Afterimages

Part 2

By Mieren

Author's note:  (I don't usually put these here, but this time I think it's necessary.)

Warning!  This is very dark and disturbed, even by my standards.  Contains graphic violence, rape and death.  This is YAOI (if you don't know, don't ask, just run now).  If you're not comfortable with it, don't read!  I'm not responsible for any nightmares or bouts of nausea related to reading this.  Suing me will only get you a headache.  (I'm a student.  I own nothing.)  Any and all flames will be laughed at, printed and used to wipe my butt.  So there.

*     *     *

Blood had dried across Duo's face, gluing his eyelids firmly shut.  Only his stubborn efforts allowed him to force his bleary eyes open.  Duo groaned immediately, closing his eyes again when the fierce light and the spinning room met his disoriented gaze.  He waited numbly for the nausea to pass before trying again, this time refusing to close his eyes against the bucking room.  He allowed his eyes to roam, wondering blearily what day it was.

It had been fairly early on Tuesday when he had been sent home by Zechs and knocked senseless by Heero.  There was no way to tell what time it was now without moving.  He suspected that it was Wednesday, but without moving, he couldn't be sure.  Knowing that he couldn't stay on the floor in a pool of his own blood, Duo decided to begin the well-practiced routine.

Duo allowed his eyes to slide almost shut to block out the light as he cautiously inventoried his numerous injuries.  The first thing to register in his spinning mind was his concussion.  The newest blow to his skull had aggravated the prior injury and he didn't need to check to know that it was serious now.  If he received another blow to the head anytime in the near future, it would be his last.

Pushing the morbid thought from his mind, Duo continued with his dazed observations.  His eyebrows drew down in a frustrated scowl when he realized that his left lung had finally collapsed.  He knew that he probably needed to go to a hospital but also knew that doing so would probably upset Heero again.  Sighing weakly with his one working lung, he decided that he could drain the blood from his lung by himself.  It wouldn't be the first time he had done it.  As long as the blood was surrounding his lung and not inside it, it would be simple enough.

Expression grim, he began surveying the rest of his wounds.  Remembering the blow to his jaw, he gingerly ran his tongue around his mouth, spitting two stray teeth that had been knocked loose onto the floor.  There were replacements already waiting at the dentist's office.  He had an entire set of teeth waiting for him at all points in time just in case they were needed.  He'd talk to the surgeon again on the weekend.

Knowing that he had to clean up, Duo started to swivel his arms forward to push himself to a kneeling position.  His right arm moved around immediately, but his left only shifted sluggishly.  Once it was within his peripheral vision, Duo stared at it emptily, his mind foggily recognizing that it had an extra angle to it in the middle of his forearm.  His eyes flickered towards his wrist and he sighed again when he saw his palm lying almost flat against his forearm.  Duo pressed his eyes shut and sucked a breath through his blood-coated throat.  He hated setting bones.

Remembering his attempts to move on Monday with a concussion, Duo wisely didn't try to lift himself off of the floor, opting to use his right arm to drag himself sluggishly across the floor, inch by inch, to the bathroom.  Once inside the tiny room, his eyes shifted automatically towards the clock to see how much time he had before Heero returned.  It was only noon.  Whether it was Wednesday or Thursday he didn't know.  As long as he had time to clean himself and the apartment up before Heero returned, he didn't care.  Judging by the fact that blood was still streaked across the floors and walls, he assumed it was still Wednesday, though.  Heero wouldn't leave such a mess across his apartment.

Gritting his teeth, Duo wrapped his right hand around his left and pulled outward with all of his strength, letting out small choked sounds as the bones in his forearm and wrist fell back into alignment.  That done, he clumsily splinted his arm and let it lie lax at his side while he fumbled to set his ribs into a vague semblance of their proper positions.  Panting heavily in pain, he pulled out a thick needle from the medical kit and ran his fingers across the poorly set bones, counting to himself as his fingers swept lower.  Reaching the proper number, he slipped the needle between the two ribs to drain the blood from his lung.  He began gasping fitfully as the pressure abated, returning the use of his left lung.

Duo prayed that his lung wouldn't fill with blood a second time.  He knew he couldn't stay on the floor forever.  He had to get up.  Heero would return in a few hours and he had to finish cleaning both himself and the apartment up before the Japanese boy returned.  Clenching his teeth with the knowledge of imminent agony, Duo slowly levered himself off of the floor, his breath hissing through clenched teeth as he struggled to maintain consciousness.  Seconds passed by sluggishly while he forced himself to maintain his balance long enough to relieve himself.  He knew that it was better to strain himself now than to make a mess.  He would be punished if he made a mess.

He immediately collapsed once he was finished, unable to support his own weight any longer.  Hissing in pain, he rolled onto his stomach, glancing around the bathroom before realizing that he didn't have the strength to return to his own room.  Heero would be angry if he didn't return to his own room.

