Souls Disappear in the Snow

by Masamune Reforged

They crashland in the Artic. An unforgiving winter traps them relationships strain, tempers flare, old bonds are broken and new emotions boil to the surface. All too soon they become aware of something dark and sinister around, and perhaps inside, them.

5. 4new chapter! Expedition

Souls Disappear in the Snow- GW fanfic
Masamune Reforged '06

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters therein.
Warnings: yaoi (established 3x4, developing 1x2 and...), angst, violence, supernatural, cursing, death?
Archive: Anyone that wishes to archive this fic is welcome to.
Comments: to The five Gundam pilots take refuge in a massive, abandoned mansion deep in the Artic, temporarily trapped. Having nothing to take their pent up emotions out on, the pilots' relationships begin to fray, especially between those with strong feelings for another.

Note: Yes, this is an entirely new chapter! I felt that I jumped too fast between chapter 3 and the old chapter 4, and I didn't think it made sense for the G-boys to NOT make an attempt to leave.

Note: None of these sites/MLs seem to be able to apply proper SPACING in documents, resulting in a format that I cannot seem to correct being seen. I highly recommend you DL this chapter and read it that way, as I cannot get the emphasis across without the proper spacing:

obviously change - to . www-megaupload-com?dWS4CRCIY

Part 4-Expedition

Upon waking the next morning it was evident that Trowa had failed in restoring heat to the ancient mansion. Looking at the exposed pipes snaking down one side of my room as I dressed, I couldn't help but wonder when they had been last used. Who had set up the heating system anyway? As I threw on a partially stained jacket over the two sweaters I had slept in, I fancied that the orange-red blotches down the right arm were the rust and grit that the engineer who had installed the pipes had gotten when laboring on the mammoth network.

My thoughts were distracted by shouting coming from downstairs.

I had to take my time going down to the foyer, the source of the commotion. I felt new vigor in my wounded leg, but it still refused to hold my body's weight on its own. I found everyone in the foyer, a poorly lit room connected to the great hall by a long hallway, probably to keep out the cold air.

"You're being unreasonable!" Quatre was saying, already appearing exasperated and vexed. "We've never dealt with such harsh climate conditions before. We can't just rush out and-"

"And get back to what we're supposed to be doing!" Duo seemed to be the main instigator of strife. He was bundled up, head to toe, in a huge black parka, a black ski mask, black boots and black gloves. "Quatre, I know you want to be cautious, but we're just going to waste away here at this rate! Trowa and I will be back before nightfall, probably with a truck or snow mobile or whatever we can find at the closest town."

Heero and Trowa stood mute on the sidelines of the conversation. Trowa was bundled up as well.

"You're not seriously going out there?" I broke into the conversation. Four sets of eyes turned on me, one amethyst pair menacingly. "You have no idea where to go, no idea where we even are. You think there are towns in this forlorn wasteland?"

Duo wanted to say something vicious, or bite my head off. Trowa, however, stepped in between and said, "It's true that we don't know our current position. But that's all the more reason to go out on a reconnaissance mission. We don't have time to waste here. The sooner we can get up into space, the better."

"Trowa, please, listen to me for a minute," Quatre pleaded, causing his tall lover to look at him with slight irritation. Quatre could be a whiner, probably something to do with being the only son of a multi-billionaire. "We can't be hasty. I've seen the desert; I know how unforgiving the elements can be, especially to those who are poorly prepared and have never-"

"I've already told you twice," Trowa interrupted. "We've got plenty of supplies to last one, even two nights. The sleeping bags are made for below zero temperatures. There are always risks involved-"

"Well I don't want you taking them!" Quatre was desperate, fretting insanely.

I walked over to Heero, who seemed to just be sitting back and watching the entire thing unfold. So none of the others could hear me, I whispered, "Are you just going to let them go like that? They have no idea what they're up against."

"It's their decision," Heero answered. "Whatever they do I'll just have to support them the best I can."

"Wh-," I stopped, feeling a burning stare upon me all of a sudden. I lowered my voice, "What are you saying? It's suicide! They have no clue what they're up against. You just can't let them go."

