~Oh...sweet gods....~
Pain was everything; it was everywhere. Everything was black and swirling with crimson stains reflected in purple-blue eyes.
~Please...oh please....not again....not again....~
Now overwhelming; it was like having his heart ripped out and thrown to the ground,still beating. Only now it wasn't beating anymore.
~Can't....I can't.....~
Light, dark, light....blinding light suddenly filled his mind and sight, like daggers in the eyes. He stumbled to the ground and curled up for the millionth time, breath coming in short, sharp gasps like a wounded animal. He clutched at his chest and shuddered once, then fell still...so still...
...then woke up with a scream, shaken from a nightmare that seemed to last forever.
"Heero!" Quatre was sitting on the edge of the bed gripping Heero's shoulders tightly to keep him lying down. "Heero...oh, thank the gods. You've been asleep for days. We thought you'd never wake up!"
The Prussian eyes blinked unfocusedly for a long time before finally centering in blankly on the prince's face. Lips moved soundlessly, then he reached up and felt his chest where the searing pain still lingered somewhat. His voice was hoarse, and his throat was sore... "Duo...."
Quatre's lips tightened and he looked to Trowa who sat on the edge of the bed beside them, priestly robes discarded for bandages which covered the newly-stitched gash in his side. Trowa maintained his usual silence, so Quatre went on, gently wiping Heero's hair from his eyes as he pushed him back down in the bed. "Please, lay still. You're still very weak; it's been 4 days since you ate."
"Hn."
"Please get him some food, okay?" Quatre looked up at WuFei who nodded, then turned reluctantly and headed from the room. Hazy vision gave way to relative clarity and Heero let his gaze sweep the room; it was plain. Alright, a medical center. But where? Above the wooden- framed door there was insignia -- two rampant stags arching a heart with a crown circling it. Okay, a medical center in the Peacecraft kingdom. A small window was to his left...and outside there were no trees, but a bird fluttered past. High up..so not kingdom, probably the castle itself. The walls were the usual cold stone, but here and here shelves and cabinets were set up to hold jars of potions and herbs. There were four beds, two of which were occupied by Trowa and himself. His stare lingered on the mended Trowa for a long time.
"Your side...."
Trowa simply nodded and leaned back against the wall his bed was pushed up to.
"The assassin's blade was knocked out of control by WuFei. It was meant for Quatre."
A silent nod. Trowa was often called on to heal the wounded; for the life of him, Heero could never understand why Trowa wouldn't allow himself to be healed.
Returning with the food, WuFei set a tray of some nameless safely-bland soup and bread beside Heero's bed before returning to his vigil near the window. Quatre broke the silence first.
"You were dreaming about something, weren't you?"
Nod. "It was a nightmare?" Nod. "You went through the same motions...you must have had the same dream a thousand times...."
Nod. Then, "Where's Duo?"
Once more Quatre looked to Trowa's silent face, and so Heero did as well, redirecting his question to the priest. "You know where he is." Well...not a question, then. More of a statement of fact. Trowa nodded in reply, and Heero cast a cursory glace to the food before sitting up. "Where is he?"
"Your blade hit true, Heero. He is with the angels now." Trowa's blatant comment drew a snort of contempt from WuFei which Trowa ignored, his eerie stare never leaving Heero's face. "He was buried in the castle cemetery; I believe it was WuFei who convinced the Princess to give him a decent burial."
WuFei turned for a scheduled outburst of rage, but Quatre waved them silent and stood, shaking his head. "WuFei, we should go. Trowa and Heero need their rest. Negotiations begin in three days and we need both of them at our side."
WuFei nodded, then stalked out of the room with Quatre close behind, leaving the priest and the warrior to stare at each other. Picking up the bread, Heero took a small bite and closed his eyes as Trowa spoke up. "Heero, you know that Duo was an assassin. He was to kill your charge; why do you mourn him?"
Looking up to Trowa once more, Heero shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know that Duo was never going to kill Quatre; you saw how far his blade was from ever hitting him; he was too good to miss like that."
Nodding, Trowa stood and picked up his robes, sliding it on. "If you believe that, why is his blood on your hands?"
