Part Three: Duo's Ordeal
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Hilde was sleeping peacefully next to Duo who slept with his right arm tucked under his pillow, his right leg hanging out of the bed and his left leg and arm remained in the bed protected by the sheets. Hilde sleep on her side her back turned to Duo dreaming of her life before meeting the optimistic Gundam pilot.
A smile crossed her face at the sheer thought of him choking on his riceball, he was practically pounding his chest to death trying to loosen the piece of food caught in his throat. Of course Hilde helped him out and dumped a small cup of tea down his throat which helped out a great deal.
Hilde's happy dreams and thoughts were interrupted however, by a scream that stopped her heart beat dead in its' tracks. She bottled upward in surprise recognizing the scream as Heero's. He had a nightmare, just as I suspected.
The German girl wasted no time, she grabbed her flannel jacket quickly slipping into her animal slippers Hilde rose from the bed and rushed out the bedroom through the open door. Duo, on the other hand was not awakened at all by Heero's scream and remained his semiconscious sleep battling nightmares of his own.
Heero was tossing and turning on the couch as sweat rolled down his face clutching the down comforter. He kicked several pillows that Hilde and Duo had given him to make him a lot more comfortable on the couch than he would have been if they hadn't given him the pillows. His fingers nails tore at the comforters fabric causing several goose feathers to fly free. Heero was trying to claw his way out of the Hellish nightmare he fell into.
Hilde grabbed his shoulders pulling him into a upward position, Heero continued to claw only this time he aimed for her face. "Heero, wake up! Wake up please!" She cried. He pleads feel on deaf ears, Heero thrashed endlessly in her arms mumbling something about being sorry. Unable to take it anymore, the German girl shouted his name snapping the Japanese teenager out of his dream abruptly.
His vision was blurred extremely, he groaned thinking the person in front of him was none other than Relena. "Heero, are you okay?" She asked giving him her sincerest smile. Heero didn't answer instead he through his arms around her waist burying his face into her chest with a whimper.
Hilde was taken aback by his sudden movement and her become stiffer than a porcelain doll on a stand. "Relena....," Heero whispered tiredly into her chest. Hilde's eyebrow arched just as she heard Duo call her name from inside the bedroom.
Casting a look toward the bedroom door Hilde moved the now limp Heero from her around her waist and placed him back into a sleeping position just as Duo came shuffling out of the bedroom rubbing the sleep his eyes. She pulled the cover over his body positioning his head on the pillow before rising from the couch to bend over and pick up the fallen pillows while trying to ignore the American's suspicious gaze.
Hilde placed the pillows at the end of the couch with a sigh. Duo placed the front of his foot against the back of leg using his big-toe to scratch an itching place, Hilde came face to face with him knowing he was jealous if he saw the little moment between her and semiconscious Heero. "What's up?" Duo asked emotionlessly, cocking an eyebrow at her.
Hilde turned her direction toward the slumbering Japanese teenager then back at the long-haired gundam pilot who's expression did not change. Hilde sighed making her way over to Duo who stepped back slightly. "Duo, its' not what you think," She stared raising her hands up in defense, she could barely see his half-moon lit face in the dark, his alias Shinigami suited him well.
He could blend in with dark surroundings just as well as his Gundam used to. "He just had a nightmare." She paused watching Duo's facial expression relaxing. "He thought I was that girl, Relena Peacecraft." Duo's foot removed itself from the back of his leg as he felt Hilde rest her head on his chest with a sigh he glanced down at her or what he could see of her anyway with a skeptic look, but decided to try and drop his jealousy down the rabbit hole for her sake and his friendship with Heero's sake at least.
There wasn't any need to accuse Heero of false assumptions his skeptical mind aroused. "Well, since Heero's okay now, why don't we head back to bed. We've got a lot of work tomorrow," Duo yawned stretching his limbs. Hilde agreed to his plan with a smile and followed the Gundam pilot into the bedroom with her arm linked with his. Your such a gentleman, Maxwell. Hilde thought happily.
~*~
(Sanc Kingdom):
Relena sat up in her bed with her arms wrapped around her legs staring dreamily out of the window at the sparkling star-filled sky with a small smile. Her mind wondered upon the whereabouts of Heero and what he was doing, Relena chuckled at the way she was thinking.
Heero was probably tapping his fingers away on his laptop for the fun of it since there we're no battles to be fought and there wasn't any need to...... protect her anymore since no one had made a direct threat to her, or make an attempt on her life for the past year.