Heero turned to me and replied, in a determined, level tone, "That's why if they go, I'm going with them." He looked over my shoulder. I turned to see Duo.

I shook my head. Unbelievable… Duo, who had been watching our conversation, seemed to smile behind the dark ski mask. I guessed he had coaxed Heero into staying neutral in the argument.

"In that case I'm going with you too!" Quatre and Trowa's little tiff seemed to finally be at an end. Suddenly all eyes were on me. The decision had been made. I pondered how I was supposed to traverse the Arctic with my leg all busted up. I made up my mind.

"I'll go too."

- - - - -

Ten minutes later we were all ready to depart. I had persuaded Heero to leave the house's power on, just in case we needed to return. I was beginning to sweat, standing in the foyer, swaddled in four or five heavy layers. Quatre was even worse, perspiration already matting his forehead. The blonde had a white parka over maybe ten or eleven layers, bulging out ridiculously. He looked like a marshmallow.

"Everybody ready?" Quatre asked. I nodded.

"In that case," Duo was positively bouncing off the walls, rearing to go like a racehorse at the starting gate. He careened over to the door. "GERONIMO!" The American shouted as he pushed the door open.

But the door did not open. The knob turned, but the wooden frame did not budge an inch.

"What the fuck!" Duo spat angrily. He began to rattle the doorknob savagely, throwing all his weight into the immovable obstacle. "WHAT THE FUCK?" Again, Duo smashed into the door, causing it to give a deep groan. I heard a snapping noise, followed by another, softer sound.

"Stop!" I told Duo. He looked at me with a frustrated wrath. "We're snowed in. The door's probably blocked up from the outside. Breaking it down will just let more cold air in."

"The second floor," Trowa piped up, words slightly garbled behind a ski mask.

One of the unlocked bedrooms on the second story had a large hinge window. The instant it was open, Duo jumped, not even bothering to check how far down it was. He landed with a thud and a laugh in a huge pile of snow almost up to his waist. The rest of us waited for a moment. I wondered if my leg could take the fall.

Heero jumped, landing gracefully.

"What are those?" Quatre suddenly asked, pointing with a gloved finger. There seemed to be several places, slight bumps a stone's throw away from the mansion, where the snow almost seemed to make small mountains. Two of the mountains actually had a rocky peak.

"Graves," Trowa answered. He calmly jumped down.

Quatre stayed framed in the window for a moment, staring uneasily at the mounds. There were at least four dozen. A stiff wind whipped and stung his cheeks, making him shiver. The cold shock seemed to have snapped him from his thoughts, and he gingerly jumped into the thick white.

How did I get down without re-breaking my wounded leg? Belly flop. Don't dare laugh.

- - - - -

The first hour of the expedition was actually quite pleasant. Trekking through the waist high snow made our progress slow, but provided a good rehabilitation exercise for my leg. I could actually feel the strength building with every step I took, in between the gaps of tongue-biting pain. Duo took the lead, setting as fast a pace as one could muster in the impeding white drifts. Heero was directly in front of me. Several times I had to ask him to tell Duo to slow down. The Deathscythe pilot seemed deaf to my requests, and when he did cut the grueling pace, it was only for intervals of under a minute.

The sky was overcast, the sun blanketed by cloud cover. Without being able to locate the sun or moon, it was impossible to tell what direction we were heading in. The air was icy, nipping the throat with every breath. The only sign of life were a few deer pellets and hoof prints that we found after about half an hour of journeying. The tracks went off in the direction of a forest far away. Behind us, we could still see the dark outline of the mansion, watching us struggle away from it.

- - - - -

Minutes into the second hour, it began to snow. The flakes fell gently at first, one here, one there. It was actually quite nice. There was a sort of peaceful, simple allure to the landscape. Bundled up as we were, it wasn't too cold at all. I turned around once to see Trowa, unmasked, tilting his head back and trying to catch one in his mouth. Grinning to himself, Quatre grabbed a fistful of snow, compressed it together, and playfully zipped it at him.

