Shinigami's Gem

AN- Hey! If you're still reading this story now you probably deserve a medal, but then again you could just be like me: bored, a little bit sad and just looking for something to while away the hours. Anyway whoever you are, whyever you're reading this I thank you and… for all those who have reviewed so far… pass around the plate of cookies… **hands over chocolate Duo cookies** but be careful… there's only enough for 4 each… don't eat more than that!

Oh and WARNINGS for this chapter **flicks through notepad** Une's OOC (very much bastardised) and also… a small amount of unadulterated sap for a second in the middle… we're also almost getting to the actual plot… it took long enough! Oh yeah… SOLO TORTURE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING EVERYBODY!

Chapter 5

"Let me assure you," a female voice cut across Solo's agony, "You will give us the information we want." He tried to open his eyes, but they were swollen shut, it hurt even to try. But then again, he mused to himself as his overtaxed brain took a step back to analyse his situation; it hurt everywhere, what was a little more?

Solo knew that if he opened his eyes now he would probably throw up at the blood he'd see, and he would never, under any stretch of the imagination, be called squeamish. He had slit throats and severed body parts, when necessary, without a flick of an eyebrow, but he could feel the blood running down his naked body in rivulets, stinging as it met welts and burns. His stomach even protested the image he had of himself: as red as his hair with the marks of torture covering him. It was not a state he would wish upon his worst enemy.

The pain was incredible, burning through him with a furious and unrelenting pain and cutting into him in every place. He was positive that every nerve ending was reporting some kind of pain. It couldn't get more intense!

But it could. A hot metal rod was applied to the small of his back, melting and charring the skin there and awakening new heights of pain, which shot up his spinal column. He screamed with agony, before spitting out a comment, along with some blood.

It hurt to speak, and his lungs ached with the effort, but he had to get this comment out; he had to retain some small shred of his dignity, even in this tormented state.

"Kill me and have done with it," he croaked and wheezed, "I'm not afraid, Shinigami has always been a good friend to me." He smiled at the double meaning of his words.

On a shadowy walkway, another figure caught the words. Shinigami… this bore looking at.

"Une…" Solo heard a cultured voice say. "Leave him, I wish to speak with him."

"But sir…" the woman's voice protested, clearly outranked by the new player.

"Une… please leave us alone." There was the sound of someone walking down steps.

"Yes, Lord Treize," a swish of clothing and the sound of three booted people walking off with a decidedly military gait. More footsteps, only one set this time, coming toward Solo on the right. His nostrils flared at the scent of expensive cologne. Lord Treize Khushrenada, his mind supplied the name: dignitary, head of the OZ intelligence organisation and the King's personal guard and adviser, also, most people added, all round bastard. The stranger's word's echoed in his head as he took stock of this new development. They wanted Duo… He wanted Duo. And Solo couldn't give the boy to him.

As a fresh wave of pain swept over him, making him whimper with the extremity of it, he lost his coherent thought, and merely waited for the edge to subside. Just as it hit its peak, a cool towel was pressed to his lower back, providing relief where the metal had bunt before. It felt, amid the sea of pain, like heaven.

"Now Mr Solo… what do you know of Shinigami?"

****

Heero had, somehow, managed to evade Relena, whose affections were growing to be more and more irritating. He long to turn to her and slap her senseless, or run her through with his sword. He smiled slightly at the thought, wondering what the look on her face would be if he were to tell her that. She probably wouldn't listen, he decided, just carry on about how wonderful he was.

All thoughts of her were banished when a pair of huge violet eyes, a chestnut braid and phantom lips pressing against his cut into his thoughts.

Duo.

He wondered if Wufei had found the boy, if they had talked, if Wufei's words had had any effect, if Duo had forgiven him, if he would ever see the young thief again. Too many ifs. He liked life to be definite: one thing or the other. Simple decisions to make. But it wasn't like that anymore, not since he'd met…

"Heero?" a familiar voice beckoned the Prince back from his thoughts. Cobalt eyes turned to meet black.

"Wufei?!" the one word expressed everything it needed to: fear, hope, doubt, a million unanswered questions and relief at his friend's return.

In a completely uncharacteristic gesture, Heero stood up and embraced his friend tightly for a second, before releasing him and retreating back into himself. Wufei said nothing, understanding Heero was in emotional torment and needed simply a friend, not an interrogation. No doubt, in his absence Relena had redoubled her efforts, along with his guilt- not a good combination. But Wufei intended to end one of those here, and sadly, Relena wasn't around to behead.

"Duo's fine," he assured his friend, "And he understands, we talked… for a long while, and I explained," Heero's eyes opened wide, in surprise and probably panic, Wufei couldn't tell, the shields were back up. "Not everything," he hastily added, the secret of his rank was still a secret. "Just enough to stop him from thinking you'd abandoned him."

"Never!" The word broke from Heero's mouth before he could censor it. He berated himself for his lack of control: this was appalling. He blushed imperceptibly as Wufei grinned knowingly. He hadn't been able to help it. Just the idea of Duo thinking that made him angry. Angry and scared: scared that he'd lose the boy forever, just as he'd found him.

Heero would never admit it, even to himself, but he was terrified; petrified that he'd never see the braided young man again; petrified that he'd do something wrong and never be able to look into those violet eyes again and never feel his lips against his once more. He couldn't bear the thought that Duo, his wonderful personality and brilliant smile, would be lost to him. That would be hell.

