Author's Notes: Please, minna-san, forgive my delay (Shin's Voice bows and
asks for mercy) I'm sorry it's been so long, but I'm definitely dying to
get my university vacations soon or my brain will fry. Too much to study!!
argh!!
Ok, the fic! (music playing in the back, cheerleaders and all that stuff) Congrats to the ones who finally guessed the movie thing of this story. YES, it's 'The Crow', by Brandon Lee. Wow, the last clue I gave made it all clear, ne? Besides, in The Crow, one of the bad guys is killed just as commander T was. With knives and scalpels. Since there are several people who guessed, I'm congratulating the first five:
-Tori Sakana: you were the very 1st. So, if you're still out there, maybe you're interested in my offer: wanna decide my next fic's plot? You gotta review and tell me (snickers- yeah, a trap to get more reviews) Your call, buddy! -ChibiSora: of course I'll take your guess of Brandon Lee as a valuable one! If Tori here doesn't appear after this chapter, you can decide. Since you're one of my two much appreciated readers, I'll be glad to make a fic for you. But you once told me you didn't have many ideas, so..if you have something in mind now, just tell me. -Li-Chan: shhh, I have something for you, shhhhhhhh, don't tell anybody. I read your mail, thanks a lot, I appreciate it as much as the blood in my veins. My gift, as you requested, will be the 'friendship fic' you told me. If not the 13 fic that follows this, then the 14th. Stay with me, girl! Ah, I knew you were Canadian somehow!! Perhaps my Uchuchu no Kokoro (wack, how the hell do you spell that!? well, hope you get it) -Chiren Decimal: thanks a lot!! Your review was great! So, you're like me? A Duo & Crow fanatic! Way to go! Yeah, darkness all around! You liked the old guard? Me too, point why he's alive. The scientists? (mumbles 'bastards' one time and another) We'll soon read about that. Stay tuned! -Catchfire: The Crow, girl. Close to Raven anyway. Thanks for your review. Where have you been? You used to review more often (sniffs sadly) don't love me anymore? Poor Shin's Voice. I'll be a bit happy if, well, you give me another review!! (psycho laugh)
SEE, people? Studies drive me nuts! Eck, stop the rambling already!
"Beyond Life and Death"
by Shinigami's Voice
-chapter nine-
The four pilots were silently sitting on the scattered chairs in one of the visitors' rooms in the Station.
The faintest sound put everyone into alert stance, tensing their every muscle, their eyes trained on every inch of the room.
"This.....this is out of control" -Wufei mumbled in all seriousness.
"What is 'this', Wufie?" -Trowa asked, his shinning green eyes on the Asian boy.
"This.....madness. These assassinations, these inscriptions, these....." -Wufei's words were cut by metallic cling from another room.
It was a usual sound in a ship full of tools, but the pilots practically jumped from their seats.
"These fears" -the 05 pilot murmured as they resumed their normal positions.
"Yes, you're right" -Quatre sighed sadly- "I wonder if any of us is ready to tell what we are afraid of...." -the blonde vaguely mumbled, pain and confusion in his aquamarine eyes.
Another long silence was settled upon the four young soldiers, until a soft sigh from Heero cut the air.
The Japanese boy tossed his head around, shutting his eyes tiredly. His skin was extremely pale, his usually strong determination totally gone.
"You look ill" -Quatre murmured as they all studied 01- "Really, Heero, you look more than tired. You're sick"
"I'm fine" -the boy opened his eyes, his words lacking conviction.
"No, you're not" -Trowa replied- "I better check you up, just in case" -the taller pilot moved to comply his own words, kneeling beside 01's chair.
"I told you I'm fine" -Heero protested gruffly.
"Please, Heero. We're not feeling strong to be arguing. You know you aren't fine" -Wufei said, his black eyes gazing at some distant point on the wall.
The other three pilots listened his words almost in reverence. The Justice Pilot, the Chinese Warrior......yes, Wufei was feeling weak too.
Trowa took 01's wrist with one hand at the time his other hand was placed on Heero's right temple. It didn't take more than one second for Trowa to widen his eyes.
"Heero, you're burning. This fever is way up worse than normal" -the European pilot said with concern.
Heero just shrugged. He knew that already.