Unfortunately, the Sandrock pilot's little joke caught Trowa dead in the nose. The blood flowed freely, staining the perfect white ground with crimson. Quatre hurriedly apologized, stopping Heero to get the medical kit. Trowa was quite angry at the blonde, not saying a word in response to his lover's apologies. He refused Quatre's help, swatting the well-intentioned Arab's hands away when he reached his side with a roll of gauze.

When Trowa had two pieces of gauze firmly stuck up his nostrils, Duo said, "Is everyone done playing around now?" I found that funny. Usually the braided Shinigami would be the one slowing us down with his antics. A howling wind answered with a heavier downfall of snow.

Quatre frowned at the sky. "It's getting dark already…" He said softly. We all somehow sensed what the timid blonde was about to say. Duo decided to cut to the quick.

"We're going on ahead!" He adamantly insisted, daring us to oppose him with a dubious violet glimmer in his eyes. "We left only a couple hours after sunrise. It's not getting dark."

Looking around, I had to disagree with Duo. A shadow had descended on the land. It was colder, the wind stiffer. Above the gray clouds began to roll by faster and faster, carried by the brisk gale.

"I think we should turn around," I spoke up. I wasn't about to let Duo bully me into this folly. "It does seem to be getting dark. I think there could be a storm coming. We haven't even made much progress. Even if we keep going, there's no guarantee we'll find anything."

"NO!" Duo shouted, smacking the snow in outrage. "No fucking way! You want to just rot away in that god-forsaken mansion? There's plenty hours of daylight left. We can't just give up. We have to get out of here! We have to get back to the war!" As he spoke, the wind seemed to shout him down, howling stronger than ever, mocking.

"We have plenty of gear," Trowa remarked, calmly pointing out the sleeping bags that were strapped to backpacks or slung over shoulders. "We may have to camp out a night in order to reach shelter. Personally, I think we should continue, but perhaps a vote is in order?"

"Keep going!" Duo yelled.

"…" Heero remained mum.

Quatre, "It's too dangerous to go ahead, especially with a potential storm looming."

"I agree with Quatre," I said, casting my lot. "We might not even be on the right track."

…

Heero didn't seem to want to vote. From my understanding of the Perfect Soldier it seemed bizarre that he hadn't been more active in leading the expedition. Now, at this crucial juncture, was he just going to stay quiet? I couldn't believe it. Duo had somehow manipulated the Wing pilot into a little puppet. It was undoubtedly the American's doing that Heero did not speak up.

After a minute of silence, Duo declared, "I'm going ahead! Those who want to head back, put your tail between your legs and get out of here!" He turned away and began to trudge off.

- - - - -

Forty minutes later, I was cursing myself for not doing exactly that.

"We need to turn back now!" Quatre was yelling from the rear, finally getting Duo to stop his onward march after minutes of futile pleas. "We won't be able to see at all in a little while, and the temperature's dropping rapidly." He blew on his already gloved hands in emphasis, jittering in place to keep the blood flowing. "It's not just the storm, it's actually already nightfall."

The blizzard was beginning to gain potentially lethal strength. The clouds were impossible to separate from the menacing graying sky, a slur of smudged brown, rolling black clouds and the faint tint of the sun setting behind it. The wind was coming in at an angle, whipping the flakes in our faces no matter what direction we faced. There was a persistent, hungry howl in the wind, a sniggering scorn that promised absolute contempt for our underestimating Mother Nature's fury.

Despite all this, Duo was stubbornly sticking to his path. The Deathscythe pilot had claimed numerous times that we would find shelter shortly, or that the weather might turn for the better. The worse the storm had gotten, the more Duo directed the subject of conversation to future plans concerning missions, the unknown status of our Gundams, and other petty talk. But now even the foolhardy American seemed to sense how unfortunate and unpopular his bullheadedness truly was.

"Perhaps we should set up camp for the night?" Trowa asked. "We can wait out the storm in the sleeping bags, then continue on or change direction-"

"Trowa I don't think that's such a good idea," Quatre gingerly tip-toed around the subject, not wanting to come in direct opposition with his lover. "It looks like it'll be pretty serious. I don't think we can take a gamble like that with equipment we've never tested."

