Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Number 12 ❯ Despair ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Gelasia Castle 
The search is on, and the whole Gundam team is feeling the loss of the American Pilot. Heero worst of all.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.27.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 792 | Status: Completed
The search is on, and the whole Gundam team is feeling the loss of the American Pilot. Heero worst of all.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.27.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 792 | Status: Completed
Warning: Oh so very yaoi. If you don't like yaoi, then go back! Before it's too late! Hurry, run my friend! Oh noooooo!…otherwise, this fic contains 1x2, Ocx2, 3x4, Ocx4, 5 pining for 2, and 5+Sally. There is to be a large helping of Duo torture, followed by a light serving of Quatre torture. Also, this is my very first fanfic. There is some violence in this chapter...so...yeah. Flames shall be used to roast marshmallows and hot dogs. My friends and I will gather around it at night and sing camp songs and tell each other scary stories and the like.
Disclaimer- I don't own Gundam Wing, as I've stated in the last two chapters. No one even reads this part so I don't know why I'm writing it. I mean, what's the likelihood that any of the creators of Gundam Wing are going to stumble across this piece of trash. If they did, I think they'd sue me for portraying the characters so horribly.. >.<
Author's note: Again, this took a little while, but I've been working on Chapter 4, the beginning of a 4x2 PWP fanfic I came up with, I started teh cutest blog ever with a new friend for my character and his future mate, I've been roleplaying a lot more than usual, and I've actually been applying myself in school...sort of... Anyhow, this chapter is dedicated to Nikki and Kate, and Jamie, who told me the sweetest thing I'd ever heard- "Lacy, I'd love you even more if I didn't already love you to the fullest extent." *sniffle* Isn't that sweet? Isn't it?
All right, now to advertise. All right, so we love yaoi? Of course we do!...You realize that yaoi has hit the U.S.? Yes it has! The manga of Gravitation and Fake have hit the shelves, Yami no Matsuei has been horribly fansubbed and renamed to "Descendents of Darkness" but it's there! Fake and Earthian, the anime are out, and Gravitation will be torn to bloody pieces and dubbed next year. Yay!
ALSO: If possible, I'd like to know how I did with Quatre and Trowa's personalities. I was worried that I didn't get their personalities, or their relationship for that matter. quite right (I've never read a 3x4...so I um...sort of just guessed knowing what I do how the 1x2 fans right them off). Also, there was far too much gazing mournfully out windows to my liking. I promise that there will be no more of that the rest of the fic. Sorry Wufei, no window mourning for you!...What do you mean it's an excuse to get reviews? You talk the talk of the crazy! <.<; >.>;
BTW: If you're curious about updates or other ideas I have for fiction, feel free to visit my live journal at: http://www.ujournal.org/userinfo.bml?user=gelasia
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"There are no happy endings- because nothing ends." - The Last Unicorn
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Chapter 3
Despair
They'd found the shattered remains of Duo's Portable scattered about the pavement against the back alley wall. The trail pretty much ended there. Dispirited and tired, Heero returned to his apartment alone- he'd told Quatre and Trowa to go back home. He needed time to think. To let the actual fear set in, fear for Duo's sake, and for his own. Duo, who had shown him what it was to feel, who had broken through the wall of the Perfect Soldier, had found a home forever in Heero's heart. Heero didn't want to lose that, wouldn't lose that. If Duo was hurt...
"Omae o korosu..." He muttered dangerously as though he could speak to these unknown enemies who had stolen away his heart. If Duo died...he didn't ever want to go back to the way he was before Duo. Not ever.
The front door opened, jerking Heero's mind back to the now and present. The front door had been locked. Heero twisted around sharply, cobalt blue eyes hopeful that they would fall upon the familiar figure of his lover. It was not Duo. Heero's heart fell.
The young woman before him froze- much like the proverbial deer in headlights- clutching a plastic laundry basket to her chest. Her name was Gloria Westham. She was their maid. Heero had hired her shortly after he and Duo had settled in their apartment. More for Duo's sake than for any actual housekeeping. Having someone that kept him company helped to keep himself out of too much trouble when Heero was unable to keep an eye on him...like now.