The 16-year-old wondered why she had to be the adopted daughter of a vice foreign mister and had to carry on her father's work to promote peace between earth and the colonies.
She had come to realize, it was her job more-or-less her destiny to do so. The only problem Relena had with it was that she could never get a certain somebody to open up to her because he was too busy playing 'bodyguard' to ever carry on a normal conversation not concerning politics and past wars.
It seemed to be the only thing Heero was ever really open to discuss: war and politics and assassination on particular occasions. Relena found that to be a very disturbing subject to talk about, since her father was assassinated by her now trusted and loyal friend, preventer fiery; Une. Relena glanced at her nightstand eyeing the note pad that bore Heero's handwriting with a smile.
Sliding down under the covers with a smile, Relena snuggled her head against her pillow pushing her worries aside. Tomorrow I'll find you Heero. She thought with a determined glint in her eyes.
********************************
The next day, Duo was the first one up and about while his two friends Hilde and Duo were sleeping away half of the morning despite the fact that it was only 6:00am in the morning. Duo stood in front of the bathroom mirror playing around with his unruly bangs making faces at himself or rather his reflection.
As usual, he was wearing his leather replica of his priest-ish outfit he wore until the end of the war, the only change was that he wore a hunter green zipper shirt underneath instead of his usual red zipper shirt.
It was nice and quiet on Tuesday mornings, no in the neighborhood was up at this insane hour the dogs were still asleep, Heero wasn't tapping away at his laptop, Hilde was ordering him around and he got to play around in the scrap yard until Hilde was up and about.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Duo shut the door softly behind him before tiptoeing his way across the living room floor eyeing Heero's sleeping figure nervously as he approached the kitchen.
The silent warrior didn't move a muscle as the American got closer to the entrance of the kitchen, Duo had a nagging suspicion that Heero was awake and he was doing a pretty good job at playing sleep while eyeing him in some creepy way. Duo rushed into the kitchen once he got past the couch wondering what to bake for breakfast as made his way around the island toward the fridge with a growling stomach.
His bodily noise echoed through out of the kitchen causing him to freeze in his place looking back to see if he had waken Heero from his slumber. Heero was in the same position, he had not woken him up. With a thankful sigh, Duo opened the fridge gazing upon the contents inside with wondering eyes.
There was plenty leftover Chinese carry out from their dinner last night Duo figured he might as well start eating it before it went stale and moldy. Reaching into the fridge Duo pulled out the box of the shrimp-fired rice with a sigh, he opened the lid giving it a sniff to make sure it hadn't gone stale over night when he was interrupted by the beeping from his digital wrist watch, Duo glanced down at the watch pressing the button labeled 'light' and stared at the revealed time.
7:00am already, I had better get a move on. He thought shutting the refrigerator door quietly. Duo made his way around the island once again and skipped out of the kitchen humming a tune he made up heading toward the front door knowing he would get his last hours of peace before Heero and Hilde woke up.
But no sooner than Duo opened the door, he was met by a familiar honey-blonde haired girl he knew all to well. "Hello D!--" Duo clamped his hand over the girl's mouth leading her away from the house shutting the door behind him not caring if he had awakened Heero from his slumber.
The girl gave him a look but did not struggle against him as he leaded her into the scrap yard with look of a slight expression of contempt on his face. "Hrmmphhhf... Yuo!" She demanded, but her words were blocked by the teen's hand and made no sense to Duo.
Once they were far enough inside the scrap yard Duo removed his hand from her mouth with an amused shine in his coalbolt blue eyes, the girl slapped his arm in a unplayful way sending a death glare in his direction. "Just what do you think you were doing, Duo Maxwell?!" She shouted angrily kicking him in the ankle.
Duo grimaced stepping back. "Nice to see you too, 'Jousan," He replied obviously amused.
"Duo, please call me by my birth given name," The girl snapped placing her hands on her hips. Duo shrugged raising his arms obviously brushing her sentence off slightly. "Whatever you say, Relena," Duo mumbled trudging pass the Government official. Relena huffed in annoyance following after the braided mechanic with her arms folded across her chest wondering what he was looking for while wanting to go back to the house.
Duo glanced back at the honey-blonde while grabbing a handful of a his carryout food and shoving it into his mouth chewing thoughtfully while staring at his clock wearily. It was already past Seven, and Hilde or Heero weren't up out of the bed roaming about, which was at the same time comforting and discomforting.
He stopped in his tracks when Relena jumped in front of him with a determined look on her face, he cocked an eyebrow at her in question wondering what she wanted. "Nani, 'Jousan?" Duo asked placing his hand on his head.
