Warnings: Nothing
Lifting Curses and Mending Broken Wings
Chapter 10: I Told You
Duo came into his therapist's office the next morning looking exceptionally tranquil. He came in and curled up in the overstuffed chair that stood before the man's desk. He watched the man not with his dead stare, but a calm, tired gaze.
The therapist gave him a confused smile and asked if something was wrong. Duo didn't reply. The man sighed. He wracked his brain for a way to communicate with Duo. He was extremely curious as to why he looked so calm today.
Duo's eyes fluttered closed when the man stopped talking to him for a while. Then he got an idea. He could let Duo fall asleep and try to coax him into talking in his sleep. He remained silent and watched the boy fall quickly to sleep in the chair. His breathing was shallow and even and his eyelids were still once more.
'He's not dreaming,' the man thought. 'All the better.' After about fifteen minutes, he rose from his chair and kneeled next to Duo's head. "Duo," he whispered in a clear, deep voice.
Duo turned his head a little towards him and fell still.
He smiled and nodded. "Duo... Do you know who I am?" he asked. Duo bent his head slightly. "Duo, do you know why you are here?" Same response. The therapist was overjoyed and had to fight to keep his voice low and steady. "Duo, can you tell me why you are here?" Duo curled into a tighter ball and relaxed again. He bowed his head again. "Duo, will you tell me right now why you are here?" Duo's eyelids fluttered for a moment and the man held his breath.
Duo shook his head.
"Duo, do you remember what happened? Do you remember Heero Yuy?" Duo flinched at the name. He nodded. "Duo, I want you to tell me what you remember about Heero." Duo remained still for a moment. He was about to repeat the question when Duo's lips parted and he murmured something. "Duo, you have to speak louder. Repeat what you said."
"Heero..." Duo's voice was low and raspy.
"Yes, Duo. Who was Heero Yuy?" His heart jumped into his throat.
Duo groaned. "Heero... Heero was my friend... He went into the bathroom..." he trailed off.
The therapist nodded. "Yes, Duo. What happened in the bathroom?" he urged.
"Heero took the knife... Bedframe... Bathroom... I couldn't get in..." Duo started to squirm.
"Hush now, Duo. I want you to relax. I want you to tell me what you remember." He watched with relief as Duo stopped moving around.
"Blood..." Duo muttered.
"Blood? Where was the blood, Duo?"
Duo inhaled sharply. "I saw it... Under the door... Heero hurt himself..." He whined and started moving again.
"Relax, Duo. Now tell me, why did Heero hurt himself? Did he tell you?"
Duo nodded a little. "He hurt me..."
The man's eyes widened. He hadn't heard about Duo getting hurt. His heart started racing. "How, Duo? How did he hurt you? Did he hurt your body?"
Duo shook his head. "No... Not my body... He hurt my spirit... He said he was sorry... And he left..."
"He left, Duo?" the man asked.
"He went into the bathroom... I told him to come out, but he didn't listen." Duo was moving around so much now that his therapist thought he was going to fall off the chair.
"Duo, you must relax," he said sternly. Duo took a few moments to settle down. "Good, now I want you to tell me something else. Why were you crying when you came in here two days ago?"
Duo remained still. "I saw Heero... He came to see me..."
"How did he do that, Duo? When?" the man pushed eagerly.
"He came in the night... He watched me through the glass... Blood..." Duo trailed off again.
"What about blood, Duo?"
"He was bleeding again... I could hear it dripping... He was trying to make me crazy." Duo was digging his nails into the chair.
Sighing, the man said, "Is that why you were crying?"
Duo nodded. "Heero was waiting for me. Heero is haunting me."
The man merely watched Duo's face for a little while. "Why were you so calm today, Duo?" he finally asked.
"Heero came again. Last night. Heero came to me. He talked to me." Duo's sentences were becoming clearer. He sighed heavily.
"What did he say to you?"
"He told me not to worry. He told me that we'd be together again soon. He promised," Duo concluded in a whisper.