Startled, Heero looked down at his hands...no, no blood there. When he looked up, Trowa had already left......a little smile crossed Heero's lips; the priest would certainly be in trouble when Quatre found out he wasn't resting. His gaze flowed across the room as he returned to eating, then he saw his clothes in the corner of the room; the shirt from the elbows down the gloves were covered with the familiar black-brown of dried blood. **** Three days had passed and the wounded boys had gained enough strength to attend the beginning of the negotiations. In the great hall, Princess Relena sat among her entourage with a grim smile on her face as she spoke with her brother Milliardo - with Quatre between them as mediator. The three boys were closer than family to Quatre, but none of them had any idea that the negotiations would be held between the two siblings; it was true that there was a definite animosity between their kingdoms, now split by their father's death, but there were precious few who knew that all-out war was hanging by a thread.
The huge room, hung with armor and huge tapestries -- most depicting ancestors in various stances of battle and victory -- was the main hall of the Peacecraft family castle. Both Milliardo and Relena had their own smaller castles, but this magnificent building was the one they fought vehemently for. On the left side was the older brother's court, a collection of the man's most trusted friends and allies who spoke amongst themselves while at the same time managing to keep quiet enough to try and hear the conversation going on between the two. The same was to be said of the young princess's following, whose shift eyes were keeping an alert vigil on the two while keeping and even more alert eye on the mediator and his group.
"It only stands to reason that the kingdom be completely split in equal. parts with both sides being run out of this castle by representatives from both kingdoms," Quatre insisted; he had his look down as an innocent naive boy, but he was crafty enough and strategic enough to know how to run a kingdom; there 'd not been an uprising in his own kingdom for decades since his grandfather.
"I am not about to allow him to run things! He knows nothing of business affairs!" Relena screeched, slamming a fist down on the table.
"I know far more than you; all you do is sit around having expensive dresses made for you," a furious Milliardo retorted bitterly.
Indeed it had come down to petty name-calling, and Quatre sighed. ~This isn't going to be simple...and I'm not even sure if I can handle this.~ He stared into his goblet, then looked back to his friends as the siblings bickered on. "I don't think we're going to get anywhere today." Looking back to the two, he put a hand between them and glared with surprising ferocity. "These negotiations will continue tomorrow, singular. I will meet with the princess at ten in the morning, then with the prince at three in the afternoon. Neither of you will contact the other until you're done speaking with me, and this command will be passed along to your attendants." And with that he stood, flanked by Heero and WuFei, followed by Trowa, and left the room.
The brother and sister glared at each other in a long, sullen silence, then both of them risked a crafty smirk and they stood, retreating to their respecting sides of the massive castle. **** The next day Quatre left without a word, leaving instructions for WuFei and Heero not to accompany him; only Trowa would be attending the one- on-one negotiations.
Alone in their room, Heero drilled WuFei with demanding patience.
"What did he say to you?"
WuFei threw his hands up exasperatedly. "For the last time, nothing at all. He claimed he wasn't going to kill Quatre, even though he'd been hired. He was merely covering up for the fact that he was a lousy assassin and he'd missed --"
"Is that all he said?"
"Yes! Why do you care so much? He's dead!"
Heero stood with a low growl, but only a single step was taken toward the startled WuFei before he stopped suddenly, dropping to his knees with a cry of pain. WuFei rushed over to help his friend up, but as he touched him Heero jerked away, trembling, his eyes wide and wild.
"Heero...! What's wrong with you?"
~Oh gods....no....I'm not asleep I can't dream awake.....I can't -- ~
Another scream, and Heero drifted into the cold embrace of unconsciousness, tensed muscles shaking and twitching. WuFei risked a touch, and when the jerking body didn't respond intelligently he managed to pick him up and lie him on the bed with some difficulty before charging from the room to find help.
~It's so cold here....why am I here?~
Darkness....complete darkness. And no air...no air! Choking and screaming, he clawed at the confines until his fingers bled, finally escaping into the blinding, burning light. He covered his eyes but it seemed the light bored through them, through him. The pain in his chest was unbearable, then, so suddenly, it was gone....and all he could see was crimson red. Then, light. Not harsh and blinding but soft and comforting. Trowa and Quatre sat beside him, the smaller blonde gently wiping the sweat-shone forehead with a wet cloth. His eyes were glimmering with tears, "Oh...Heero. What's happened to you?"
