*~* Chapter 29 *~*

When Duo awoke, he found himself in a dark room. His hands and ankles were chained to the wall behind him, and with a hand he found that it was a stone wall.

The atmosphere was dank and dark. Being an angel, Duo found it hard to breathe the damp air that surrounded him. The lack of light dampened his spirit, threatening to crush the string of hope that he held on to.

He winced as he shifted position, his whole body protesting. It felt as though he hadn't moved for a while. Oddly enough, he found that his wounds that felt fresh had had time to heal, leaving deep scars in his skin, but even they were months old. Just how long had he been unconscious? What kind of magic was at work?

Suddenly he became aware that there was someone...or something else in the room. He gulped, afraid of who-or what it might be...

The other's raspy breath resounded around him now that he was aware of it

"Who's there?" Duo managed to ask, his own voice coarse in this strange environment. He felt as though he hadn't spoken for hours. How long had he been unconscious?

Duo received no reply to his question, although the breathing stopped for a moment before continuing

"Ya won't git nothin' outta 'him" a voice said casually, and Duo jumped at the proximity of the noise.

"Where am I?" The braided angel asked hoarsely.

The voice chuckled

"Dontcha know? Though I guess ya wouldn't a asked if ya did. Yer a prisner now, lad. A prinser of the God o' Death 'imself"

Duo's eyes widened. "A prisoner? How long have I been here?"

The voice seemed to hesitate for a moment, before speaking quietly. " 'Bout a year an a half, lad."

"But.....that can't be true! It just can't be! I'm supposed to be dead!"

" 'Fraid not kid. Yer gonna find that a year an' a half ain't long in this place. Fact is, I wouldn't count on gettin' out."

Duo moaned as he realized the terrible pain his friends must be.............must have suffered at his death......at the deaths of the people of Trowa's city. He wondered vaguely if they thought about him from time to time. If a year and a half had gone by, if this man wasn't lying, then he would have to agree. Chances of escape were looking pretty slim. "How long have you been in here?" Duo found his voice was getting better.

The voice sighed. "Longer than I c'n count, kid."

Duo winced, and fell silent, the raspy breathing of the other filling the damp room.

The braided angel lost track of time as the minutes seemed to slowly slip away. The pain from his chains that held him in an upright position, too short for him to lie down, or even sit, was becoming a constant nagging. His weakened limbs, cramped from a year and a half with no movement were protesting at his efforts to keep himself upright. If he let the weight that he held on his legs fall, the jagged metal circling his wrists dug into his flesh. The skin there was tender, and raw, but Duo's exhaustion was overwhelming. He eventually drifted into an unconscious state, where pain and worries did not bother his thoughts.

*~*

When the braided angel awoke, his wrists were bleeding from the jagged metal. Knowing that chances of escape were slim even if he were free and in full health, Duo decided they were considerably better than they were in his current position. He'd sacrificed himself thinking he would die. Now, a year and a half later, the fact that he was alive was enough to install a tiny amount of hope in his mind.

Closing his eyes, the braided angel concentrated his healing energies on his wrists. He started to glow a dull shade of violet, but the tiniest bit of light was enough to make the other two wince and turn their eyes away.

"Whatcha doin' over there, kid?" The familiar voice asked.

Duo sighed with relief when he was finished, and as his glow faded, he opened his eyes. "Healing." Duo responded. "It's my magic."

"Whatever, kid. It seems like yer another a those mage types."

Duo nodded. "I'm an angel....not really a mage."

A moment of silence passed before the voice spoke again. "Well, that explains why ya ain't dead. What's yer name, kid?"

"Duo Maxwell."

"Well, Duo Maxwell, I'm Vinny, an' that there's George. 'E used ta talk, couple years back, but somewhat stole 'is voice. All 'e does now is breathe, an' even that ain't been too healthy lately."

"Has it always been this dark in here?" Duo asked, working his telekinetic powers on the chains around his wrists.

"Was dark like this ever since I been down here." Vinny replied. "George'd know better. Didn't think I'd ever see light again 'til you started glowin'."

Duo smiled. "Well, I could light this place up..."

"If you would, kid, I'd be grateful. But do it slow-like. My eyes ain't cut out fer sunshine after so many years in darkness."

Duo nodded. "Give me another minute, and I'll see what I can do." Almost got it....there! The left chain clicked, then popped open, and Duo's left arm fell free of its bindings.

"What was that?" Vinny asked, his voice curious.

Duo set to work on the right chains, and within a moment it popped open as well. "You'll see in a minute." The braided angel replied, before throwing together his smallest light spell.

He found that even his eyes shied away from the light, as small as it was. He'd produced a tiny sphere, with a diameter of approximately one inch. He'd dulled the light by adding a shade of violet so that it wouldn't be a blinding white.

His eyes adjusted within a few moments, his healing powers helping to speed up the process. Small as the light source was, Duo was now able to make out his surroundings. They were in a small, rectangular room. A wooden door with a barred opening near the top was on one wall, and it led into a hallway that was just as dark as the room had been. The walls were of stone . . . much resembling a dungeon. This didn't surprise Duo. After all, where else would you keep prisoners?

