A Whisper
You came back to haunt me
and I realized
That you were an island and
I passed you by
When you were an island to
discover
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a
state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my
loudest tones
That I started looking for A
Whisper…
-
Coldplay (Warning Signs)
Twenty-One:
When asked hours later what had actually happened, Keiko still found
herself unable to say the right words to convey the jumbled emotions of terror
and anger that had seized her body at the time.
"I just...I just
reacted..."
And that wouldn't be too far
from the truth. Never had she felt the need to thank her lucky stars for her
good fortune as she had on this night. In her quest to get the stupid woman on
the other end of the line to listen to her demands, Keiko had failed to notice
the car that had been crawling behind her at a slow and steady pace. Both cars
were now side by side and the two men, who had actually been following the
Porsche for a while now, smiled in pleasure as they realized that it really
was a woman behind the wheel. This was a double treat for them. Not only did
they have a great car to steal, they also had a hot babe to have their fun
with. But first...they would need to put the ‘scare tactic’ in motion. Nothing
beat the smell of fear in a woman who was about to be fucked. It was always a
major turn on.
The man seated on the
passenger side cocked his gun and made sure he had her temple in his sight. He
still couldn't see her face, as she had turned sideways to look at something in
the passenger's seat. She was quite talkative, he could tell, while watching
her hands wave up and down as if she was trying to describe something. She
turned forward again and the man got a good look at the cute profile. She was
beautiful and they could feel their excitement grow as the frown on her face
clearly showed that she was angry. They wondered what she would look like tied
up and naked beneath them, begging for her life as they rammed their aching
cocks into her tight hole.
Ah, rich, clueless girls
were easy pickings in this city.
"What do you mean
you've never heard of the place before?!" Keiko cried out in frustration
as she jabbed the map with a finger as if it was to blame for her predicament.
"You’re supposed to be a fucking roadside assistance! What do we pay you
all that money for?! Can't your computers just pull up the place and then you
tell me the directions?! I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere!"
The woman on the other end
of the line sounded as if she too was at her patience's end. Although she tried
to maintain her polite tone, there was now an edge of irritation in her voice.
She had had it with dealing with the petulant bitching customer.
/"I cannot give you
directions to the Flats if I do not know where you are, Miss. Asawa. Could you
please tell me where you last..."/
"How can I tell you
where I am when there is nothing - oh...my...god!!"
It was only for a split
second, but it was more than enough time for the teenager to realize that she
had unexpected company and quite an unwelcome one at that. She shrieked in
terror as the sound of glass cracking and splitting into pieces filled her
ears. On pure instinct, she ducked and tried to slide down the seat, but it wasn't
fast enough. Shards scrapped her cheek and hands causing her to scream again.
It felt and sounded as if they were shooting every part of the car, but in
actuality, the thieves were concentrating on the driver's window, which had
quickly been reduced to nothing. That was not a problem to them. They could
always replace the window. Just as long as nothing else in the car was
scratched, they were fine with it.
After what seemed like eons,
the shooting finally stopped but Keiko remained huddled in the tiny and
uncomfortable space between the dashboard and the seat. She felt warm blood
trickle from a cut on her forehead and more from her cheeks. She slapped a hand
over her mouth, fighting down the hysteria that was threatening to grow with
each passing second. Tears filled her eyes, but she couldn't cry out loud. If
they heard her, she knew she was going to be kidnapped or raped or possibly
killed. The last thought had her trembling violently. She had to save herself.
She couldn't remain there doing nothing.
Cell phone...cell phone...I
need my cell phone!
Hitching in deep panicked
breaths, she dared to lift her head a little. She could vaguely hear the sound
of the other car being parked and voices soon approaching. The loud shots from
the gun had numbed her hearing considerably, but she was sure that they were
arguing. How many men were there? Two? Three? More?
Oh god...someone...help
me...
Ignoring the cuts she was
inflicting on herself, her hands searched the seats that were covered with
pieces of glass for her cell phone. She heard another voice; this one quite
close to her.
/"Hello? Miss Asawa? Is
everything all right? Miss Asawa? Can you hear me? Miss Asawa!"/
The annoying woman on the
phone! Never had another voice sounded so heavenly to the young girl. She
stretched her arm across the passenger seat and picked up the tiny device,
before holding it tightly against her ear.
"Help me! Someone help
me!" she whispered harshly into it. "Call the police...please! Two
men! Shot me!"