Relena ignored the nickname, and pointed to the house in behind him. Duo turned around in question staring at the small house before returning his gaze back to Relena who huffed again. "Heero's inside there, isn't he?" She said. Duo shrugged scratching his head.
"So what if he is?" Duo replied dryly, kicking a small metal object. Relena gave him a smile walking right past him. Duo's shoulders slumped in awe remembering how relentless and stubborn this girl could be. Wasting no time, he rushed after her with a panicked look on his face, Relena however stopped in her tracks causing Duo to slam right into the back of her nose first.
"Urk!" Duo stumbled backward holding his nose trying to hold back his onslaught of swears that he wanted to spit right out at Relena before a hand offered him a handkerchief, he glance upward at the person he knew as Relena who stared at him with an apologetic expression and a smile.
Ignoring this, Duo gratefully obliged to her offer and removed the handkerchief from her grasp placing it against his red throbbing nose glaring at Relena. "I'm terribly sorry, Duo," She apologized sheepishly, while the former gundam pilot nodded halfheartedly. He waved her off, indicating that he was giving her his consent to enter the building he called home.
The honey-haired girl nodded her thanks and rushed across the dirt covered cement with an abnormal jump in her step. Duo shrugged walking in the opposite direction of the house feeling the sudden need to take walk around town for no particular reason at all. He jogged out of the scrap yard making his way down the side walk with a lazy step in his walk, he stuffed the handkerchief into one of the pockets of his leather jacket.
Duo shoved his hands into his pockets scanning the area lazily, earth was completely different from the L2 colony he lived on for sometime before deciding to reside here for a while, just until he had enough money to make into space again to visit. His bangs seemed to sag along with his spirits at the reminder of space sure it was a cold desolate place but it was his home a good portion of his childhood and teenage life after all.
Duo's mind began to wander back to the time when he resided in the Maxwell church, Father Maxwell, and Sister Helen. They all died for no reason at all, and if they did die for a reason unknown then he sought to find out what that reason was. "Damn you, OZ!" He growled unconsciously, slamming his fist into his hand.
Duo continued onward down the street toward the busy part of the city when, the sound of jeers and cheers caught his attention, forgetting all about his past the former Gundam pilot rushed down the street at top speed after hearing a kid shout 'kick his ass, Tomeki!'. Duo knew that tune all too well, he rounded the corner stumbling upon a mob or teenagers with their fists in the air cheering their champion as he kicked a figured curled up on the ground shielding his head from the onslaught of attacks (Duo however, couldn't see that part).
Balling his hands into fists the long-baided mechanic stepped forward with his feet placed firmly on the ground ready to break up this match between the cheater and the defenseless. "Oi! Nani Tendeska?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs in Japanese. All heads turned his direction breaking the circle in half revealing their champion who his foot underneath the younger boy's stomach, Duo was absolutely appalled by what he saw.
His coalbolt blue gaze shifted toward the teenager who had nothing but a bruised cheek then back down at the unconscious boy who appeared to be bruised horribly and was covered with sore bleeding cuts/bruises. "Anata Gaki! Get lost all of you!" Duo shouted rushing toward the little boy. The fighter known as Tomeki snorted shoving Duo away from the boy sending him a death glare, Duo paid no heed to the boy's threat.
Bringing his fist back, the former Shinigami rammed his fist into Tomeki's stomach just like Heero had done to him. Tomeki's head jerked upward in pain as he began to feel his consciousness slipping away from him, Duo felt the young man go limp against him, he then backed away letting Tomeki hit the ground. the crowd of teenagers glared at the braided pilot but made no move to attack him or so Duo though. Just as the American bent over to pick the younger boy up, three teenaged boy jumped him from behind, landing in punches or kicks against Duo.
~*~
Hilde walked out of her bedroom scratching her damp scalp from taking a shower, she pulled her violet sweatshirt over her head with one hand while her other hand zipped her pants up with ease. She wore furry animal slippers round the house instead of her shoes, the began to trudge toward the kitchen when she heard a pleasant conversation from inside.
Arching an eyebrow, Hilde strode across the living room floor with a curious intent her feet paddled softly across the hardwood floor before leaned up against the wall entrance of the kitchen poking her head inside finding Heero sitting up on the island with a cup of water in hand while a honey-blonde girl did all the chatting while his listened.