"How did you get this sick?" -Trowa murmured as he checked the Japanese boy's eyes, temples and even his throat- "You have a slight infection and your eyes are glazed. I know you haven't been sleeping well, but this more seems like......like you've been drugged.....have you been taking pills or something?" -03 wondered aloud.
Heero shook his head in negative.
"But....why is that your body is reacting like this? I don't think there's something wrong with this Station ventilation"
The Wing pilot shrugged again. He knew more, he knew there was something making him ill, something with a silver shine. There was 'someone' making him ill, someone who called, haunted him in his dreams, behind every shadow,.......but he wasn't about to say that to the others.
The Japanese boy tried to suppress a slight cough, but Trowa, who was still checking his temperature and pulse, heard it perfectly.
"You okay?" -the green-eyed pilot frowned with concern when he saw 01 covering his mouth with his hand, in an attempt to silence himself.
"Lets take him to the medicine room. I think we can find some antibiotic.." -Quatre suggested, while he and Wufei stood up.
Heero shook his head again, and withdrew his hand from his lips to voice his disagreement. That movement put everyone in worry.
"Heero.." -Wufei frowned, as well as Trowa and Quatre.
The Japanese boy lowered his eyes to the point the others were intensely watching, his hand.
His fingers were stained red.
Blood.
"That's it" -Trowa murmured, standing up too- "I won't be accepting the 'i'm fine' anymore. Lets take you to the sick bay"
Heero just blinked, a bit surprised himself. He knew his throat was hurting badly, but he hadn't realized how bad it was.
In fact, now that he stopped to concentrate in the pain, he discovered the tight, searing sensation extended down his neck, almost consuming his chest.
Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to the aching spot on his flesh, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"You hurt here?" -03 asked as he moved to place his hand over the spot, barely pressing the palm of his hand and feeling the cold object laying under Heero's shirt.
"No" -Heero practically growled, stepping back in order to move away from the touch.
The others exchanged worried glances.
"It's okay, Heero. We know you wear......his cross....it's okay" -Quatre smiled sadly, trying to reassure the other boy.
There was an awkward silence after that. Blue eyes didn't fixed in anything in particular, not wanting to stare at the others. Finally, the Japanese pilot assumed his usual serious glance.
"We should discuss a most important matter now. It's imperative that we move before the killer to stop more crimes" -he said, changing the subject.
"We already tried that, and we had no success. Even with our presence in the Station, the killer assassinated the last A.G." -Wufei reflected seriously.
"However, we cannot stop trying. The last.....hmmmmm....message the killer left is a somehow clue about his next strike" -Quatre mused softly.
"We must not forget that the assassin seems to be acting under the guide line of Duo's.....death" -Trowa stated, his voice sorrowful- "Maybe it can leads us towards the next victims....."
"Hai. The....inscription read 'traitors'. Logical thought indicates that we must locate individuals that, for Duo, match that label......"
The room remained quiet while the pilots' minds raced and lurked about the task at hand. Just a couple of minutes later, the four sets of eyes lit up with revelation.
"The scientists....."
******
Two hours had passed since the pilots' ship left the Station's docks, to start the trip towards L-13, where the five scientists were currently working.
The four soldiers had discussed the topic a bit more, deciding not to alert the doctors, at least not yet.
The assassin had proved to be very intelligent, and maybe he would try to hack their communications in order to locate the secret laboratory in the colony.
Yes, they had decided it was a 'he', according with the guard's words.
However, any of them had dared to name the criminal. They all had the same eerie suspect, the suspect that, during the last days, had taken form.
Into the shape of purple eyes that seemed to stare at them from every crystal.
Into the shape of a black-clad silhouette standing behind every corner.
Into the shape of a whisper calling in the middle of the night.
Into the shape of a cold, slender hand that feather-touched theirs when they were falling asleep.
Fear..... yes, fear was creeping inside of them from every direction they turned around.
[ When the moonbeams bathe his pale face......
yes, the angel of the loneliness you'll see.......
when the wind hauls among his soft hair........
yes, the angel of the memories you'll see.......
when the lightening illuminates his sad eyes.......
yes, the angel of the fearfulness you'll see......
when the thunder rolls and silences his cries......
yes..oh yes.....the angel of the wrath is here.....]
Quatre stood from his seat warily. He was feeling lightheaded and strangely suffocated.