Gloria lowered her eyes to the basket full of neatly folded clothing, soft brown curls falling about her face as she maintained a meek silence. She hated it when he looked at her like that- scrutinizing, detatched, like she was an insect or something. Mr. Yuy unnerved her, he was hard to get along with, unlike Duo. She liked the braided boy a lot. He was like a little brother. Honey brown eyes peeked up warily as she tested her voice, "Uhm...M-Mister Yuy...I hope you don't mind, but I...I took it upon myself to get some of your laundry cleaned and mended over the weekend." Heero Yuy watched her wordlessly and she quickly found herself babbling, "One of Duo's shirts had a big tear down the side of it, and I fixed it up as best I could because it's one of his favorites- you know, the one with the blue ducks doing the Macarena? Anyway, I think I did a pretty good job of it, all things considering, and you can't even tell where the rip was unless you look at it reeeaal close, so I- where is Duo anyway? I don't hear him...Is he still aslee-"
"Gloria." Heero interrupted her, his voice blunt and hard. The girl flinched. Heero remained aparently unphased, "Put the basket down on the counter. Take the rest of the week off."
Gloria raised an eyebrow, "But I just took the week off.."
Heero fixed her with a glare. The girl meeped and quickly did as commanded, setting the basket down on the kitchen counter and making her way swiftly out the door, "ano...s-see you monday!"
The door clicked shut, leaving Heero once more alone.
The ex-Gundam pilot blinked dully as the lights flickered on and he moved to stand beside the large living room window, staring down at the alley below. 'Not much of a view, huh, Hee-chan?' Duo had told him their first day in the apartment. Something spattered on the white windowsill, startling the Japanese boy. Inquisitive hands rose to his face and came away wet. Tears? Heero stared at his fingertips uncomprehensively, watching the little droplet of moisture dribble sluggishly down the length of his ring finger. More tears ran down his face, falling to be absorbed by the navy blue carpet below him. He couldn't stop them. Heero Yuy's knees ceased to suport him. Leaning his forehead against the wall, a strangled cry of despair worked itself free from his tightened throat.
~~~~
Trowa woke to the sound of Quatre crying. Sitting up in their bed, he turned to face the blond. Emerald green eyes softened sympathetically as he watched his angel rock back and forth, hugging himself tightly.
Gently, the stoic boy wrapped strong, comforting arms about his distressed lover, who in turn buried his face into the hollow of Trowa's neck and shoulder. He whimpered, clutching at the green silk of Trowa's nightshirt, "Heero's hurting. He's hurting, I can feel it! Why didn't I pick up the damn phone?!"
"It isn't your fault, Quatre." Trowa whispered into soft blond hair, cradling the smaller boy against his chest, "We'll find Duo."
"If Duo dies, I'll never forgive myself." The Arabian sobbed brokenly.
"Duo can handle himself. He's one of us, remember?" Trowa assured him, delivering a gentle kiss to the top of his head, "Try to get some rest, I'll wake you if there's any word on Maxwell."
"What if-"
"Sleep, Quatre. You won't be any good to Duo without strength and a clear head." The banged man insisted.
This, at least, got through to Quatre, and he allowed his lover to lay him back into their bed with a resignated sigh.
Trowa Barton kissed the smaller boy's cheek before sliding out of bed and leaving their dimmed bedroom, shutting the door silently behind him. Crossing the room, he pulled open the blinds to stare out at the drizzling sky. "Quatre will keep blaming himself until we find Duo," He said, as if informing the darkened clouds. If Duo Maxwell died it could very well mean the utter obliviation of the Gundam team.
Heero would be destroyed, he knew. It was impossible to really understand the anguish that Yuy must be going through. Trowa didn't know himself what he'd do if he lost Quatre.
Quatre, who already blamed himself for Duo's dissapearance, would never forgive himself. Perhaps withering away to a hollow shell. A chilled shiver raced down Trowa's spine at the thought.
Wufei had shown lingering interest in the longhaired pilot, finding the boy he loved so much harmed would quite possibly crush him.
As for himself? Duo had an uncanny ability of making others happy, just by being in the room. Always cheerful and joking, he never would have pinned the braided boy as a proper pilot had he not witnessed over and over again Duo's skill and prowess in battle.
"No matter what- Duo Maxwell must not die." Trowa murmured, turning from the window, his face set with grim determination.
~~~~
Quatre woke from an uneasy sleep several hours later, the sun taking fierce advantage of the miniature part in the curtain and falling right across his eyes. Quatre rolled over with a soft groan, throwing the sheets over his head and curling up into a ball on his side. He didn't want to get up. Guilt hit him like a freight train and tears blurred his vision. "Duo needed me and I wasn't there for him..." He whispered bitterly to himself, biting down hard on his lip to stifle a sob.
