Author's Notes: (sneeze, sneeze) Sorry, minna, I'm not feeling well lately.
Luckily, tests period is over, though now this fever is keeping me away
from typing. BUT the show must continue, ne?
Ok.....Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It's air for my lungs.
Catchfire: way to go! That detail you picked it's gonna be very important for later chapters. Yes, there's hope, don't worry.
Ryoko-onne: wow! You got all the plot already! The question you asked me.....well, you're very sharp, 'coz you have all the reason.....but maybe things aren't going to unfold as you're thinking.....
For all of you, don't get disappointed, k? Stay with me and we'll fix things up.
warnings: blood, violence, supernatural things, Dark fic.
"Beyond Life and Death"
-chapter six-
Heero was sitting on his bed, face resting on his hands.
It was late at night, and everything around him was dark. His mind was a complete mess. Sadness, fear, guilt, anger and many other emotions were almost drowning him, sinking him in a deep hole he knew he couldn't escape......
Suddenly, there was a faint whisper, almost as a breeze, that seemed to call his name.
'.......Heero .........'
Soft footsteps sounded outside his room, and he jerked his head up as the gates were instantly opened.
Standing at the doorsill, a figure clad in battered black stared at him. Surrounded the feet of the figure, a pool of blood started to run on the floor, in straight line towards Heero.
And Heero was frozen, staring in cold dread at the pale face with amethyst eyes.
The figure, Duo's figure, started to slowly walk towards him, one his hands brushing on the wall, leaving a track of red stains.
And the amethyst eyes shone with tears as Duo advanced and..........
Heero bolted on his bed, throwing the covers in the process.
He was drenched in cold sweat, his short spiked hair stuck to his forehead.
"Nightmare" -he murmured as he realized his was in his usual room, the doors were closed and there was nobody there.
"How awful" -he muttered as he passed one of his hands over his face and among his unruly hair, in an attempt to wake himself further.
Heero stood from his bed and put on a gray t-shirt and pants over his boxers in total silence, as he tried to erase the memory of the dream from his head.
'Blank. Concentrate. Put your mind in blank. There's nothing here. Blank....' -he kept repeating to himself, as he headed towards the gates.
But how could he put his mind in blank, if his heart didn't cease to pound painfully at the reminder of cruel reality?
Heero stood there, leaning against the cold metallic gates, as he allowed himself the 'weakness' to mourn at his loss.
'Why? Why? Just tell me why! One good reason it's enough!' -he silently protested against Heaven, as his hands clenched in fists- 'He believed in you! You were his God! What's the use of this cross then?!' -he continued his questions as he stared down at his chest, at the silver cross that hung from his neck.
"Duo" -he whispered as his right fist punched against the surface behind him- "Why did you have to take him? You don't need him up there, God" -he punched again as he talked to Duo's God- "You don't need him as much.......as much as I do.....why didn't you save him?...." -a third punch put an end at the one-sided conversation.
Heero straightened and sighed deeply, trying to calm himself. He opened the gates and stepped outside, when a faint echo repeated at his own ears.
"Why didn't YOU save him? ......Why....Heero?"
Heero whirled, eyes wide, but no one was in his room, and neither was someone in the halls.
*************
"You know, none of us can sleep......." -the soft voice spoke in a whisper, as the blond teen sipped on his tea.
Heero nodded, even if Quatre couldn't see it.
After a moment of hesitation, 01 entered the kitchen room of the ship and walked towards the coffee table, where the Sandrock pilot was sitting, his back at Heero.
The clock on the wall read 03:15 am.
"It's been.....22 hours now" -the neo-Arabic voice spoke again.
Quatre didn't need to specify that those 22 hours had passed since they found out about Duo's death.
Heero continued walking and took a seat in front of Quatre. When he finally sat and lifted his glance towards the other boy, he knew why the always polite 04 pilot hadn't turned to see him before.
Quatre's Prussian blue eyes were red and tired, his face a ghostly pale. He looked extremely sick. And he was still crying.
"Quatre...." -Heero called, but was cut by 04, who talked without looking at him in the eye.
"It's mostly my own grief. But it's Trowa and Wufei's too. And yours. Even if you don't cry, it's your grief too, Heero" -the blond youngster said, and sipped at his cup again.