She knew she wasn't making
much sense, but she hoped and prayed that the woman would understand what she
was trying to say. It seemed like her time had finally come to an end. She
could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle in awareness as she
switched off the phone...but not before pressing a single button that would
alert a certain person to come to her aid. The only problem was that no one
knew where she was...besides that old geezer. And as she lifted her gaze to
stare at the grinning men looking down at her, she felt the tears slowly slide
down her cheeks.
She was going to die out
here tonight and no one would be able to rescue her. No one at all.
Milliardo yawned wearily and
crushed the cigarette upon the marble heart-shaped ashtray. The evening had
gotten considerably chiller and he shivered as another gust of wind blew
through. He didn't bother getting off the chair as he leaned back to stare at
the darkening sky above him. His whining sister had finally left him alone an
hour ago in search of Heero. Apparently, she hoped to talk some more sense into
him. Fat chance the stubborn Japanese kid would listen, Milliardo thought with
a grimace as he sat upright again. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, his
thoughts wandering again as he tried to make sense of just what kind of a man
Duo Maxwell really was. It was a shame they hadn't met under different
circumstances. Milliardo was sure that given the right incentive, he and the
teacher would have made one hell of a couple.
He figured he had been a bit
unfair in placing David's death on Duo's head during their little talk,
but Milliardo was jealous. He thought that the old feelings of possessiveness
and jealousy that he had felt as a teen would have dissipated by now, but
seeing the handsome teacher that had taken complete control of David's life was
more than he could bear. He had heard of David's death from a private
investigator he hired and was shocked by the news. He had attended the funeral,
but watched from a distance. It was only right that he pay his respects from
such a vantage point, after all, he had never really been a part of the
teacher's life in the first place. Even during their few times together,
Milliardo had had to sit through hours of listening to what Duo had done on
that day and so on and so forth. It had been sickening.
Groaning thickly, he stuck a
hand into his pocket to get another cigarette. He eyed the pack, which
contained only two more sticks with a light frown. He would have to stop by a
store to pick up several more packets later on tonight. Flicking the lighter
on, he placed it close to the tip, only to raise a brow in surprise as he
noticed the silent man beside him. Geez, some of the servants around here gave
him the creeps. They could be too silent for their own good.
"What is it,
Hanada?" he greeted calmly as he inhaled and exhaled a cloud of smoke all
in a single breath. He was familiar with the old butler since he was the
unofficial head of the servants in the Yuy household. It was rare that the man
ever came to Milliardo for anything, but then again...there was a first for
everything.
"If it pleases, Master
Milliardo," the man began in that grating raspy voice that never ceased to
send a shiver of repulsion down the blond's spine. Why did he have to talk like
that? It sounded like he had a very bad cold that needed to be taken care of.
"If it pleases, Master
Milliardo, I would like to ask you for a favor."
Now, this was really
a surprise and the Peacecraft heir made no attempt to hide it. "What could
I possibly do for you?" he asked slowly.
"It's Miss Keiko, master," the butler replied with a small bow. He lifted his head and the blond could see the look of concern in the older man's eyes. At Keiko's name, he had stiffened in response, but seeing that gaze...a warning bell immediately went off at the back of his mind. Why would Hanada give a damn about Keiko? It wasn't as if the girl owed him anything or had been nice to him in the past.
"What did she do
now?" he asked carefully, not sure he even wanted to know.
"She was on her way to
search for Miss Yuzuki," Hanada explained quietly. "And she insisted
I tell her where she lived. I had sworn not to reveal her whereabouts, but Miss
Keiko can be quite...persistent."
Milliardo nodded curtly
urging him to go on. He could already tell where this was going.
"Well, Miss Yuzuki is
residing at the Key West Flats and those are not really far away from here. I
would say about half an hour's drive, Master Milliardo."
"Yeah...and so?"
"I called Miss Yuzuki a
few minutes ago to warn her of Miss Keiko's visit and she told me that Miss
Keiko has yet to make an appearance. It's almost been an hour now, Master and I
am quite...worried," he finished softly as if ashamed of admitting such an
emotion in the first place.
Milliardo stared hard at the
butler for a good long minute before leaning back on his seat with a small
yawn. "No."
Hanada seemed to deflate
visibly at the reply, but he could only give a small nod as if such a response
was to be expected. "I just thought you would want to help..."