It was a while before Quatre managed to calm himself, to force his grief back into a dark place where he could deal with it later. Sitting up, he pushed himself out of bed and opened the bedroom curtains- squinting as sunlight rushed in to fill the room. It had finally stopped raining, then. Somehow, it seemed wrong that the sky should be so brilliant, as though it were mocking the loss in the Gundam group. "Duo's out there somewhere..."
Gritting his teeth, Quatre forced himself to turn away. Making his way to the living room, he flicked on the overhead lights. Where was Trowa? For a moment, blind, irrational panic surged through his mind and he wondered if somehow Trowa had been taken from him too, while he lay sleeping. Then he calmed, chiding himself for being so silly.
Almost casually, his gaze fell upon the phone resting on the small table beside the couch. The silence in the room was oddly accusing, so much so that it made the blond squirm, a shamed blush settling over his cheeks.
"Should have picked up..." Quatre sighed to himself as he stared at the thing, then nearly jumped out of his seat as it began to ring. He stared dumbly at it, as though he'd never seen the machine before in his life- then lunged forward and grabbed up the receiver. He fumbled it a little before he could raise it to his ear, "D-Duo?!" He asked shakily, stabbing the button to activate the visual screen. Holding his breath, Quatre turned to face it.
"Were you expecting him, then?"
Quatre tried not to look too disappointed. It was not Duo, "Wufei..."
"Yes. You don't seem too pleased. Am I interrupting anything?" The asian inquired blandly. He was sitting in an overstuffed armchair clutching a steaming mug. Some of his hair had come undone from his tight ponytail, the dark circles under his eyes stood out in sharp contrast to his bronzed skin. His mission had not been an easy one and Quatre could feel his weariness.
The blond opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. Taking a breath, he tried again, "Duo's...gone missing, Wufei."
"What do you mean Maxwell's missing?" Wufei sat up rigidly, completely alert now. He set the mug down on some surface out of view, "Did Yuy hurt him?" He tried, but was unable to keep the angry suspicion in his voice. He did not trust Yuy with Duo.
Quatre winced visibly. He knew how the Chinese pilot felt about the braided boy, felt his jealousy of Heero. It saddened Quatre that Wufei had never quite gotten over his feelings for Duo- in fact, this may have been one of the reasons he had avoided contact with his fellow pilots recently. More so than usual, that is.
"Heero didn't do anything to him, Wufei. He was on a mission when it happened."
Wufei relaxed, marginally, "Then?"
The blond shifted uneasily, "We have reason to believe he was kidnapped."
"You can't possibly mean that." Wufei stated, the tone was not shocked or incredulous, but firm and blunt, as though Quatre didn't know what he was talking about. Weary frustration made Quatre want to shout at him, but he held his tongue until the feeling left him.
He spoke carefully, slowly picking his words, struggling to speak over the growing tightness in his throat, "Two nights ago he called us on his Portable pleading for... pleading for help. It was late, Trowa and I were asleep and didn't get it until the next morning, by then he was gone. We don't know where he is or... what condition he may be in." The expression on Wufei's face, coupled with an emotion that was not quite hatred, but something closely akin to it, all but forced the Arabian to look away, "Wufei, I-" He chanced another glance up, then blinked sharply. The screen had gone black. Wufei'd hung up.
Quatre breathed a exasperated sigh, his entire body seemingly sagging forward. Now everyone knew. At least he wouldn't have to tell the story again. He felt... old. Ridiculously old. Replacing the receiver, he trudged dully to the kitchen, rubbing at his temples. His gaze fell upon the bright yellow paper almost right away. He stared dumbly at it for a while, then lifted it, bright eyes scanning the words upon it.
'Gone to Heero's place. I'll call if we find anything. Coffee's made, your clothes are set out by the bathroom. Eat some breakfast and cheer up. We'll find Duo.- Trowa.'
A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and not for the first time, he thanked Allah for bringing the two of them together.
~~~~
"...o?...eero?....Heero?"
Heero's head snapped up, cobalt blue eyes blinking, and he stared at Trowa as if he'd just now noticed him. Which was silly because Trowa had been with him the last half hour, helping him lift blood samples from the carpet in the bedroom. This, and they'd found the shattered remains of a tooth just under the bed.
Heero hoped whoever it had been had suffered.
"Heero, I've pulled the bullet out. The one lodged in the mattress?...Are you listening?"