Heero looked at him wistfully for a little while, and then nodded in understanding.
Quatre, being the empathic, could feel the other pilot's emotions. And therefore, he was bearing not only with his tears, but with everyone's else grief.
"I'm sorry" -Heero muttered, not exactly knowing what to say.
Red rimmed eyes turned at him.
"Even if I had to weep 5 million years, Heero, it wouldn't be enough. Nothing will ever be enough. Believe me that I'm sorry too. But it doesn't change anything" -04 shook his head, confusion and anger in his voice- "It doesn't. Everything is the same, and I hate it!!"
The cup of tea went flying across the room, crushing against the walls, as the weeping pilot hit the table with both hands.
"I hate it! I hate it! I hate this war! I hate those people! I hate the Gundams! I hate myself!!"
Strong arms held Quatre as he continued murmuring and crying.
"I know, Quatre. I hate it too" -Heero murmured, trying his best to soothe the confused boy.
"Why, Heero? Why didn't we save him?" -the smaller boy looked up at the blue eyes of 01.
"I......." -Heero shook his head, shutting his eyes forcefully. He wouldn't cry- " I don't know......the missions.......the duty.....I don't know......"
"We were so incredible stupid" -the blond boy replied, breathing deeply, calming his temper- "Duo was so much more important......"
Two other figures entered with quiet steps into the kitchen.
Heero looked up at Trowa's green eyes and Wufei's black ones.
Their faces were also wet.
"I......we need to be together......for him......" -Trowa murmured, as he walked towards the table, resting one his hands on Quatre's shoulder and the other one on Heero's arm.
"For we only have sadness left inside of us. Maybe we can gather some strength together" -Wufei added, joining the group.
Together, they had to find the strength to survive the first day and night without Duo. And from there, find the strength to cope with life without him.
*************
During three days, the Gundam pilots remained in the rebel's ship, their connections out of line and their status inoperative.
The conversations were minimal, though they spent most of the time together.
They don't needed words at the moment, just each other's company.
Quatre had managed to regain some strength the last 12 hours, thanks to the closeness of his other three partners.
And though Heero always seemed to be the strongest of them, 03, 04 and 05 knew how bad were things for him.
It was clear. In the way his eyes gazed at space.
In the way he would lean his back on the wall from tiredness.
In the way he would look at the gates of the room where 02 had stayed before.
In the way he would wake up at nights, panting from nightmares.
In the way his hand lifted to hold the silver cross hanging permanently on his chest.
"Duo loved these" -Quatre said smiling, as he took a bag of chips from the cupboard- "Remember? He used to hide lots of these bags under his pillows......."
"And we always discovered him because he munched them right at midnight" -Trowa added, slight smile playing on his lips too.
"And we would end up throwing him our own pillows to stop the noise" -the Chinese pilot mused, recalling the memory.
Heero remained silent, his glance on the other side of the room. His mind playing, like a well-known tape, the sequence of a normal day, when Duo would enter the kitchen, hair recently washed and braided, bouncing on his feet like himself only could do it.
'Hey, Heero-man! Any food left? Oh, yeah, my manners! Ha ha! Ohayo minna! Did I say it right? .........."
And the cheerful boy proceeded to steal a bit of everyone's breakfast, joking and greeting everyone, trying to make Wufei laugh, if not running away from his katana......
"Heero......Heero" -Trowa's voice drew 01 out of his reflective state.
"Gomen" -01 murmured as he turned his attention to the others.
Quatre tried his best not to give him sympathetic look. The Neo-Arabic knew how hard 01 was trying to remain collected and somehow distant from the pain his best friend's death meant. But he also knew how much sorrow Heero's heart was accumulating.
There was pain trapped inside him. Pain, fear, guilt and loneliness.
A knock sounded on the doors, and a rebel soldier appeared at view.
"Excuse me" -he murmured as he stood in front of the Gundam pilots- "There's a message for you"
"We're not receiving any messages" -Quatre reminded him politely- "Send the usual reply"
"But....this is the second time the same message arrives...." -the soldier added.
"We'll take care of the messages later, soldier. You're dismissed" -Wufei answered. After all, the Gundam Pilots had a higher rank than any other officer in that ship.
