cassias was the most powerful of the demons; he was also the only one of them capable of causing physical pain.
"You got good reason to be scared, stupid kid." Cassias growled, furious at being called Cassie.
Duo pretended nonchalance. Sure, man, whatever, He glanced down at Nancy. She smiled up at him, hiding her pain.
He was just about to start pacing again when the doctor entered the room. Duo looked at him, searching his eyes for some answer. The doctor only looked past him, to Nancy.
The doctor walked over to the bed and Duo moved aside.
"Hullo doc." Duo said, still watching the doctor intently.
The doctor nodded in Duo's direction. "Son," He leaned down and cupped a hand to Nancy's ear. Duo leaned in closer, but he couldn't hear what the doctor was whispering. All he caught was, "no hope -- several days -- tell him yourself --" Nancy looked stricken, but noticed Duo watching her and hastily covered with a smile and nod.
"I'll leave you two alone," the doctor said, standing up and turning to the door. Before he went out the door, however, he casually said over his shoulder, "Nancy, we'll discuss your brother in the morning." Then he was gone.
The words sounded questionable, dangerous, so Duo tried to forget them.
Nancy murmured, "Mm," although the doctor had left a few moments ago. Duo couldn't help but see the distracted look on her face. She abruptly looked at him and smiled -- what had once been beautiful was now hideous, grotesque --
"Your fault!!" Kali shrieked.
"Hey Duo? Could you come here a sec? I got something to tell you,"
Duo hesitated, then said, "Sure sis," and walked over to stand beside her bed again. She patted an empty spot on the bed.
"Sit down, Duo."
Duo sat.
Nancy took a breath and began to speak, trying hard not to stutter. "Duo, you know I have Bene Talia, right?"
"Yeah..." Duo said. How he could he not know? He only gave it to her!
"Well, I --" Nancy paused, out of breath. Or was she just trying to break it to him gently? Trying to think of the right words to say?
"She's gonna kick the bucket!" Brennan laughed in a sing-song voice.
Nancy continued, drowning out Brennan's taunts, "God has decided to take me home,"
"Home?" Duo asked, knowing the answer already. No no no no, oh please no, don't let it be true, don't let her say it, don't let her die!
"Too late!" Kali screamed.
Nancy took another deep breath. "I'm going to die, Duo."
Duo gasped, or rather, tried to gasp, for his throat had constricted and he couldn't breathe. i didn't do this to her, i couldn't have done this to her, she must have got it somewhere else, from someone else, not from me, never from me, she couldn't have! the frantic thoughts raced through his head like a renegade breeze.
Nancy patted his head in a comforting gesture. "They'd like to keep you here after I die, but -- "
Duo took a deep, gulping breath, forcing himself not to cry.
"-- but they just don't have enough room for everyone to stay here, so they're going to have to make you leave."
"But -- but Nancy --"
"Duo, when the time comes, would you just go, peacefully? For me?"
Duo swallowed twice, hard, at the huge lump in his throat.
'Dang man, what you be?'
'I think he be a baby; he cry like that all the time.'
'Maybe he a sissy,'
'Nah, he be a baby. Go on, baby, cry,'
The words of Jacob and Michael -- two older orphans from X19(2) -- echoed in his head. He forced down the tears and smiled, for Nancy. "Yeah, Nance, I'll be good," yeah, Nance, i'll be good, i won't scream
(dang man, what you be?)
or cry
(i think he be a baby; he cry like that all the time.)
or refuse to leave,
(maybe he a sissy,)
but maybe, just maybe, i'll try to kill myself
(nah, he be a baby.)
and since no one but you cares about me, i'll actually succeed and go to Hell, where the demons can torment me for the rest of Eternity, but i won't care, i'll be glad, because after what i've done to you, i deserve to die, i deserve to be tormented, and i deserve to rot in Hell a million times over, before i'll even make a dent in the debt i owe you. You save my life a thousand times, take the plague from me, shelter me, care for me, love me, and what do i give you in return?
Death.
"I promise."
(go on, baby, cry,)