I rolled my eyes at Quatre's timid argument. Both Duo and Trowa were being unreasonable, ignorance fueling their conviction. Polite recommendations were just killing time we already couldn't afford to lose, digging the grave deeper as the snow began to pile up. The trail we had blazed might be lost if we didn't turn back soon, and there was no guarantee that the direction we were heading in went anywhere at all.

Quatre was a natural mediator, but in times like this, his diplomatic gentility came off as weakness. I think Trowa felt the same, as he shook his head in staunch disagreement. For some reason, it seemed that the brunette was opposing Quatre just for the sake of the conflict.

"Listen!" I suddenly roared, unsure of how and from where the ardent fire in my voice had originated. "Do you all want to die? Are you out of your goddamn minds? We have no fucking idea what we're doing out here! The top priority to the mission right now is surviving so that we can find transportation to the colonies later! We can't fight if we're frozen solid to death!"

"You know what Wufei?" Duo asked, leering. "We'd definitely have found shelter if we weren't crawling around at a snail's pace because of YOU! You can go home! Noone's stopping you! You and Quatre are free to go," Here, a desperate, almost savage, glint flared in Duo's violet eyes, his jaw set in a ferocious snarl. I'd never seen the jovial prankster so powerful and full of wrath. "BUT I'M GONNA KEEP GOING TIL I FUCKING FREEZE TO DEATH! I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP, NEVER!"

"DUO!" There was only one person who could mediate this problem. Heero Yuy stepped in, softly putting a hand on Duo's shoulder. Heero's Prussian blue eyes were imbued with a rigid, but passionate aura, showing the rare emotion he always tried so hard to hide, fearing it was a weakness. Here, in this abysmal situation, it turned out to be the only power that could save us.

"Onegai Duo," Heero said, "Let's head back for today. We tried, you did your best. But we can't split up, not when we're going to need every single one of our skills and wits to find a way out of here. We just can't abandon each other. Getting back to the war is important, the mission is more important than any of our lives. However, if we die down here we'll fail it for sure."

Duo was moved by these words, although I was not. Still, I wondered if Heero's speech was enough to change the Deathscythe pilot's determination. I doubted it. Duo was more like a starved dog than a person now, chasing the scent of a rabbit onto a busy highway. He stood leaning into the northerly wind, letting the storm blast him with its full fury. He still seemed to glow in the creeping darkness.

"How about this?" Duo began, a slight frown creasing his ski mask. "How about we bunker down, all get in one or two sleeping bags together to prevent our body heat from dropping. When morning-"

"Not all of us may wake up in the morning!" Quatre yelled, worry overwhelming him. "At the rate of this snowfall, we could get buried in and be unable to dig out! I don't like this wind… The storm is only going to get worse! We need to head back!"

"No goddamned way..." Duo seethed, "No-"

Heero suddenly put his head right next to Duo's. It appeared that the Wing pilot was whispering in the American's ear, but I could not make out his words. I moved forward in order to listen, but a restraining arm on my shoulder stopped me. It was Quatre. I was about to tell the blonde that he really needed to stop acting like our mother, but Duo and Heero's conversation was already over.

Duo didn't say anything. He didn't even look at any of us. The wild braided orphan could be enigmatic and inapproachable when he wanted to. As Duo stalked past me, I got the distinct feeling that now was one of those times. Pleased that we were at least heading back to safety, I acquiesced, turning to follow.

- - - - -

We were going to die.

It had been something over two hours since we had turned back, but we had not been able to reach the shelter of the abandoned mansion. The trail leading back was relatively easy to follow, our tracks the only disturbance in the vast, untouched downy plain. Given the fact that we had already broken through the waist high floe in the other direction, the return trip should have been long over. The storm was relentless. A complete, thick darkness had descended, as the rightful inhabitant of the house returns after a day's work, casting the sun's intruding warmth far from our minds, numbing our toes and fingers.

The wind hollowed, whipping up a solid wall of resistance straight into our faces. By covering our faces, we were spared from the biting swarm, but rendered almost completely blind as a consequence. Not being able to see the route ahead, everyone stumbled and slipped, thrashing wastefully into the ever-rising snow banks around us. Quatre was doing the worst, falling almost every minute, stopping our progress each time he did so. Trowa did nothing to help. The former mercenary only huffed in irritation every time the Sandrock pilot buckled under, never offering a helping hand or a guiding arm.