"We don't need it." Heero replied quietly.
"What?" An eyebrow lifted skeptically.
"The neighbors said they never heard anything, didn't they?"
"That's right."
"That means that the gun used had a silencer equipped. There's only one type of firearm that has a silencer preinstalled."
Trowa nodded slowly. It made perfect sense. But the logic seemed flawed, "Duo has the kind of gun, how do we know that he wasn't the one who fired those shots?"
They were interrupted by an abrupt, angry pounding at the door. But Heero replied before he moved to answer it, "Because Duo doesn't miss what he shoots at."
"Where's Maxwell?" Wufei hissed as the door was pulled open. Without waiting to be invited, he brushed past Heero and moved into the living room, "Where is he, Yuy?"
"Gone. Since yesterday." Heero replied, equally cold, shutting the door behind him.
"I should never have let him fall into your irresponsible hands," the Chinese boy growled, eyes narrowed, angry. Anger turned into surprise as he found himself thrust backward, Heero Yuy's deadly hands fisted in his shirt, "Your will has nothing to do with us, Chang. I will find Duo. And I will make those who took him from me pay dearly. If they've so much as harmed one hair on his head, I will torture them so slowly they'll think it was a career. I'll do the same to you, if I ever catch you laying a hand on him. Make no mistake of that."
Trowa's hand fell firmly on Heero's shoulder. Heero tensed, unwilling to release Wufei yet. Wufei had recovered himself and met Heero glare for glare.
"Quit it, both of you. You're acting like children. Tearing at each other like wild animals isn't going to help Duo."
As much as Heero would like, he couldn't argue with logic. With a frustrated snort, he shoved the Chinese boy away from him.
Wufei managed to keep from stumbling, carefully masking his face to conceal his feelings as he straightened his shirt.
In his opinion, Duo shouldn't be staying with anyone whose temper was that out of control. Yet, deep down, Heero's actions had just proven himself...worthy of Maxwell. Heero loved Duo as much as he did. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Heero would never raise a hand in anger against his American lover.
"Mistah Yuy? Mistah Yuy, ah yew dere, sir?"
Heero cringed at the heavily accented voice crackling over the intercom. It was Pearl, the woman-at-the-front-desk. She had the frighteningly uncanny ability to call at the worst possible times. He wanted to ignore her, but he knew from experience that she'd just keep talking until he answered.
"Mistah Yuy, ah know yer dere! Ah saw yew walk in! Yew got a package. Ya gon' come get it or wha'? Ah could send it up..."
The woman-at-the-front-desk was also incredibly nosy. Cheek twitching violently, Heero made his way over to the com as fast as he could.
"Mistah Yu-"
"Package? What package?"
"A package package, Yuy, wha' udder kind is dere, hey? It don' got no address on it, though." A pause, then an overdramatic gasp, "Yew don' t'ink it's a bomb, do yew?"
No address...
"No, I don't. Don't touch it, Pearl. I'll be right down." And just for good measure, he repeated, "Don't touch it."
"A'righ'! Yew don' gotta be so touchy! Yeesh!"
But Pearl was taking to thin air. Trowa, Wufei and Heero were already on their way to the elevator.
~~~~
The 'package' was little more than a manilla envelope. It was utterly blank except for Heero's apartment number that had been scribbled illegibly on the back.
When he asked Pearl how she'd got it, she'd said only that she'd found it on her desk after she'd come back from her lunch break.
Heero turned the envelope over, apprehension skittering through him on spider's legs. It was relatively light, could easily have been mistaken for empty, but Heero could feel whatever it was inside it. He was pretty certain that it was a disk.
"Yuy, damn you, open it! You can't just sit there staring at it all day! What if it has to do with Maxwell?"
Heero's tongue swept out to wet his lips, and he did as he was told, sliding a finger under the seal and turning it over. The plain black video disk fell right into his upturned palm.
Trowa offered out his hand, "I can put it in."
Heero shook his head numbly, setting the disk into the Sony Vid Player, and flipping the screen on.
Nothing at first...Then a picture, blurred but focusing.
A dark room, the walls appeared to be made of some metal because they glinted in whatever light was to be had....Not a room, because it was shaking just slightly, as though it were moving...A truck or a van then.
Something in the corner though. Something alive.
Heero recognized that form immediately. It was Duo, soaking wet, shivering, but breathing. But relief didn't have a chance to sweep the Japanese boy in her arms, because Heero noticed that Duo wasn't only wet with water, but with blood as well.