"I'm going to get some drinks. Any request?" -he said as he made his way to the gates.
"Water" -Trowa and Wufei said at the same time.
"Fine. Cold water. Maybe it's just me, but this place is turning really hot" -the Neo-Arabian murmured to no one in particular.
Trowa turned to look at him.
"You're right. It's not only me then" -the tall pilot replied.
Wufei ran his hand over his forehead, wiping a small drop of sweat.
"Something must be wrong with the ventilation. I'll go check" -the Chinese pilot offered.
"I'll give you a hand" -Heero said as he started to get up.
"It's fine. Stay, Heero. You're still looking bad" -05 answered with total honesty, as usual from him.
"I'll set the autopilot and go with you" -Trowa said, while introducing some codes. The autopilot turned on.
Heero didn't protest. He perfectly knew the others would notice the unusual from his acceptance, since it was a soft way to admit he wasn't okay. But he also knew very well that it was damn right.
He was about to pass out. He had barely made it fully awake and conscious during the last 2 hours.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The exact moment the other three pilots stepped on the threshold of the gates, the ship shook violently.
"What was that?" -Wufei exclaimed, as Trowa went back to the control panel.
"Uhh..nothing. Systems are restarting now" -the Heavyarms pilot answered as he checked- "Perhaps a turbulence..."
Another shaking cut his words, and the four of them fell on their backs from the sudden movements.
Quatre's breathing started to accelerate. His empathy rang in alarm.
'What the heck is going on here??!!' -the blond boy thought with growing.....that sensation again......fear.
"Stay still" -Wufei advised, as the ship finally started to establish. The lights flickered for a while, leaving the room in total darkness.
No one said a word.
They could just hear their own breathing.
Their rapid, nervous breathing.
The metallic coldness of the floor crept from Heero's palms up to his wrists, and he hurriedly lifted his hands from the surface.
But he realized the coldness didn't come only from the floor.
The air suddenly turned cold, combing itself with the darkness. Black and cold.
Dark........cold........silent.......
The lights turned on a second later. Through the open gates, they saw how the hall started to illuminate again.
Unbidden, Wufei let out of relieved breath. But this only made him worry again, when he saw the faint steam that came from his mouth.
"The air is turning cold" -Trowa murmured, stating the obvious.
But this time, the obvious didn't mean it was normal. Not at all.
Heero's blue eyes suddenly fixed on the most distant point of the hall that extended in front of them.
He knew.
"There's someone there" -he heard his own voice whisper, though his mind hadn't registered the fact he was saying that out loud.
"Yes. I can.....I know it too" -Trowa agreed, his voice sounding insecure.
03, 01 and 05 slowly stood up, and almost as drawn by some force, stepped out of the room, following their senses.
Quatre remained on the floor, Prussian blue eyes gazing his friends' figures in some kind of trance.
'No. Don't go. No.....' -he found out he couldn't make his voice to sound- 'Don't go! Trowa, Heero, Wufei!' -he tried again, to no avail.
Gathering strength in the middle of the turmoil of feelings his empathic soul was experimenting, he came to his feet and started to walk behind them.
With each step he gave, he felt his heart pound harder, faster.
But he had to continue. Quatre hurried and caught a glimpse of the three figures turning to the left, entering the big, totally empty storage room.
The room shone with the metallic whiteness of the walls, not a single object within it.
"There's...nothing here" -Trowa sighed, as he looked around.
"Yes, but....but I was almost sure....." -the L5 pilot said frowning, confused at the situation.
"Go....." - a soft, practically inaudible voice made 03 and 05 turned to look behind.
"We.....must go......." -Quatre said again, regaining his voice. His eyes showed his apprehension, something he couldn't explain.
After a minute, Trowa nodded. He would always follow Quatre's words in those cases.
"Heero, we better.......Heero!" - the European boy couldn't help but to scream their friend's name.
The 01 pilot was on his knees, clutching at his chest, his eyes shut painfully.
"What's going on?!" -Wufei knelt beside the fallen pilot, taking hold of his shoulders.
Heero was trembling.
Quatre and Trowa joined 05 beside Heero.
"Heero, Heero, look at me!" -Quatre repeated, trying to help in some way. He brought his delicate hands to grasp Heero's, and 04 yelped at the liquid that touched there, dripping from Heero's fingers.
Blood droplets.
"What is this??!!" -the Neo-Arabic rose his voice in alarm.
Trowa also lifted his hands, and pried both Quatre and Heero's from the Japanese boy's chest.
"Let me" -he said with concern, ripping apart 01's shirt in order to look for the source, the wound, the.........
Green, Prussian and black eyes widened at the sight.
Laying on Heero's chest, the silver cross was bleeding.
The shining object was covered in crimson red, tightly incrusted on the tanned flesh. Wounding, cutting, hurting Heero, like a four-bladed knife......
"Allah...." -Quatre chocked in tears. He didn't even know why he was crying.
Wufei terrified eyes looked up at Heero's face. The Wing pilot was panting, his expression twitched in pain.
"Take it off!" -Trowa suddenly commanded, totally horrified at the scene in front of him.
Until then, midnight blue eyes opened to stare at them.
"No" -Heero growled firmly.
"Are you crazy? Take it off!" -Trowa repeated.
"No!" -Heero's voice rosed.
"Please, Heero. Just take it off. It's hurting you" -Quatre begged.
"I won't. No! No!" -stubbornly, Heero protested.
"You, idiot! Take it off!" -Wufei demanded this time, attempting to grab it.
But Heero snapped 05's hand away.
"I said no! I won't take it off. It was Duo's!" -the Japanese boy practically screamed.
With both hands, Quatre took hold of Heero's face, forcing him to look at his eyes. 04's expression was firm, not begging anymore.
"You must take it off. Even if it was Duo's cross. It's hurting you, Heero. Do it now!"
Heero was about to protest, when he doubled himself in blindly pain, his heart going wild at the blowing sensation. It was....trying to kill him.
'Take it off!' - his own mind screamed at him.
His right hand grasped the holy object, breathing heavily.
"I.....I can't take it much longer........I just......" -he murmured with regret, his eyes half closed- "I just can't stand it any more!" -he pressed his lips tightly- "I can't. It hurts too much!......." -he exclaimed, and with a swift movement, yanked the bleeding cross out of his neck.
He yanked it off, and threw it away.
The silver-reddish object flew across the room and........
And, in front of the four boys' eyes, stopped in middle air.
It remained there, floating in thin air, droplets still running along it, splattering onto the floor.
And, like so many times in their dreams.....in their nightmares, a shadow appeared in the opposite side of the room.
A figure clad in a enormous cloak, a black gabardine, the hood hiding the shadow's face.
The silhouette's right arm was stretched in front of him, the black-gloved hand extended. As if.......as if stopping something.
Stopping the cross in middle air.
The silence took on the room during long minutes, no one uttering a sound. No one move. The pilots were too afraid to even try.
Yes, all humans can feel afraid.
The first movement came from the black dressed visitor. Slowly, he lowered his arm, and as he did so, the cross also lowered.
Until it touched the floor, and lay there. In a pool of blood.
The pilots' eyes followed the movement with shocked expressions, and then, the four sets of eyes returned to the figure.
The visitor's head was bowed, but then he looked up, not revealing his face, but clearly staring at them under the hood.
And, in some way, they all knew who was he staring at.
He was staring at Heero, who was still kneeling on the floor, surrounded by the other three.
The air turned almost freezing, the boys' breaths generating puffs of steams.
In his solemn state, the figure cocked his head to the side a little, not taking his glance away from the Wing pilot.
"So......Heero......." -an eerie, well known voice suddenly cut the air- "Not even the cross. You couldn't endure the cross.......No, you couldn't........not even the cross........."
Blue eyes widened to impossible limits at the sound of that voice, those words.
The other three pilots were also petrified in the spot. And the black-clad figure gave two steps towards them, his boots resounding against the metallic floor.
The gloved hands came up and in a slow movement, took hold of the hood, pushing it back. Bringing the revelation. The feared revelation.
Amethyst eyes stared intensely at the four boys in front of him.
"Not even my cross" -the voice, Duo's voice, said with a weird, dangerous tone.
The trembling of Heero's body became more violent.
And Trowa, Wufei and Quatre started shaking too.
In front of them, Duo's eyes, Duo's face, Duo's honey hair locks, Duo's figure stayed, real, completely real.
And Duo's figure smiled.......
To Be Continued.......
A/N: Review!!! Please, people, I put a lot of time, mind, heart, a lot of me in this chapter. Give me reviews. You can't miss next chapter!
Ok, the fic! (music playing in the back, cheerleaders and all that stuff) Congrats to the ones who finally guessed the movie thing of this story. YES, it's 'The Crow', by Brandon Lee. Wow, the last clue I gave made it all clear, ne? Besides, in The Crow, one of the bad guys is killed just as commander T was. With knives and scalpels. Since there are several people who guessed, I'm congratulating the first five:
-Tori Sakana: you were the very 1st. So, if you're still out there, maybe you're interested in my offer: wanna decide my next fic's plot? You gotta review and tell me (snickers- yeah, a trap to get more reviews) Your call, buddy! -ChibiSora: of course I'll take your guess of Brandon Lee as a valuable one! If Tori here doesn't appear after this chapter, you can decide. Since you're one of my two much appreciated readers, I'll be glad to make a fic for you. But you once told me you didn't have many ideas, so..if you have something in mind now, just tell me. -Li-Chan: shhh, I have something for you, shhhhhhhh, don't tell anybody. I read your mail, thanks a lot, I appreciate it as much as the blood in my veins. My gift, as you requested, will be the 'friendship fic' you told me. If not the 13 fic that follows this, then the 14th. Stay with me, girl! Ah, I knew you were Canadian somehow!! Perhaps my Uchuchu no Kokoro (wack, how the hell do you spell that!? well, hope you get it) -Chiren Decimal: thanks a lot!! Your review was great! So, you're like me? A Duo & Crow fanatic! Way to go! Yeah, darkness all around! You liked the old guard? Me too, point why he's alive. The scientists? (mumbles 'bastards' one time and another) We'll soon read about that. Stay tuned! -Catchfire: The Crow, girl. Close to Raven anyway. Thanks for your review. Where have you been? You used to review more often (sniffs sadly) don't love me anymore? Poor Shin's Voice. I'll be a bit happy if, well, you give me another review!! (psycho laugh)
SEE, people? Studies drive me nuts! Eck, stop the rambling already!
"Beyond Life and Death"
by Shinigami's Voice
-chapter nine-
The four pilots were silently sitting on the scattered chairs in one of the visitors' rooms in the Station.
The faintest sound put everyone into alert stance, tensing their every muscle, their eyes trained on every inch of the room.
"This.....this is out of control" -Wufei mumbled in all seriousness.
"What is 'this', Wufie?" -Trowa asked, his shinning green eyes on the Asian boy.
"This.....madness. These assassinations, these inscriptions, these....." -Wufei's words were cut by metallic cling from another room.
It was a usual sound in a ship full of tools, but the pilots practically jumped from their seats.
"These fears" -the 05 pilot murmured as they resumed their normal positions.
"Yes, you're right" -Quatre sighed sadly- "I wonder if any of us is ready to tell what we are afraid of...." -the blonde vaguely mumbled, pain and confusion in his aquamarine eyes.
Another long silence was settled upon the four young soldiers, until a soft sigh from Heero cut the air.
The Japanese boy tossed his head around, shutting his eyes tiredly. His skin was extremely pale, his usually strong determination totally gone.
"You look ill" -Quatre murmured as they all studied 01- "Really, Heero, you look more than tired. You're sick"
"I'm fine" -the boy opened his eyes, his words lacking conviction.
"No, you're not" -Trowa replied- "I better check you up, just in case" -the taller pilot moved to comply his own words, kneeling beside 01's chair.
"I told you I'm fine" -Heero protested gruffly.
"Please, Heero. We're not feeling strong to be arguing. You know you aren't fine" -Wufei said, his black eyes gazing at some distant point on the wall.
The other three pilots listened his words almost in reverence. The Justice Pilot, the Chinese Warrior......yes, Wufei was feeling weak too.
Trowa took 01's wrist with one hand at the time his other hand was placed on Heero's right temple. It didn't take more than one second for Trowa to widen his eyes.
"Heero, you're burning. This fever is way up worse than normal" -the European pilot said with concern.
Heero just shrugged. He knew that already.
"How did you get this sick?" -Trowa murmured as he checked the Japanese boy's eyes, temples and even his throat- "You have a slight infection and your eyes are glazed. I know you haven't been sleeping well, but this more seems like......like you've been drugged.....have you been taking pills or something?" -03 wondered aloud.
Heero shook his head in negative.
"But....why is that your body is reacting like this? I don't think there's something wrong with this Station ventilation"
The Wing pilot shrugged again. He knew more, he knew there was something making him ill, something with a silver shine. There was 'someone' making him ill, someone who called, haunted him in his dreams, behind every shadow,.......but he wasn't about to say that to the others.
The Japanese boy tried to suppress a slight cough, but Trowa, who was still checking his temperature and pulse, heard it perfectly.
"You okay?" -the green-eyed pilot frowned with concern when he saw 01 covering his mouth with his hand, in an attempt to silence himself.
"Lets take him to the medicine room. I think we can find some antibiotic.." -Quatre suggested, while he and Wufei stood up.
Heero shook his head again, and withdrew his hand from his lips to voice his disagreement. That movement put everyone in worry.
"Heero.." -Wufei frowned, as well as Trowa and Quatre.
The Japanese boy lowered his eyes to the point the others were intensely watching, his hand.
His fingers were stained red.
Blood.
"That's it" -Trowa murmured, standing up too- "I won't be accepting the 'i'm fine' anymore. Lets take you to the sick bay"
Heero just blinked, a bit surprised himself. He knew his throat was hurting badly, but he hadn't realized how bad it was.
In fact, now that he stopped to concentrate in the pain, he discovered the tight, searing sensation extended down his neck, almost consuming his chest.
Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to the aching spot on his flesh, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"You hurt here?" -03 asked as he moved to place his hand over the spot, barely pressing the palm of his hand and feeling the cold object laying under Heero's shirt.
"No" -Heero practically growled, stepping back in order to move away from the touch.
The others exchanged worried glances.
"It's okay, Heero. We know you wear......his cross....it's okay" -Quatre smiled sadly, trying to reassure the other boy.
There was an awkward silence after that. Blue eyes didn't fixed in anything in particular, not wanting to stare at the others. Finally, the Japanese pilot assumed his usual serious glance.
"We should discuss a most important matter now. It's imperative that we move before the killer to stop more crimes" -he said, changing the subject.
"We already tried that, and we had no success. Even with our presence in the Station, the killer assassinated the last A.G." -Wufei reflected seriously.
"However, we cannot stop trying. The last.....hmmmmm....message the killer left is a somehow clue about his next strike" -Quatre mused softly.
"We must not forget that the assassin seems to be acting under the guide line of Duo's.....death" -Trowa stated, his voice sorrowful- "Maybe it can leads us towards the next victims....."
"Hai. The....inscription read 'traitors'. Logical thought indicates that we must locate individuals that, for Duo, match that label......"
The room remained quiet while the pilots' minds raced and lurked about the task at hand. Just a couple of minutes later, the four sets of eyes lit up with revelation.
"The scientists....."
******
Two hours had passed since the pilots' ship left the Station's docks, to start the trip towards L-13, where the five scientists were currently working.
The four soldiers had discussed the topic a bit more, deciding not to alert the doctors, at least not yet.
The assassin had proved to be very intelligent, and maybe he would try to hack their communications in order to locate the secret laboratory in the colony.
Yes, they had decided it was a 'he', according with the guard's words.
However, any of them had dared to name the criminal. They all had the same eerie suspect, the suspect that, during the last days, had taken form.
Into the shape of purple eyes that seemed to stare at them from every crystal.
Into the shape of a black-clad silhouette standing behind every corner.
Into the shape of a whisper calling in the middle of the night.
Into the shape of a cold, slender hand that feather-touched theirs when they were falling asleep.
Fear..... yes, fear was creeping inside of them from every direction they turned around.
[ When the moonbeams bathe his pale face......
yes, the angel of the loneliness you'll see.......
when the wind hauls among his soft hair........
yes, the angel of the memories you'll see.......
when the lightening illuminates his sad eyes.......
yes, the angel of the fearfulness you'll see......
when the thunder rolls and silences his cries......
yes..oh yes.....the angel of the wrath is here.....]
Quatre stood from his seat warily. He was feeling lightheaded and strangely suffocated.
"I'm going to get some drinks. Any request?" -he said as he made his way to the gates.
"Water" -Trowa and Wufei said at the same time.
"Fine. Cold water. Maybe it's just me, but this place is turning really hot" -the Neo-Arabian murmured to no one in particular.
Trowa turned to look at him.
"You're right. It's not only me then" -the tall pilot replied.
Wufei ran his hand over his forehead, wiping a small drop of sweat.
"Something must be wrong with the ventilation. I'll go check" -the Chinese pilot offered.
"I'll give you a hand" -Heero said as he started to get up.
"It's fine. Stay, Heero. You're still looking bad" -05 answered with total honesty, as usual from him.
"I'll set the autopilot and go with you" -Trowa said, while introducing some codes. The autopilot turned on.
Heero didn't protest. He perfectly knew the others would notice the unusual from his acceptance, since it was a soft way to admit he wasn't okay. But he also knew very well that it was damn right.
He was about to pass out. He had barely made it fully awake and conscious during the last 2 hours.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The exact moment the other three pilots stepped on the threshold of the gates, the ship shook violently.
"What was that?" -Wufei exclaimed, as Trowa went back to the control panel.
"Uhh..nothing. Systems are restarting now" -the Heavyarms pilot answered as he checked- "Perhaps a turbulence..."
Another shaking cut his words, and the four of them fell on their backs from the sudden movements.
Quatre's breathing started to accelerate. His empathy rang in alarm.
'What the heck is going on here??!!' -the blond boy thought with growing.....that sensation again......fear.
"Stay still" -Wufei advised, as the ship finally started to establish. The lights flickered for a while, leaving the room in total darkness.
No one said a word.
They could just hear their own breathing.
Their rapid, nervous breathing.
The metallic coldness of the floor crept from Heero's palms up to his wrists, and he hurriedly lifted his hands from the surface.
But he realized the coldness didn't come only from the floor.
The air suddenly turned cold, combing itself with the darkness. Black and cold.
Dark........cold........silent.......
The lights turned on a second later. Through the open gates, they saw how the hall started to illuminate again.
Unbidden, Wufei let out of relieved breath. But this only made him worry again, when he saw the faint steam that came from his mouth.
"The air is turning cold" -Trowa murmured, stating the obvious.
But this time, the obvious didn't mean it was normal. Not at all.
Heero's blue eyes suddenly fixed on the most distant point of the hall that extended in front of them.
He knew.
"There's someone there" -he heard his own voice whisper, though his mind hadn't registered the fact he was saying that out loud.
"Yes. I can.....I know it too" -Trowa agreed, his voice sounding insecure.
03, 01 and 05 slowly stood up, and almost as drawn by some force, stepped out of the room, following their senses.
Quatre remained on the floor, Prussian blue eyes gazing his friends' figures in some kind of trance.
'No. Don't go. No.....' -he found out he couldn't make his voice to sound- 'Don't go! Trowa, Heero, Wufei!' -he tried again, to no avail.
Gathering strength in the middle of the turmoil of feelings his empathic soul was experimenting, he came to his feet and started to walk behind them.
With each step he gave, he felt his heart pound harder, faster.
But he had to continue. Quatre hurried and caught a glimpse of the three figures turning to the left, entering the big, totally empty storage room.
The room shone with the metallic whiteness of the walls, not a single object within it.
"There's...nothing here" -Trowa sighed, as he looked around.
"Yes, but....but I was almost sure....." -the L5 pilot said frowning, confused at the situation.
"Go....." - a soft, practically inaudible voice made 03 and 05 turned to look behind.
"We.....must go......." -Quatre said again, regaining his voice. His eyes showed his apprehension, something he couldn't explain.
After a minute, Trowa nodded. He would always follow Quatre's words in those cases.
"Heero, we better.......Heero!" - the European boy couldn't help but to scream their friend's name.
The 01 pilot was on his knees, clutching at his chest, his eyes shut painfully.
"What's going on?!" -Wufei knelt beside the fallen pilot, taking hold of his shoulders.
Heero was trembling.
Quatre and Trowa joined 05 beside Heero.
"Heero, Heero, look at me!" -Quatre repeated, trying to help in some way. He brought his delicate hands to grasp Heero's, and 04 yelped at the liquid that touched there, dripping from Heero's fingers.
Blood droplets.
"What is this??!!" -the Neo-Arabic rose his voice in alarm.
Trowa also lifted his hands, and pried both Quatre and Heero's from the Japanese boy's chest.
"Let me" -he said with concern, ripping apart 01's shirt in order to look for the source, the wound, the.........
Green, Prussian and black eyes widened at the sight.
Laying on Heero's chest, the silver cross was bleeding.
The shining object was covered in crimson red, tightly incrusted on the tanned flesh. Wounding, cutting, hurting Heero, like a four-bladed knife......
"Allah...." -Quatre chocked in tears. He didn't even know why he was crying.
Wufei terrified eyes looked up at Heero's face. The Wing pilot was panting, his expression twitched in pain.
"Take it off!" -Trowa suddenly commanded, totally horrified at the scene in front of him.
Until then, midnight blue eyes opened to stare at them.
"No" -Heero growled firmly.
"Are you crazy? Take it off!" -Trowa repeated.
"No!" -Heero's voice rosed.
"Please, Heero. Just take it off. It's hurting you" -Quatre begged.
"I won't. No! No!" -stubbornly, Heero protested.
"You, idiot! Take it off!" -Wufei demanded this time, attempting to grab it.
But Heero snapped 05's hand away.
"I said no! I won't take it off. It was Duo's!" -the Japanese boy practically screamed.
With both hands, Quatre took hold of Heero's face, forcing him to look at his eyes. 04's expression was firm, not begging anymore.
"You must take it off. Even if it was Duo's cross. It's hurting you, Heero. Do it now!"
Heero was about to protest, when he doubled himself in blindly pain, his heart going wild at the blowing sensation. It was....trying to kill him.
'Take it off!' - his own mind screamed at him.
His right hand grasped the holy object, breathing heavily.
"I.....I can't take it much longer........I just......" -he murmured with regret, his eyes half closed- "I just can't stand it any more!" -he pressed his lips tightly- "I can't. It hurts too much!......." -he exclaimed, and with a swift movement, yanked the bleeding cross out of his neck.
He yanked it off, and threw it away.
The silver-reddish object flew across the room and........
And, in front of the four boys' eyes, stopped in middle air.
It remained there, floating in thin air, droplets still running along it, splattering onto the floor.
And, like so many times in their dreams.....in their nightmares, a shadow appeared in the opposite side of the room.
A figure clad in a enormous cloak, a black gabardine, the hood hiding the shadow's face.
The silhouette's right arm was stretched in front of him, the black-gloved hand extended. As if.......as if stopping something.
Stopping the cross in middle air.
The silence took on the room during long minutes, no one uttering a sound. No one move. The pilots were too afraid to even try.
Yes, all humans can feel afraid.
The first movement came from the black dressed visitor. Slowly, he lowered his arm, and as he did so, the cross also lowered.
Until it touched the floor, and lay there. In a pool of blood.
The pilots' eyes followed the movement with shocked expressions, and then, the four sets of eyes returned to the figure.
The visitor's head was bowed, but then he looked up, not revealing his face, but clearly staring at them under the hood.
And, in some way, they all knew who was he staring at.
He was staring at Heero, who was still kneeling on the floor, surrounded by the other three.
The air turned almost freezing, the boys' breaths generating puffs of steams.
In his solemn state, the figure cocked his head to the side a little, not taking his glance away from the Wing pilot.
"So......Heero......." -an eerie, well known voice suddenly cut the air- "Not even the cross. You couldn't endure the cross.......No, you couldn't........not even the cross........."
Blue eyes widened to impossible limits at the sound of that voice, those words.
The other three pilots were also petrified in the spot. And the black-clad figure gave two steps towards them, his boots resounding against the metallic floor.
The gloved hands came up and in a slow movement, took hold of the hood, pushing it back. Bringing the revelation. The feared revelation.
Amethyst eyes stared intensely at the four boys in front of him.
"Not even my cross" -the voice, Duo's voice, said with a weird, dangerous tone.
The trembling of Heero's body became more violent.
And Trowa, Wufei and Quatre started shaking too.
In front of them, Duo's eyes, Duo's face, Duo's honey hair locks, Duo's figure stayed, real, completely real.
And Duo's figure smiled.......
To Be Continued.......
A/N: Review!!! Please, people, I put a lot of time, mind, heart, a lot of me in this chapter. Give me reviews. You can't miss next chapter!