"Did something happen?" Heero asked, concern and love evident in his tone.
"He doesn't love you. You just think he does. All he really wants is someone to take his pain." Kali whispered.
"no..." Duo said to her softly, aloud.
Aiden, all sweetness and laughter, murmured in his ear, "Would you like to see how Hee-chan would look with be'lia, dear?" Duo shivered and found he couldn't stop. The now-familiar tingling that always came when he hyperventilated spread over his whole body.
"Y-yes... Something happened..." he said, making his voice louder so Heero would know that he was being spoken to.
Heero did not respond, but Duo felt his hand on his shoulder a moment later. The touch was comforting and Duo relaxed a bit. Then Heero's hand moved under his chin and pushed lightly upward. Duo resisted and the gentle force increased until he could not hold back anymore.
He looked up.
Heero was staring at him, his eyes wide, questioning, his mouth set in a hard line that plainly said I care, but I will not let you not tell me. Heero took a deep breath and looked straight into Duo's eyes, a strangely familiar look, until Duo realized that it was the way that people who had died from be'lia looked. He had never seen it on a living person though and it scared him, made him afraid of his own bad luck. Would he kill Heero, too?
"Duo, did something happen to Nancy?" Heero asked, startling Duo, for he had forgotten that he was here, Heero was here, and that they were both still alive.
"Yes, yes, yes, it did!" Brennan cried.
"The little bastard killed her!" Donovan said.
"He'll kill you, too!" said Kali.
"If he doesn't die first," Cassias muttered.
Duo could feel the lump coming back, blocking his throat, forcing tears to his eyes. "Heero, I killed Nancy."
Heero looked slightly startled. "What?"
"I killed her. She got be'lia from me and she died from it. I knew I had it, but I still let her get it from me. It's my fault." Duo wanted to scream, to cry, to do something, but it was all he could manage to just sit and tell Heero what he'd done.
"Duo," Heero paused and sighed.
"Here it comes! He's going to say he hates you, you're a murderer, he doesn't want to die, and he never wants to see you again!" Kali said, laughing.
"Duo, it wasn't your fault. She probably had be'lia already. She would have gotten it anyway. It wasn't your fault." said Heero as he wrapped his arms around Duo.
"WHAT?!" Aiden screeched, losing her calm demeanor for the first time since Duo could remember. "He's supposed to hate you! You're a killer! He should be afraid of you! This will not do!! Cassias! Do what you can!"
Duo stiffened in Heero's arms as Cassias growled, "With pleasure, boss."
A fragment of a second later, Duo felt a tearing pain in his lungs, as if he were underwater and running out of air. Then he was submerged, could feel the water around him, pushing him down, deeper and darker, closing in, cold and dirty, black, just as he was, or was it just as he seemed? He gasped for a breath, felt the water invade his lungs, reached one hand up towards the light, clawing, clawing, trying to grab hold of the air, the surface, the light...
And abruptly found himself held firmly in Heero's grasp, keeping him from struggling, from screaming, from dying. But death is what i want, Duo thought, but immediately after came, Isn't it? Followed by, i'm not afraid of death. i am Death. But how could i need myself so badly?
"Duo! Duo, what happened?" Heero asked, his eyes wide and frightened.
"Hm?" Duo heard himself say, though surely he didn't command his mind to say it. "C-Cassias. He -- he got his chance."
"Ah," Heero said, sounding as if he understood, although he still looked scared and now puzzled.
Duo struggled to regain control of his body as the demons taunted him, but after a few moments, he was able to say, "He- Heero, thanks for -- for understanding."
Heero merely made a noise of assent as he once again embraced Duo. Duo took a deep breath, then another, softer breath, as the heat from Heero's body dissipated some of the never-ending chill in his own soul.
(dang man, what you be?)
i be a killer.