After Dark
Part V
By Mieren
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The commander looked down at Duo's limp form in the interrogation chair, scowling darkly. After the impudent comment, he was tempted to kill him, but decided against it.
"Throw him in the room with his friend. Perhaps the other one will be willing to talk once he sees what we're capable of."
Two soldiers saluted and grabbed Duo's arms, dragging him across the compound to throw him into the cell holding his friend. Checking only to see that the captured pilot wasn't near the door, the unlocked the deadbolts and threw Duo inside roughly. Before the other pilot had a chance to move, they slammed and locked the door. After losing almost fifty men capturing him, they had no intention of letting him loose again.
With the steel door locked tightly, they left to return to their posts.
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Wufei rolled to his feet instantly when he heard the heavy bolts of the door open. Whatever he had expected of the guards at the door, what he saw was not it. Wide onyx eyes followed Duo's still form as he was thrown to the floor, landing heavily on his face. Blood splattered across the metal plated floor. Wufei was by his side before the door had completely shut.
"Nataku," he breathed. His dark eyes watered as blood spread quickly across the floor.
Gently, he rolled Duo slightly onto his side and gathered him into his arms. Tears slipped down his cheeks as Duo's ruined eyes came into view. He touched his trembling fingers to the stream of blood beneath Duo's eyes and ears. His throat locked in a mixture of profound sadness and utter loathing. Whoever had done this would suffer a gruesome death at his hands.
Duo choked weakly in his arms, coughing to push the blood out of his mouth. Wufei trembled with the horror coursing through his body as he saw the severed tongue in Duo's mouth still gushing blood.
Wufei quickly shifted Duo in his arms, holding Duo's head on his collarbone, mouth facing downwards so he wouldn't choke on his own blood. He pressed one cheek to the back of Duo's head, trying desperately to comfort him.
The slight movement and gentle touches pulled Duo from his stupor. Believing he was being moved again to be tortured further, he panicked. The warm skin under his bloody lips fired his temper and he fought back the only way left to him. Curling his lips back, he opened his sore jaw and bit down. Hard. Blood gushed from the flesh in his mouth, but he ignored it. Or tried to. With his hold, he couldn't let the blood drain from his mouth. Unwilling to relinquish his hold but not relishing the thought of drowning in blood, he swallowed raggedly.
Wufei jerked roughly when a burning pain erupted at the base of his neck. Trying to push Duo away only caused the pain-crazed brunette to tighten his hold. He even started to tell him that he could let go, that he was safe now, before remembering that Duo couldn't hear him. Frustrated with the situation and furious that someone had tortured Duo the to the brink of insanity, he tried the only thing he could think of to communicate.
Tilting his head to one side, Wufei used one finger to write his name gently on Duo's cheek. After several repetitions of writing his name, he felt the jaw locked to his throat loosen slightly in uncertainty. Knowing that he had Duo's full attention, he began to write out in full detail what he would do to the people responsible for the injustice of their actions.
Duo's lips trembled against his neck for a moment before he carefully unlocked his jaw and pulled his teeth out of Wufei's neck. He let out a choked sob and buried his face against the Chinese pilot's collarbone. Wufei stroked his hair gently, only then noticing the ragged wisps under his fingers. The sheer senselessness of the insult of cutting off Duo's prized braid made him vow to avenge his trembling friend.
"You just wait until Heero finds out about this," Wufei murmured into the silence, his soft voice at odds with Duo's ragged breathing. "This base will disappear from the face of the planet. Justice will be seen. There will be no survivors."
Wufei paused, shocked when he noticed that Duo had pressed his face more firmly against his neck. He was confused until he realized that Duo could feel the vibrations in his throat when he was speaking. The desperation of the gesture robbed him of all coherent thoughts for several seconds. Unable to think of anything to say, he began humming softly, relieved when the tension slowly receded from Duo's neck.
He stayed like that for hours, ignoring the scratchiness of his own voice as he hummed, gently running his fingers through Duo's hair. Finally, Duo's breathing evened out in uneasy slumber. Only then did Wufei allow himself to relax enough to rest. He had been awake since Duo's capture and he was exhausted. Sleep claimed him immediately.
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To Be Continued…
I know it's short! Gomen! The next section will be much longer, I swear, but it's not quite finished yet. *ducks out of sight to hide from rabid fans* I know I've had forever to mess with it. Forgive the poor overworked zombie. R&R!