Panting for breath, unfocused eyes stared exhaustedly at the ceiling. Finally his eyes shifted to Quatre and he whispered harshly, "I'm dying....oh gods...I must be dying...."
Trowa's eyes darkened as he listened to Heero, and Quatre shook his head, "No, of course you're not, Heero. You know that; you're perfectly well. Just..tired, I'd imagine. That must be it, right?"
"I'm dying...."
A deep sigh was all the young prince could manage in reply as he blinked away tears, but he drew himself up somewhat as the porters came in with food and set the trays down before each of the boys. A few muttered thanks were given, and Quatre sat onthe floor next to Heero, looking up at Trowa. "You know what's wrong with him, don't you?" Trowa nodded quietly, never taking his eyes off Heero. "Can you help him?"
Trowa reached down, brushing his hand against the blonde boy's face gently as he whispered, "There's not a human alive that could help him."
Fresh tears welled up in Quatre's eyes and Trowa wiped them away. "I don't want him to die, Trowa. It's wrong....there isn't even anything wrong with his body....he's not sick. There's not a mark on him." He picked up a small piece of meat and chewed slowly, swallowing it down with difficulty as his tears gained in fervor. "I have to help him...we all have to. We...can't....can't...."
He cut off with a choke and coughed, and WuFei looked over at him alarmedly as Trowa kneeled beside him, worry registering on the stoic face. "Quatre...?"
He couldn't reply, he only shuddered and coughed, the ice-blue eyes rolling back as his breathing shallowed....
Trowa's eyes narrowed and he picked up the convulsing Quatre easily, setting him on a bed next to Heero's. "Go into town and get the alchemist." He wiped at the panting youth's forehead before shooting a glare to the stunned WuFei. "He's been poisoned...get the alchemist now!"
****************************************** ******************************************
Author's Note: God, I'm such an ass, aren't I? :-:insert Kefka Laugh Here:-:
Pain was everything; it was everywhere. Everything was black and swirling with crimson stains reflected in purple-blue eyes.
~Please...oh please....not again....not again....~
Now overwhelming; it was like having his heart ripped out and thrown to the ground,still beating. Only now it wasn't beating anymore.
~Can't....I can't.....~
Light, dark, light....blinding light suddenly filled his mind and sight, like daggers in the eyes. He stumbled to the ground and curled up for the millionth time, breath coming in short, sharp gasps like a wounded animal. He clutched at his chest and shuddered once, then fell still...so still...
...then woke up with a scream, shaken from a nightmare that seemed to last forever.
"Heero!" Quatre was sitting on the edge of the bed gripping Heero's shoulders tightly to keep him lying down. "Heero...oh, thank the gods. You've been asleep for days. We thought you'd never wake up!"
The Prussian eyes blinked unfocusedly for a long time before finally centering in blankly on the prince's face. Lips moved soundlessly, then he reached up and felt his chest where the searing pain still lingered somewhat. His voice was hoarse, and his throat was sore... "Duo...."
Quatre's lips tightened and he looked to Trowa who sat on the edge of the bed beside them, priestly robes discarded for bandages which covered the newly-stitched gash in his side. Trowa maintained his usual silence, so Quatre went on, gently wiping Heero's hair from his eyes as he pushed him back down in the bed. "Please, lay still. You're still very weak; it's been 4 days since you ate."
"Hn."
"Please get him some food, okay?" Quatre looked up at WuFei who nodded, then turned reluctantly and headed from the room. Hazy vision gave way to relative clarity and Heero let his gaze sweep the room; it was plain. Alright, a medical center. But where? Above the wooden- framed door there was insignia -- two rampant stags arching a heart with a crown circling it. Okay, a medical center in the Peacecraft kingdom. A small window was to his left...and outside there were no trees, but a bird fluttered past. High up..so not kingdom, probably the castle itself. The walls were the usual cold stone, but here and here shelves and cabinets were set up to hold jars of potions and herbs. There were four beds, two of which were occupied by Trowa and himself. His stare lingered on the mended Trowa for a long time.