Quatre fell. Trowa stopped; I knocked into him from behind. The stalwart uni-banged pilot just stood there looking at Quatre's fallen form, waiting for him to get up. After an uncomfortable moment, in which Quatre did not so much as twitch, Duo called out from the rear:

"What the fuck is taking so long!"

Not wanting to explain that Quatre had fallen for the umpteenth time, I merely turned back to the blonde. Something was not right. He was not even making an attempt to stand. I swallowed, the frigid air burning my throat. I was dying of thirst.

"Come on Quatre," Trowa barked, a lack of encouragement evident in his tone. No response. "Hey," Trowa's arms dropped to his side. I could only imagine the expression on his face. "Hey! Quatre?" Trowa asked, his words having no effect. "Quatre!"

"What's going on?" Heero asked, peeking over my shoulder. "Wh-"

"QUATRE? QUATRE!" A desperate, grave timbre shook Trowa's words. He dropped his flashlight, the sound of glass cleanly breaking accompanying the shudder and death of the light. In a single bound, Trowa was standing over his lover, the limber youth shaking. "QUATRE!" He yelled again. "Quatre?" Weaker now, more desperately. Trowa roughly grabbed Quatre by the back of his parka, flipping the smaller boy over onto his front.

"Get your hands off me!" The sudden answer seemed to even shout down the storm's ruckus, knifing into Trowa's chest with fury and hate. Quatre suddenly came to life, smacking Trowa's arms away with surprising strength. The Sandrock pilot got to his feet, his face almost entirely covered with flecks of glacial debris. Despite the snowy mess on his face, I thought I could see tears welling up in the corners of Quatre's aquamarine eyes. "Get away from me!"

Trowa's face went from an expression of surprise to relief to confusion. "What? Why?" He muttered stupidly. "Quatre what-"

"Is that all?" Quatre asked, his aim encrypted. "Is that all you'll do? Just stand there and yell? Just watch and scream at me!" Trowa's head fell, his tangle of hair covering his face. Quatre was getting red in the face, the combined effects of the freeze and distress twisting his normally angelic façade into an accusing mask of betrayal and broken feelings. "Is that how little you care about me?"

Trowa answered in a level, but sinister voice, "Quit playing your little games and get going." I was floored. This was not the response anyone would have expected.

Quatre seemed the least prepared for those words. Shaking his head, he disbelievingly asked, "What?" The blonde boy's rage had been blown out. He was muddled and perplexed, unable to believe what he had just heard. Trowa would never…

"Stop fucking with me and holding us all up," Trowa spat. "We just lost two flashlights because of your selfish little stunt. If you could just put your trite insecurities and worries aside for a change, maybe you'd actually contribute something to the group."

A slight reprieve in the storm accented the awkward pause that followed.

Quatre was staring at the blanketed ground, unable to look his lover in the eyes. I felt Heero shifting his weight uncomfortably behind me. I also felt out of place, slightly embarrassed and sorry for Quatre; but I just couldn't tear myself away. There was nowhere to go anyway…

"My flashlight's dying," Heero announced from over my shoulder. We'd be in serious trouble without the mammoth flashlights that were guiding our fumbling retreat. I could only locate the others by their respective beams.

"You can't go through life just relying on others for support," Trowa said sternly. "I never want to have anyone constantly needing my attention like some small child or invalid. …So don't expect so much from me. That's just not fair." He bent over, picking up his busted flashlight. "Let's move out."

"Trowa…" Quatre began, the name crawling out of his mouth, a pitiful sob.

"Stop wasting time and get moving!" Trowa erupted, making Quatre jump in fright. He shouldered his way past Quatre, nearly knocking the smaller boy into the snow bank. Trowa kept walking ahead, not even turning back after stumbling and nearly falling without anything to light his path. That made me smile to myself.

I also brushed past Quatre, hurrying to catch up to Trowa so he could lead the way with my flashlight.

- - - - -

The brief reprieve in the storm was over. The swirling snowstorm bore down on us again in its colossal mercilessness. Up in the front, I realized how little one could see. We could walk right into the side of the mansion and bump our noses against its walls before seeing it.

