In honor of February's poll on my website, this chapter (which has taken hell and high water to write) is finally out. I happened to loose my inspiration for this story and am sorry for the lack of updates. Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter.

Website: www. Freewebs . com / lost-remembrance (If this doesn't work then go to my user look up and click on 'homepage' and it will take you there )

Warnings: VERY Angsty in this chapter. There will also be blood, gore, and violence (if not written then implied)

Innocence Taken, Chapter Thirteen (unlucky number :hint hint:)

"Heero," Duo said, looking his friend straight in the eyes, "I have to ask you something serious."

"And…?" Heero questioned, ignoring from a side way glance that the Jester of the five was completely serious, much unlike Duo Maxwell's usual manner. Something was obviously eating him up, for the better or for the worse.

Duo took a deep breath, the silence in Heero's house unnerving. He wondered if he was lucky that the father and mother of the household were out and away or if it was bad luck. "Are you being abused?"

If Duo wasn't Duo or a Gundam pilot, then he probably wouldn't have noticed the sudden widening of the Japanese pilot's eyes. Duo narrowed his eyes, seriousness etched clean into his features.

Heero didn't reply at first, mumbling a barely audible, "Hn."

Duo jumped from his chair in the sitting room they were located in, the soft light from the lamp making shadow's play across his face. His eyes didn't dance with mirth, merely anger and frustration blended evenly. "Damnit Heero, answer me!"

Turning, Heero stared Duo dead serious in the eyes, his cold and calculate gaze clearly stating he didn't need the God of Death to help him out of this one. "Heero," Duo growled lowly his voice gravely as he tried to choke back the emotions threatening to tumble out, "Even you don't deserve this."

"Duo…" Heero sighed, closing his eyes as he let his long bangs fall over his face, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then why don't you enlighten me," He jerked for Heero's arm, yanking it into his grasp as he pulled the black sleeve up sharply, black and blue bruises marring his lightly toned skin. Duo noted with a dark eye that Heero seemed to be getting thinner than normal. "And tell me where the hell you got these from."

"…I…" Duo wasn't amused by the fact that the 'Perfect Soldier' was now stumbling, trying to pull his arm from Duo's tight grasp. Inwardly he scolded himself for not saving a special reservoir of strength that he would use to rip from Duo's hold.

"Tell me, Heero!" He yelled, lowering his voice when he saw Heero stare at him with surfacing mixed emotions, "We're all so worried about you…"

The click of a key being turned filled the awkward silence and Duo had an ounce of fear in him when he saw Heero's eyes widen. 'Was he like this around Dr. J in the beginning of his training…?' He questioned absent-mindedly.

The door was opened and the burly shadow of a man and the petite figure of a woman walked into the dimly lit house.

The heavy stench of alcohol on their breath made Duo fight to hold bile back in his mouth. The mixed smells were almost too much for his brain to process and sort. If OZ ever got a hold of all the liquors they had been drinking they would make one hell of a torture device against the pilots.

"…He…ero." The woman questioned, turning to see her 'son's' bruised arm in the tight grasp of one of his friends.

She smiled uncertainly, putting her purse down on the nearby small table as her husband glared at her and grumbled, the intake level of tolerance maxed out of him already making him irritable.

"Y…ya know we told ya not ta have friends over here." He growled out in his drunken state, the slurring of some words making Duo question just how much he did have to drink that night.

Duo stood in front of Heero, letting go of his friend's hand as he straightened his shoulders, shooting his best glare at the man. Wishing he had a gun to shoot the people with, he settled with a verbal fight instead. "What the hell have you been doing to him?"

"What do you mean?" The wife questioned, nibbling on her lip with worry. Obviously she wasn't as drunk as her stupor spouse.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Duo shouted in pure rage, Heero pulling on his fuming friends arm to try and make him calm down.

"Please, Duo don't make a scene." He pleaded, throwing minute glances at his foster parents who were seething with rage.

"Heero, what did you tell him exactly?" His 'mother' questioned in her sickeningly sweet falsetto.

"I know Heero's being abused by you people." There was a sharp in take of breath and an awkward silence that filled the dimly lit room.

A ferocious growl like that of an animal broke the silence. Dave, Heero's foster father, had his eyes set on Heero who was rigid with wide eyes at the people in the room. The older man's eyes were blood shot, glazed with alcohol and rage. "Perhaps we didn't make it clear to you, boy." He ground out between clenched teeth.

Thumping his way quickly and angrily past the shocked Duo, whom was roughly shoved out of the way, he grabbed Heero by the scruff of his black shirt, slamming him against the closest wall. The table holding the lamp fell and shattered, sending glass flying to knick the elder man and Heero in the face.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Duo tried to charge the man to get him away from Heero. Slamming the short-haired boy into the wall again he wasn't satisfied enough when he heard the tell tale sign of breaking bones. If only a rib or two, this boy would learn his lesson and his place.