"Why would I want to
help such a selfish bitch like her?"
Hanada sucked in a breath at
the harsh tone and lowered his lashes in shame. "I do not expect you to
want to help her out, master...but Miss Keiko is a young girl that I have
watched grow up like all of you. Even if I don't show it much...I care for you
all equally. Miss Keiko has her insecurities, master and I just feel that she
needs someone to care for her and show her some attention." He gave
another bow. "I beg of you, Master Milliardo. I know I have no right to
ask you this, but if you would bring her back home...I guarantee that I will
never forget the kindness you have shown tonight."
Relena, who had come down
earlier to bark at her brother, stepped out of the shadows with a look of worry
and concern on her features. She hadn't found Heero, Duo or even Trowa and
Quatre and now...Keiko was missing as well. With a warm smile, she walked up to
the butler and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about a
thing, Mr. Hanada. We will find Keiko and bring her back to you...won't we,
Milliardo?" And even though she had spoken kindly to the old man, the
question she had posed to her brother had spoken volumes.
Do it or else!
Milliardo groaned and cursed
loudly before rising to his feet with his hands stuck in his pockets. This
would severely cut into his down time and he didn’t like it one bit. Not
bothering to remove the cigarette that dangled from the corner of his lips, he
bit back curtly.
"Fine then. Let's go
play super heroes and find the lost princess, shall we?"
"The Key West
Flats," Heero mumbled as he eyed the last road sign they had just passed.
Duo, who was still reeling
from the feel of the teen's hand on his thigh, struggled to form coherent words
from his lips. "What?" was all he could manage as he glanced at the
boy beside him.
"Key West Flats. I bet
we will find Yuzuki there."
Quatre, while sucking on a
hard piece of candy, asked quietly. "Is that where she lives when she's
not at the house, Heero?"
The Japanese boy nodded
softly. "She has a friend she stays with whenever she wants to get away
for a while. I have only been there once, so I am not really sure..."
"I know where the Key
West Flats are," Duo muttered quickly as he made a left turn. Even as he
tried to keep abreast of what the boys were saying, his mind was churning with
possible places for a girl like Keiko to get lost in. If he was coming from the
gas station, there were two main exits before making the left turn into the
apartments. With a distance of about five miles between them, it wasn't that
hard to find...unless you made the mistake of taking the left turn at Marigold...
Marigold!
Duo braked so suddenly that
his passengers lurched forward at the abrupt stop, each holding onto something
to steady themselves.
Trowa was the first to
recover as they all blinked in surprise at the teacher. "What the
hell...?"
"Marigold," Duo
began to explain quickly as he put the car into reverse, and in the process
almost hitting a car that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He cursed
with words that had the teens flushing at the vehemence of them before
apologizing. "Sorry...driving isn't really my forte," he said
sheepishly. In fact, a policeman had once called him a living accident waiting
to happen, but then again, the police and Duo had no love lost between them.
"Listen," he began
again as he peeled down the road towards the highway they had just left.
"There are two main exits about five miles apart before you take the one
that leads you to the Flats. Unfortunately, someone figured it would be a great
idea to put another road that leads to...who knows where around there. It's not
really a major highway, but it's pretty tricky and if you aren't careful you
might find yourself exiting there."
"So, you think Keiko
went there?" Heero asked with a faint light of hope filling his eyes. He
was about to say something else when a light buzzing motion was felt in the
pocket of his pants. He pulled out the small black pager and gaped at the name
that showed up on it. Trowa and Quatre leaned closer to take a look at it and
all winced in unison.
"Don't tell me,"
Duo mumbled thickly as his brows furrowed in thought. "That's Keiko,
right?"
Heero nodded slowly, feeling
something cold settle in the pit of his stomach. "She only uses this
whenever she's in real trouble."
Trowa arched a brow.
"You mean she's actually been in real trouble before and needed your help?
I find that hard to believe."
Heero shook his head and
tucked the pager back into his pocket. "No…she hasn't been in any real danger.
We just agreed to it back when she was nicer to me. She said if any of us got into
any trouble or was about to die...then we would have to page each other and let
the other person know." He shook his head to get rid of the lump that had
begun to block his throat. He couldn't be crying over that girl now, could he?