Hilde's blue eyes widened in surprise when she realized who the girl Heero was talking to was. She stepped inside with a cheerful expression waving to the two with a short-lived laugh, Heero's head jerked in Hilde's direction with a heated glare while Relena's dark blue eyes brightened considerably as her mouth parted creating a smile.
Hilde nodded to Heero while the somewhat antisocial former Gundam pilot replayed in his usual noncomical grunt. "Hey, aren't you that Government official Duo helped Heero save, a year ago?" Hilde asked uncertain her memory was serving her well.
Relena gave a nod making her way over to the German girl extending her hand out with a sincere expression. "Yes, I am," Relena replied curtly. "I'm sure you remember my name?" The Eastern European teenager cocked an eyebrow at Hilde who nodded in response.
Heero on the other hand watched the two women with interest while wondering where his overly chipper friend Duo was. His Prussian blue eyes scanned the outside world through the window, staring at other houses that resided two blocks away from Hilde and Duo's home. Heero blinked gulping down the half-filled glass of water in one big gulp before sliding off the island with a stifled yawn.
"If you'll excuse me Hilde and Relena," Heero said making his way pass the two girls who gave him odd looks, especially Relena. The dark blue eyed girl grasped the Japanese boy's hand with a hesitant look in her eye before he turned to face her with his usual heated gaze, Hilde's line of sight shifted from Heero to Relena with a weary feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.
"Relena?" Heero asked uncertain of the fuzzy feeling forming on his cheeks.
Relena gave him her sweetest smile before leading him out of the kitchen into the living room toward the couch. "Why don't we talk some more, its' been ages since I've seen you Heero," Relena exaggerated.
Heero grunted in confusion at the mention of 'ages' just as Hilde jumped in front of them with a nervous look about her, Heero's eyebrows raised in question as he watched the German girl in front of him wave her hands around in an act to stop them from going any further from the kitchen. Relena huffed mentally wondering what Hilde was up to.
The German girl sighed placing her hands on her sides looking Relena over with an inspector expression. "I've got something I want the two of you to do!" She proclaimed suddenly, causing Heero to sweat bullet's mentally but he remained calm on the outside.
"Since there isn't any food in the house, I want you and Relena to take over me and Duo's job for now while I go out shopping for supplies and groceries for the house!" Hilde explained quickly. Relena gasped in confusion looking down at her outfit:
A white suite, along with a green dress shirt matching bow and white shoes Relena wore wasn't exactly physical work clothing, whereas Heero's scruffy washed out jeans and wrinkled dress shirt could be called as such. "Whatever for?" Relena asked in question. Heero nodded in agreement, wanting to know also.
"Duo's gone off someplace, he won't be back for a while....," Hilde trailed off as her serious expression gradually changed into a worried one. I can't let them see me like this! I have to be strong! Hilde though snapping out of her trance.
"Anyways, There's a large shipment of Gundaium alloy. Duo says it'll gather alotta money if we sold it but he isn't here, there isn't any food, and the shipment is coming in around 10:00am sharp," Hilde paused to catch her breath. "....And I've gotta go shopping.......*pause* the rest if self-explanatory."
Heero and Relena stared at Hilde as if she had grown to heads. Hilde huffed in frustration running her hands through her semi-damp hair. "Please! I'll pay you guys back, I promise!" Hilde gave them her best pleading face every. Heero bowed his head in submission with a knowing gaze. "Mission accepted," He replied.
Hilde squealed jumping for joy, she leaped onto Heero throwing her arms around his neck happily before planting a kiss on his cheek and rushing out of the house with her jacket and wallet in hand totally forgetting she still had her slippers on her feet.
Relena gave her protector a humorous look. Heero stared at her sideways shrugging. "I needed something to do," He replied simply. Relena shook her head tugging Heero along by the hand toward the couch. They had only a half-an-hour to catch up with eachother, but it suited the vice foreign minister just fine.
~*~
(Preventer's HQ):
Preventer Wind, or rather Zechs Marquise trudged into his office with a steaming cup of coffee while the other held a file concerning his and his partner, Lucreiza Noin (Preventer fire) next mission. Inside, Noin resided on Zech's desk with her legs crossed wearing her required preventer uniform. Zechs looked up from reading the front of the file with a slightly surprised expression while Noin simply waved to him with a pleasant smile. He stalked over to the 20-year-old woman with an inquiring look.
"Noin, I wasn't expecting you back from your mission so soon," He said trying to mask the obvious surprise in his voice. The Mediterranean woman smirked shrugging. "I've been back since 6:00am this morning, I was at L4 at the time," Noin explained curtly. "Quatre's doing good with the construction of other colonies."