Startled, the man didn't speak for another few minutes. "Ok, Duo. I'm going to let you sleep now. You will not remember this when you wake." He sighed quietly and rose to sit behind his desk again. He watched Duo sleep peacefully for the rest of the session while he took notes on what had happened.
He went out of the room for his next few sessions again and when Duo woke up, he returned. "I'm glad you're starting to sleep again, Duo," he said when he came in. Duo was looking at him blankly.
He smiled innocently and asked how he slept. Duo didn't reply, but looked out the window. "Duo, I'd like to ask you one last question before you leave. It's alright if you don't answer. I expect that." Duo turned and looked out the window. The therapist nodded and casually asked, "Do you worry about an untimely or early death, Duo?"
Duo's eyes snapped back up to meet his. He stared at him incredulously, his lips pressed together tightly. The man met his gaze calmly and shrugged. "It was just a question. Something is obviously on your mind and I'm just trying to figure out what that is."
Duo continued to stare.
The man nodded towards the door. "You may leave, if you wish, Duo."
He did so quickly. He went to the cafeteria for a bite to eat before he was taken to his room for the night. This time he lay down facing the door. He didn't want Heero sneaking up on him again if he decided to come.
After a few hours of waiting, Duo's spirits were beginning to lift. He relaxed and he dozed for a while. He was roused by something in the middle of the night. He opened his eyes and saw the door. Nothing was there. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and glanced around the room. Nothing. He was about to shrug it off and try to sleep again when he heard something...
'Oh no...' he thought, getting nervous and panicky. He nearly screamed when Heero came and stood in the hallway facing his cell again. He came right up and went through the glass. Duo watched, paralyzed with fear. Heero grinned.
"Hey, Duo. Miss me?" he asked in that airy whisper. He came up to Duo's bed and sat down at the foot. He never took his eyes off of Duo. "What's the matter? Didn't I tell you not to worry? Not to be afraid of me? I won't do you any harm."
Duo looked down and curled into his protective ball.
Heero stood and went to stand next to Duo. He bent over close to Duo's ear again. He cupped Duo's cheek gently in his cold, ghost hand and whispered, "Soon." And he was gone.
.......................................
In the morning, Duo once again found himself sleeping in the overstuffed chair in his therapist's office. After another fifteen minutes, the man behind the desk came to Duo and tried to get him to speak once again.
"Duo, do you know who I am?" he asked as he had the day before. He used the same soothing voice as before, also.
Duo nodded.
"I would like to ask you some more questions. Is that alright?"
Another nod.
"Duo, I would like you to tell me how many times Heero has come to see you at night." He had a plan for this session. A list of questions depending on how Duo answered.
"Four," Duo murmured.
"Did he come last night?" A nod. "Did he speak to you?" A nod. "What did he say?"
"He said... Soon." Duo sighed quietly. "He told me he wouldn't do me any harm."
"He said "Soon"? What did he mean?" He took notes while Duo talked.
Duo was still for a moment. "He meant that we would be together again soon. Soon..." he whispered.
"Did he tell you how you would be together?" the man asked, continuously scribbling out notes.
Duo shook his head. "He just told me that it would be soon."
"Is this why you are afraid of an early death?"
Duo nodded. "I'm going to die. He will make me. Soon..."
The therapist nodded absently. "This is all for now, Duo. You can go to sleep now and you will remember none of this when you wake up."
He then left the room to make a few urgent arrangements.
.......................................
Duo awoke around three in the afternoon and his therapist was already there waiting for him. He smiled. "Duo, I have something I want to show you." He beckoned for Duo to follow him out of the room. He led him down long, unfamiliar hallways and up a few staircases. Duo followed closely.
They soon arrived at a hallway with many doors on both sides. Each one had a small square of whiteboard next to it at eye level and a number above that. The man led Duo to a room that was farther down the hall and he told him to wait outside a moment. Duo did as he was told while his therapist knocked and slipped inside. Duo could hear him speaking to someone and he leaned against the wall.