Granted, Keiko was mean-spirited the majority of the time and seemed to have a
knack for causing trouble wherever she went, but, she was still his cousin and
the big sister he had never really wanted. Keiko had stood up for him a few
times, but he had only been five years old at the time. She was a part of his
life whether he wanted to admit it or not and the thought of losing the
annoying girl like this was something he had never really imagined happening at
all.
He lowered his lashes and
struggled to keep his emotions in check. In a hoarse whisper, he conveyed his
conflicting emotions in one word. “Duo…”
The teacher gave a small nod
of understanding. He didn’t need the boy to say anymore.
Marigold was in sight and
sooner or later, they were bound to find the girl that now meant so much to
them.
Hikari listened but didn’t
hear a word. He was talking about making things up to her. He was telling her
about plans for a possible getaway for just the two of them. He was making
promises to change his ways and to devote more time to her and Heero. He was
going to speak to Yuzuki once she was found. He had no feelings for Yuzuki at
all. To him, the maid was just a childhood friend and nothing else. Hikari had
nothing to worry about. He would take care of everything.
She bit her lower lip, the
tears threatening to fall again. She was tired of it all. Tired of the empty
promises. Tired of trying to put up a false front when everything around her
was falling apart. Odin had to have feelings for Yuzuki. He had put up with her
all these years. Why should today be any different? She stared blindly out of
the window, noticing that it was now dark outside. It would be time for dinner
soon and she hadn’t made preparations for it yet. Normally, Yuzuki would have
been the one taking down notes for what to prepare, but things had been so out
of sync today, it was a miracle she could even function.
I guess we will have cold
cuts tonight,
she thought ruefully as she lowered her gaze to her hands. Cold cuts and
salad. She hoped the kids would like to eat something like that. She also
hoped that Duo would join them for dinner. He seemed to be the only sane man in
her life right now.
And he was kind of cute too.
“Have you been listening to
me, Hikari?” Odin asked as he finally stopped long enough in his rant to stare
at the silent woman before him. “You haven’t said a word all this time. Don’t
you have any question to ask me?”
She shook her head and gave
a soft sigh. No, she had nothing more to say. It was going to hurt her a lot to
do this, but this was for the best. She could no longer deal with the pain and
disappointment. She had had enough.
“I have to get dinner
ready,” she finally mumbled as she got to her feet.
“Hikari?” he asked
desperately, trying to catch her gaze to see what she was really thinking. “Why
won’t you talk to me?”
She stared into the handsome face she had fallen in love with that fateful summer afternoon seventeen years ago. To her, Odin had been life itself and like a lovesick fool, she had willingly flown into his arms.
Times change. People change.
We all have to move on to better things in life. Things that will make us both
happy.
Odin looked like he had just
swallowed a bitter pill and Hikari realized she must have spoken her thoughts
out loud.
“You can’t…you can’t leave
me, Hikari,” he began in a stumble of words. His mind whirled with panic. She
was leaving him! Hikari was going to leave him all alone. He wasn’t sure he
could deal with being a single man after so long. There was something so
reassuring and safe about being married and now she was going to take that all
away. He couldn’t allow it! “I need you!” he cried out again, as he held on to
her hand tightly. “We…we need you! What about Heero?” His trump card. She
couldn’t possibly think of abandoning her son…could she?
The woman gave a small smile
and stared at the most recent picture of her young one that had been hung on
the wall in the room. Heero had been dressed in a white dress-shirt and dark
slacks that fit him perfectly. He looked so prim and proper in the portrait –
the perfect child that any parent could possibly want. He had inherited his
father’s smile and jaw, but everything else was purely hers’.
“Heero will survive with or
without us, Odin,” she finally replied quietly as she released her hand from
his grip and stepped away. “In case you haven’t noticed, your little boy isn’t
quite so little anymore. Heero is a man now, Odin. It’s about time you started
treating him like one.”
And with another small smile
on her lips, Hikari left the room and never looked back.
She screamed again as they
tried to drag her out of the car. Luckily, the jeans she had on protected her
legs or she was sure the wounds being inflicted on them would have been more
severe. They were tugging at her arms, but she continued to struggle, her legs
flailing about as she kept hitting them against the dashboard and the seats. At
some point, her feet came in contact with the car horn and the loud blast
echoed into the relative silence of the evening like a siren.
“Fuck!” came a cry from one
of the men as the wild girl’s foot kicked him in the nose. He released her
quickly to hold the broken flesh, cursing loudly as blood began to gush from
it. “Fucking bitch’s trying to kill me!” he muffled thickly as he glared at the
still howling girl and then at his partner. “Shut her up for fuck’s sake!”