"Your side...."
Trowa simply nodded and leaned back against the wall his bed was pushed up to.
"The assassin's blade was knocked out of control by WuFei. It was meant for Quatre."
A silent nod. Trowa was often called on to heal the wounded; for the life of him, Heero could never understand why Trowa wouldn't allow himself to be healed.
Returning with the food, WuFei set a tray of some nameless safely-bland soup and bread beside Heero's bed before returning to his vigil near the window. Quatre broke the silence first.
"You were dreaming about something, weren't you?"
Nod. "It was a nightmare?" Nod. "You went through the same motions...you must have had the same dream a thousand times...."
Nod. Then, "Where's Duo?"
Once more Quatre looked to Trowa's silent face, and so Heero did as well, redirecting his question to the priest. "You know where he is." Well...not a question, then. More of a statement of fact. Trowa nodded in reply, and Heero cast a cursory glace to the food before sitting up. "Where is he?"
"Your blade hit true, Heero. He is with the angels now." Trowa's blatant comment drew a snort of contempt from WuFei which Trowa ignored, his eerie stare never leaving Heero's face. "He was buried in the castle cemetery; I believe it was WuFei who convinced the Princess to give him a decent burial."
WuFei turned for a scheduled outburst of rage, but Quatre waved them silent and stood, shaking his head. "WuFei, we should go. Trowa and Heero need their rest. Negotiations begin in three days and we need both of them at our side."
WuFei nodded, then stalked out of the room with Quatre close behind, leaving the priest and the warrior to stare at each other. Picking up the bread, Heero took a small bite and closed his eyes as Trowa spoke up. "Heero, you know that Duo was an assassin. He was to kill your charge; why do you mourn him?"
Looking up to Trowa once more, Heero shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know that Duo was never going to kill Quatre; you saw how far his blade was from ever hitting him; he was too good to miss like that."
Nodding, Trowa stood and picked up his robes, sliding it on. "If you believe that, why is his blood on your hands?"
Startled, Heero looked down at his hands...no, no blood there. When he looked up, Trowa had already left......a little smile crossed Heero's lips; the priest would certainly be in trouble when Quatre found out he wasn't resting. His gaze flowed across the room as he returned to eating, then he saw his clothes in the corner of the room; the shirt from the elbows down the gloves were covered with the familiar black-brown of dried blood. **** Three days had passed and the wounded boys had gained enough strength to attend the beginning of the negotiations. In the great hall, Princess Relena sat among her entourage with a grim smile on her face as she spoke with her brother Milliardo - with Quatre between them as mediator. The three boys were closer than family to Quatre, but none of them had any idea that the negotiations would be held between the two siblings; it was true that there was a definite animosity between their kingdoms, now split by their father's death, but there were precious few who knew that all-out war was hanging by a thread.
The huge room, hung with armor and huge tapestries -- most depicting ancestors in various stances of battle and victory -- was the main hall of the Peacecraft family castle. Both Milliardo and Relena had their own smaller castles, but this magnificent building was the one they fought vehemently for. On the left side was the older brother's court, a collection of the man's most trusted friends and allies who spoke amongst themselves while at the same time managing to keep quiet enough to try and hear the conversation going on between the two. The same was to be said of the young princess's following, whose shift eyes were keeping an alert vigil on the two while keeping and even more alert eye on the mediator and his group.
"It only stands to reason that the kingdom be completely split in equal. parts with both sides being run out of this castle by representatives from both kingdoms," Quatre insisted; he had his look down as an innocent naive boy, but he was crafty enough and strategic enough to know how to run a kingdom; there 'd not been an uprising in his own kingdom for decades since his grandfather.
"I am not about to allow him to run things! He knows nothing of business affairs!" Relena screeched, slamming a fist down on the table.
"I know far more than you; all you do is sit around having expensive dresses made for you," a furious Milliardo retorted bitterly.