A hysterical giggle escaped his lips as he quivered against the tile floor.  He was still bleeding.  He was still making a mess on the bathroom floor.  Even knowing that he would be unable to clean the mess he was making, he couldn't muster the effort to stop himself from bleeding.  He knew better, right?  Barely conscious, Duo groped blindly at the cleaning supplies beneath the sink.  The moment his hand closed on something solid, he made an unsuccessful attempt to move himself to clean the mess he had foolishly made.  A sound that was somewhere between a frantic giggle and a gasp of fear escaped his mouth when he realized that he couldn't regain his feet.  In a moment of idiocy, he had allowed himself to splatter blood across the apartment.  He was unable to clean the mess he had made.  Heero would be angry.

Still chuckling at his own stupidity, Duo swiped his one working arm at the nearest swath of blood across the floor, vainly attempting to clean the mess he had made.  At his reckless attempt to move, consciousness fled and he returned to the world of darkness.

*     *     *

Consciousness returned like a slap to the face.  Opening his eyes, Duo corrected his original thought.  Consciousness had returned like a boot to the ribs, knocking him out of the way so that his back was pressed to the wall.  He groaned feebly and held very still, no longer having the strength to move or defend himself.

Fury was almost tangible in the silence.  Duo could sense enraged cobalt eyes drilling into his back.  Several minutes passed before either boy moved.  Finally, Heero wrapped his hand in the front of Duo's shirt, hefting him into the bathtub and turning on the shower.  Snagging a few cleaning supplies, he stalked out of the bathroom, leaving Duo lying motionless under a stream of ice cold water.

For his part, Duo shivered miserably.  He was too disoriented from his concussion to sit up to adjust the water temperature and too weak from blood loss to pull himself out of the tub.  Trembling violently, he could only watch as bloody water streamed from his clothes and his visible skin slowly turned blue.  He quickly lost the strength to shiver and grew still, his eyes fixed and unseeing.

Suddenly, mercifully, the water was turned off.  Duo winced when several towels were dropped carelessly on his chest, the slight weight jarring his sensitive ribs.  The pain shattered past the numbing chill that had settled into his skin, forcing him into awareness.  By the time he forced his blurry eyes to open, Heero was gone.

Knowing he would be unable to get out of the tub, Duo settled on using one of the towels to clumsily dab himself off with his one working arm.  He tried to ignore his still wet clothes.  Wadding up the sopped towel, he stuck it behind his head, attempting to shield his ginger skull from the hard porcelain tub.  He used the other two towels to cover himself with, hoping to keep in a little warmth.

Pain and blood loss took their toll.  Within moments, Duo returned to blackness.

*     *     *

It was nothing short of a miracle that allowed Duo to regain consciousness the next morning.  By all rights, his concussion should have killed him or rendered him comatose at the very least.  As it was, he was shocked that hypothermia hadn't claimed him during the night.

Realizing that he was still alive, Duo moaned pitifully, wondering what new injuries Heero would inflict on him today.  He didn't dare go to work in the state he was in, as Zechs would send him home immediately, but he didn't dare attempt to convince Heero that he should stay home either.

"Damned if you do.  Damned if you don't," Duo muttered to himself.  He made his decision.

Grunting with the effort, Duo used his right arm to lever himself gingerly out of the bathtub and onto the tile floor.  He landed awkwardly on his side, grinding his teeth to keep from crying out in pain.  Using every swear word he knew, and making up a few as he went, he managed to regain his feet largely by virtue of hanging off the sink.

Still poorly coordinated, he turned on the tap, using the tepid water to rinse the blood from his swollen, discolored face.  He glanced into the mirror to make sure he had gotten rid of all of the crimson streaks, wincing when he saw his reflection.  It looked as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to his face.

Close enough, he thought drearily.  He sighed forlornly.  How am I going to hide this?  Wufei won't care and no one in the office will bother me for the most part, but Zechs isn't going to overlook this. But I can't stay here, either.  Damn.  I don't have a choice, I guess.

Resuming his litany of curses, he stripped out of his sodden clothes and began the tedious process of cleaning his wounds.  As he worked, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge how many scars he had incurred in the months he had shared an apartment with Heero.  Many of the scars had vanished behind bruises from the last few days, hiding their true numbers.

Duo quickly splinted his left arm and bound his shattered ribs, knowing that Heero would wake up fairly soon.  He hissed in pain as he once again drained the blood from his left lung.  Chuckling grimly, he wondered how much more blood he could lose and still remain consciousness.  Probably not much more.  He was already very dizzy.

Still watching the small bathroom clock closely, he used the restroom for the first time since he had lost consciousness the previous day.  He had just finished when he heard movement within the apartment.  Heero was awake.  In a few moments, he had to look presentable or risk getting beaten again.  Flinching at the thought, he tentatively grasped a small washcloth in his good hand and soaked it in warm water, gently wiping himself down to remove the last traces of blood from his battered form.  He turned sluggishly to face the form he knew was standing in the doorway, not slowing his efforts.

"Just getting ready for work," he said lightly to the scowling figure watching him.  "I'll be done in a minute and you can have the bathroom."

Heero grunted and folded his arms across his chest, a clear sign that he was getting impatient.  Trying not to look worried, Duo finished washing himself off and snagged his clothes and the bloody towels that he had used the previous night.  It was difficult to walk balancing a large load of laundry in his one working arm, depriving him of the ability to lean on the walls, but he didn't dare complain.  Heero silently moved out of his way as he shuffled weakly into the hall and towards the small washer they had in a small room near the kitchen.

Rid of his armload, Duo gratefully leaned on the walls as he hobbled back to his room to find something to wear.  Having missed as much work as he had, Heero would expect him to leave earlier than normal, so he didn't have too much time.  Even worse, he wasn't up to driving.  He wasn't looking forward to telling Heero that he needed a ride to work.  Arriving in his room, he pulled on the first clean set of clothes he saw, grateful that the shirt had sleeves long and baggy enough to hide his splint.  The more he could keep out of sight, the better.

Glancing at his reflection one last time before leaving the room, he winced, realizing he had forgotten something important.  He had to braid his hair.  Letting out a weak breath, he brushed his damp hair and fumbled to put it into a ponytail with one hand.  He glanced at his crude work and grumbled to himself.  This wasn't the first time he had had difficulty working with his hair due to an arm injury, but he usually managed to get it into at least a messy braid.  He hoped this wouldn't draw attention he didn't need.

Once finished, he moved slowly towards the kitchen.  Even though he was too nauseous to keep anything down, he knew he was dehydrated.  Fearing that anything he drank would make him ill, he settled on a few glasses of water.  He knew it had no nutritional value but didn't relish the idea of getting sick again.

Hearing a noise behind him, Duo turned as quickly as he was able to acknowledge Heero in the doorway to the kitchen.  The Japanese teen appeared ready to leave.  Duo attempted a grin, but the corners of his mouth only raised enough to form a weak grimace.

"I'm ready to leave whenever you are," he said, inwardly cursing the raspy quality to his voice.  When Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously, he quickly elaborated.  "I don't think I should be driving just yet.  I might… get in a wreck."

Having delivered the news, he held perfectly still, waiting for Heero's reaction.  He was surprised when Heero simply grunted and left the kitchen.  Duo nearly laughed in relief and joy.  His patience was paying off.  In his own withdrawn way, Heero had helped him clean up last night and now he was going to get a ride to work.  His war-crazed friend was calming down.

Duo's mind wandered from his injuries and the abuse he had endured for several months now.  His best friend was recovering from his harsh training.  Heero was finally achieving the peace of mind they all deserved after fighting for so long.  A small smile worked its way onto his bruised and swollen face.

*     *     *

Duo didn't realize how badly he was injured until he tried to climb the stairs to get to his office.  Every movement sent fiery pain along his muscles, searing his abused nerves.  Ignoring his agony, he trudged his way to his office, ignoring the strange looks his mangled appearance and shuffling steps were drawing from his coworkers.  Wufei said something to him, but he wasn't listening, too intent on getting to his office before he passed out.

Reaching his office without incident, Duo slumped against the wall, already exhausted.  The small room seemed to spin around him and he swayed unsteadily.  Cursing silently, he stumbled to his desk, looking forward to sitting down.

Despite the pain he was in, Duo didn't regret coming to work.  Heero was happy and would remain so as long as he remained hidden from Zechs.  A pained smile etched itself on Duo's face.  All he had to do was hide in his office for the day.  No one would know that he was hurt.  No one would know he wasn't working.  The paperwork could wait.  He was safe.

Finally able to relax, the injuries took their toll on both Duo's mind and body.  He slid from his chair to the floor, unconscious.

*     *     *

Wufei scowled, furious.  He had asked Duo a question twice as the braided teen shuffled across the room, but both times the brunette had failed to answer.  Ready to chew him out for his irresponsible behavior, he stormed after the American.  He hadn't taken more than three steps before he stopped cold.

A dark liquid trail followed the path Duo had taken, smeared from his shoes and dripping from his clothes.  Automatically, Wufei bent down to trail his fingers through the thick fluid, eyes widening slightly when his senses confirmed what his mind had refused to believe.  It was blood.  He blinked in shock, desperately trying to calculate how severely the slender brunette was injured to be bleeding so badly.  His mind came to an immediate conclusion.  Duo was bleeding to death.