'They shot Duo...Oh God, they shot him'
Heero crumpled to the floor and was suddenly, violently sick.
tbc...
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Another note: Questions? Comments? Venomous snickers? My AIM is EosDaPimptress, and my address is Cody_Chaqspa@yahoo.com. Please feel free to review. Should I finish this fanfic? Should I lower my head in shame and burn it? Should I be made ruler of all creation? These things I must know! So review!……Please?
Disclaimer- I don't own Gundam Wing, as I've stated in the last two chapters. No one even reads this part so I don't know why I'm writing it. I mean, what's the likelihood that any of the creators of Gundam Wing are going to stumble across this piece of trash. If they did, I think they'd sue me for portraying the characters so horribly.. >.<
Author's note: Again, this took a little while, but I've been working on Chapter 4, the beginning of a 4x2 PWP fanfic I came up with, I started teh cutest blog ever with a new friend for my character and his future mate, I've been roleplaying a lot more than usual, and I've actually been applying myself in school...sort of... Anyhow, this chapter is dedicated to Nikki and Kate, and Jamie, who told me the sweetest thing I'd ever heard- "Lacy, I'd love you even more if I didn't already love you to the fullest extent." *sniffle* Isn't that sweet? Isn't it?
All right, now to advertise. All right, so we love yaoi? Of course we do!...You realize that yaoi has hit the U.S.? Yes it has! The manga of Gravitation and Fake have hit the shelves, Yami no Matsuei has been horribly fansubbed and renamed to "Descendents of Darkness" but it's there! Fake and Earthian, the anime are out, and Gravitation will be torn to bloody pieces and dubbed next year. Yay!
ALSO: If possible, I'd like to know how I did with Quatre and Trowa's personalities. I was worried that I didn't get their personalities, or their relationship for that matter. quite right (I've never read a 3x4...so I um...sort of just guessed knowing what I do how the 1x2 fans right them off). Also, there was far too much gazing mournfully out windows to my liking. I promise that there will be no more of that the rest of the fic. Sorry Wufei, no window mourning for you!...What do you mean it's an excuse to get reviews? You talk the talk of the crazy! <.<; >.>;
BTW: If you're curious about updates or other ideas I have for fiction, feel free to visit my live journal at: http://www.ujournal.org/userinfo.bml?user=gelasia
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"There are no happy endings- because nothing ends." - The Last Unicorn
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Chapter 3
Despair
They'd found the shattered remains of Duo's Portable scattered about the pavement against the back alley wall. The trail pretty much ended there. Dispirited and tired, Heero returned to his apartment alone- he'd told Quatre and Trowa to go back home. He needed time to think. To let the actual fear set in, fear for Duo's sake, and for his own. Duo, who had shown him what it was to feel, who had broken through the wall of the Perfect Soldier, had found a home forever in Heero's heart. Heero didn't want to lose that, wouldn't lose that. If Duo was hurt...
"Omae o korosu..." He muttered dangerously as though he could speak to these unknown enemies who had stolen away his heart. If Duo died...he didn't ever want to go back to the way he was before Duo. Not ever.
The front door opened, jerking Heero's mind back to the now and present. The front door had been locked. Heero twisted around sharply, cobalt blue eyes hopeful that they would fall upon the familiar figure of his lover. It was not Duo. Heero's heart fell.
The young woman before him froze- much like the proverbial deer in headlights- clutching a plastic laundry basket to her chest. Her name was Gloria Westham. She was their maid. Heero had hired her shortly after he and Duo had settled in their apartment. More for Duo's sake than for any actual housekeeping. Having someone that kept him company helped to keep himself out of too much trouble when Heero was unable to keep an eye on him...like now.
Gloria lowered her eyes to the basket full of neatly folded clothing, soft brown curls falling about her face as she maintained a meek silence. She hated it when he looked at her like that- scrutinizing, detatched, like she was an insect or something. Mr. Yuy unnerved her, he was hard to get along with, unlike Duo. She liked the braided boy a lot. He was like a little brother. Honey brown eyes peeked up warily as she tested her voice, "Uhm...M-Mister Yuy...I hope you don't mind, but I...I took it upon myself to get some of your laundry cleaned and mended over the weekend." Heero Yuy watched her wordlessly and she quickly found herself babbling, "One of Duo's shirts had a big tear down the side of it, and I fixed it up as best I could because it's one of his favorites- you know, the one with the blue ducks doing the Macarena? Anyway, I think I did a pretty good job of it, all things considering, and you can't even tell where the rip was unless you look at it reeeaal close, so I- where is Duo anyway? I don't hear him...Is he still aslee-"
"Gloria." Heero interrupted her, his voice blunt and hard. The girl flinched. Heero remained aparently unphased, "Put the basket down on the counter. Take the rest of the week off."