Zechs smirked with a nod walking around Noin and the desk to get to his spiny-chair, he rested himself in the chair with a grunt propping his head against the back before glancing upward at Noin. Lucreiza's eyebrows raised in curiosity when her eyes caught sight of the file in Zechs' hand, she stared up at Zechs with her visible eye.
The bleached-blonde handed his partner the tannish file with a smirk, Noin removed it from her would-be boyfriend's grasp and began to skim through it. Zech peered over Lucreiza's arm reading what he could as she flipped through the file. Noin closed the file with a sigh blowing a brief breeze in Zechs' way (from closing the file) who cocked an eyebrow at her. Something was up, Zechs could tell; Noin had that thoughtful and distant look in her eyes again.
"What is it, Noin?" He asked concerned. Noin placed the file down on the desk with an agitated sigh, whoopee another mission. She thought before returning her attention to Zechs who was quickly losing patience. "Une wants us, to us to head out to a former Mobile Suit factory which may have leftover resources to build.
She believes former White fang rebels could be residing there as well, building mobile suits," Noin explained in her solider tone. "We are to destroy the factory in its' entirety, but not kill the rebels." Zechs nodded with a perplexed expression, he placed his thumb on his chin indicating he was in deep thought.
Noin sighed, knowing Zechs he was probably thinking of a way to disable the rebels without killing them or he was contemplating over his decisions during the time he joined the White fang and stared a war against the earth. She placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder with a small smile.
Zechs was broke out of his thoughts glancing at Noin in question. "Don't dwell on the past too much Milliardo, you'll strain your brain," Noin joked using his birth given name. Zechs smiled shaking his head, he picked up his slightly warm coffee and placed the rim to his lips tipping the mug. Noin watched the former OZ solider make a sour face.
The white-haired man placed the cup down onto the desk shaking the stun off him. "Gasp..... who made this coffee?!" He managed to get out while searching the office for water. Noin chuckled running her hand though her hair, Milliardo sent her a death glare indicating he wanted to know who the perpetrator was and now.
"To be frank, Wu-fei Chang (preventer 05) did," She said with a wave of her hand. "Its' a special Chinese coffee." Zechs let out a cough-scoff staring down at the cup, it wasn't going to drink coffee on the job anymore if that Chinese preventer was replacing the de-cafe with Asian brand of coffee.
"When do we leave?" Zechs asked after he had regained his composure. Noin's amused look turned serious, she rose from her place straightening her standing. "We're scheduled to leave in 0300 hours. I'll see you then, Preventer Wind," Noin said in a mocking tone, saluting the white-haired man. Zechs nodded in response before watching Noin's departing figure leave his office with an admiring smile. Until then, my dear imperial guard.... He thought with a smirk, reminiscing in the past.
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(Colony L4):
The sounds of heavy-built machines and people shouting over the loud noises rang throughout Trowa's ears as he lead his sister across the C.site with his arm around her shoulders as the brown-haired knife-thrower scanned the area timidly with her hand behind her ear to keep her hair that usually was against the her face behind her ear.
"Trowa... this place is, noisy and it stinks worse than the lions," She shouted over the chaos. Trowa smirked leading the girl past several of the 40 maganacs soldiers of the middle east who saluted both him and Catherine before the two were far enough away from the construction site and nearer to a trailer that resembled theirs only it was boxed shaped.
Trowa removed his right arm from around Catherine's shoulder and rushed over to meet the platinum blonde ex-pilot of the Sandrock Gundam who seemed to giving another one of the Maganac soldiers directions before he noticed his the tall Latin circus performer coming toward him with Catherine following behind him. Quatre's hunter green eyes brighten considerably he turned away from Rasheid waving to Trowa and Catherine.
"Its' good to see you again, Trowa and Catherine," Quatre greeted his two friends holding out his hand. Trowa nodded in response shaking Quatre's hand while Catherine bowed to him in respect with a pretend curtsy.
"Hello, Quatre," Catherine replied with a smile. "Where's Dorothy?" Quatre seemed to pale at the sheer mention of Dorothy, he glanced down at his side on the left flashing back to the time when Dorothy stabbed him with her sword a second after she disarmed him, preaching her philosophy of battles and their beauty along with the misery they caused.
Snapping out of his trance he gave Catherine an uneasy smile and shrugged. "I haven't seen Dorothy since I visited my mother and father's grave on earth," He said. "She was visiting Treize Kushrenada at the time. I haven't seen her since."
