Happy Victoria Day everyone!

As promised, an early update -. I like this chapter – I don't know why but it was really fun to write – must be something about being Canadian… I LOVE SNOW! laughs

Anyway, thanks for the nice reviews everyone – I truly appreciate it.

I hope you enjoy this chapter – let me know what you think. Find grammar errors? Let me know ok?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny or any other references made to the series. This chapter was inspired by … I'm so embarrassed… I use to be a huge pokemon fan (way back in the day) and there was an episode where Ash and his pokemon are stranded in the snow. So, it's not completely an original idea – just wanted to put that in to be safe. As for Athrun's little episode – I got the idea from my psychology class.

Abhorrence

Chapter #14: Unwilling Host

Dearka stumbled, Athrun's weight driving him down into the snow he had been trudging through until he dropped to his knees. Quickly, he scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in his sore ankle, and continued to tag along behind Yzak. He had been carrying Athrun for almost 4 hours and a snow storm had been picking up sever since they had left the M.S building. Now, the roaring winds were blowing at full force, blinding him and he felt as if someone had wrapped a white blanket around his face – suffocating him.

Athrun was chattering loudly and his skin was far too pale. One glance at his ashen face, and Dearka knew they had to get out of the wind now, or nothing would be able to save their friend. They had gone through far too much to lose him now.

They had reached the countryside and only when they were convinced they were no longer being pursued did they slow down. The powerful gusts of wind threw up an effective snow-screen and not only were they unable to see but nobody would most likely be able to see them.

"Yzak!" Dearka hollered over the wind at the boy a few feet ahead of him. "Athrun's not looking so hot! We'd better find shelter soon!"

Yzak snorted in reply. He didn't need Dearka telling him this to know that Athrun was undoubtedly ill and getting worse. Desperately, his keen eyes searched the swirling whiteness for some sign of anything that might result in shelter from the storm. Suddenly, the ground gave in under his feet and Yzak found himself half-falling, half-skidding downward in a tumble of snow and wind.

The blizzard was now so thick that the young Coordinator had not even been able to see that he had come to a cliff and had walked right off it. A round of angry curses escaped his blue lips but his words were lost in the wind. Fortunately, the cliff was only a fifteen foot drop and the snow at the bottom padded his landing.

Dearka collapsed beside him, dropping Athrun's limp body in the snow. Their friend moaned weakly but aside from that, remained unresponsive. His skin was freezing to the touch and ice crystals had formed on his eyelids and in his hair that blew furiously about his sealed eyes.

The bottom of the cliff was minimally protected from the worst of the harsh winds. Without hesitating, Dearka scooted back against the rock wall of the cliff as far as he could, pulling Athrun along with him. Yzak quickly followed.

Any shelter was better than none at all and going further when he could hardly see was obviously a dangerous proposition. They had no other real options but to wait until the storm eased up. Dearka swallowed nervously – he hoped it did so soon.

"This is ridiculous!" Dearka blurted out, pulling Athrun closer still. The young man's shaking frame was icy cold against his body. He felt as cold as the storm, or colder. Unnerved by this, Dearka undid his jacket. Ignoring the stinging cold as it bit through his shirt, he wrapped his coat around Athrun's shoulders and held him closer to better share his body heat. "We are all going to freeze if we stay out here!"

"I know that!" Yzak shouted back. Straining to see, he wasn't sure but he thought he could see something that looked like a lone house off in the distance. He shuddered, suddenly unsure if he was perhaps becoming delusional.

Dearka shivered uncontrollably, clutching Athrun tightly to his chest and trying to give whatever warmth he had left to him as the snow piled up around them. The rock ledge behind them offered little protection and the drifts were creeping higher and nearer. Night was fast upon them, and Dearka knew that temperature would only keep dropping. Athrun would never survive until dawn if they stayed like this any longer.

Dearka was well aware that they should probably push on and try to find a place to spend the night but the area was foreign to him. He felt completely drained and didn't know if he could carry Athrun much further and even if he could, where would they go anyway?

So much of Dearka's strength was going towards keeping the violently shivering, young man, clutched tightly in his arms, alive that he had driven himself to exhaustion. The irritating pain in his ankle refused to ease up and his arms had long since gone numb. He could feel the storm sinking its cold teeth into his body and he too was starting to shiver almost constantly. Yet, when he looked down at Athrun, he realized that he couldn't give up.