"I'm sorry to contradict your orders, sir, but this message is urgent and it's related to..........the A.G." -the man gulped as he finished the sentence.
The four sets of eyes were trained on him at the words, causing the soldier to tremble slightly at the intensity of the glances.
"We'll take it" -01 replied as he stood from his place. The other three pilots soon followed.
The control room was occupied by the rebels' commander, a tall, gray-haired man who had accepted the Gundam pilots to stay there while they endured the lost of their comrade.
"This message arrived today at first hour. We refused to call you as you asked us to do it, but when it arrived for 2nd time, I decided to read it and I sent for you" -the man said apologetically.
The 4 pilots nodded, as the message started to run on the screen.
The image presented an Intelligence Officer, who addressed the pilots' names.
".......the Rebel Agency decided to let you participate in this operative due to your relation to the situation. This station was assigned to hold captive Oz agent sergeant M, from the Agony Group until her official Trial. The prisoner was assassinated in special circumstances at 01:34 hours of last night........."
The pilots exchanged glances as the message continued.
"We have our reasons to believe it was a premeditate murder related to the recent demise of Gundam pilot 02, due to the characteristics of the crime........"
The image changed as the screen started to picture photographs of sergeant M's corpse.
The woman had a bullet wound in her chest, infected as if she would have been abandoned in some moist place.
Her hands were totally fractured, as well as her neck.
The skin of her arms had been scratched with some sharp object, the lines forming a suspiciously shape of the numbers '02'.
And the corpse was surrounded by a pool of blood.
".........the inscriptions on her skin were made with scalpels, though the object hasn't been found.....the fractures of her hands coincide with 02's injures, according to the report of the prisoner guard Hamilton....."
Quatre's eyes stared at Heero, then at Trowa and Wufei.
"What's this about?" -he murmured.
But the others only shook their heads in negative.
They didn't know.
".......and the inscription on the cell's wall is being investigated......."
The officer's voice caught everyone's attention, as the image presented a wall stained with blood. And the blood formed letters.
The Gundam pilots' eyes were fixed on the screen. On the bloody words.
VENGEANCE........BLOOD PAID WITH BLOOD
To Be Continued......
A/N: Review, please! Leave some comments. Please R&R!
Ok.....Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It's air for my lungs.
Catchfire: way to go! That detail you picked it's gonna be very important for later chapters. Yes, there's hope, don't worry.
Ryoko-onne: wow! You got all the plot already! The question you asked me.....well, you're very sharp, 'coz you have all the reason.....but maybe things aren't going to unfold as you're thinking.....
For all of you, don't get disappointed, k? Stay with me and we'll fix things up.
warnings: blood, violence, supernatural things, Dark fic.
"Beyond Life and Death"
-chapter six-
Heero was sitting on his bed, face resting on his hands.
It was late at night, and everything around him was dark. His mind was a complete mess. Sadness, fear, guilt, anger and many other emotions were almost drowning him, sinking him in a deep hole he knew he couldn't escape......
Suddenly, there was a faint whisper, almost as a breeze, that seemed to call his name.
'.......Heero .........'
Soft footsteps sounded outside his room, and he jerked his head up as the gates were instantly opened.
Standing at the doorsill, a figure clad in battered black stared at him. Surrounded the feet of the figure, a pool of blood started to run on the floor, in straight line towards Heero.
And Heero was frozen, staring in cold dread at the pale face with amethyst eyes.
The figure, Duo's figure, started to slowly walk towards him, one his hands brushing on the wall, leaving a track of red stains.
And the amethyst eyes shone with tears as Duo advanced and..........
Heero bolted on his bed, throwing the covers in the process.
He was drenched in cold sweat, his short spiked hair stuck to his forehead.
"Nightmare" -he murmured as he realized his was in his usual room, the doors were closed and there was nobody there.
"How awful" -he muttered as he passed one of his hands over his face and among his unruly hair, in an attempt to wake himself further.
Heero stood from his bed and put on a gray t-shirt and pants over his boxers in total silence, as he tried to erase the memory of the dream from his head.
'Blank. Concentrate. Put your mind in blank. There's nothing here. Blank....' -he kept repeating to himself, as he headed towards the gates.
But how could he put his mind in blank, if his heart didn't cease to pound painfully at the reminder of cruel reality?
Heero stood there, leaning against the cold metallic gates, as he allowed himself the 'weakness' to mourn at his loss.
'Why? Why? Just tell me why! One good reason it's enough!' -he silently protested against Heaven, as his hands clenched in fists- 'He believed in you! You were his God! What's the use of this cross then?!' -he continued his questions as he stared down at his chest, at the silver cross that hung from his neck.
"Duo" -he whispered as his right fist punched against the surface behind him- "Why did you have to take him? You don't need him up there, God" -he punched again as he talked to Duo's God- "You don't need him as much.......as much as I do.....why didn't you save him?...." -a third punch put an end at the one-sided conversation.
Heero straightened and sighed deeply, trying to calm himself. He opened the gates and stepped outside, when a faint echo repeated at his own ears.
"Why didn't YOU save him? ......Why....Heero?"
Heero whirled, eyes wide, but no one was in his room, and neither was someone in the halls.
*************
"You know, none of us can sleep......." -the soft voice spoke in a whisper, as the blond teen sipped on his tea.
Heero nodded, even if Quatre couldn't see it.
After a moment of hesitation, 01 entered the kitchen room of the ship and walked towards the coffee table, where the Sandrock pilot was sitting, his back at Heero.
The clock on the wall read 03:15 am.
"It's been.....22 hours now" -the neo-Arabic voice spoke again.
Quatre didn't need to specify that those 22 hours had passed since they found out about Duo's death.
Heero continued walking and took a seat in front of Quatre. When he finally sat and lifted his glance towards the other boy, he knew why the always polite 04 pilot hadn't turned to see him before.
Quatre's Prussian blue eyes were red and tired, his face a ghostly pale. He looked extremely sick. And he was still crying.
"Quatre...." -Heero called, but was cut by 04, who talked without looking at him in the eye.
"It's mostly my own grief. But it's Trowa and Wufei's too. And yours. Even if you don't cry, it's your grief too, Heero" -the blond youngster said, and sipped at his cup again.
Heero looked at him wistfully for a little while, and then nodded in understanding.
Quatre, being the empathic, could feel the other pilot's emotions. And therefore, he was bearing not only with his tears, but with everyone's else grief.
"I'm sorry" -Heero muttered, not exactly knowing what to say.
Red rimmed eyes turned at him.
"Even if I had to weep 5 million years, Heero, it wouldn't be enough. Nothing will ever be enough. Believe me that I'm sorry too. But it doesn't change anything" -04 shook his head, confusion and anger in his voice- "It doesn't. Everything is the same, and I hate it!!"
The cup of tea went flying across the room, crushing against the walls, as the weeping pilot hit the table with both hands.
"I hate it! I hate it! I hate this war! I hate those people! I hate the Gundams! I hate myself!!"
Strong arms held Quatre as he continued murmuring and crying.
"I know, Quatre. I hate it too" -Heero murmured, trying his best to soothe the confused boy.
"Why, Heero? Why didn't we save him?" -the smaller boy looked up at the blue eyes of 01.
"I......." -Heero shook his head, shutting his eyes forcefully. He wouldn't cry- " I don't know......the missions.......the duty.....I don't know......"
"We were so incredible stupid" -the blond boy replied, breathing deeply, calming his temper- "Duo was so much more important......"
Two other figures entered with quiet steps into the kitchen.
Heero looked up at Trowa's green eyes and Wufei's black ones.
Their faces were also wet.
"I......we need to be together......for him......" -Trowa murmured, as he walked towards the table, resting one his hands on Quatre's shoulder and the other one on Heero's arm.
"For we only have sadness left inside of us. Maybe we can gather some strength together" -Wufei added, joining the group.
Together, they had to find the strength to survive the first day and night without Duo. And from there, find the strength to cope with life without him.
*************
During three days, the Gundam pilots remained in the rebel's ship, their connections out of line and their status inoperative.
The conversations were minimal, though they spent most of the time together.
They don't needed words at the moment, just each other's company.
Quatre had managed to regain some strength the last 12 hours, thanks to the closeness of his other three partners.
And though Heero always seemed to be the strongest of them, 03, 04 and 05 knew how bad were things for him.
