Chapter 8- Where have you gone?
The salty air stung Quatre's cheek as he walked along the familiar beach. Waves lapped at his bare feet and the gulls cried as they circled in the air, riding freely on the thermals, and others banged clams against the hard rocks. As he peered out at the wide ocean, he could see a small craft bobbing on the gentle waves. A figure waved at him, and he waved back, then the boat sailed over the horizon and disappeared. He felt a pull on his arm, and turned quickly, but there was no one there. He rotated 360' but there was no sign of anyone. His arm was yanked again, nearly being pulled out of its socket and he stumbled and fell- just as a bullet whizzed right over his head. He jumped to his feet and stared in the direction from which the shot had come, but there was no one and no place for an assassin to hide. He knew, instinctively, that once again the dreams and reality were being squashed together, overlapping, and that meant something was going on in the dream world. He and Leah were in danger in her nightmare, and so was he in this world! He ran up to the Dorlian mansion and into Leah's room, panting. "Heero.she's in danger.assassins.we need to wake her now! Heero? What's wrong?" Tears were streaming from Heero's eyes as he knelt head bent over Leah's sleeping form. Heero moved aside to reveal a gunshot wound in Leah's chest. "She must have been shot, Quatre. She's still breathing, but barely, and I can't even get close to it. There's a wall around the wound and I can't get though it." "Because she was shot in the dream world," Quatre said pensively. "We need to either wake her.or go into the dream world and find her." "Quatre, you must go! You have to save her! Please.I can't live without her." "Not can I, but I can't, Heero. She's on a deeper level of dreaming that I can achieve by falling asl-" he collapsed to the ground in mid- sentence, eyes glazing over. "Quatre? Quatre! He's gone." "There'll be nothing to do but wait. It takes a while for him to prepare to wake up. There is something he has to do, and he won't wake until it is done." Heero turned to see Duo standing in the doorway. "Didn't you want him to go find her?" "Yes and no. I wanted him to find Leah for me, but I didn't want him to go right away. It wasn't safe for him to go." Hearing the cries and low voices of those in great heart's pain, Relena came running into Leah's room. A small cry escaped her lips as she saw Leah's bloodstained blouse and the hands and face of Heero, also stained with blood, and the prone figure of Quatre on the floor. "Heero.Heero, what happened?" Heero looked up with far-off, dead eyes, that didn't seem to take in anything around him. "Leah was shot in the dreaming world, and Quatre went after her to try to save her," he answered, his voice filled with the strain of holding back the river of tears he knew would fall if he wasn't strong. He couldn't let her worry; she was already tense enough, and didn't need the extra stress. But Relena could see the pain in his eyes and so she knelt beside him and cradled him in her arms. With the gentleness of her touch, the dam burst and soon Relena's dress was soaked with both her tears and Heero's. Silently, Duo left the room and walked down the long hall to his own quarters where he proceeded to bang his fist against the wall, leaving several small dents. His knuckles cracked and bled furiously, and still he pounded out all of his frustrations, ignoring the pain. Then two strong arms encircled him from behind and turned him around to look at his face. "Shush, Duo. It will be all right." Trowa stood before him and wiped the tears from the braided boy's face. "They'll be back. They'll be fine." Duo buried his face in the taller boy's chest and sobbed, as his hands clutched the fabric of the white shirt leaving red stains where the blood had run. All through the residence, people knelt and held each other tightly, sending out their thoughts and what little strength they had to the couple who were trapped in a nightmare with no way to wake.
The salty air stung Quatre's cheek as he walked along the familiar beach. Waves lapped at his bare feet and the gulls cried as they circled in the air, riding freely on the thermals, and others banged clams against the hard rocks. As he peered out at the wide ocean, he could see a small craft bobbing on the gentle waves. A figure waved at him, and he waved back, then the boat sailed over the horizon and disappeared. He felt a pull on his arm, and turned quickly, but there was no one there. He rotated 360' but there was no sign of anyone. His arm was yanked again, nearly being pulled out of its socket and he stumbled and fell- just as a bullet whizzed right over his head. He jumped to his feet and stared in the direction from which the shot had come, but there was no one and no place for an assassin to hide. He knew, instinctively, that once again the dreams and reality were being squashed together, overlapping, and that meant something was going on in the dream world. He and Leah were in danger in her nightmare, and so was he in this world! He ran up to the Dorlian mansion and into Leah's room, panting. "Heero.she's in danger.assassins.we need to wake her now! Heero? What's wrong?" Tears were streaming from Heero's eyes as he knelt head bent over Leah's sleeping form. Heero moved aside to reveal a gunshot wound in Leah's chest. "She must have been shot, Quatre. She's still breathing, but barely, and I can't even get close to it. There's a wall around the wound and I can't get though it." "Because she was shot in the dream world," Quatre said pensively. "We need to either wake her.or go into the dream world and find her." "Quatre, you must go! You have to save her! Please.I can't live without her." "Not can I, but I can't, Heero. She's on a deeper level of dreaming that I can achieve by falling asl-" he collapsed to the ground in mid- sentence, eyes glazing over. "Quatre? Quatre! He's gone." "There'll be nothing to do but wait. It takes a while for him to prepare to wake up. There is something he has to do, and he won't wake until it is done." Heero turned to see Duo standing in the doorway. "Didn't you want him to go find her?" "Yes and no. I wanted him to find Leah for me, but I didn't want him to go right away. It wasn't safe for him to go." Hearing the cries and low voices of those in great heart's pain, Relena came running into Leah's room. A small cry escaped her lips as she saw Leah's bloodstained blouse and the hands and face of Heero, also stained with blood, and the prone figure of Quatre on the floor. "Heero.Heero, what happened?" Heero looked up with far-off, dead eyes, that didn't seem to take in anything around him. "Leah was shot in the dreaming world, and Quatre went after her to try to save her," he answered, his voice filled with the strain of holding back the river of tears he knew would fall if he wasn't strong. He couldn't let her worry; she was already tense enough, and didn't need the extra stress. But Relena could see the pain in his eyes and so she knelt beside him and cradled him in her arms. With the gentleness of her touch, the dam burst and soon Relena's dress was soaked with both her tears and Heero's. Silently, Duo left the room and walked down the long hall to his own quarters where he proceeded to bang his fist against the wall, leaving several small dents. His knuckles cracked and bled furiously, and still he pounded out all of his frustrations, ignoring the pain. Then two strong arms encircled him from behind and turned him around to look at his face. "Shush, Duo. It will be all right." Trowa stood before him and wiped the tears from the braided boy's face. "They'll be back. They'll be fine." Duo buried his face in the taller boy's chest and sobbed, as his hands clutched the fabric of the white shirt leaving red stains where the blood had run. All through the residence, people knelt and held each other tightly, sending out their thoughts and what little strength they had to the couple who were trapped in a nightmare with no way to wake.