Athrun was so cold he had picked up a whitish-blue tint, making the cruel bruises and cuts on his face and body stand out stark and painful against his pale skin. Dark circles hung beneath his closed eyes and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow. He was slipping.

"There!" Yzak shakily stood up and motioned for Dearka to follow him. "I think I see something!"

Dearka groaned and, picking up Athrun again, he trudged through the snow behind Yzak. "This had better be good!"

Both ZAFT pilots moved as quickly as they could against the raging winds towards a small structure that they could just barely make out in the near distance. Someone in the heavens must have been watching over them for what they saw was a small cabin. Like a beacon of hope, there was a light on in the window. It called out to them, inviting them to seek refuge under its protective roof.

The two boys climbed up the steps to the cabin as fast as they could, although the steps themselves were no longer visible beneath the snow. Dearka limped along and carried Athrun in front of him like one would a child, supporting his shoulders with one arm and his knees with the other. Athrun had lost a lot of weight and seemed frighteningly light in his arms. In one sense he was grateful because he doubted he would have otherwise been able to carry him as long as he had. On the other hand, the Blue Cosmos had seen it necessary to drive Athrun to the pathetic state he was in now.

That did not sit well with him.

Athrun's head lolled lifelessly against Dearka's shoulder as they reached the top of the stairs and Dearka readjusted his grip around him. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, he could see that the sun was just beginning to set and shuddered as the temperatures also seemed to be rapidly dropping further and further below zero.

Yzak pounded on the large wooden panels of the front door. Yzak waited half of a second before he pounded on it a second time. "Open this door!"

After what seemed like ages, a middle-aged man pulled the door open. He was dressed in his evening wear and he looked as if he had just been woken up. He squinted to make them out and immediately he scowled when his eyes landed upon the two weary Coordinators. He was obviously surprised and not at all pleased to see them.

"What do you want?" He demanded with icy suspicion, making no move to let them in.

"We want to come in!" Yzak replied hotly. "Can't you see that we've got an injured man with us! We need to get him out of the storm!"

The stranger's gaze roamed dispassionately over the pale, shivering form in Dearka's arms. He then spotted the insignia of the PLANTS on the collar of the blond boy's shirt. His eyes flashed with ire as they fell back onto Yzak.

"You boys… you're Coordinators!" He spat angrily. He started to close the door in their faces but Yzak was too quick for him. With his right arm, he caught the door, refusing to let it slam shut. It he hadn't felt so quite so numb, he might have ripped the wooden door right off of its hinges and grabbed the man by the throat.

Dearka was immediately at Yzak's side and pressed the weight of his shoulder against the door. The two of them easily forced the door open again, pushing the man back into the room a few paces.

"Try to close that door on us again and I swear I will make sure it is the last thing that you do!" Yzak hissed, his glare deadly.

"What! You just can't barge in here!" The man shouted in both anger and fear, foolishly trying to push the door back against them. "I will have you arrested for trespassing!"

Yzak just might have made good of his threat but Dearka intervened before things could get out of hand.

Stepping quickly in between the two men, he locked eyes with the cabin's owner. "Shut up and listen to me. I just busted my butt to get my friend out of a real fix and have gone through one hell of a storm. All we want it a warm, dry place to stay the night or my friend is going to die. There is no way I'm going to let that happen. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The man glared daggers at them, appearing to waver in indecision. He would have liked to see all of them dead but getting on the bad side of two angry Coordinators was something not to be taken lightly. He seemed on the verge of refusing again when Yzak's patience finally ran out.

"No Dearka," Yzak sneered and reaching into his belt, he pulled out a gun and pointed it squarely at the man's head. "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't understand. We're going to try my approach." He motioned to the man to step aside. "Move, now!"

The man's eyes widened and he backed away from the door and into the far corner; allowing the two boys to step into the warmth and out of the horrid storm. The one-room cabin was small. There was a small cot in the far corner while across from them was a stove, sink and refrigerator. Other than that, it was relatively sparse with the exception of the fireplace. Flames flickered from the well-established fire, bathing the room with much needed warmth

Dearka hurried over to the cot and gently eased Athrun down, careful not to jostle him or aggravate his injuries. That proved to be difficult and Athrun groaned as his back made contact with the gentle surface. Dearka then proceeded to cover him with two blankets that were folded neatly at the end of the cot.

