Chapter 6

That light. It was so bright. Someone needed to blow out that candle, or shut that window. Either way, it was bothersome. Hilde groaned and rolled away from the intrusive glow. She was safe in her darkness. 'Hilde.' Go away. 'Hilde.' I'm not ready to get up.

"Wake up already!" The voice cut deep into her mind. She shot up with such force and speed her intruder was smacked right in the head, making a resounding thunk. Both moaned from the unexpected pain.

"In the name of all that lives and breaths, I will never wake you up again!" Duo cursed as he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead.

"Where am I?"

"A brothel." Hilde's eyes widened in disbelief as Duo made his way to look into his reflection in a bowl of water to see any possible damage from the impact. He only turned away to push the feeble girl back onto the bed.

"Don't worry. You're in a private room. No one will come in. No, I don't plan on using you." Hilde still eyed him wearily.

"Why are we here?" He didn't even glance at her as he yelled out the door.

"Sabe! Hey! Bring up the team!"

"You got it Duo!" He turned back to Hilde.

"This is my… home." He hesitated on the word home. Hilde could have pried further, but at that moment an army of women ran into the room with soaps, tub, combs, clothes, and other terrible mechanisms. Hilde's eyes widened as she backed up against the wall. Duo laughed and placed a hand on a woman's shoulder who held a handful of clothing.

"Don't scare her too much." Hilde looked like a cornered animal as the ring of women closed in on her. Duo smiled as he left the room.

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Hilde scowled from across the room at Duo. He sat merrily eating at the table. S he had curled up deep into one of the corners and had refused to come out. The display of her feelings towards him didn't seem to have any effect on him whatsoever. The women had scrubbed Hilde clean of all dirt and grime and dressed into a small hunting outfit. Duo obviously planned on taking her somewhere. S he wanted some answers first. The sudden clenching of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in several days. Duo seemed to momentarily halt in his massive gorging. He spoke with a full mouth.

"You should probably eat. We have a long way to go tomorrow." Hilde felt like a little girl again. With that realization, she stood up and made her way to the other side of the room. She continuously glowered at him.

"I'm surprised your face hasn't frozen like that."

"What do you want with me?"

"The location of the rebels." Hilde stiffened and drew closer.

"That is something I can not give to you. I don't know. A select few know. Even those who are inside encampment do not know the location." Duo's eyes remained calm, but his body stiffened.

"Then you will tell me what you know."

"No." Duo threw down the meat he was eating and dusted off his hands on his pants. He centered all of his attention on the girl that stood before him. He slowly raised his right hand, holding up his forefinger and middle finger. He snapped his fingers together in a quick jerky movement. They immediately began to glow. Hilde didn't notice how Duo's eyes began to glow as well; her eyes were attached to his fingers.

"We'll do this the hard way then." He drew closer, Hilde paralyzed in place. "Where are the rebels?" He asked casually. She answered against the bond with all her will power only to be unsuccessful.

"I don't know."

"Do you remember the geography of the location?"

"Yes."

"Then please, enlighten me with everything you know." Hilde strained to turn away, to move, to tell him to eat his own liver.

"The land is rough and difficult to travel. It is barren from the eye, but as you reach the hills, the rain comes and never leaves you until you reach the top. The soil is rich at the top. The women and men train in the forest on the other side. The sound of their work can be heard for miles. There are many. Children live freely and train among the trees as well. The sun is welcoming and the rain is gentle. We are unhindered by king or law. We grow on each other and always keep one goal in mind." Duo's gaze had softened slightly, the glow dimming.

"And what goal is that?" he whispered.

"Crush the king's hold on our land and give freedom to our kin." She said it with reverence as if it was some kind of prayer. Duo dropped his hand, the glow fading slowly. As if a force had suddenly released her, she fell to her knees. She gasped, her voice hoarse.

"What did you do to me, demon?" she hissed. Duo spun elegantly and sat back down on his seat, as if nothing had happened.