After an indeterminable time period, someone behind me asked, "Any sign of shelter ahead?"

No answer, or at least nothing that could reach my ears over the screaming Arctic zephyr. A terrific gust hammered down, sending fragments of ice and snow whirling into my face. I could not feel the razor-like cut over my left eye, but became aware of it as the blood began to flow, dripping into my already blurred line of vision. I put a hand to my face, cursing myself for not grabbing a ski-mask earlier. I blinked and wiped away the blood.

And then I was suddenly alone.

I stopped moving immediately, some small sense of calm in my brain forcing me to stay put until the others could find me. I waited for Heero to bump into me from behind… ... I shivered inwardly as no such contact came, a fresh stream of blood stinging my eyes as I scanned around me as best I could. I couldn't find the others' lights. I cursed Trowa for losing his flashlight. I cursed myself for giving him my own.

"OI! HEY!" I tried shouting, but my voice sounded weak, strangled by the frigid gale. I was almost sure none of the others, wherever they were, would be able to hear me. Nonetheless, I had to try. "DUO! TROWA! HEERO! HELLO! HEY! DUO!"

I stopped, I could swear I heard voices somewhere. But they weren't the voices of any of the pilots.

These were different, but at the same time, familiar. I removed my hood in the hopes of recognizing the identity and direction of the speaker. No matter how hard I strained, the words were just a small bit beyond my range of hearing. I couldn't make out any distinct semblance to any of the voices, not to mention what they were saying. But I still felt like I had heard them before. As my frustration mounted, a bizarre notion came into my head. Rather than shout, I whispered, soft as humanly possible:

"Where are you?"

Here

Not satisfied with this unhelpful response I whispered again:

"Where is here?"

Right here

Apparently, I had to ask a different type of question:

"What is it like, where you are?"

DarkCold

"It's the same for me."

"I can't stand being in the dark."

It's scary

"Yeah… Sometimes…"

Aren't you scared?

This made me stop and wonder, not about the fact that I was having a conversation with an unknown person in the middle of a blizzard by whispering to them, but about the question the child, it sounded like a child, had asked me. Was I scared? Scared of the dark? Scared of the cold?

You're 'fraid, aren't ya?

"… … a little…"

Me too. It's too dark here.

"Where are you?"

"Hello?"

You 'fraid of being alone?

I was about to vehemently object, about to curse the disembodied voice for not answering my question. I was lost out in a blizzard, without a flashlight, without any clue where to go! At this rate I was going to freeze to death if nobody came!

… Who would come? I wondered. Where were the others? If I had somehow strayed far from the path, would they risk their own lives trying to find me? Where were they?

I thought about all the times I had been alone. I had gotten used to being sent on solo missions, while the other pilots got paired up in twos. I thought about Merian, about her funeral and how lonely I had felt that day, the first time I had realized how precious of a blessing I had lost. All the nights of camping out in the wilderness, just me and Nataku… just me and myself…

God, I really was lonely…

It's all right

"You heard that?"

Don't worry, you don't need to be alone

"How did you hear my thoughts!"

Don't yell at me!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"What did you mean, I don't need to be alone?

Promise you won't yell at me anymore

"Fine. I promise."

Do you cross your heart, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye?

"I promise."

You need to say it

"I cross my hear, hope to die,

stick a needle in my eye."

"Hello?"Wanna play with me?

…. …

"Sure"

But then, I really need to find the others... I can't waste my time here.

Don't fib!You promised!

"I never-"I just wanted to be your friend

"Wait!"But now you'll just have to play by yourself!

"NO! Wait!"DON'T YELL AT ME!

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"DON'T YELL AT ME!

It was then I felt it. Initially, it felt like a slight breeze tickling my left eye, a small, barely noticeable pressure like the first touch of a tickling feather. But then the pressure did not give way. Slowly, but with stringent force, the pressure grew on my eyeball, causing me to tear up, panic rising in my chest. I tried to turn my face away from the intruding, invisible splinter, but the pressure was still perfectly aimed directly onto my cornea. I began to breathe in ragged gasps, fear overwhelming me as the nerves in my eye began to burst in agony, unbearable incendiary burning in my sockets. I pushed my hands to my face, a last measure to block the digging splinter.