Yzak kept the man at gunpoint and watched with a heavy heart as Dearka dealt with Athrun. Only now had they had a chance to survey the damage that had been done to their friend in detail. Even from where he was standing, he could see that the skin around Athrun's thin wrists had been rubbed completely raw. "How bad is it?"

"Not good," Dearka muttered. "He's weak. I think they may have done something to his left shoulder… actually, it's more like what didn't they do to him."

Yzak's features hardened slightly and his lips thinned. "We'll have to reset his shoulder."

Dearka nodded, feeling somewhat queasy. "This is sick. Who would do this to somebody?" Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and took hold of Athrun by the shoulders. It was probably best to do this while Athrun was only semi-conscious. "Ok… Yzak, get me something he can bite down on."

Eying the man in the corner, Yzak made his way over to the sink and grabbed a small washcloth. "Don't try anything," He warned him and then hurried back to the cot. "Or else I will kill you."

He knelt down beside Dearka and handed him the cloth and watched as his friend folded it up. Athrun's lips were parted slightly and when he put it up to his mouth, Athrun unconsciously bit down on it lightly.

"Athrun," Dearka tried. "Athrun, can you hear me?"

There was a low groan and Dearka and Yzak exchanged nervous glances.

"We have to reset your shoulder… it's going to hurt… a lot…do you understand?"

There was no response.

"I'll hold him, you set the bone," Yzak whispered.

Dearka glanced at Yzak who nodded his head.

"Ready when you are." He said.

Dearka placed his hands on Athrun's shoulder at just the right spot. He could feel the bone moving beneath his hands and when he had it placed properly, he glanced once at Athrun's face, seeing him bite down harder on the cloth.

"Hold him down," Dearka gritted his teeth and shifted so Yzak could lean over Athrun and pin him down to the cot. He had been trained to reset dislocated joints but during military training, it had been, more or less, something he had never taken overly seriously. He had hoped he'd never have to use that knowledge. Especially on someone like Athrun.

Dearka pulled back hard on the shoulder; Athrun's body arched in pain as his chin tilted upward. The cloth slipped from his mouth as his hoarse cry of agony echoed off the walls. For a brief second, his eyes popped open. Everything above him seemed to be spinning, getting darker and darker until at last Athrun saw nothing else but the blackness to which he had escaped once again.

There was a gut-wrenching crack as the bone popped back into place.

Athrun's entire body tensed and nearly flew off the cot had Yzak not been holding him down as a jolt of pain shot through his system. Seconds later, he went completely limp.

"Well," Yzak didn't know what to say. "If he wasn't out before, he is now."

"I hated that," Dearka muttered and stepped away from his friend. Fighting to hide the shock of what he had just done, Dearka then moved over to the oven and began rummaging through the cans of food on a shelf above it.

"What are you doing?" Yzak asked. He picked his gun back up and allowed himself to slide down to the floor and rest his head against Athrun's cot.

"I'm hungry," Dearka grumbled, finding a can of soup. "Besides, we have to get something into Athrun. I bet he hasn't eaten since they grabbed him."

"You're probably right," Yzak sighed and leaned back, his eyes never leaving the man who was still sitting in the far corner of the room. "I guess we're stuck here."

Dearka shrugged. Pulling out a pot, he started to boil up some water. "You know…" He said after a while. "We should probably clean him up a bit. See if you can find a change of clothes and get him into something dry."

Yzak frowned and hesitated for a moment before turning attention to the broken body lying on the cot behind him. If his heart had ever been made of stone, it would have long since been broken. For a brief instant, he wondered if Athrun even knew where he was. He searched his face, hoping to find some sort of indication that his spirit hadn't been completely snuffed and was disappointed to find only a skeleton of the young man he had once known. Much to his shame, Yzak was afraid to touch him in fear that he would break in his arms. Pain spilled from every pore of his small body like a terrible disease or a sickness that had contaminated the very essence of his being.

As if sensing Yzak's discomfort, Dearka came over and elbowed him aside. "Finish making the soup and keep an eye on our kind host. I'll clean him up."

Yzak nodded his head thankfully and hurried over to the oven, placing his gun at Athrun's bedside.