Indeed it had come down to petty name-calling, and Quatre sighed. ~This isn't going to be simple...and I'm not even sure if I can handle this.~ He stared into his goblet, then looked back to his friends as the siblings bickered on. "I don't think we're going to get anywhere today." Looking back to the two, he put a hand between them and glared with surprising ferocity. "These negotiations will continue tomorrow, singular. I will meet with the princess at ten in the morning, then with the prince at three in the afternoon. Neither of you will contact the other until you're done speaking with me, and this command will be passed along to your attendants." And with that he stood, flanked by Heero and WuFei, followed by Trowa, and left the room.
The brother and sister glared at each other in a long, sullen silence, then both of them risked a crafty smirk and they stood, retreating to their respecting sides of the massive castle. **** The next day Quatre left without a word, leaving instructions for WuFei and Heero not to accompany him; only Trowa would be attending the one- on-one negotiations.
Alone in their room, Heero drilled WuFei with demanding patience.
"What did he say to you?"
WuFei threw his hands up exasperatedly. "For the last time, nothing at all. He claimed he wasn't going to kill Quatre, even though he'd been hired. He was merely covering up for the fact that he was a lousy assassin and he'd missed --"
"Is that all he said?"
"Yes! Why do you care so much? He's dead!"
Heero stood with a low growl, but only a single step was taken toward the startled WuFei before he stopped suddenly, dropping to his knees with a cry of pain. WuFei rushed over to help his friend up, but as he touched him Heero jerked away, trembling, his eyes wide and wild.
"Heero...! What's wrong with you?"
~Oh gods....no....I'm not asleep I can't dream awake.....I can't -- ~
Another scream, and Heero drifted into the cold embrace of unconsciousness, tensed muscles shaking and twitching. WuFei risked a touch, and when the jerking body didn't respond intelligently he managed to pick him up and lie him on the bed with some difficulty before charging from the room to find help.
~It's so cold here....why am I here?~
Darkness....complete darkness. And no air...no air! Choking and screaming, he clawed at the confines until his fingers bled, finally escaping into the blinding, burning light. He covered his eyes but it seemed the light bored through them, through him. The pain in his chest was unbearable, then, so suddenly, it was gone....and all he could see was crimson red. Then, light. Not harsh and blinding but soft and comforting. Trowa and Quatre sat beside him, the smaller blonde gently wiping the sweat-shone forehead with a wet cloth. His eyes were glimmering with tears, "Oh...Heero. What's happened to you?"
Panting for breath, unfocused eyes stared exhaustedly at the ceiling. Finally his eyes shifted to Quatre and he whispered harshly, "I'm dying....oh gods...I must be dying...."
Trowa's eyes darkened as he listened to Heero, and Quatre shook his head, "No, of course you're not, Heero. You know that; you're perfectly well. Just..tired, I'd imagine. That must be it, right?"
"I'm dying...."
A deep sigh was all the young prince could manage in reply as he blinked away tears, but he drew himself up somewhat as the porters came in with food and set the trays down before each of the boys. A few muttered thanks were given, and Quatre sat onthe floor next to Heero, looking up at Trowa. "You know what's wrong with him, don't you?" Trowa nodded quietly, never taking his eyes off Heero. "Can you help him?"
Trowa reached down, brushing his hand against the blonde boy's face gently as he whispered, "There's not a human alive that could help him."
Fresh tears welled up in Quatre's eyes and Trowa wiped them away. "I don't want him to die, Trowa. It's wrong....there isn't even anything wrong with his body....he's not sick. There's not a mark on him." He picked up a small piece of meat and chewed slowly, swallowing it down with difficulty as his tears gained in fervor. "I have to help him...we all have to. We...can't....can't...."
He cut off with a choke and coughed, and WuFei looked over at him alarmedly as Trowa kneeled beside him, worry registering on the stoic face. "Quatre...?"
He couldn't reply, he only shuddered and coughed, the ice-blue eyes rolling back as his breathing shallowed....
Trowa's eyes narrowed and he picked up the convulsing Quatre easily, setting him on a bed next to Heero's. "Go into town and get the alchemist." He wiped at the panting youth's forehead before shooting a glare to the stunned WuFei. "He's been poisoned...get the alchemist now!"
****************************************** ******************************************
Author's Note: God, I'm such an ass, aren't I? :-:insert Kefka Laugh Here:-: