(Duo: *ahem* Just a little forewarning...DVG is in a very angst-
y mood. *glares* How could you do that to me?!)
*sits on Duo* Shush you. I can be angst-y if I damn well want to. How can anyone be all sappy and comical after the week I had? *growl* Ah well. I'll live. But yes, this chapter is full of drama and...evilness.
(Heero, locked in a closet, is heard shouting 'Omae wo kuruso' in the background)
I apologized, but obviously Heero is not very happy with what I did in this chapter either. None of them are. Well, take that back. I know a few are. I figured, 'Well since I brought in Sally, Hilde, and Relena', I thought I would drag in a few more Gundam characters to throw into the mix. All in good intentions though. Heero had to have -someone- to conspire with. And I even keep true to my word that there will never be heterosexual relationship in this story. You get some Zechs and Treize fun and hints at Noin and Sally being together before Sally's 'death'. *sweatdrop* I've never read a fic yet that has paired Noin and Sally, but I thought 'What the heck, let's just throw them together'. Hopefully no one will be too tripped out over it.
Oh well.
And we have a SHOCKING revelation!!!!!! *evil grin* No hints here. Just forewarning and saying that there is a revelation. Even -I- don't know where it came from. I guess it's what happens when you've had a very bad week and mix in tons of gummy bears and sugar glaze doughnuts. Not good.
Anywho!
Reviews!
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell- Well Heero is about to get even more evil. And isn't Wu-bear just so adorable? *gets glared at by the aforementioned Wu-bear*
Lady Rune- Haha, Heero having 'that boy smell'. That's cute. At least it's better than saying Wufei's an Irish Spring Sport. *sweatdrop* But have you ever smelled that stuff? It smells like you just took a shower in a waterfall. I don't know. I'm just weird that way. But I'm glad you think this is an awesome story. ^_^
Iruka- Yuywell- Yaay! Another person agrees with me.
Aberness- w00t!!!! Haha! *ahem* I'm okay. Yesh, there will be plenty more mind-in-the-gutter moments in this story, just not in this chapter. o.O;;; Wait, no, I take that back. There is -a- moment. But it isn't worth getting excited about cause Heero is mocking Zechs and Treize. And yes and evil Heero is always a good thing, even if he doesn't agree with you. (Heero is heard yelling again from the barricaded closet)
Avenged Suffering- Meep! *hides* Please dun kill meh. I am only the mere author of this ficcy. *sweatdrop*
Yami Crystal- Well let's see here...Wufei, Fei, Fei Fei, Wu, Wu- man, Wu-bear, Wu Wu, Mr. Justice and Morality...I've used many nicknames for my Wu-bear. ^___^ I'm glad you liked the fight at the party, I was afraid I hadn't done enough. But since you seem to like it, then I guess it's okay. And yes, you will see evil Heero beginning his plot of revenge in this chapter. ^___^ (Heero blows up the closet and begins hunting for DVG)
Solain Rhyo- *hides behind her so Heero doesn't see her* Eh he...Yaay! I'm blessed! I'm glad I was able to erm...save a few virgins' lives. *sweatdrop* Here is the next chapter!
(Heero: *pulls out gun from Spandex space and aims*)
Ravenquills: I'm glad you like my story! And yes, I get threatened all the time for my awful cliffies. ^^;;;;
Smiley-person- Yes, I realized I misspelled 'Omae wo kuruso' and I really don't care. I've been spelling it like that forever now and don't feel like going back and fixing it.
Mars: It's those damn subliminal messages!!!! Buwahahahaha! Of course, Duo's purty eyes -might- have something to do with the lavender thing, but I dunno, for me I just thought of him that way. No particular reason, I just did. *shrug* Lol, and yes, Wu- bear took out some of his bishie angst on Heero with the sharp, pointy, and sometimes-lethal weapon thingie. ^______^
Shella: *shock* The -shortest- review ever! So were those good exclamation points, or were those bad exclamation points? o.0;;;
*ahem* Anyways...*Locks Heero back into his little evil closet* Now that I've done my duties...
ON WITH THE STORY!
***
Darkness, darkness, darkness...that's all there is when you fall asleep.
Closing his eyes, there was comforting slumber waiting for him, waiting to help relieve him of the stress of that night.
Or so he thought.
There was slumber all right, but it wasn't comforting. No, reality had shattered into a void, when slipping into unconsciousness. It was a void, yet it seemed so full.
Suffocating.
He was suffocating.
As if he were being pulled down deep underwater, the pressure bearing down harder and harder until he felt like he was going to be torn to pieces. But before it became unendurable, it just stopped. Tingling ran through his limbs, his skin crawling as if he were covered in spiders.
Trying to bring his guard down, relaxing...peaceful...sleep...
Oh God.
No, he wasn't being relieved, he was -reliving- it.
It was happening again.
The nothingness.
Suspended from invisible puppeteer strings, held in place.
Not able to move.
Suffocating.
Can't breathe.
Blood was everywhere.
Can't feel.
Panicking.
Screaming.
Someone was screaming.
Screaming?
Who was it?
Fierce talons ripped away at the blackness, wrenching everything away, snapping the marionette strings.
He could hear it now.
Someone was screaming.
-He- was screaming.
There was so much blood.
Everywhere.
So much...
"Shhh...It's going to be fine..."
The screaming broke down into body-wracking sobs. All it took was a hand to touch him, to return him to reality and he fell apart at the seams, the hand's owner barely holding him together in his arms.
"It's okay, I've got this handled."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes...Go make sure your partner is well."
There was no response, or if there was, he couldn't hear it through his choked tears.
"Duo, you have to calm down. Breathe..." Wufei said, trying to be soothing but he couldn't keep his voice steady, his heart was pounding against his ribcage.
It was a miracle he hadn't fallen too deeply asleep out in the living room, because if he had, he wouldn't have gotten into Duo's bedroom fast enough to disentangle the braided boy from his bed sheets before he was asphyxiated. The strangled shouts had sounded so terrified; there were no words, just the tone as all that was required to tell him of the fear that gripped his mind. Wufei tentatively kneaded his hands in circles down his tense, shaking back and began to ease the taut muscles.
Duo inhaled sharply at the contact at first, but he slowly started to regain control, the tears gradually subsiding to feeble whimpers as his breathing transited from painful gasps to normal. His surroundings became tangible as the looming black spots clouding his vision vanished and he realized he was practically crushing poor Wufei's midsection in his smothering clutch, even though the Asian showed no signs of discomfiture.
"...Duo?"
He pulled back hastily, wiping his red, puffy face with his fists forcibly to remove the salty moisture, but it didn't clean the fresh dread that lingered in his tired features. "I- I'm sorry, I just jumped on the first person within reach a- and I shouldn't've-"
"Don't worry about it," Wufei cut in reassuringly, but he didn't seem satisfied. "I don't mind."
Duo still refused to meet his understanding gaze.
"It came back to haunt you didn't it? You thought if you went to sleep, you would wake up and find out it never happened," he said quietly. That got the braided slayer's attention real quick. "I know how the nightmare goes...You want to believe that escaping the reality would make it all go away, even if just for a little while, though it's only worse. Much, much worse."
Duo shuddered visibly. "There was so much blood...pain...I was so scared..." he admitted hoarsely, his amethyst eyes darkening and were struggling to not let more tears fall. "Everyone within five blocks of us must have heard me screaming like a frightened little girl-" He recoiled.
Wufei shook his head slightly, reaching over and brushing away a stray tear that had managed to leak out before taking him back in his arms unthinkingly. "There is no reason to be ashamed about that. If it helps any, I was the same way."
"But-"
"I will have no 'buts'," Wufei reproved firmly, "And nothing about how you're supposed to be a big, bad slayer or any of that bull. Look at me, I was a scholar and skilled fighter, yet I was able to concede to you that I had been just as weak and 'girlish'."
Duo snickered. "Yeah, that's a -very- encouraging thought...Still, I won't sleep any easier."
"You need to though. It'll merely make things worse if you force yourself to stay awake to avoid it."
"And wait for nightmares like that to follow? Hell no, I'd rather become an insomniac, thank you very much," he snorted.
"You're exhausted, what would you do if you were too tired to fight during your shift tonight? Rely on Trowa? I've watched him; he holds Quatre first on his list, no matter if he denies it," Wufei pointed out. "Just go back to sleep, I'll stay in here and wake you up if you start showing signs of having the dream again."
"What about you?"
"You heard Quatre, I can't go anywhere after what I did at the party. I can rest while you're out," he shrugged.
"But-"
"I am not going to repeat myself so stop arguing." Wufei started to rise, but Duo grabbed his wrist and made him stop.
"Thanks 'Fei."
Wufei only smiled as he let go of his wrist, pulling the computer chair from the desk a few feet away over so that it was right beside the bed.
Duo fell asleep listening to him hum a song softly in Chinese.
The nightmare didn't return.
***
It was time to make use of a favor an old...friend owed him.
As soon as the sun went down, Heero immediately left his apartment to head downtown. There was a private club called 'The Marquee' in the more affluent part that his old 'friend' ran after dusk and resided in during the day along with his significant other.
In his usual jeans and forest green tank top under his leather jacket, Heero stuck out like a sore thumb when he entered, met with the smooth, arousing sound of jazz and the sweet tang of cigar smoke. Despite his unruly appearance though, the purple haired woman tending the bar did not look at him in disregard, in fact she gave him a rather friendly greeting as she towel- dried shot glasses.
"It's been a while Heero. What brings you in here?"
"Noin, I want to speak with Zechs," Heero replied shortly.
"He's busy right now," she answered, "I believe he's upstairs with Treize."
"Hn..." His displeasure became clearly evident. "Go up there and tell -Milliardo- it's important. He'll disentangle himself from Kushrenada long enough to find time for me."
Noin glanced at him sharply before nodding and opening a door behind the counter that led to the staircase. She reappeared in no time. "Zechs will be down in a minute."
"Good."
"So did you hear about Sally and the girls?" Noin asked in a would-be conversational way, trying to fill up the silence as she picked the shot glass towel back up. "Sally was supposed to go out with me that night after she took care of some 'business', she wouldn't tell me what the 'business' was though."
"Hai." Heero kept neutral.
The door opened and a tall, platinum blonde man stepped out into the smoky light, buttoning up his shirt and looking uneasy as he spotted the Japanese vampire sitting at the counter. He motioned him to follow to a more secluded table out of earshot.
"What do you want Yuy?" Zechs inquired irritably.
"We've got a problem," Heero said tersely. "You remember Wufei, don't you?"
"Yeah, he was that attractive Asian you took on for us after I let Treize turn him," Zechs responded almost wistfully.
"Hn." Heero narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "It seems you picked a wrong first target."
"Me? Have faulty judgment? I don't think so. Why was he wrong? It's been over two years, and you just now want to complain about my choosing skills?"
"He's sided with slayers Marquis."
"What?! When did this happen?"
"It started a few days ago. He went to one for help. Apparently, he has yet to realize the gift you and Treize had given him. Wufei thinks it's a curse. I've tried convincing him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen," he scowled darkly, pulling off his leather jacket and showing the bandaged forearm. "He attacked me with the slayer's weapon and ran off with him and his partners. I've done as much as I could within my power in this situation; I can't remedy it on my own. That's why I came to you. A traitor cannot be allowed to roam freely Milliardo."
Zechs nodded in agreement. "Understood. Do you know the names of the slayers he's sided with?"
"Only one. But if you find him, the other two are bound to be close by."
"So I should put out the word for...?"
"Duo Maxwell. He also calls himself Shinigami."
***
*sits on Duo* Shush you. I can be angst-y if I damn well want to. How can anyone be all sappy and comical after the week I had? *growl* Ah well. I'll live. But yes, this chapter is full of drama and...evilness.
(Heero, locked in a closet, is heard shouting 'Omae wo kuruso' in the background)
I apologized, but obviously Heero is not very happy with what I did in this chapter either. None of them are. Well, take that back. I know a few are. I figured, 'Well since I brought in Sally, Hilde, and Relena', I thought I would drag in a few more Gundam characters to throw into the mix. All in good intentions though. Heero had to have -someone- to conspire with. And I even keep true to my word that there will never be heterosexual relationship in this story. You get some Zechs and Treize fun and hints at Noin and Sally being together before Sally's 'death'. *sweatdrop* I've never read a fic yet that has paired Noin and Sally, but I thought 'What the heck, let's just throw them together'. Hopefully no one will be too tripped out over it.
Oh well.
And we have a SHOCKING revelation!!!!!! *evil grin* No hints here. Just forewarning and saying that there is a revelation. Even -I- don't know where it came from. I guess it's what happens when you've had a very bad week and mix in tons of gummy bears and sugar glaze doughnuts. Not good.
Anywho!
Reviews!
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell- Well Heero is about to get even more evil. And isn't Wu-bear just so adorable? *gets glared at by the aforementioned Wu-bear*
Lady Rune- Haha, Heero having 'that boy smell'. That's cute. At least it's better than saying Wufei's an Irish Spring Sport. *sweatdrop* But have you ever smelled that stuff? It smells like you just took a shower in a waterfall. I don't know. I'm just weird that way. But I'm glad you think this is an awesome story. ^_^
Iruka- Yuywell- Yaay! Another person agrees with me.
Aberness- w00t!!!! Haha! *ahem* I'm okay. Yesh, there will be plenty more mind-in-the-gutter moments in this story, just not in this chapter. o.O;;; Wait, no, I take that back. There is -a- moment. But it isn't worth getting excited about cause Heero is mocking Zechs and Treize. And yes and evil Heero is always a good thing, even if he doesn't agree with you. (Heero is heard yelling again from the barricaded closet)
Avenged Suffering- Meep! *hides* Please dun kill meh. I am only the mere author of this ficcy. *sweatdrop*
Yami Crystal- Well let's see here...Wufei, Fei, Fei Fei, Wu, Wu- man, Wu-bear, Wu Wu, Mr. Justice and Morality...I've used many nicknames for my Wu-bear. ^___^ I'm glad you liked the fight at the party, I was afraid I hadn't done enough. But since you seem to like it, then I guess it's okay. And yes, you will see evil Heero beginning his plot of revenge in this chapter. ^___^ (Heero blows up the closet and begins hunting for DVG)
Solain Rhyo- *hides behind her so Heero doesn't see her* Eh he...Yaay! I'm blessed! I'm glad I was able to erm...save a few virgins' lives. *sweatdrop* Here is the next chapter!
(Heero: *pulls out gun from Spandex space and aims*)
Ravenquills: I'm glad you like my story! And yes, I get threatened all the time for my awful cliffies. ^^;;;;
Smiley-person- Yes, I realized I misspelled 'Omae wo kuruso' and I really don't care. I've been spelling it like that forever now and don't feel like going back and fixing it.
Mars: It's those damn subliminal messages!!!! Buwahahahaha! Of course, Duo's purty eyes -might- have something to do with the lavender thing, but I dunno, for me I just thought of him that way. No particular reason, I just did. *shrug* Lol, and yes, Wu- bear took out some of his bishie angst on Heero with the sharp, pointy, and sometimes-lethal weapon thingie. ^______^
Shella: *shock* The -shortest- review ever! So were those good exclamation points, or were those bad exclamation points? o.0;;;
*ahem* Anyways...*Locks Heero back into his little evil closet* Now that I've done my duties...
ON WITH THE STORY!
***
Darkness, darkness, darkness...that's all there is when you fall asleep.
Closing his eyes, there was comforting slumber waiting for him, waiting to help relieve him of the stress of that night.
Or so he thought.
There was slumber all right, but it wasn't comforting. No, reality had shattered into a void, when slipping into unconsciousness. It was a void, yet it seemed so full.
Suffocating.
He was suffocating.
As if he were being pulled down deep underwater, the pressure bearing down harder and harder until he felt like he was going to be torn to pieces. But before it became unendurable, it just stopped. Tingling ran through his limbs, his skin crawling as if he were covered in spiders.
Trying to bring his guard down, relaxing...peaceful...sleep...
Oh God.
No, he wasn't being relieved, he was -reliving- it.
It was happening again.
The nothingness.
Suspended from invisible puppeteer strings, held in place.
Not able to move.
Suffocating.
Can't breathe.
Blood was everywhere.
Can't feel.
Panicking.
Screaming.
Someone was screaming.
Screaming?
Who was it?
Fierce talons ripped away at the blackness, wrenching everything away, snapping the marionette strings.
He could hear it now.
Someone was screaming.
-He- was screaming.
There was so much blood.
Everywhere.
So much...
"Shhh...It's going to be fine..."
The screaming broke down into body-wracking sobs. All it took was a hand to touch him, to return him to reality and he fell apart at the seams, the hand's owner barely holding him together in his arms.
"It's okay, I've got this handled."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes...Go make sure your partner is well."
There was no response, or if there was, he couldn't hear it through his choked tears.
"Duo, you have to calm down. Breathe..." Wufei said, trying to be soothing but he couldn't keep his voice steady, his heart was pounding against his ribcage.
It was a miracle he hadn't fallen too deeply asleep out in the living room, because if he had, he wouldn't have gotten into Duo's bedroom fast enough to disentangle the braided boy from his bed sheets before he was asphyxiated. The strangled shouts had sounded so terrified; there were no words, just the tone as all that was required to tell him of the fear that gripped his mind. Wufei tentatively kneaded his hands in circles down his tense, shaking back and began to ease the taut muscles.
Duo inhaled sharply at the contact at first, but he slowly started to regain control, the tears gradually subsiding to feeble whimpers as his breathing transited from painful gasps to normal. His surroundings became tangible as the looming black spots clouding his vision vanished and he realized he was practically crushing poor Wufei's midsection in his smothering clutch, even though the Asian showed no signs of discomfiture.
"...Duo?"
He pulled back hastily, wiping his red, puffy face with his fists forcibly to remove the salty moisture, but it didn't clean the fresh dread that lingered in his tired features. "I- I'm sorry, I just jumped on the first person within reach a- and I shouldn't've-"
"Don't worry about it," Wufei cut in reassuringly, but he didn't seem satisfied. "I don't mind."
Duo still refused to meet his understanding gaze.
"It came back to haunt you didn't it? You thought if you went to sleep, you would wake up and find out it never happened," he said quietly. That got the braided slayer's attention real quick. "I know how the nightmare goes...You want to believe that escaping the reality would make it all go away, even if just for a little while, though it's only worse. Much, much worse."
Duo shuddered visibly. "There was so much blood...pain...I was so scared..." he admitted hoarsely, his amethyst eyes darkening and were struggling to not let more tears fall. "Everyone within five blocks of us must have heard me screaming like a frightened little girl-" He recoiled.
Wufei shook his head slightly, reaching over and brushing away a stray tear that had managed to leak out before taking him back in his arms unthinkingly. "There is no reason to be ashamed about that. If it helps any, I was the same way."
"But-"
"I will have no 'buts'," Wufei reproved firmly, "And nothing about how you're supposed to be a big, bad slayer or any of that bull. Look at me, I was a scholar and skilled fighter, yet I was able to concede to you that I had been just as weak and 'girlish'."