“Yeah, boss!” came the
ardent reply from the second thief. He
was much burlier, but looked quite thickheaded as he reached for Keiko’s arms
and tried to pull her out again. “Come on lady, I don’t wanna hurt you…”
“YOU BASTARD! WHAT DO YOU
THINK YOU’VE BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME?!” She was suddenly furious. Perhaps it
was knowing that she had at least caused one of them pain that made her become
a bit more confident. She glared at the man above her and bellowed out angrily
in Japanese. “LET ME GO, YOU FOOL!” She had been minding her own business,
trying to look for some woman and now this was happening to her. How dare
they?!
The man looked confused for
a minute and he scratched his head. “Eh…boss…what do ya think she’s saying? I
don’t understand…?”
The bleeding man gaped at his
companion as if he couldn’t believe that such a question had been asked. “Who
cares what the hell she’s saying?! Just kill her or something!”
“Ah, right boss!” The man
released her for a spilt second to reach for his gun, but that was more than
enough for the astute girl to make her move. With a light grunt, she pushed
herself out of the car so hard and fast that she sent the man staggering
backwards in surprise. Hardly waiting to see their reactions, she staggered to
her feet only to scream again as the sound of bullets being fired somewhere
close to her feet filled her ears. She began to run as fast as her legs could
carry her. She didn’t know or care where she was headed, but that was the least
of her worries now. Her hat had long fallen off her head causing her long black
hair to flutter around her face making visibility quite difficult. Her legs and
arms hurt. Her face must have been caked with blood by now, but she had no
plans to stop. She would run until they were tired of chasing her. She would
run until she dropped de…
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!!!”
The headlights glared
brightly at her, but she was too frozen in shock and terror to move away in
time.
I’ll be killed. It wasn’t those bastards that killed me after all. But some dumb car…in the middle of nowhere…
She hardly noticed that the
car had screeched to a stop mere inches from her immobile form. Neither did she
notice that four people had jumped out of it and were now running towards her.
She could vaguely hear her name being called.
That voice…it sounded so
familiar…
“Keiko! Keiko! Answer me,
Keiko!”
Such a sweet voice. The
voice of reason. She…loved…that…voice…
“Keiko!!”
Her last coherent thought
before she gave in to merciful darkness.
Duo rushed forward to catch
the falling girl, strong arms wrapping themselves tightly around her still form
as he stared at the bloody cuts and bruises on her face and arms. He grit his
teeth in dull anger, darkened amethyst depths taking in her condition. It
looked like her attackers hadn’t gotten too far with her. The cuts had
obviously come from glass…so that meant she had possibly been attacked through
the window.
“Duo?!” Heero called out in
concern as he and his companions ran towards them. “Is she alright…fuck! What
happened to her?!” He fell to his knees beside the couple, his blue eyes now
filled with worry, fear and growing anger.
Quatre hissed in a harsh
breath. “It looks like she was stabbed!”
“No, not stabbed. They look
more like cuts from glass or something,” Trowa muttered thickly as he fell to
his knees as well. Thanks to the headlights, they could make out how bad the
bleeding was. “We’ve got to get her out of here,” he added quickly as he held
out his arms to take the girl. “You and Heero need to find out where those
people are, right?”
Giving the brown-haired teen
a grateful smile, Duo relinquished his hold on Keiko and slowly rose to his
feet. He heard Heero move closer to him and a small smile came to his lips. He
tossed the keys towards Quatre, causing the blond to gape at him in surprise.
“Duo…”
“You can drive, right?” the
teacher asked without turning around.
The Arabian gave a small
nod. “Yes, but…but…”
“The Key West Flats are not
too far from here,” Duo continued calmly as if giving directions on any other
normal situation. “Once you get back on the main highway, make a left at the
next exit. You can’t miss it. What’s the apartment number, Heero?”
“
Quatre nodded with a frown
of determination on his features. “Ask for Hijikata.
Duo and Heero remained
silent for a long time, even though their bodies seemed ready to spring into
action at any minute. Tensed with readiness for a possible attack, sharp eyes
scanned the deceptively quiet surroundings with care. Heero felt something hot
sear through him and he dimly recognized it as excitement. He had never been in
a life or death situation like this before and the thought that they could
possibly get killed at any second had him feeling more alive than he had in a
long time.