Dearka set to work at once. First he filled a bowl with luke-warm water and grabbed a second washcloth from the sink. He found an over-sized, red sweater and a pair of slacks in a trunk beside the cot and eased Athrun out of his wet, torn clothing. Bruises, welts and abrasions, some old and fading, some fresh and painful, were revealed one by one as Dearka pealed off his grubby attire, leaving Athrun in only his boxers. Gently, he washed the blood and grim from his face and body. Athrun stirred and grimaced slightly, his brow knotted and his face pained.

As he carefully wiped away the blood from Athrun's left hand, Dearka grimaced when he saw how deep the cut across his pinky was. He inwardly cursed the Blue Cosmos for the umpteenth time and wished he had the proper instruments to better care for his friend. Somehow, water and a damp cloth just didn't seem to be enough.

After cleaning the cuts and bruises as best he could, Dearka re-dressed his friend and then laid him back down. Placing a hand on Athrun's forehead, he flinched when he felt the waves of heat radiating off the other boy's body. Athrun's temperature was rising with a vengeance.

Athrun stirred restlessly under Dearka's hand. His face reflected his pain as he moaned softly, shifting uncomfortably under the covers.

"Dearka!" Yzak cried suddenly. "The soup is boiling over!"

"Then turn the heat down."

"I'm not a kitchen maid! How the hell do I do that?"

Without thinking, Dearka left Athrun and stumbled over to help Yzak. At the same time, the man in the corner, who had remained silent up until that point, saw his chance. He lunged towards Athrun. Swiftly, the stranger reached into his pocket and brought out a pocket knife, aiming it directly at Athrun's throat.

The two pilots heard the knife click as it opened and spun around in complete shock. "Hey!"

Before anyone could blink, Athrun opened his wild, green eyes and punched the man in the face, sending him crashing to the hard floor. Athrun jumped out of his bed and grabbed the man up by his night shirt, slamming him into a nearest wall. He wasted no time and punched him in the stomach, his damaged, left hand never letting go of the man's shirt. He rammed his right knee into his abdomen and let him go – the man slumped over his knee, dazed.

The stranger held his stomach and choked on a cough but Athrun wasn't finished. He quickly withdrew his knee, the man falling to the floor. Athrun then dragged him to his feet only to bring back his fist and slam it into the man's face. The stranger dropped to the floor in a heap. Before he could open his eyes, he felt Athrun push him onto his back, straddling him. Athrun's left hand took hold of his throat and squeezed, slowly choking him.

The stranger clawed at his left arm and tried to call for help but nothing could escape his throat, including air – nor could it enter. He bucked violently as he tried to draw air into his lungs.

"Now, it's you turn." Athrun snarled, his voice hoarse and throaty. Reaching over, he snatched Yzak gun from the side of the cot. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, shimmering with fright and desperation. "You're going to die."

Athrun was about to pull the trigger when Dearka and Yzak finally snapped out of the shock that had momentarily paralyzed them. In unison, the two of them went for the gun.

"Athrun! No!'

Athrun quickly changed his target – turning the barrel of the gun away from the man and towards Yzak. Before pulling the trigger, however, Dearka pounced on him. The blond boy grabbed both of Athrun's arms, freeing the man, but Athrun still managed to pull the trigger. The bullet hit the wall, only because Yzak dove to the floor. Dearka knocked the gun out of Athrun's grip and trapped him in an arm lock from behind.

The man sat up gasping for air and Yzak quickly ran to his side to see if he was alright. He couldn't believe it. Athrun could have killed him…

"No!" Athrun shouted, pain in his voice. "Let me go!" He pleaded, struggling and kicking in Dearka's hold as much as his injured body would allow.

"Yzak! Do something!" Dearka yelled, losing his grip. "Talk to him! I'm loosing him!"

Yzak complied and grabbed both of Athrun's shoulders, holding them firmly to try to stop him from wriggling and ultimately hurting himself further. The man scrambled back to his corner, horrified by what had just transpired.

"No!" Athrun cried, struggling even more and Yzak had to squirm to the right to avoid being kicked. It was as if he was trapped in some sort of living nightmare – one of which he couldn't escape.

Dearka's face was turning red from the strain of trying to keep Athrun under control. He noticed Athrun's movements were awkward and uncoordinated and Dearka hoped that he was growing tired.

"Get away from me!" Athrun yelled, his voice cracking. "Leave me alone!"