The floor was damp, and a pile of hay in one corner was moulding. The angel could just make out two dark forms. . .

One was tall and wiry, hunched over, and silent. The second was shorter, smaller, and curled up in a corner. Duo guessed George to be the smaller one, and Vinny the taller.

He found out that his guess was right when the taller one moved slightly, adjusting the position of his head. "Not too shabby, Duo Maxwell." He said with a crooked grin. Duo smiled back, working on the manacles around his ankles. They soon clicked open, and Duo stepped away from the wall, stretching his arms above his head.

"You two aren't still chained, are you?" He asked sceptically, squinting into the darkness, and bringing his light up a notch.

Vinny nodded. "'Fraid we are, kid. How're you free?"

"Magic." Duo replied, quickly setting to work on the chains around his two fellow prisoners. Within moments, they were both as free as he was....in a certain sense. Duo didn't even need to check to be certain that the cell door was magically enforced. He could almost smell the angel-proof magic it possessed.

Vinny stepped away from the chains, a look of amazement on his face. "Duo Maxwell...yer an angel." He stated.

"You'd better believe it." Duo replied, noticing that George hadn't moved, even though he was no longer in chains.

The hunched figure was still in the corner, head buried between his knees, which were drawn up to his chest. His arms were wrapped around them, and Duo picked out a pointed ear beneath the matted, tangled hair.

"George?" He asked gently, stepping towards the sorry looking creature.

The head turned, and Duo gasped as glowing scarlet eyes surveyed him beneath messy bangs. The head cocked to the side, but no sound came forth from dry, chapped lips.

"He don't talk." Vinny said quietly. "I already told ya that, kid."

Duo grinned. "I have a knack for getting people to talk, even if it's just telling me to stop talking." Decision made, the braided angel bounced over, and plopped himself down beside George.

Vinny sighed tiredly. "I already told ya." He started to say again, but Duo cut him off.

"It's worth a shot, right?" The violet eyed boy countered. "I've at least got to try...."

A week later, Duo found himself talking to George as if he was a personal teddy bear. One that listened and wouldn't tell your secrets....but wouldn't reply at all either. However, as it is with all teddy bears and all of their owners, there is always the little bit of hope that remains that maybe, just maybe they will respond?

The braided boy grinned as his life story continued. He'd reached the part where Heero and he had left for Wufei's clan to fetch the herbs to heal the unconscious fire mage.

"I can't help but wonder what I said or did while I was having that vision I told you about." Duo said softly, staring into space, remembering the feel of Heero's lips pressed against his own. "It must have been somethin' pretty original to make him do what he did while we were in that house in the clan." His sentence trailed off, and he brought a finger to his mouth, brushing it across the soft red lips. "It felt so right."

The smallest of noises came from the creature sitting beside the braided angel. Duo's eyes widened, and he turned to George. "What's that?"

"What . . ." The scarlet eyes held a determined look as he spoke the first words he had in years. "What did. . .What did Heero . . . do?"

Duo grinned and glanced sideways at Vinny. "Told you so"

Vinny rolled his eyes. "You ain't never gonna stop surprisin' me, Duo Maxwell." he muttered under his breath.

The angel then turned back to George. "What Heero did rendered me speechless. Something that doesn't happen too often, trust me . . ."

And the story started again.

*~*

Two weeks later, Duo had George talking of *his* past. He'd made two new friends in his 'new home', and although he missed his old ones very much, he found that he was coping with his current predicament.

However, the scarlet eyed creature wasn't looking too healthy of late.

In fact, on that very same day, Duo found that his healing powers had lost all effect in this magic-proof room. George's coughing kept getting worse and worse. While he insisted that he was fine, and only needed sleep, Duo felt otherwise.

"Here, take my cloak." Vinny offered, wrapping his worn and tattered cloak around his friend. "It'll at least keep ya a little more warm-like".

Duo nodded. "You're very sick, George. If only I could help you..."

"Don't blame yourself for this, Duo" The creature replied in his soft voice. "I've been here for so long...I guess my time has run out."

Duo quirked an eyebrow. "How long have you been here?"

"Too many centuries to count." The scarlet eyed boy replied. "You see, in this realm, you won't age, but the people of your time will. As they get old, so will you, although it won't show. When your time is over, you will perish as well."

"I don't understand." Duo replied.

George sighed as he snuggled further beneath Vinny's cloak. "A year here amounts to an hour of your time." he stated sleepily before falling into another coughing fit. the offending sickness shook his body with the effort it took to breathe. "You will live for a much longer time, but you will not age. You must have also noticed that food is not required for survival."

Duo nodded. "I haven't eaten a thing in ages, but I'm not hungry at all. But is what you're saying true? I've been here for almost two years, and only two hours have gone by in my time? In my old friends' time?"

George nodded as he drifted off to sleep. "Yes...Shinigami told me himself."

The scarlet eyed boy never woke up. No one came to claim his body, and it did not decompose. His spirit passed on, but his body was left to lie forever, as the one known as George slept on as a prisoner of Shinigami until the end of time.

*~*

** Part Two of Chapter 29 coming soon **

~ Duo's Only Chick

-- thank you for your patience! --