“You could have gone with
them you know,” Duo said quietly as he began the careful walk towards the
direction Keiko must have come from. There was a thin trail of blood on the
dirt road, but the evening light was beginning to fade fast. They would soon be
shrouded in darkness and things were really bound to get tricky by then.
However, one thing was for sure. He had no intentions of letting anything
happen to the boy beside him. Even if it meant losing his life…
“…for you.”
“Huh?” Duo asked dumbly as
his surprised gaze met the sheepish look in the teen’s eyes.
Heero was blushing, but was
thankful for the growing darkness as it hid his embarrassed state from view.
They might have been walking towards their execution, but it still didn’t
diminish the fact that he was alone with the teacher. It was something he had
wanted to do since his…blunder in the bedroom earlier, but then again, speaking
his mind had never really been Heero’s forte.
“What did you say, Heero?”
Duo asked again, somehow really needing to know what the boy had in mind.
“Nothing,” came the quick
and muttered response that had Duo sighing inwardly in defeat. He had actually
hoped…
“It’s just that…you are too
nice, you know?” Heero added with a light shrug as he lowered his gaze to the
ground. “I don’t know how a man like you who’s been through so much…can just…I
don’t know how you can end up still being…normal.”
Duo remained silent, his attention focused on the road ahead of him again. He was sure they were getting close now. He could barely make out the tire marks of the two cars at this point. However, it was still too quiet for his liking. He knew they were possibly out here, watching and waiting for them. But meanwhile…he would have to deal with Heero’s questions.
“What do you mean by that?”
he decided to ask instead. “Just what do you mean by the word…normal,
Heero?”
The Japanese boy stopped in his tracks and pinned a serious look on the older man. “You know exactly what I mean, Duo,” he countered firmly. “You never knew your parents. You lived with a child molester for so many years. You were abused and treated unfairly. You lost the man you once loved and even killed another. You were accused of something you had never done before. You were fired. Lost any hope or chance of ever getting hired again and yet…yet…”
“Yet, I smile and act like
the world’s my oyster, right?” Duo replied with a small smile as he stopped
walking as well. He stuck his hands into his coat pockets and gave a small sigh
as he lifted his head to stare at the heavens. The stars were beginning to
shine now. Tiny, twinkling planets that tried their hardest to brighten up the
darkness and gloom.
As for Heero, he found
himself staring at Duo’s profile and falling for the teacher all over again. He
knew that if he tried to explain the way he felt at this very moment to anyone,
they would never understand. Not even Trowa for all his worldliness. The
teacher exuded a strength and calm that Heero wished he could emulate. He knew
that behind those smiling violet eyes, was a person who had been exposed to
more pain, hurt, humiliation and anger than anyone he had ever known. Perhaps
that was his reason for losing his heart to Duo. Yes, he had been stunned by
the uncanny resemblance the teacher had to the boy in his dreams, but in
dreams, things went according to plan. In dreams, there was no one to hurt you
or laugh at you. In dreams…every thing was perfect. You had control and you
could make things go your way.
But reality was different.
Reality’s sharp fangs were ruthless and relentless. It had the knack of
reminding one of just how insignificant he or she was in this existence called
life. Reality was knowing that you would wake up every morning not knowing what
the day had in store for you. Reality was dealing with the agony of being
different and not knowing what to do about it. Reality was falling in love with
a person who could very well be the death of you. Reality was knowing that you
would gladly do something as cheesy and as corny as giving up your life for
someone else, no questions asked.
Reality was a bitch.
“Why, Duo?” he asked huskily.
“Why aren’t you more angry and upset with the world?”
The teacher smiled softly
and closed his eyes. He could sense their attackers coming closer now. They had
been hiding all this time. Waiting…holding their breath. Duo could practically
smell their stench in the air. It smelled of blood, gunfire and fear.
The latter emotion was a
trifle confusing. But it was a simple plan really. The aim was to draw the
thieves out of hiding. Duo wasn’t particularly afraid of getting shot or hurt
if things got bad. He just hoped they weren’t more than two men to deal with.
“I am angry, Heero,” he
finally replied quietly. “I get angry when things don’t go my way. I get angry
when people do the wrong things and accuse me of them. I think I have been
angry my whole life.” He shrugged lightly and took a step forward. “I once sat
down and thought of all that had happened to me and figured that the best
possible course for action was to kill myself and get it over and done with.