"Half demon, actually. My mother lived here when my father visited her and then walked out of her life, and here I am!" Hilde's eyes widened.

"Baby eater! Monster! What did you do to me?" she cried. "Poison my mind with evil? Take my soul as I breathed?" Duo's gaze was steady. It was as if he hadn't moved, but he stood right before her, grasping her neck tightly.

"I may not be a whole demon, but I'm a half one. You'll do well to remember that while you're here." Hilde's eyes squeezed shut as she felt his fingers tighten. His grip suddenly loosened. She fell back and landed hard on her side. She stared at Duo's back as he walked towards the door. So, she was a prisoner.

"Don't go anywhere," he commented over his shoulder to her. "I'll be back soon and then we'll have some more fun." The door clicked shut and then locked.

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After Cathy had washed herself clean of blood and dust from the arena, she put on her clothes that had been thrown at her. She had to admit, after cleaning away the layers of filth, she felt much better. Despite this, she still felt the stone of dread resting at the bottom of her stomach. She was just tying the pants into place when the door flew open. The young man from earlier entered with a guard. The guard immediately twisted Cathy's arm behind her back and dragged her into the hall. The touches had dimmed. It must have been morning by now. With a gruff command, the guard shoved Cathy into a dark cell. She could hear vermin scatter in various directions as the torch brightened up the cracked corners. A small wooden bench was occupied by a skeleton, long since losing its flesh. The guard released her, leaving her to stand in the middle of the small confinement. The young man stepped into the light. Once again, his eyes struck her.

"These are now your quarters. Get used to it because you will be here until you see this world for the last time, like this unfortunate person here," he waved his hand towards the barren bones. "Every day you will be brought out to work in the death room. Any means of escaping is impossible and if you do attempt to escape then you will be punished severely." Cathy stood straight, her head held high. So, she was to be a slave like the others? Not if she still had breath in her body. She moved with such speed and agility that neither the guard nor the young man saw how she was suddenly in the hall, running away into the darkness. The young man put out his arm to halt the guard who made to go after her.

"Leave her," he said.

"But Master Trowa…"

"She is only running further into the arena. She doesn't know the way out. Besides, she is still weak from the battle."

"But…"

"Send out a message to all stations not to harm her. I want her back here alive."

"Yes, sir." The guard placed his fist over his heart and bowed. Trowa nodded and stared into the darkness where Cathy had disappeared. S he would be back within an hour.

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Cathy had hardly noticed that the bandage that wrapped the wound on her arm was falling apart. Whoever did this did a terrible job. Cathy cursed as she felt herself slow down with exertion. Shaking her head, she pushed harder into the darkness. She hadn't a clue as in to where she was going. She felt the sting of frustration setting in and the tears beginning to form. It was hopeless. How could she expect to get out of this maze? The tunnels were endless and the area vast. As far as she knew, she was heading back towards the arena. As this sped through her mind, she slowed to a crawl, finally collapsing to the ground. Gasping for air and gripping her arm, which now was bleeding again, she leaned against the cold stone wall. By then, the darkness of despair welled around her. She closed her eyes, still feeling the tears fall from her chin into her lap. Slowly, she slid sideways to rest in a fetus position against the wall. Before she faded out of consciousness, she heard the soft thud of boots approaching. She rolled her eyes up to stare into a cold face. Those eyes would haunt her from then on. She let out a quiet curse before her eyes fluttered shut.

Trowa stood over the prone figure. Her lack of energy and blood was obvious. She would need to be cleaned again. As his eyes examined her he felt a rush of memories. He fought to keep the images out of his mind. The faces forced their way in, prying the gate of his mind open. The buildings were on fire and people screamed chaotically as they ran in all directions. Only he stood still, staring at a crumpled figure in front of him. The girl groaned. She brought him back. Hardening his mask, he reached down and hauled her over his shoulder. Without a second hesitation, he slowly made his way back to her new quarters.

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