"S-stop it…!" Heero managed to growl out between choked gasps, eyes clenched. J wouldn't be pleased to know that his perfect soldier isn't so perfect anymore. Then again, even in this weakened condition perhaps J would think otherwise.

"You are nothing!" Dave landed a rough punch in Heero's gut, making him arch his back against the wall as the wind got knocked out of him. The injured rib protested as Heero tried to catch his breath.

You are nothing! The world doesn't need you! A worthless piece of crap that no one loves. If you died no one would care. They'd laugh instead of weep. You're lower than dirt!

Every thing taunted him; the names; the memories that wouldn't stop assaulting him during each and every beating. He deserved this. He killed so many people and hurt so many lives. His pain was the only thing that could possibly atone for all the pain and suffering he caused in the world.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Duo questioned, trying to loosen the enraged man's grip on his fellow comrade and best friend. A rough smack from the man's hand that wasn't holding Heero sent him flying into the knocked over table.

"Being an OZ commander does happen to have some perks, eh?" He drawled out, the alcohol draining enough from his system to allow him to think properly though his reaction time was slowed along with his balance.

"You never liked Heero, did you?" Duo questioned, light dawning in his eyes.

"All you Gundam pilots are crap." He moved his hand up from Heero's shirt to his neck, smiling insanely as he tightened his grip. Heero grasped, arms trying to vainly pull the strong man's grip on him. "You should all die." To emphasize his point he squeezed slowly but tighter around Heero's neck.

"Get off of him!" Duo screamed, his lithe body pulsing with anger as he tackled the man, sending Heero fell roughly to the floor as he sagged against the wall while trying to catch his lost breath. The red tint to his cheeks started to fade after a minute or two.

"How dare you do something like this to Heero!" Duo cried, punching the man we was currently straddled over as he radiated of anger. Perhaps this was the God of Death he some animatedly described himself as?

"D…Duo stop it…" Heero protested, the man underneath his very obviously unconscious now. A black eyes and bruises marred his face as Duo stopped in his rampage.

"Y-you don't honestly believe what he says is true, do you Heero?" The braided pilot questioned, turning confused, saddened, as well as shocked eyes onto his abused friend.

Lowering his eyes, Heero closed them and looked back up at Duo as he struggled to stand, placing a hand against the wall in support. Gazing into his friends cold eyes, one emotion lingered and that was enough for Duo to see red in his vision again as he turned back to the man.

"Bastard!" He seethed, looking back at Heero who was still able to keep his balance and stand. The arm that was one wrapped around his torso was now gone as he stared at the front of the room where Duo was. His foster mother seemed to be in a land of her own, gaping like a fish with her jaw open and head tilted slightly to the side.

Jerked out of her thoughts as the maddening sight before her, Julie couldn't help but notice the horrible shape Dave was in. She glowered at Heero, who was looking down at Duo with that pitiful look in his eyes. 'I'll show him,' She hissed, hands fumbling around as she leaned against the small table where her purse was. Over the punching and swears from the braided boy, she knocked all sort of assortment things off during her quest for the object she was searching for. Her purse fell in a cluttered heap onto the carpet floor, barely making a sound.

Roughly pulling the drawer out, the contents inside the cabinet russled around, sound once more ruffled as she heard that devil call her husband more names. She grabbed what she was looking for, hands shaping as she spun around on her heel.

Her hair was in disarray and if she were to look in a mirror she would have laughed most likely at her state of appearance. Her lipstick was smeared, mascara lines running down her cheek and eyes wide. Wisps of her hair escaped her bun, no longer delicately lining her face like they did at the bar. Her shoulder strap for the sleek black dress she wore was hanging on her arm, one high heel shoe off and the other not. Her hands shook and her face was ghostly pale.

She raised her arm, pointing the gun at Heero who sensed something wrong and looked up. His eyes went wide as he no longer took an interest in Duo pummeling his foster father.

He knew in his condition he wouldn't be able to move in time to avoid a shot aimed at him, and he knew she knew that also. She narrowed her eyes and fired, the shot ringing out as Duo Maxwell looked up a minute too late.

Duo's eyes went wide as he heard the shot and then screamed, "Heero!"

TBC

Author's note:

…

…

Angsty enough for you all? muahahah!

You know, I actually liked how this chapter turned out! I'm so sadistic, aren't I? Well, some of the chapters didn't make sense before (I'll have to go back and change some of those) but hopefully this one did.

I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner, I had a lack of inspiration for this story for some odd reason. But I keep true to my word on the poll!

I'm terribly sorry for that. Sadly, Heero's friend won't be making another appearance I don't think (at least from what I have plotted out, which isn't a lot). There also won't be any happy little Yelir's AP class things anymore—so if it gets too dark and angsty for you to read go out and frolic in the sun. . Frolicking is good!

Heheh, I just love cliff hangers, doesn't you?

So what did you think of this chapter? Feed back is always welcomed with a hug from my teddy bear!

Liebe, Red Tail