"Does he…?" forgive me, had been the end of the sentence, but Heero was unable to finish it.

"Yes." Wufei assured him, "he does."

"Did he say anything else?" Heero inquired, aware that his old friend was holding something back from him.

"Yes." Wufei answered with a monosyllable. The Chinese bodyguard was enjoying himself. Heero just glared him into submission.

"He said…" the dragon hesitated, unsure if he should say the next words, "… Ai shiteru, Heero." Silence followed. Heero stood agape.

"Ai… ai shiteru?" he asked, wanting to be sure. Wufei would not joke about this, but he might have heard wrong.

"Yes, ai shiteru." Wufei replied, watching Heero's confusion.

Duo loved him?

****

Duo Maxwell grinned as he entered the bar, It had been a good day. Sure it had started out crap, but now everything was looking rosy. Heero hadn't abandoned him, and on the way back from his lengthy conversation with the Fei-fei fairy, he chuckled at this new nickname, he'd snagged two purses, earning himself 20 gold pieces and 10 silver. Yuhuh, all in all a very good day.

"Duo Maxwell?" A low voice asked him. He turned and nodded, finding himself looking at a young blond man wearing a helmet and visor.

"Yes?" He looked the guy up and down: athletic build, well used muscles, not the sort of guy you wanted to mess with… at all. "What do you want?" he asked, as politely as he could.

"A word," the guy replied, looking the bar up and down. No one was listening.

"About what?" Duo asked, suspicious of the stranger. Something was off about him.

"Your friend, Solo, who's being tortured by Oz."

Duo blinked.

"Oz?" Zechs nodded, "As in the King's personal guard?" Another nod. "But what do they want with Solo? Is he ok? Why?… Where?" Duo questioned, slightly panicky. He was terrified for his friend. As an after thought he added, "and just who are you anyway?" to his list of questions.

"They want you, I don't know if he's okay and I don't know exactly where they are keeping him, although, I could make a good guess." The older blond responded, answering each question as he came to it. "And as for who I am, you can call me Zechs Merquise." He chose not to answer the 'why' however, Duo noted as he looked at him curiously.

"Why would the King's personal guard want me?" he asked, both to Zechs and to himself. He wracked his brain, trying to remember if he and the gang had recently stolen anything important, or maybe taken stuff from the wrong people. Nothing came to mind. They were always very careful, especially since that time when he was younger and they'd almost assaulted two of the nobility.

But Oz was after him? That made no sense.

Then the full impact of Zechs' words hit him. They had Solo.

He'd heard a lot about Oz interrogation methods, everyone who lived in Elleins had, and now those ass-holes had Solo.

Solo had always been there, looking out for him, making sure he didn't get caught or hurt. He'd rescued him from the law a few times as well. Now Oz had Solo and Duo would be damned if he were going to let them keep him!

"Take me!" he said, glaring at Zechs, his previous question left unanswered. "Now!"

****

"Who is Shinigami?" Treize asked politely. He truly was loathe to get his hands dirty, but for ultimate power sometimes one had to get a bit more hands on, and the hands on method suited him fine- but it did make his hands smell. He stuck the knife in again. A rather crude method for him, but the best he could do with the resources available.

"D…Du-o…" Solo gasped, the name tearing from his lips against his will, "Duo Maxwell is Shinigami…" How could he have said that? How could he have betrayed Duo like that?

Treize smiled.

"My thanks, Mr Solo, you've been a great help."

So Shinigami was coming. He could almost feel the power, hovering tantalisingly beyond his reach.

TBC

AN O.o; I'd forgotten how truly cheesy that chapter was… ugh! So much sap… Sappy!Heero, Sappy!Duo, . I didn't mean it to be that corny, honest! But it's over now…. And soon I shall be able to dabble in far more angst! Mwahahahahaaaa! But before I do that, I shall thank all those kind reviewers of mine.

Fire of Phoenix I updated, I updated… ^_^ be happy… have much rejoicing… review again ^_~

Kitty Kat 0303 Thanks for reviewing, you got another update…I'm so proud!

Cryearthstearsfalltou took a while to work out your name but it's very cool! J (I decided to vary my smiley style) thanks for the review…. I have a fan… I'm impressed….

DarkPheonix365 ah… I think you've got a bit of work to do yet on that. Relena's a tricky person to kill; she seems to have more lives that a cat… more lives than a cat with an unusually high number of lives… but volcanoes… gooooooood! Thanks for the review! Yours always make me laugh.

Aspara no, Solo's not dead… he's one of my favourite characters… I couldn't just write him out in chapter 4… no no nooooo… but as to whether he stays alive (and that goes for all the other characters too) you'll just have to wait and read…

Storie2tell **hands over gold star and blueberry scone and sends to top of class** yes, you guessed… it is a dramatically over-written, shounen-ai, G-wing style of… that! (I did try to cross reference with other versions… but the people I asked for help with that never came through… L ) would you like a prize?… and to everyone else… yes… I did warn you that the plot wasn't exactly mine… but trust me, there will be a rather large difference. After all it's only based on that…

Rena Lupin Written more… updated more… review more! ;) And as for Solo's stupidity… He may have been a little bit stupid… but I don't think I would trust a stranger in a bar who wouldn't tell me his name… especially if I were Solo… although… hmm… Zechs in a bar… maybe.

Gundam06serenity- yep, I updated and now I updated again, sorry it was so long, my beta was busy!