Trowa nodded with a thoughtful expression while Catherine scanned the area curiously. "Qature, have you seen the others?" Trowa asked with a certain hint of hope in his voice. Quatre lowered his head with a sad smile, he shook her head while Trowa nodded understanding.
Catherine was beginning to feel uncomfortable among the two ex-Gundam pilot's who stood beside and before her with gloomy faces when an Idea hit her, she clapped her hands together surprising Quatre and Trowa. "I've got it! Why don't we go out for lunch I bet your both starving?" She said with a sly smile.
Barton and Winner stared at eachother before looking down at their stomachs that rumbled silently, after a moment of hesitation the two ex-pilots nodded fervently while Catherine smiled triumphantly grabbing the two boys by the hand and leading them across the construction site leaving the workers dumbfounded and the Maganac's shouting for an explanation and where their Master Quatre was going off to.
Quatre held onto his hardhat letting himself be lead away from the site by Catherine Trowa cracked a small smile at the his surrogate sister's energetic spirit.
~*~
"Duo, what did they say to you?"
Silence.
"They said I smelled like sewer ... sniffle,"
*Hugs* "Oh Duo, you don't smell like sewer,"
"Really?"
"No, not at all. You smell more like the stench of death ... than sewer!"
Duo backed away from the kind loving woman he knew as sister Helen only to gaze upon a witch that took her place. The little boy began to shiver with sheer fear as he backed away from the wrinkled hag dressed in black wielding a scythe in her right hand as she began to laugh.
The once peaceful sanctuary known as the Maxwell church vanished and in its' place was a darkness and a cliff which Duo and the witch stood upon, Duo turned his back to the hag noticing a bridge that crossed to the another part of the mountain that seemed to have split.
Just as he crossed the bridge it gave way forming a pool of blood, Duo tripped and fell into the crimson pool face first, his heart began to beat at an abnormal rate, the little boy screamed in horror backing away from the pool just as corpses' hand shot out and grabbed his ankle gradually pulling him back to into the pool of blood.
Duo panicked clawing at the ground pleading wordlessly for help staring up at the laughing and pointing at him before vanishing into thin air. Duo screamed and sobbed for help as he continued to claw at the ground leaving him his impressions in the soil before his coalbolt eyes gazed upon two pale yellow shoes and thin legs.
Duo looked up quickly realizing he was waist high in the blood reaching out for his friend's hand. "H-Heero, help ... me! Please!" He cried not bothering to hide his fear from the silent pilot. Heero remained where the witch once stood with his emotionless mask as usual as Duo was pulled underneath deeper into the blood.
Huge tears fell down Duo's face as it became submerged into the crimson liquid. Heero remained were he was blinking his Prussian blue eyes watching the last of Duo vanish forever. The little boy choked on the blood that filed his lungs, watching an image of his older self battling in his Deathscythe Hell Gundam.
"THE GOD OF DEATH IS BACK FROM HELL!!!" Duo screamed, rushing forward at the Leo mobile suits that fired at him.
~*~
The sun was suddenly blocked out by the clamoring of the dark clouds, rain and hail began to fall from the sky soaking everything in its reach rushing down into the gutters and manholes.
On the ground, Duo laid over the little boy he tried to protect while he was beaten half to death by the thugs that attacked him.
A drop of rain slid off one of his bangs falling upon his cheek splashing onto his eyelashes waking him from his unconscious state of mind, he groaned as the pain of his bruises and wounds became noticeable. He grunted lifting himself of the ground before letting out a violent coughing fit, he laughed wearily slightly embarrassed he was beaten by a punch of no-fighting teenagers no older than him.
Although it was several against one, his coalbolt eyes glanced down at the unconscious little boy with very pale skin and flaring reddish chestnut hair. "At least he's okay ... kinda," Duo moaned rising to his aching legs stumbling slightly.
He kneeled down in front of the little boy and slipped his hand under his body struggling to lift him into his arms, Duo stumbled backwards when the boy's body slumped against his chest.
Duo grunted turning around like a wind up toy as he tried to walk forward, he wasn't too far away from his home maybe he could get there before he passed out. "Don't worry kid, you'll be okay, I promise," Duo grunted walking around the corner.
He heard the little boy groan shifting his head against his chest unconsciously this caused the mechanic to walk faster, just as he saw a familiar figure coming toward him. "Hilde...," He moaned as the feeling in his body leave him.
(Author's note: Thanks once again for reviewing Mama-sama! You're a gem! Sorry for any errors. Sakura123~)