After a moment, the man came back out and motioned for Duo to come inside. Duo did so. When he stepped inside, his eyes were drawn to a large white bed. It was empty and neatly made. It had different machines around it that were all off. He turned to where the therapist had gone behind a curtain. He heard him behind it. "Come on, now."
Duo sighed and walked around the curtain. His therapist was standing next to another man in a long, white coat and across from them, next to the window, sat Heero Yuy. Heero was watching him. Duo just stared.
"Hey, Duo," Heero said quietly. "Didn't I tell you not to worry?" he asked with a slight smile. "I told you we'd be together again soon." Duo saw that he had a long bandage on his left inner forearm and he was wearing a hospital gown.
Tears flew from Duo's eyes as he sprinted to Heero's side and fell to his knees beside his chair, throwing his arms around his middle. Still crying loudly, Duo managed to say, "Heero! I thought you were dead! Nobody ever talked about you or anything! You were a ghost, Heero! You came to my room!"
"Yes, Duo," Heero replied calmly, stroking the boy's hair. "I did come to your room. And didn't I tell you that we'd be together again soon?"
"Yes, but I thought you were dead! I thought you were going to kill me too so we could be together. How did you get to my room if you weren't a ghost?" he asked, calming a little. The two other men had left the room by now.
Heero chuckled a little. "I'm not really sure, Duo. It just happened."
Duo nodded. He had nearly stopped crying.
Heero embraced Duo tightly and brought his lips close to his ear. "I told you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ok, this chapter wasn't so great, but it works, ne? Just so you know, this fic is still not over. I still have at least one more chapter to go.
I will now point out your mistake that caused you to jump to the conclusion that Heero was dead. In chapter 8, I told you in the Author's Notes that the parenthesis was Duo remembering things; they were his thoughts. He thought that Heero was dead. I never said it otherwise. I never confirmed Duo's thoughts ::grin::
Lifting Curses and Mending Broken Wings
Chapter 10: I Told You
Duo came into his therapist's office the next morning looking exceptionally tranquil. He came in and curled up in the overstuffed chair that stood before the man's desk. He watched the man not with his dead stare, but a calm, tired gaze.
The therapist gave him a confused smile and asked if something was wrong. Duo didn't reply. The man sighed. He wracked his brain for a way to communicate with Duo. He was extremely curious as to why he looked so calm today.
Duo's eyes fluttered closed when the man stopped talking to him for a while. Then he got an idea. He could let Duo fall asleep and try to coax him into talking in his sleep. He remained silent and watched the boy fall quickly to sleep in the chair. His breathing was shallow and even and his eyelids were still once more.
'He's not dreaming,' the man thought. 'All the better.' After about fifteen minutes, he rose from his chair and kneeled next to Duo's head. "Duo," he whispered in a clear, deep voice.
Duo turned his head a little towards him and fell still.
He smiled and nodded. "Duo... Do you know who I am?" he asked. Duo bent his head slightly. "Duo, do you know why you are here?" Same response. The therapist was overjoyed and had to fight to keep his voice low and steady. "Duo, can you tell me why you are here?" Duo curled into a tighter ball and relaxed again. He bowed his head again. "Duo, will you tell me right now why you are here?" Duo's eyelids fluttered for a moment and the man held his breath.
Duo shook his head.
"Duo, do you remember what happened? Do you remember Heero Yuy?" Duo flinched at the name. He nodded. "Duo, I want you to tell me what you remember about Heero." Duo remained still for a moment. He was about to repeat the question when Duo's lips parted and he murmured something. "Duo, you have to speak louder. Repeat what you said."
"Heero..." Duo's voice was low and raspy.
"Yes, Duo. Who was Heero Yuy?" His heart jumped into his throat.
Duo groaned. "Heero... Heero was my friend... He went into the bathroom..." he trailed off.