Duo snickered. "Yeah, that's a -very- encouraging thought...Still, I won't sleep any easier."
"You need to though. It'll merely make things worse if you force yourself to stay awake to avoid it."
"And wait for nightmares like that to follow? Hell no, I'd rather become an insomniac, thank you very much," he snorted.
"You're exhausted, what would you do if you were too tired to fight during your shift tonight? Rely on Trowa? I've watched him; he holds Quatre first on his list, no matter if he denies it," Wufei pointed out. "Just go back to sleep, I'll stay in here and wake you up if you start showing signs of having the dream again."
"What about you?"
"You heard Quatre, I can't go anywhere after what I did at the party. I can rest while you're out," he shrugged.
"But-"
"I am not going to repeat myself so stop arguing." Wufei started to rise, but Duo grabbed his wrist and made him stop.
"Thanks 'Fei."
Wufei only smiled as he let go of his wrist, pulling the computer chair from the desk a few feet away over so that it was right beside the bed.
Duo fell asleep listening to him hum a song softly in Chinese.
The nightmare didn't return.
***
It was time to make use of a favor an old...friend owed him.
As soon as the sun went down, Heero immediately left his apartment to head downtown. There was a private club called 'The Marquee' in the more affluent part that his old 'friend' ran after dusk and resided in during the day along with his significant other.
In his usual jeans and forest green tank top under his leather jacket, Heero stuck out like a sore thumb when he entered, met with the smooth, arousing sound of jazz and the sweet tang of cigar smoke. Despite his unruly appearance though, the purple haired woman tending the bar did not look at him in disregard, in fact she gave him a rather friendly greeting as she towel- dried shot glasses.
"It's been a while Heero. What brings you in here?"
"Noin, I want to speak with Zechs," Heero replied shortly.
"He's busy right now," she answered, "I believe he's upstairs with Treize."
"Hn..." His displeasure became clearly evident. "Go up there and tell -Milliardo- it's important. He'll disentangle himself from Kushrenada long enough to find time for me."
Noin glanced at him sharply before nodding and opening a door behind the counter that led to the staircase. She reappeared in no time. "Zechs will be down in a minute."
"Good."
"So did you hear about Sally and the girls?" Noin asked in a would-be conversational way, trying to fill up the silence as she picked the shot glass towel back up. "Sally was supposed to go out with me that night after she took care of some 'business', she wouldn't tell me what the 'business' was though."
"Hai." Heero kept neutral.
The door opened and a tall, platinum blonde man stepped out into the smoky light, buttoning up his shirt and looking uneasy as he spotted the Japanese vampire sitting at the counter. He motioned him to follow to a more secluded table out of earshot.
"What do you want Yuy?" Zechs inquired irritably.
"We've got a problem," Heero said tersely. "You remember Wufei, don't you?"
"Yeah, he was that attractive Asian you took on for us after I let Treize turn him," Zechs responded almost wistfully.
"Hn." Heero narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "It seems you picked a wrong first target."
"Me? Have faulty judgment? I don't think so. Why was he wrong? It's been over two years, and you just now want to complain about my choosing skills?"
"He's sided with slayers Marquis."
"What?! When did this happen?"
"It started a few days ago. He went to one for help. Apparently, he has yet to realize the gift you and Treize had given him. Wufei thinks it's a curse. I've tried convincing him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen," he scowled darkly, pulling off his leather jacket and showing the bandaged forearm. "He attacked me with the slayer's weapon and ran off with him and his partners. I've done as much as I could within my power in this situation; I can't remedy it on my own. That's why I came to you. A traitor cannot be allowed to roam freely Milliardo."
Zechs nodded in agreement. "Understood. Do you know the names of the slayers he's sided with?"
"Only one. But if you find him, the other two are bound to be close by."
"So I should put out the word for...?"
"Duo Maxwell. He also calls himself Shinigami."
***