Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Sea in I ❯ V ( Chapter 5 )

Italics ~ thoughts
Warnings: Duo torture, yaoi = MXM goodiness
Pairings: 1x2 eventually, minor 3x4

Feedback - appreciated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't own any of the sexies in Gundam Wing AC, I just love to help them live a little.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Part V

 

He was in a cocoon of warmth and it was getting hotter. He pulled his dirty hood over his head, soon his worn tunic and shoes followed. He stretched and rolled and it felt so good on his sore ribs and aching back. Duo wondered if he was dreaming again, but he could see nothing. He brought his hand up to his face and started in surprise before continuing. He felt the lines on his forehead as his eyebrows quirked and his body felt strange - heavy but weightless at the same time. Duo ran his fingers over his face slowly, and found that his eyes were open even though he felt himself blink. He withdrew his hand away from his face and then quickly brought it back. He did it again, not quite sure how to explain what he was feeling. He stopped and the little gusts - whooshes stopped colliding with his face. They sort of rolled against his skin and then around him, where the force of the movement died the further it got away from him.

 

Duo turned toward the whoosh against his ear and felt a hum. It wasn't exactly a sound but vibrations, all around him. He felt the whooshes get stronger, swirling and pushing him enough for him to realize that his feet weren't touching anything solid. The vibrations stopped and he just floated, wondering where in this dark void would be something to ground himself with. He started away from where the pressure coming from his back, his arms swinging and hands seeking anything and finding nothing in the darkness. Duo was suddenly smashed against an unseen wall, his back arched away from it and pain exploded in his head before he went limp. The pressure pushed his limp body upward and against jagged surfaces with increasing speed then dissipated.

 

Duo choked back to awareness and trembled at a particularly rigid part of the wall scrubbing against his back. All at once he remembered falling, the pain in his hands and the strange fuzz and the shock of his body hitting the water. The same cold shock that ran up his arm had filled his body and chased away his fear when the water swallowed him up and pulled him down beneath its surface before he woke here. He choked again, his hand coming up to cover his mouth, the movement causing everything to stir around and disrupting the whooshes - the current he realized. Then it hit him; he was still under water.

 

Duo coughed, even though he had one hand clamped as tightly as he could over nose and mouth air still escaped. Duo curled up and then snapped straight, trying frantically to move himself up, at least in the direction he thought was up and not the direction of the shifting current. He felt his chest start to burn but he was moving, he didn't know how he knew the motions but his feet stayed together and helped propel him. Duo started to feel the strain in his arms and legs when he was slammed against another wall, this time so hard that bubbles exploded from his mouth and raced over his head. He drifted, dazed and watching his hands drift away from his face and feeling his body turn over. He floated away with the pressure of the water, his lungs protested as his body automatically tried to inhale what he couldn't breathe.

 

Helplessly, he coughed and watched the last of his air leaving him in a gust of bubbles. His vision dimmed even though the light in the shaft was getting brighter, the chamber getting closer. He couldn't bring himself to care; he just wished that he didn't have to die in this strange place.

 

Duo eyes slid shut just as he was thrown out of the shaft by the force of the water. The geyser splashed down in all directions, bringing Duo with it. Duo's body made a loud wet smack against the floor when he hit it, face first.

 

Duo laid there, motionless, face pressed to the floor and the water from the geyser falling like warm rain, pooling and rolling across his body. His eyes cracked open to a throbbing, moving blurriness, and a sharp pain stabbed him right between the eyes. He groaned, the sound bubbling up off the water-covered floor and he inhaled only to have his whole body seize up as he broke out into a watery coughing fit. With each cough he snorted more water and he knew that fates had it out for him. From one bad situation to the next, his throat ached when groaned and his head felt heavier than the rest of him when he tried to keep his face out of the water. Duo rested on his chin for a moment, then rolled along it, panting raggedly when his neck gave out and his ear splashed down in the water. He felt the prickling ache in his chest and the pulsing pain in his head ease with each breath he took. Duo squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe through his nose, instantly regretting it. His arm was at an odd angle. He tried to move it and stopped trying, the pain in his arm but mostly at his shoulder made things fade away.

 

The rain of water soon stopped but he stayed where he was. Duo frowned, at some point his eyes had closed. He winced as he attempted to open them, his face felt puffy and his eyes stuck together.

 

“You said you saw him move the water?” The tone was patronizing. The voice was older, not Fraix, and somehow that disappointed him.

 

There was nothing for a while and Duo thought that he'd fallen asleep again until he heard feet sloshing through the water. “Y-yes. Shouldn't we inform Jirrad?”

 

Ethan! Duo thought, happy and hopeful until he remembered that his lost friend wasn't his friend anymore.

 

“Not, if the boy didn't do it. “ The older man snapped, irritated. “He couldn't even stop the water from the hot spring from bashing him up. You saw him.”