The therapist nodded. "Yes, Duo. What happened in the bathroom?" he urged.
"Heero took the knife... Bedframe... Bathroom... I couldn't get in..." Duo started to squirm.
"Hush now, Duo. I want you to relax. I want you to tell me what you remember." He watched with relief as Duo stopped moving around.
"Blood..." Duo muttered.
"Blood? Where was the blood, Duo?"
Duo inhaled sharply. "I saw it... Under the door... Heero hurt himself..." He whined and started moving again.
"Relax, Duo. Now tell me, why did Heero hurt himself? Did he tell you?"
Duo nodded a little. "He hurt me..."
The man's eyes widened. He hadn't heard about Duo getting hurt. His heart started racing. "How, Duo? How did he hurt you? Did he hurt your body?"
Duo shook his head. "No... Not my body... He hurt my spirit... He said he was sorry... And he left..."
"He left, Duo?" the man asked.
"He went into the bathroom... I told him to come out, but he didn't listen." Duo was moving around so much now that his therapist thought he was going to fall off the chair.
"Duo, you must relax," he said sternly. Duo took a few moments to settle down. "Good, now I want you to tell me something else. Why were you crying when you came in here two days ago?"
Duo remained still. "I saw Heero... He came to see me..."
"How did he do that, Duo? When?" the man pushed eagerly.
"He came in the night... He watched me through the glass... Blood..." Duo trailed off again.
"What about blood, Duo?"
"He was bleeding again... I could hear it dripping... He was trying to make me crazy." Duo was digging his nails into the chair.
Sighing, the man said, "Is that why you were crying?"
Duo nodded. "Heero was waiting for me. Heero is haunting me."
The man merely watched Duo's face for a little while. "Why were you so calm today, Duo?" he finally asked.
"Heero came again. Last night. Heero came to me. He talked to me." Duo's sentences were becoming clearer. He sighed heavily.
"What did he say to you?"
"He told me not to worry. He told me that we'd be together again soon. He promised," Duo concluded in a whisper.
Startled, the man didn't speak for another few minutes. "Ok, Duo. I'm going to let you sleep now. You will not remember this when you wake." He sighed quietly and rose to sit behind his desk again. He watched Duo sleep peacefully for the rest of the session while he took notes on what had happened.
He went out of the room for his next few sessions again and when Duo woke up, he returned. "I'm glad you're starting to sleep again, Duo," he said when he came in. Duo was looking at him blankly.
He smiled innocently and asked how he slept. Duo didn't reply, but looked out the window. "Duo, I'd like to ask you one last question before you leave. It's alright if you don't answer. I expect that." Duo turned and looked out the window. The therapist nodded and casually asked, "Do you worry about an untimely or early death, Duo?"
Duo's eyes snapped back up to meet his. He stared at him incredulously, his lips pressed together tightly. The man met his gaze calmly and shrugged. "It was just a question. Something is obviously on your mind and I'm just trying to figure out what that is."
Duo continued to stare.
The man nodded towards the door. "You may leave, if you wish, Duo."
He did so quickly. He went to the cafeteria for a bite to eat before he was taken to his room for the night. This time he lay down facing the door. He didn't want Heero sneaking up on him again if he decided to come.
After a few hours of waiting, Duo's spirits were beginning to lift. He relaxed and he dozed for a while. He was roused by something in the middle of the night. He opened his eyes and saw the door. Nothing was there. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and glanced around the room. Nothing. He was about to shrug it off and try to sleep again when he heard something...
'Oh no...' he thought, getting nervous and panicky. He nearly screamed when Heero came and stood in the hallway facing his cell again. He came right up and went through the glass. Duo watched, paralyzed with fear. Heero grinned.
"Hey, Duo. Miss me?" he asked in that airy whisper. He came up to Duo's bed and sat down at the foot. He never took his eyes off of Duo. "What's the matter? Didn't I tell you not to worry? Not to be afraid of me? I won't do you any harm."