"Athrun that's enough!" Yzak barked at him, stunned and somewhat unnerved by the fact that Athrun had just taken a shot at him… and almost hit him. "Athrun! It's us! Damn it! It's Dearka and Yzak! Now, stop it!"

"Yzak?" Athrun stopped fighting and looked around the room as if he was blind and had to listen for the other's voice. His head turned frenziedly from left to right, sweat pouring from every pore and seeping down his face.

Releasing his shoulders, Yzak straightened, his face only inches from the delirious youth. "Of course it is! Who else did you think it would be?"

Athrun's eyes finally locked with Yzak's own. "Yzak?" Athrun whispered in disbelief. Glancing over his shoulder, his glazed eyes widened. Their color had softened and it became apparent that he was no longer panicked. Instead, they began to moisten as unshed tears gathered in their corners. "And… Dearka?"

"That's right," Dearka told him and loosened his hold around Athrun's arms. Carefully he guided the confused boy to the cot and helped him lay back down. Dearka took a nervous breath and pulled the blankets back over Athrun who was quickly drifting off a second time. It was just too much for his exhausted mind and body to handle. As his eyes rolled back into his head and began to close, a lone tear managed to escape and rolled down his cheek.

Soon, he was once again asleep.

"He passed out." Dearka stated the obvious and dropped to the floor, exhausted.

Yzak, however, wasn't so quick to dismiss what had just happened. "What the hell was that?" He demanded. "All this time he's been more or less dead and suddenly he just decides to attack us!"

"I think he was delirious," Dearka explained wearily, resting his head on the side of the cot. "Up until now, I'd bet you that he thought he was still a prisoner."

"And that's a valid reason to try and kill me?"

"No," Dearka chuckled lightly. "I guess not."

Yzak breathed out heavily and moved over beside Dearka, picking up his gun from the ground. Throwing Athrun a cautious look, he then turned to the oven. They had managed to stop the soup from boiling over and now it was just bubbling slightly. "What about that soup?"

"Save it for when he wakes up again," Dearka muttered. Listening to the howling winds outside, he smiled weakly. "It looks like we'll be here for the night. We'll take turns keeping watch – just in case Athrun wakes up again or our unwilling host decides to pull of another stunt. Maybe tomorrow night we can rejoin Kira and the others."

"I sure hope so." Yzak snorted and stretched. The owner of the cabin had yet to move from his corner. Yzak grinned devilishly and motioned over at Athrun.

"You had better behave yourself," He told him. "Otherwise, we'll let him take another piece out of you and next time we may not intervene and stop him."

The man's face went white as his wide eyes moved from Yzak, to Athrun and then back to Yzak. "You can stay as long as you like," He stuttered and shrunk further into his corner. "Just don't hurt me."

Yzak chuckled and then allowed himself to relax against the side of the cot. It was going to be a long night.

TBC

Before anyone asks – I know Athrun was a little out of character but… well… he's been through a lot and people can react badly when they are delusional. Poor guy, and things will only get worse before they get better. Yzak seems like the guy that could boil over soup – I know I have.

I hope you liked the chapter though crosses fingers. I love writing Dearka and Yzak – they're so much fun! - Oh! The strange guy in the house is going to be important in the next chapter… that's why I put him in there.

I don't know when I will update next but it will hopefully be soon. Please review – I love hearing from people and I'm always open to suggestions. Anyway, for the next chapter, we're still going to be following Yzak and Dearka…because I enjoy writing them.

Until next time,

Krilyn

Slightly Sinister Sinestra I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I liked your idea better than mine about letting Maloby out. Yes, he'll come back but only at the end of the story… which I have yet to write. Thanks for reviewing… I'm still waiting for you to update…

daisukiasu'n'caga Thanks for reviewing! I've actually written up Cagalli's reaction… it will come about in two chapters. I hope it doesn't disappoint you.

Kageharu Kaco dances about I'm SOOO glad you like my story! It makes me happy to know you like it so much. I'll try to disappoint you with the end cause I still don't know what to do. I wanted to stay true to the GS timeline (as much as I could) and if I kill Jibril… that just won't work though… I'm thinking about doing it anyway. Meh, I duno – thanks again.

"….": I'm happy Kira didn't get caught. I don't want to write any more torture scenes – it makes me despressed lol. Glad you liked the last chapter.