Lurching upright, he moved as quickly as he could across the building without running.  He didn't want to attract attention if he was wrong or if this was one of the American's stupid pranks.  He seriously doubted the possibility.  Not even Duo would do something like that.  Guilt plagued him for being angry only moments ago.  Abandoning dignity, he sprinted through the winding halls to where Duo's office was hidden, shoving the door open without knocking.

For a moment, he thought that the braided boy wasn't in his office.  That thought vanished when he noticed the blood on the floor and desk.  He didn't hesitate before running around the desk.  All thought and reason abandoned him when he saw Duo's limp form on the floor, blood slowly pooling around him.  He hesitantly placed one hand on his comrade's pale cheek, wincing when it was cold to the touch.

"Duo?" he asked softly.  Getting no response, he repeated himself, placing one hand on the black clad form to shake him gently.

He jerked his hand back as though burnt.  The ribs under his fingers had yielded with no pressure at all.  The handprint he had left in his friend's side did not rise.  Wufei stared at his blood-covered hand, nearly going into shock.

How could he have moved? Wufei thought, still staring at his crimsoned hand in horror.  Nataku.  He's dying.

Shaking violently, he fumbled for his cell phone, swearing luridly when the number he dialed was busy.  Fuming in rage, he sprinted from the room, intent on retrieving Sally before the unconscious American bled to death.

In a matter of minutes, he had traversed the length of the building, running up several flights of stairs in his haste.  He couldn't take the time to use the elevator.  Reaching the clinic, he didn't give Sally a chance to respond, opting to drag her physically from the room, several bags of medical supplies he had pilfered from her office hanging from his other arm.

Sally didn't say a word as he towed her across the building at frantic speeds, explaining hastily as he pulled her behind him.  She would have run on her own, but she was no match for the speed of a Gundam pilot.  Being dragged was actually faster, so she had no objections, especially once she understood what had him so upset.

By the time the two reached the office only minutes after Wufei had left, Duo was gone without a trace.  A building wide search ensued immediately for the injured teen.  It took them nearly an hour to realize that Heero was gone as well.

*     *     *

Duo slipped in and out of consciousness.  Flashes of the office and the road met his blurred gaze, nothing making sense to him.  He saw another glimpse of the road.  Then the dashboard of Heero's car.  Blackness.  His eyes flickered open miserably to see Heero's visage as he was lifted out of the car.

A weak grin flitted across Duo's face.  Heero was helping him.  He choked on a cry of relief.  His patience had finally paid off.  His best friend had finally calmed from the madness of war.  Even though it was painful to move, he reached up with one hand to place his fingers on Heero's cheek, leaving streaks of blood where his fingers brushed the skin.  The effort was short lived, his arm falling limp almost immediately.

Ignoring the effort it took, he struggled to remain awake while he was carried into their apartment.  The door slid shut behind them with an ominous click.

Pain enveloped Duo.  It took him several seconds to realize that he was being suspended by his neck while punches were being delivered to his abused ribs and abdomen.  Blood splattered across the floor with each blow, the crimson streaking testament to the damage being inflicted.

At that moment, Duo realized two things.  The first was that nothing had changed.  Heero was still the violent soldier he had always been.  The second was that he had made a deadly mistake.  He had let the office know how badly he was injured.

Silently, Duo waited out the beating, slipping in and out of consciousness as his mind continued to lose the ability to handle the pain in sporadic intervals.  After an indeterminate length of time, the pain stopped.  He gasped miserably around his ruined lungs, unable to even summon the strength to flinch in pain when he was thrown to the floor.  It was over.  Heero would leave and he'd be left to recuperate and clean up the mess.

Movement caught the attention of his hazy mind and he forced his blackened eyes to focus on the image in front of him.  Heero was kneeling in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face.  Deft hands reached out, pulling off the blood-sopped clothing hanging from Duo's too thin frame.

Realization struck.  Icy tendrils worked down Duo's back when he understood the full extent of what was happening.  He suddenly found the strength to fight back, lurching pathetically from where he was sprawled on the hardwood floor.  When he was pinned easily, he did the first thing that came naturally from his childhood on the streets of L2.  He screamed.

Heero's hand clamped around his face, raising his head a few inches from the floor before slamming it downwards to meet the hardwood floor with a sickening crunch.  Light flashed through Duo's vision, followed by the purest darkness.  Consciousness fled as his body began to jerk to the rhythm of the form above him.

To Be Continued…

Damn, am I mean.  Anyways, review if you want more.  I have it done already.  The sooner you want it out, the more you'll review.  Aren't I evil?  R&R!  ^_^

Since ff.net saw fit to take down ALL of my stories under the other area I was posting, I'm starting up again under this name.  I LOST MY REVIEWS!!!  ;_;  Please, review!  I'll beg and turn Quatre's puppy dog eyes on you!  Review!