 

Duo shivered when hot hands grabbed him at the shoulders and lifted him up. Someone grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back and then everything faded away before fuzzily coming back to the sound of someone screaming. He heard it trail off, the pressure on his on arm was gone replaced by a constant throbbing in his shoulder. Duo hung limply in the hands that held him and he wondered if he was really awake.

 

“Don't harm the boy.” He heard hissed as the wet squish of shoes in the water came closer and then a hand was on his chest, feeling up to his collar bone and moving his head from side to side.

 

“I didn't. I guess I could have waited for him to be conscious before popping his shoulder back in place.” Duo frowned, his head lolling on his shoulders before Ethan pulled his head up by his hair.

 

“Hmm.” Duo managed to crack open an eye to find the unwanted hand linger on his shoulder, thumb digging at a finger sized scar as if he thought it was painted on.

 

Duo shuddered when the nail pressed into his skin and scraped along the scar leaving a red welt in its wake. Biting his lip, Duo cracked open one eye and saw the bald man he'd seen earlier smiling at him. “He's awake.”

 

Duo tried to pull away when the old man's hands traced along his side then trailed back up along his ribs but his battered body refused to respond. He wanted so badly to just slip into the gray fuzziness that ringed his vision but Duo's skin crawled beneath the probing/prodding fingers and the bald man has this look in his eyes. He shook his head, or tried to, his head felt too big on his shoulders and heavy. Duo gritted his teeth and struggled to keep his eyes open, too determined to keep an eye on the bald man in front of him. He felt the man's hands settle over his ribs, the thumb of one hand thumping against each bony protrusion.

 

“Too thin.” The bald man remarked. Duo glared as best he could as the man's hands settled over his hips next and the thin material of his leggings felt like they weren't there at all. The old man smiled and slid his fingers beneath the waistband on his right side where the material had already started to roll against his skin.

 

“Senjit -” Duo heard Ethan start to say until Senjit looked at him.

 

“Turn him around, Ethan.” Senjit said with distaste, losing interest in toying with Ethan and pushed Duo into him. “I have no interest in boys. Are you still sure you want to get Jirrad for this?” He let that hang in the air with a tight expression on his face. “You are free to go get him, but I won't be staying.”

 

Senjit looked at Ethan meaningfully and his mouth quirked at Ethan's pale face, “You'd have to stay here and make sure he doesn't... escape.”

 

The hands on his shoulders tighten and then he was turned, his vision tunneling with the movement. He panted his head too heavy to hold up anymore and his forehead thumped to rest against Ethan's stiff shoulder. Duo tensed as fingers pushed and poked at the skin of his shoulder then pushing his braid over it with a huff.

 

“He's filthy,” was all Duo heard before he was yanked around by his arm and pain burned from his shoulder and ran across his chest. Duo stumbled after, trying to keep up with Senjit on shaky legs.

 

Senjit grabbed a handful of the glowing fuzz off a wall and stalked toward the waterfall-dragging Duo with him.

 

“Senjit!” Ethan watched as he threw Duo into the shallow end of the collecting pool, his feet shifting beneath him, uncertain of whether he should go to Duo or to Senjit. Ethan stopped his feet from dancing and wondered why he'd been even debating the choice. He hugged himself briefly, and then went to Senjit.

 

Duo gasped, thrashed about and attempted to get his sore body to coordinate itself enough to get out of the pool. He managed to get up on his hands and knees, the water slapping against his shoulders and slouching over his back. He rose but Senjit caught him by his bruised arm and pulled him back down into the water.

 

“Afraid of the water,” Senjit chortled and cast a doubtful eye Ethan's way. “Ethan, get that rag off him.” Senjit growled running the rough spongy fuzz harshly over Duo's back, arms and chest.

 

“Y-yes, sir.” Ethan dropped to his knees next to the bald man and reached in to the water towards Duo's legs with a deep frown marring his face. Duo's foot slipped free of Ethan's hands each time. Aggravated, Ethan leaned in further and got kicked in the face.

 

Senjit sat back on his legs, laughing as Ethan fell into the water after wobbling and trying to find his balance.

 

Duo leaned back on his good arm in the water, partially afloat, glaring at the two before him with narrowed eyes. His breathing sounded loud in his own ears against the water's surface and his body trembled and burned beneath its surface from Senjit's rough cleaning. He wondered if he had any skin left and watched, as everything seemed to stand still. He lurched to the side and almost under the water. Duo's eyes snapped open when water flooded his nose and he righted himself blowing air through his nose. His heart was pounding in his chest at nearly slipping beneath the water. He looked around to find the old bald man still sitting on the pool's bank, but he couldn't find Ethan anywhere. He forced himself to sit up when a hand latched on to his ankle and pulled him under.

 

Duo wrestled with Ethan, but his former friend was stronger and kept him under until Duo was tired and too starved for air to keep struggling. Ethan held him still, allowing his nose and mouth to breach the surface while he easily ripped the worn leggings from his body. Ethan stayed in the water and pulled Duo up to sit in front of him.

