| I don�t own any Gundam stuff in any way, shape, or form. Death: Part II Duo looked around the dimly lit apartment, which had come to symbolize his life: cold, empty, and falling apart. Bringing the glass up to his lips again, he slowly downed another drink of almost pure alcohol. He was worthless now. He couldn�t hide behind the mask of Shinigami anymore, and his heartache was eating him alive. �Heero, why do I have to love you?� Duo whispered, as he pulled out the only gift Heero had ever given him. Resting the cold steel and smoothly polished wood in his hands, he let the tears come. Why Relena? Why had it been her that had brought the first smile to Heero�s beautiful lips? It seemed like she had become his best friend overnight, teaching him to live, to be happy, and probably to love, while Duo sat alone in the cold, with only his pain for company. Duo was tired of being alone, tired of fighting not to show the emotions that burned inside. Slowly raising the gun to his head in his trembling hands, Duo looked at his picture of Heero, and fired. Duo was surrounded in a field of gray. Shocked, he looked around to find nothing. �The Fiend must be busy, to stop tormenting me for a moment.� Duo thought, unconvinced. Weakly, Duo sagged to the �floor� and rested, wanting to save any strength he could for when the torture resumed. It seemed like forever since his punishment began, and every moment seemed to last an eternity. Putting his hands together over his face, Duo prayed that it all would end. �How much longer is he going to be unconscious?� Heero asked, pain and frustration warring on his face. �There�s no way to tell, son. I�ve never seen anyone with that kind of pressure on the brain survive at all.� The doctor said, putting a comforting hand on Heero�s shoulder. �At lease he isn�t in any pain. That is always a blessing. I�m sure if he was awake right now, he wouldn�t really want to be.� Staring at the bandages swathed around Duo�s head, Heero shuddered, and went to find Quatre. Finding Trowa first, they went together to the music room, where Quatre was playing a mournful air on the grand piano inside. Quatre looked like an angel, his hair gleaming in the soft lighting, his long, pale fingers slowly dancing their way across the ivory keys. The only jarring note to the picture was the red-rimmed eyes that they all shared. �I need to ask you a favor.� Heero sat on the floor near the bench. At Quatre�s inquiring look Heero sighed and hung his head. �I have no right to ask this, especially after all you�ve done already, but I want you to see if you can tell me if Duo is back to himself, or if �Death� is all that is left of him. It�s killing me, not knowing if he�ll even remember me when he wakes up. Not knowing if he�s still a madman that needs to be locked up�� Heero was cut short by a finger on his lips. Quatre�s eyes were filled with tears. �Of course I�ll try, Heero. But only if you�ll stop wringing my heart any more than it is.� Standing and pushing back the bench, Quatre padded from the room out towards where Duo lay, closely followed by Trowa and Heero. �Duo� A voice breathes out of the grayness around him. �Oh man, can I go insane if I�m dead?� Duo asked, nearly ready to cry. �Isn�t it enough I have to relive my own suicide every few moments? Do I have to lose what little of myself I have left? Duo shuddered as he felt a hand touch his arm. He whirled around to face� �Quatre?� Duo stared in disbelief. �Quatre, you can�t be dead too, tell me you�re not in hell with me!� �Duo!!!� Quatre grabbed Duo and held him close. �Oh Duo, you�re here! You�re not dead, but you�ve been insane for the past year!� Quatre babbled frantically. �This means when you wake up, you�ll be back with us!� Suddenly Duo disentangled himself from Quatre and held him at arm�s length, staring at him carefully, and shaking his head. �I can�t be alive, Quatre. I�m tormented by a demon almost every moment for shooting myself. If this isn�t hell, then I�m possessed.� Duo said miserably. �I�ve never been strong enough to fight him. I�m trapped here�. Besides, I�m worthless now anyway, Quatre. I can�t hide my feelings anymore, and I love Heero. Hell, he�d probably kill me himself for feeling this way. I can�t ever go back.� With the angriest look Duo had ever seen, Quatre lifted him up by his shirt and started shaking him. �You listen to me, Duo Maxwell. Heero has spent the past year doing Nothing but searching for you. He loves you and You are NOT going to give up and let him suffer!� At the absolutely shocked look that came over Duo�s face, Quatre stopped shaking him and put him down. �He loves me?� Duo whispered. Quatre looked at Duo with the anger fading from his eyes. �Yes, Duo. He loves you more than anything.� Suddenly Duo straightened, and a determined look came into his eyes. �Listen carefully., He will be back soon. Take me to the nearest church and have them exorcise me. I don�t care how you do it, but No One must touch me unless they�re wearing something holy. I�m going to fight him with all I have left. Got it?� Duo asked, a sword suddenly burning in his hands. �But Duo�� Quatre began. �He�s coming back, you have to go, Now!� Duo said, and somehow pushed Quatre through the gray matter of the �walls� And turned to face his tormenter. Looking up into the emerald eyes hovering above him, Quatre realized he was on the floor. �Trowa, how long was I out?� He demanded, as his lover helped him to his feet. �About thirty seconds. What happened? Are you ok?� Trowa asked, holding him close. �You were suddenly thrown away from Duo and you hit the wall.� Heero came over with a glass of water, and pleading eyes. �I�m fine, but Duo isn�t! We have to hurry or we�ll lose him!� Quatre ran over and looked at the struggling form on the bed. �Heero, do you still have Duo�s crucifix?� �Yes, I always have it.� Heero said pulling the chain out from under his shirt, panic in his eyes. �Good, grab him and don�t let anyone else touch him. We have to take him to St. Brisa�s. It�s the closest church around. Let�s go!� Quatre said and rushed to hold the door for Heero. Barely managing to hang on to the struggling form in his arms, Heero finally made it to the garden door. �I�m going to go get a car.� Trowa said, and took off running. Returning quickly, they hustled the thrashing form of Dou in and took off as fast as they dared. Numbly, Heero held on to the man he loved. Duo�s struggling seemed to get weaker by the minute. When the car stopped, Heero hit the ground running for the church, stopping only to let someone open the door for him. Quatre ran in behind him and grabbed the priest he found replacing the holy water. �Please, our friend is possessed, he needs help now!� At the priest�s look of disbelief, Quatre dragged him over to where Heero had a tight grip on Duo. �Duo??� The priest exclaimed in shock. �What happened to him? I haven�t seen him since he was a boy!� Looking closely at the thrashing body, his eyes clouded in concern. �Bring him to the altar, and lay him on top of it.� Striding quickly away, the priest returned with a large book. Opening it to the very back, he began chanting in Latin. �I can�t believe this is happening.� Heero said, watching Duo�s body start to twitch in time to the sonorous chant. �How could he be possessed by Death?� �Trust me, I saw it.� Quatre said with a haunted look. �He was there, trapped in his own mind. He was being tortured. Shinigami has him, and doesn�t want to let go.� Shivering, Quatre huddled closer to Trowa. As the chanting grew louder, Something separated itself from Duo�s form and suddenly dispersed. Finishing the prayer, the priest removed the heavy cross from around his own neck and put it around Duo�s. �Now, you people had better tell me what happened to him.� Ignoring the conversation behind him, Heero stared at Duo, memorizing every line of his face. �Please Duo, come back to me.� He whispered softly. Duo awoke to the sweetest, most loving kiss he had ever imagined. Opening his eyes, he nearly drowned in the blue ones that were merely inches from his. �Heero?� He asked from trembling lips. �I�m here.� A deep voice whispered into his ear. �I�ll always be here, Duo.� |