Gloria raised an eyebrow, "But I just took the week off.."
Heero fixed her with a glare. The girl meeped and quickly did as commanded, setting the basket down on the kitchen counter and making her way swiftly out the door, "ano...s-see you monday!"
The door clicked shut, leaving Heero once more alone.
The ex-Gundam pilot blinked dully as the lights flickered on and he moved to stand beside the large living room window, staring down at the alley below. 'Not much of a view, huh, Hee-chan?' Duo had told him their first day in the apartment. Something spattered on the white windowsill, startling the Japanese boy. Inquisitive hands rose to his face and came away wet. Tears? Heero stared at his fingertips uncomprehensively, watching the little droplet of moisture dribble sluggishly down the length of his ring finger. More tears ran down his face, falling to be absorbed by the navy blue carpet below him. He couldn't stop them. Heero Yuy's knees ceased to suport him. Leaning his forehead against the wall, a strangled cry of despair worked itself free from his tightened throat.
~~~~
Trowa woke to the sound of Quatre crying. Sitting up in their bed, he turned to face the blond. Emerald green eyes softened sympathetically as he watched his angel rock back and forth, hugging himself tightly.
Gently, the stoic boy wrapped strong, comforting arms about his distressed lover, who in turn buried his face into the hollow of Trowa's neck and shoulder. He whimpered, clutching at the green silk of Trowa's nightshirt, "Heero's hurting. He's hurting, I can feel it! Why didn't I pick up the damn phone?!"
"It isn't your fault, Quatre." Trowa whispered into soft blond hair, cradling the smaller boy against his chest, "We'll find Duo."
"If Duo dies, I'll never forgive myself." The Arabian sobbed brokenly.
"Duo can handle himself. He's one of us, remember?" Trowa assured him, delivering a gentle kiss to the top of his head, "Try to get some rest, I'll wake you if there's any word on Maxwell."
"What if-"
"Sleep, Quatre. You won't be any good to Duo without strength and a clear head." The banged man insisted.
This, at least, got through to Quatre, and he allowed his lover to lay him back into their bed with a resignated sigh.
Trowa Barton kissed the smaller boy's cheek before sliding out of bed and leaving their dimmed bedroom, shutting the door silently behind him. Crossing the room, he pulled open the blinds to stare out at the drizzling sky. "Quatre will keep blaming himself until we find Duo," He said, as if informing the darkened clouds. If Duo Maxwell died it could very well mean the utter obliviation of the Gundam team.
Heero would be destroyed, he knew. It was impossible to really understand the anguish that Yuy must be going through. Trowa didn't know himself what he'd do if he lost Quatre.
Quatre, who already blamed himself for Duo's dissapearance, would never forgive himself. Perhaps withering away to a hollow shell. A chilled shiver raced down Trowa's spine at the thought.
Wufei had shown lingering interest in the longhaired pilot, finding the boy he loved so much harmed would quite possibly crush him.
As for himself? Duo had an uncanny ability of making others happy, just by being in the room. Always cheerful and joking, he never would have pinned the braided boy as a proper pilot had he not witnessed over and over again Duo's skill and prowess in battle.
"No matter what- Duo Maxwell must not die." Trowa murmured, turning from the window, his face set with grim determination.
~~~~
Quatre woke from an uneasy sleep several hours later, the sun taking fierce advantage of the miniature part in the curtain and falling right across his eyes. Quatre rolled over with a soft groan, throwing the sheets over his head and curling up into a ball on his side. He didn't want to get up. Guilt hit him like a freight train and tears blurred his vision. "Duo needed me and I wasn't there for him..." He whispered bitterly to himself, biting down hard on his lip to stifle a sob.
It was a while before Quatre managed to calm himself, to force his grief back into a dark place where he could deal with it later. Sitting up, he pushed himself out of bed and opened the bedroom curtains- squinting as sunlight rushed in to fill the room. It had finally stopped raining, then. Somehow, it seemed wrong that the sky should be so brilliant, as though it were mocking the loss in the Gundam group. "Duo's out there somewhere..."