But do you want to know what saved my hide, Heero?”
The boy raised a brow and
replied cheekily. “You aren’t going to say you had visions of the light and
crap like that, are you?”
Duo opened up his eyes and
laughed heartily, which was good all things considered. Their attackers were
about to make their move. “No, no visions or angels heralding my entrance into
heaven and the like. No, I met something even better. Make that a someone.”
Hot jealousy flared through
the teen’s body, but he fought to quell it and managed to ask calmly. “Who was
that?”
The teacher gave a shrug and
an enigmatic smile. “I don’t think I need to introduce you to him again. You’ve
met him already.”
Heero’s eyes widened in
confusion. “I…I have…? When? Who? Where?”
Duo snickered and in a
sudden move, he reached out for the teen and pulled him tightly against his
body. Heero gasped in surprise…pleasant surprise as his face darkened
with color at how close they were now. He could feel every hard sinewy muscle
of the taller man and he realized with a dull pang that he had missed touching
Duo like this. He felt the teacher’s arms wrap around his waist to hold him
prisoner but Heero had no intentions of releasing himself in the first place.
He stared into the knowing violet eyes above him, feeling his mouth go dry and
his heart beat faster as his gaze fell to full lips.
Unable to control himself or
the growing heat that was beginning to pool in the pit of his stomach, Heero
whispered out in need. “I want to…”
“Want to what?” came the
similarly breathless question from the teacher who was faring no better. To
hold Heero again was a pleasure that he would never get enough of, Duo finally
decided with an inward sigh.
Closer…closer…and closer still. Heat. Unbearable and tangible between them, almost sent Heero’s knees buckling with its intensity.
“Want…you…” he whispered
thickly.
Their breaths mingled now. A
light tease of lips. Lashes fluttering weakly. Darkened blue cobalt melting
into warm amethyst.
They could die at any moment.
Duo could hear the dull click of a trigger being pulled…and the sound of
something else approaching.
“Kiss me, Heero,” he
commanded suddenly, as he roughly thrust a leg between Heero’s legs. “Now.”
Just one more time…for the
memories, Heero…
The boy complied, too
far-gone by the heady sensation the man’s leg was now causing in his nether
regions to care much any more. He parted his lips and thrust his tongue into
Duo’s waiting mouth. It was hard, rough and hungry. Their combined taste filled
with desire and lust sending them both groaning weakly with the need for more.
Neither man not really caring just how sloppy or desperate it seemed. Duo
rubbed against him again. Heero felt he had died and gone to heaven.
And then all hell broke
loose.
There was a sudden
screeching of brakes and then the bright glare of headlights. A loud yell soon
followed from someone as figures burst out of the shadows from their right. Duo
pulled away from him and said something.
Heero could barely make
sense of what was going on. People were running towards them from all sides it
seemed. Who were they? Why was Duo now pushing him away?
Something loud was heard. It
sounded like a gunshot.
Heero saw it. The man. A
gun. The man…pointing the gun at Duo.
He dove for the older man
and wrapped his arms around the lean waist. He was falling. They were both
falling. It seemed surreal but the pain that seared through his body was like
nothing he had ever experienced before.
They collapsed to the ground
in a heap but Heero refused to relinquish his hold on the teacher. The pain was
becoming unbearable and he felt himself about to lose consciousness.
He heard more voices and a
scream from a feminine voice. It sounded like Relena. But that was impossible.
Relena couldn’t be here. She was supposed to be back home with his parents.
They were calling out his
name now, but he had to see one more face.
“Duo…” he croaked out weakly
as the handsome face of the man he loved immediately filled his vision. He
tried to lift a hand to caress it, but it felt as if it now weighed a ton. He
coughed and felt something thick fill his mouth. The agony was too much. His
body was going numb…
“You wanted to know what I
said earlier, right?” he whispered harshly, determined to say it before going
away. He sensed that Duo must have nodded, but he couldn’t be sure. “I said…”
More voices seemed to flood
his senses. Just how many people were here anyway? He could feel himself being
lifted and he struggled to get the words out before it was too late.
“I would die for you, Duo,”
he finished weakly as he felt the darkness begin to wash over him slowly. “That
was what I said…”
His lips curved into a
beautiful smile as he said it again. A bit louder this time.
“I would die…for you…”