It was clear. In the way his eyes gazed at space.
In the way he would lean his back on the wall from tiredness.
In the way he would look at the gates of the room where 02 had stayed before.
In the way he would wake up at nights, panting from nightmares.
In the way his hand lifted to hold the silver cross hanging permanently on his chest.
"Duo loved these" -Quatre said smiling, as he took a bag of chips from the cupboard- "Remember? He used to hide lots of these bags under his pillows......."
"And we always discovered him because he munched them right at midnight" -Trowa added, slight smile playing on his lips too.
"And we would end up throwing him our own pillows to stop the noise" -the Chinese pilot mused, recalling the memory.
Heero remained silent, his glance on the other side of the room. His mind playing, like a well-known tape, the sequence of a normal day, when Duo would enter the kitchen, hair recently washed and braided, bouncing on his feet like himself only could do it.
'Hey, Heero-man! Any food left? Oh, yeah, my manners! Ha ha! Ohayo minna! Did I say it right? .........."
And the cheerful boy proceeded to steal a bit of everyone's breakfast, joking and greeting everyone, trying to make Wufei laugh, if not running away from his katana......
"Heero......Heero" -Trowa's voice drew 01 out of his reflective state.
"Gomen" -01 murmured as he turned his attention to the others.
Quatre tried his best not to give him sympathetic look. The Neo-Arabic knew how hard 01 was trying to remain collected and somehow distant from the pain his best friend's death meant. But he also knew how much sorrow Heero's heart was accumulating.
There was pain trapped inside him. Pain, fear, guilt and loneliness.
A knock sounded on the doors, and a rebel soldier appeared at view.
"Excuse me" -he murmured as he stood in front of the Gundam pilots- "There's a message for you"
"We're not receiving any messages" -Quatre reminded him politely- "Send the usual reply"
"But....this is the second time the same message arrives...." -the soldier added.
"We'll take care of the messages later, soldier. You're dismissed" -Wufei answered. After all, the Gundam Pilots had a higher rank than any other officer in that ship.
"I'm sorry to contradict your orders, sir, but this message is urgent and it's related to..........the A.G." -the man gulped as he finished the sentence.
The four sets of eyes were trained on him at the words, causing the soldier to tremble slightly at the intensity of the glances.
"We'll take it" -01 replied as he stood from his place. The other three pilots soon followed.
The control room was occupied by the rebels' commander, a tall, gray-haired man who had accepted the Gundam pilots to stay there while they endured the lost of their comrade.
"This message arrived today at first hour. We refused to call you as you asked us to do it, but when it arrived for 2nd time, I decided to read it and I sent for you" -the man said apologetically.
The 4 pilots nodded, as the message started to run on the screen.
The image presented an Intelligence Officer, who addressed the pilots' names.
".......the Rebel Agency decided to let you participate in this operative due to your relation to the situation. This station was assigned to hold captive Oz agent sergeant M, from the Agony Group until her official Trial. The prisoner was assassinated in special circumstances at 01:34 hours of last night........."
The pilots exchanged glances as the message continued.
"We have our reasons to believe it was a premeditate murder related to the recent demise of Gundam pilot 02, due to the characteristics of the crime........"
The image changed as the screen started to picture photographs of sergeant M's corpse.
The woman had a bullet wound in her chest, infected as if she would have been abandoned in some moist place.
Her hands were totally fractured, as well as her neck.
The skin of her arms had been scratched with some sharp object, the lines forming a suspiciously shape of the numbers '02'.
And the corpse was surrounded by a pool of blood.
".........the inscriptions on her skin were made with scalpels, though the object hasn't been found.....the fractures of her hands coincide with 02's injures, according to the report of the prisoner guard Hamilton....."
Quatre's eyes stared at Heero, then at Trowa and Wufei.
"What's this about?" -he murmured.
But the others only shook their heads in negative.
They didn't know.
".......and the inscription on the cell's wall is being investigated......."
The officer's voice caught everyone's attention, as the image presented a wall stained with blood. And the blood formed letters.
The Gundam pilots' eyes were fixed on the screen. On the bloody words.
VENGEANCE........BLOOD PAID WITH BLOOD
To Be Continued......
A/N: Review, please! Leave some comments. Please R&R!