Duo looked down and curled into his protective ball.
Heero stood and went to stand next to Duo. He bent over close to Duo's ear again. He cupped Duo's cheek gently in his cold, ghost hand and whispered, "Soon." And he was gone.
.......................................
In the morning, Duo once again found himself sleeping in the overstuffed chair in his therapist's office. After another fifteen minutes, the man behind the desk came to Duo and tried to get him to speak once again.
"Duo, do you know who I am?" he asked as he had the day before. He used the same soothing voice as before, also.
Duo nodded.
"I would like to ask you some more questions. Is that alright?"
Another nod.
"Duo, I would like you to tell me how many times Heero has come to see you at night." He had a plan for this session. A list of questions depending on how Duo answered.
"Four," Duo murmured.
"Did he come last night?" A nod. "Did he speak to you?" A nod. "What did he say?"
"He said... Soon." Duo sighed quietly. "He told me he wouldn't do me any harm."
"He said "Soon"? What did he mean?" He took notes while Duo talked.
Duo was still for a moment. "He meant that we would be together again soon. Soon..." he whispered.
"Did he tell you how you would be together?" the man asked, continuously scribbling out notes.
Duo shook his head. "He just told me that it would be soon."
"Is this why you are afraid of an early death?"
Duo nodded. "I'm going to die. He will make me. Soon..."
The therapist nodded absently. "This is all for now, Duo. You can go to sleep now and you will remember none of this when you wake up."
He then left the room to make a few urgent arrangements.
.......................................
Duo awoke around three in the afternoon and his therapist was already there waiting for him. He smiled. "Duo, I have something I want to show you." He beckoned for Duo to follow him out of the room. He led him down long, unfamiliar hallways and up a few staircases. Duo followed closely.
They soon arrived at a hallway with many doors on both sides. Each one had a small square of whiteboard next to it at eye level and a number above that. The man led Duo to a room that was farther down the hall and he told him to wait outside a moment. Duo did as he was told while his therapist knocked and slipped inside. Duo could hear him speaking to someone and he leaned against the wall.
After a moment, the man came back out and motioned for Duo to come inside. Duo did so. When he stepped inside, his eyes were drawn to a large white bed. It was empty and neatly made. It had different machines around it that were all off. He turned to where the therapist had gone behind a curtain. He heard him behind it. "Come on, now."
Duo sighed and walked around the curtain. His therapist was standing next to another man in a long, white coat and across from them, next to the window, sat Heero Yuy. Heero was watching him. Duo just stared.
"Hey, Duo," Heero said quietly. "Didn't I tell you not to worry?" he asked with a slight smile. "I told you we'd be together again soon." Duo saw that he had a long bandage on his left inner forearm and he was wearing a hospital gown.
Tears flew from Duo's eyes as he sprinted to Heero's side and fell to his knees beside his chair, throwing his arms around his middle. Still crying loudly, Duo managed to say, "Heero! I thought you were dead! Nobody ever talked about you or anything! You were a ghost, Heero! You came to my room!"
"Yes, Duo," Heero replied calmly, stroking the boy's hair. "I did come to your room. And didn't I tell you that we'd be together again soon?"
"Yes, but I thought you were dead! I thought you were going to kill me too so we could be together. How did you get to my room if you weren't a ghost?" he asked, calming a little. The two other men had left the room by now.
Heero chuckled a little. "I'm not really sure, Duo. It just happened."
Duo nodded. He had nearly stopped crying.
Heero embraced Duo tightly and brought his lips close to his ear. "I told you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ok, this chapter wasn't so great, but it works, ne? Just so you know, this fic is still not over. I still have at least one more chapter to go.
I will now point out your mistake that caused you to jump to the conclusion that Heero was dead. In chapter 8, I told you in the Author's Notes that the parenthesis was Duo remembering things; they were his thoughts. He thought that Heero was dead. I never said it otherwise. I never confirmed Duo's thoughts ::grin::