I screamed in agony as the needle burst through, poking a sterile, tiny hole in my cornea. Clear, watery liquids began to flow out, streaming down my face, staining my hands. I nearly passed out in pain and shock.

That's what you get for breaking the promise.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice a quivering, frightened sniffle.

"It's me, Duo."

The answer came as a complete shock to me. I became dazedly aware of frosty wetness on my face, numbing my hands.

"What are you doing Wufei?" I was so confused. The voice was clearly Duo's... But it hadn't been his just a minute ago? Had it?

Looking up from the ground where I had curled up in a ball, I saw the Deathscythe pilot looking at me with a bizarre, questioning countenance. "Why did you suddenly wander off like that just as we came in sight of the house?"

This confused me even more. Staggering to my feet, I looked around with my good eye, my right hand still clapped firmly over my gouged one. I was still in excruciating pain, and vaguely realized I had wet my pants. I thanked the gods for all the layers I was wearing. Through the tears I could make out an open door and several windows lit up with morose, yellow light. I could not remember ever coming in sight of the cabin.

"What's wrong with you?" Duo asked again. "Why're you holding your head like that?"

"My eye… He poked out my eye…" I murmured. The mixture of my wound, broken spirit and confusion were too much. "He… I… It hurts…"

Duo rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling it away from my face. He let out a small breath, then scoffed, "Wufei, this isn't anything more than a little cut…"

"I can't see out of my left eye Duo!" I shouted in rage. And I couldn't.

What the hell had happened? How did I get back to the mansion? Couldn't Duo see the punctured gore? Still, he looked at me as if I were insane or playing some game.

"I'm telling the truth Maxwell!" I screamed. "I can't see a thing out of this goddamn eye!"

For emphasis, I covered my good eye and tried to walk around. In the complete blindness, I stumbled on my first step, my balance shot along with my sense of sanity. I felt someone grab me roughly before I could keel over entirely, hauling me up by my jacket to my feet. I opened my eyes, well, my one good eye, and found myself less than an inch away from Duo's face. The amethyst orbs scanned my own opal depths deeply, journeying deep into my core on an expedition. I did the same, concentrating on any shred of emotion or signal in the Deathscythe pilot's window onto his soul.

When it came down to it, Duo was a very simple, genuinely kind person. He was the first comrade in a long time that I liked and appreciated for something more than his skills. At first, it seemed strange, to think that this random guy would lay down his life to save my own, or any of the others. But he acted as if it were normal, so I just came to accept it, and gradually, began to feel the same for him. Despite his numerous pranks and jovial commentary, he took the war as seriously as any of us. Somehow, I knew he had a stronger connection to the cause than my own, something old and vital to his survival, the cogs that kept him going from day to miserable day of hiding, sneaking and killing.

"Come inside," Duo said, adding with reassurance, "we'll take a closer look and figure it all out."

I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," I mumbled sheepishly.

I went inside, stripping off my soaked, frost-caked layers and relishing in the comforting warmth of the mansion's shelter. I quickly rushed to the bathroom and stripped off the piss-stained undergarments. My undershirt had also been soaked through in sweat.

Looking in a cracked mirror in the bathroom, I frowned. My left eye was perfectly intact, a minor cut trickling slowly now above it. However, I was still blind in that eye, and could not help but shudder at the remembrance of the voice I had heard, of the sadistic needle.

Wanting more than anything to dismiss it as hallucination or nightmare, I shook my head, trying to ground myself in the real world once again. Still, a damp bone-chilling cold had settled over me, giving my goosebumps.

I went back to the foyer. In the main room Heero was making a fire. Trowa and Quatre were nowhere to be found.

I looked at the still open door. Duo was still standing in it, staring down the godless storm with an adamantly determined fury and righteous indignation, as if he could grapple with and cast down the force that whipped up the bitter calamity. Seeing him like that, I was sure Duo would give it one hell of a fight.

-end "Expedition", (the new) Part 4 in

Souls Disappear in the Snow

Masamune Reforged '06