 

“Such a troublesome waif.” Senjit muttered in annoyance, rubbing the sponge against sudsy mauve and earth-toned rocks. Duo was too busy gulping down air to really notice Senjit was reaching for him, but at his touch, he shrank away from Senjit's hand.

 

Senjit grimaced, reached in, tugging Duo's legs out from where he had them tucked tightly between himself and Ethan. Senjit tisked at nearly pulling Duo back under but continued on with his examination, confident that Ethan would keep the boy above water. He ignored Duo as he squirmed, flinched and whimpered every time he scrubbed at the boy's lower body. He turned Duo over by his ankles, making Duo grab onto Ethan's shoulders to keep from falling in the water. Senjit remained indifferent to any discomfort and pain he was causing Duo, focused on inspecting the pale skin he cleaned until it was flushed pink and any markings he'd discovery.

 

Duo was in too much agony to think about why Ethan was so board-like and allowing him to cling to him. He just wanted everything to stop moving and not to swallow any more water. He was sure his stomach would rebel in its happiness soon and everything he'd eaten today - willingly and unwillingly- would come back up all over poor Ethan. Suddenly the sponge stopped, when he felt those bruising fingers dig into something above his left buttock. He couldn't describe it but it made him want to scratch at it. He felt Senjit touch around the numb spot then press on it. Something shifted and he squirmed in Senjit's grasp. Senjit pressed on it again then stopped when Duo gasped. Senjit pulled him, bottom up, out of the water.

 

“Hold him.” Before he processed what the bald man said, the numb feeling became waves of agony.

 

Duo twisted, trying to pull away and kicked until the skin of his left hip was throbbing in time with his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut at the pain of the digging fingers until the pain became a throbbing ache. He sagged against Ethan, shivering in a cold sweat as Senjit lowered him back into the water. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a long scrape and bruising near his spine that was two fingers long and wide with a small, coin sized hole sluggishly bleeding in the center of it.

 

Senjit chuckled, “Look.” He bid him.

 

Duo blearily looked to the bald man. Senjit held up a ridged bloody stone, the size of an eye between his thumb and index finger. He smirked at Duo, his bulbous nose flattening and spreading slightly, “It looks like the hot spring wants you to remember it.”

 

Senjit threw it over his shoulder and went back to Duo's back, carefully going over the abraded skin as if he'd be able to find something, read something in it.

 

Duo drifted, his eyes barely open and his arms falling limply to his sides, splashing down in the red tinged water floating in an odd little ring close to his body and thinning with the motion of the current. He stared at it, head heavy on Ethan's shoulder and thought about it swirling and it did. He watched it grow larger in the small space between his elbow, his side and Ethan's side. His blood became a deeper red, separating from the water and making the swirl more distinctive. He felt Ethan shift, heard his breath hitch and Duo thought of what his face must have looked like in that moment and watched the red make lines and the water shade.

 

The water knew. It could see what he couldn't.

 

Ethan started and Duo winced, the old man's hand clenched around his leg, telling him to stay put. Duo heard the water splash and glanced up at the red streaking out of the sponge before it was rinsed clear with a final dunk and one handed squeeze.

 

The fuzz… a sponge? Duo realized the old man had used the chamber's fuzzy light sources as a sponge and a feeling of apprehension flickered in the back of his mind.

 

Senjit ran the sponge over the wound again and everything was blotted out by pain. Senjit turned Duo back over to his front all the while muttering to himself about marks and tattoos.

 

“Sen-” Ethan began looking up from the water, and then found himself cursing and finding nothing. The water had changed and took the shape of a face, his face! He looked down again and glared at the water - nothing.

 

“Get his hair undone. I need to check his scalp.” Senjit grumbled as he scrutinized the sole of Duo's pinken foot then in between and around his toes.

 

Ethan balked. “He's one! I know it! Is it so hard to believe-”

 

“Do it. No one will believe if he doesn't have a mark and can't command an element. You said you saw him move the water?”

 

“He froze it...” Ethan muttered with a nod, tired of being asked the same question again and again. It was as if the bald man believed his answer would change in some way. He started to tell Senjit about the face in the water but closed his mouth to a puckered lip frown, knowing how pointless that would be if the old man hadn't seen it himself.

 

“Then find the mark,” came Senjit's agitated retort.

 

Ethan hesitated, fingers already caught in the middle of the braid where it hadn't unraveled from the water, knowing the old man was right. “Couldn't you just let me cut it off and look?” He looked to Senjit with hopeful eyes and then glared at the top of Duo's head when the old man ignored him.

 

Duo felt Ethan's shoulders sag in resignation. Duo felt the heat in his eyes spillover as his head was wrenched and yanked until his hair was free. He screamed under the water when he was suddenly dunked and the hard sponge was back again.

 

 

O-----------------------OoO----------------------O