Gritting his teeth, Quatre forced himself to turn away. Making his way to the living room, he flicked on the overhead lights. Where was Trowa? For a moment, blind, irrational panic surged through his mind and he wondered if somehow Trowa had been taken from him too, while he lay sleeping. Then he calmed, chiding himself for being so silly.
Almost casually, his gaze fell upon the phone resting on the small table beside the couch. The silence in the room was oddly accusing, so much so that it made the blond squirm, a shamed blush settling over his cheeks.
"Should have picked up..." Quatre sighed to himself as he stared at the thing, then nearly jumped out of his seat as it began to ring. He stared dumbly at it, as though he'd never seen the machine before in his life- then lunged forward and grabbed up the receiver. He fumbled it a little before he could raise it to his ear, "D-Duo?!" He asked shakily, stabbing the button to activate the visual screen. Holding his breath, Quatre turned to face it.
"Were you expecting him, then?"
Quatre tried not to look too disappointed. It was not Duo, "Wufei..."
"Yes. You don't seem too pleased. Am I interrupting anything?" The asian inquired blandly. He was sitting in an overstuffed armchair clutching a steaming mug. Some of his hair had come undone from his tight ponytail, the dark circles under his eyes stood out in sharp contrast to his bronzed skin. His mission had not been an easy one and Quatre could feel his weariness.
The blond opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. Taking a breath, he tried again, "Duo's...gone missing, Wufei."
"What do you mean Maxwell's missing?" Wufei sat up rigidly, completely alert now. He set the mug down on some surface out of view, "Did Yuy hurt him?" He tried, but was unable to keep the angry suspicion in his voice. He did not trust Yuy with Duo.
Quatre winced visibly. He knew how the Chinese pilot felt about the braided boy, felt his jealousy of Heero. It saddened Quatre that Wufei had never quite gotten over his feelings for Duo- in fact, this may have been one of the reasons he had avoided contact with his fellow pilots recently. More so than usual, that is.
"Heero didn't do anything to him, Wufei. He was on a mission when it happened."
Wufei relaxed, marginally, "Then?"
The blond shifted uneasily, "We have reason to believe he was kidnapped."
"You can't possibly mean that." Wufei stated, the tone was not shocked or incredulous, but firm and blunt, as though Quatre didn't know what he was talking about. Weary frustration made Quatre want to shout at him, but he held his tongue until the feeling left him.
He spoke carefully, slowly picking his words, struggling to speak over the growing tightness in his throat, "Two nights ago he called us on his Portable pleading for... pleading for help. It was late, Trowa and I were asleep and didn't get it until the next morning, by then he was gone. We don't know where he is or... what condition he may be in." The expression on Wufei's face, coupled with an emotion that was not quite hatred, but something closely akin to it, all but forced the Arabian to look away, "Wufei, I-" He chanced another glance up, then blinked sharply. The screen had gone black. Wufei'd hung up.
Quatre breathed a exasperated sigh, his entire body seemingly sagging forward. Now everyone knew. At least he wouldn't have to tell the story again. He felt... old. Ridiculously old. Replacing the receiver, he trudged dully to the kitchen, rubbing at his temples. His gaze fell upon the bright yellow paper almost right away. He stared dumbly at it for a while, then lifted it, bright eyes scanning the words upon it.
'Gone to Heero's place. I'll call if we find anything. Coffee's made, your clothes are set out by the bathroom. Eat some breakfast and cheer up. We'll find Duo.- Trowa.'
A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and not for the first time, he thanked Allah for bringing the two of them together.
~~~~
"...o?...eero?....Heero?"
Heero's head snapped up, cobalt blue eyes blinking, and he stared at Trowa as if he'd just now noticed him. Which was silly because Trowa had been with him the last half hour, helping him lift blood samples from the carpet in the bedroom. This, and they'd found the shattered remains of a tooth just under the bed.
Heero hoped whoever it had been had suffered.
"Heero, I've pulled the bullet out. The one lodged in the mattress?...Are you listening?"
"We don't need it." Heero replied quietly.
"What?" An eyebrow lifted skeptically.
"The neighbors said they never heard anything, didn't they?"
"That's right."
"That means that the gun used had a silencer equipped. There's only one type of firearm that has a silencer preinstalled."
Trowa nodded slowly. It made perfect sense. But the logic seemed flawed, "Duo has the kind of gun, how do we know that he wasn't the one who fired those shots?"
They were interrupted by an abrupt, angry pounding at the door. But Heero replied before he moved to answer it, "Because Duo doesn't miss what he shoots at."
"Where's Maxwell?" Wufei hissed as the door was pulled open. Without waiting to be invited, he brushed past Heero and moved into the living room, "Where is he, Yuy?"
"Gone. Since yesterday." Heero replied, equally cold, shutting the door behind him.
"I should never have let him fall into your irresponsible hands," the Chinese boy growled, eyes narrowed, angry. Anger turned into surprise as he found himself thrust backward, Heero Yuy's deadly hands fisted in his shirt, "Your will has nothing to do with us, Chang. I will find Duo. And I will make those who took him from me pay dearly. If they've so much as harmed one hair on his head, I will torture them so slowly they'll think it was a career. I'll do the same to you, if I ever catch you laying a hand on him. Make no mistake of that."
Trowa's hand fell firmly on Heero's shoulder. Heero tensed, unwilling to release Wufei yet. Wufei had recovered himself and met Heero glare for glare.
"Quit it, both of you. You're acting like children. Tearing at each other like wild animals isn't going to help Duo."
As much as Heero would like, he couldn't argue with logic. With a frustrated snort, he shoved the Chinese boy away from him.
Wufei managed to keep from stumbling, carefully masking his face to conceal his feelings as he straightened his shirt.
In his opinion, Duo shouldn't be staying with anyone whose temper was that out of control. Yet, deep down, Heero's actions had just proven himself...worthy of Maxwell. Heero loved Duo as much as he did. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Heero would never raise a hand in anger against his American lover.
"Mistah Yuy? Mistah Yuy, ah yew dere, sir?"
Heero cringed at the heavily accented voice crackling over the intercom. It was Pearl, the woman-at-the-front-desk. She had the frighteningly uncanny ability to call at the worst possible times. He wanted to ignore her, but he knew from experience that she'd just keep talking until he answered.
"Mistah Yuy, ah know yer dere! Ah saw yew walk in! Yew got a package. Ya gon' come get it or wha'? Ah could send it up..."
The woman-at-the-front-desk was also incredibly nosy. Cheek twitching violently, Heero made his way over to the com as fast as he could.
"Mistah Yu-"
"Package? What package?"
"A package package, Yuy, wha' udder kind is dere, hey? It don' got no address on it, though." A pause, then an overdramatic gasp, "Yew don' t'ink it's a bomb, do yew?"
No address...
"No, I don't. Don't touch it, Pearl. I'll be right down." And just for good measure, he repeated, "Don't touch it."
"A'righ'! Yew don' gotta be so touchy! Yeesh!"
But Pearl was taking to thin air. Trowa, Wufei and Heero were already on their way to the elevator.
~~~~
The 'package' was little more than a manilla envelope. It was utterly blank except for Heero's apartment number that had been scribbled illegibly on the back.
When he asked Pearl how she'd got it, she'd said only that she'd found it on her desk after she'd come back from her lunch break.
Heero turned the envelope over, apprehension skittering through him on spider's legs. It was relatively light, could easily have been mistaken for empty, but Heero could feel whatever it was inside it. He was pretty certain that it was a disk.
"Yuy, damn you, open it! You can't just sit there staring at it all day! What if it has to do with Maxwell?"
Heero's tongue swept out to wet his lips, and he did as he was told, sliding a finger under the seal and turning it over. The plain black video disk fell right into his upturned palm.
Trowa offered out his hand, "I can put it in."
Heero shook his head numbly, setting the disk into the Sony Vid Player, and flipping the screen on.
Nothing at first...Then a picture, blurred but focusing.
A dark room, the walls appeared to be made of some metal because they glinted in whatever light was to be had....Not a room, because it was shaking just slightly, as though it were moving...A truck or a van then.
Something in the corner though. Something alive.
Heero recognized that form immediately. It was Duo, soaking wet, shivering, but breathing. But relief didn't have a chance to sweep the Japanese boy in her arms, because Heero noticed that Duo wasn't only wet with water, but with blood as well.
'They shot Duo...Oh God, they shot him'
Heero crumpled to the floor and was suddenly, violently sick.
tbc...
~~~~
Another note: Questions? Comments? Venomous snickers? My AIM is EosDaPimptress, and my address is Cody_Chaqspa@yahoo.com. Please feel free to review. Should I finish this fanfic? Should I lower my head in shame and burn it? Should I be made ruler of all creation? These things I must know! So review!……Please?