Hope From the Past - Part 10 by
Keara
Standard disclaimers apply
//Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real//
“Crawling” by: Linkin Park
Treize looked thoroughly tired. He was sitting behind his desk, his
elbows on the wooden surface, while his face rested against his palms.
Trowa dreaded what his commanding officer might have to say . . .
in all probability it wouldn’t be good.
“I’ve read Sally’s report.” He stated calmly.
“As well as the report of that Doctor that Duo assaulted.”
He sighed and looked up at Heero, Trowa, and Wufei, who were sitting
before their commanding officer, awaiting his words. “What I
want to know from you three is . . . Are Quatre and Duo a threat to
us?”
“Absolutely not!” Trowa exclaimed, fearing that Quatre
would be hurt if he was thought to be dangerous. “It was a mistake
. . . Duo was having a nightmare and awakened to find a man standing
over him. His reaction was perfectly natural given his trauma.”
“I agree with Trowa.” Wufei said quietly. “I see
no reason to believe that Duo or Quatre would intentionally endanger
anyone. If they meant to, they would have done so already.”
Treize nodded. “We know so little of them. We have no idea
what the Taltheans have really done to them other than the sexual
assault and cryogenic freezing of their bodies. There could have been
other experiments done on them, body and mind . . . I’ll need
you three to discover what exactly it was.”
“Us, sir?” Heero asked.
“Yes. You three are the closest to those two young men. They
trust you. If they were experimented on, you’re our best chance
of discovering what it was. If they are a threat to us, I will have
no alternative but to eliminate the threat . . . I hope you get my
meaning.” Treize said, speaking severely. It left no doubt in
Trowa’s mind that Treize would kill them if he felt it necessary.
But at least Treize was willing to wait and find out . . . that was
a good sign.
“Yes, sir.” The three young men said at once. Trowa bit
his lip, then opened his mouth to speak his mind. “Sir, if this
is a natural ability of both of them . . . what happens then?”
Treize sighed again. “I honestly don’t know. Dismissed.”
Trowa nodded, rising from his seat and leaving the room along with
his two friends. There was nothing else that he could do but hope
that Quatre and Duo didn’t pose a threat to them. He hoped their
minds had not been tampered with. He sighed, taking his time in returning
to the infirmary, his mind ablaze with questions that he could not
answer without Quatre.
*****
Duo fought the waking, his body and mind fighting with each other.
His body craved wakefulness, his mind wanted to avoid the pain it
would bring to his heart. He’d awakened a few times already,
and he had no desire to do so again. Duo knew what he would find when
he opened his eyes. He’d either be alone or have a sneering
doctor nearby who would leave the room as soon as he opened his eyes.
It wasn’t HIS fault that he’d panicked . . . and he couldn’t
blame Quatre or their new friends for his enforced solitude. They
hadn’t done anything wrong either.
There was a vague memory in his mind, the feeling of Heero nearby
him, holding his hand and talking to him. But that had to have been
his imagination, a cruel dream sent to torment him in his loneliness.
Heero was away on some mission. He couldn’t have been holding
Duo’s hand so tenderly.
~ . . . uo? Can you . . . me? ~
Duo felt Quatre’s mental voice, as weak as it was, caressing
his psyche like a hand caressing his forehead. Wait a second . . .
a hand WAS caressing his forehead. He mustered up the strength from
somewhere and replied as best as he could. ~ Quatre? ~
Joy, and tired relief, reached him across their mental link. It had
been a long time since they had bonded their minds, sealing their
friendship for as long as they both lived. ~ Duo . . . it’s
okay. I’m here. You’re not alone. ~
Voices reached his ears now . . . disjointed and recognizable as
belonging to Meiran and Catherine. He decided to risk it and opened
his eyes a crack. Meiran was sitting beside his bed, looking at him
worriedly, but she smiled a little as his eyes met hers. Tears flooded
his eyes, dripping easily along the sides of his face . . . he wasn’t
alone. He was happy, more happy than he could remember. Thank God
he wasn’t alone anymore. He couldn’t stand the silence,
the eerie quiet that came with having no one around.
Meiran’s smile faltered a little. She reached out, sliding
her gentle fingers over his face and sweeping the droplets away. “Don’t
cry. It’s okay now.” She hushed, taking hold of his hand
carefully.
Duo nodded weakly. He turned his head, looking over to Quatre, taking
note that his friend was looking right back at him. Quatre looked
horrible . . . well at least worse than he had the last time that
Duo had seen him. He must have taken Duo’s absence badly. Duo
understood . . . the two of them had been together for so long, Duo
couldn’t imagine being without his friend either, and since
they were both so weary, it was difficult to maintain mental communication
without being near each other physically.
Sitting next to Quatre’s bed was Catherine. The young woman
was reading to Quatre. Duo didn’t recognize the story, but that
really didn’t matter to him . . . Catherine’s reading
was for Quatre’s benefit, not his. He was glad that the young
woman was paying attention to Quatre, helping him when he was ill
. . . Duo wished he could offer such comfort to his friend, but he
was too ill to even breathe without help.
Closing his eyes briefly, Duo turned his head and looked up at Meiran
again. There was nothing more that he could do. He was too tired and
yet he didn’t want to go back to sleep yet. He was afraid that
if he went to sleep he would be moved again . . . he didn’t
want to be away from Quatre. He didn’t want the frail blonde
to suffer because of him.
*****
Heero stepped into the infirmary, his heart fluttering in his chest
when he laid eyes on Duo. The young man was awake. Heero hastened
his pace, crossing the room quickly. Meiran turned, smiling when she
saw him. “Let me know if you need me again. I’ll be in
my quarters if you should require me.” Meiran said, sliding
her fingers along Duo’s cheek and bidding him goodbye before
stepping aside and leaving the room.
Heero sat in the seat that the young woman had just vacated, carefully
taking hold of Duo’s chill hand. “Are you feeling better?”
He asked, raising his hand and timidly drawing his fingers through
Duo’s bangs, brushing them aside. He wasn’t used to such
contact, but he hoped that he was doing it correctly.
Duo nodded slightly in reaction to Heero’s question. Heero
guessed that he didn’t have the strength to speak. It was obvious
that the young man was still weary. Heero sighed, knowing that Duo
could not provide any answers in this condition.
Heero wasn’t even going to consider asking him anything until
he was stronger. Duo was just too tired to be put through such stress
right now. So any answers would have to come from Quatre, who was
slightly stronger, although not by much.
“You look tired.” Heero commented, idly brushing his
thumb along the back of Duo’s hand. “If you are, you may
go back to sleep. I do not mind.”
Duo smiled, but weakly reached up and pulled the oxygen mask from
his face. “Want . . . to see you.” Duo replied, his voice
faint. “Like the . . . company.”
Heero nodded. “I find you pleasant to be around as well.”
He replied, placing the mask back over Duo’s nose and mouth.
“I anxiously await when you will be able to get out of this
bed. I would like to show you around.” He said honestly. Although
he knew that until Duo had clearance he wouldn’t even be allowed
to leave this infirmary without an armed escort.
Duo smiled again. He closed his eyes momentarily, his weariness obvious.
Heero stayed where he was, content to just offer the young man companionship.
There was nowhere else he had to be right now, and Duo most definitely
did need the comfort that could only be provided with physical contact
and communication.
*****
While Heero was visiting with Duo, Trowa had also entered the infirmary.
He greeted his sister, allowing her to give him a hug before she closed
her book and left the room. Trowa smiled, blushing slightly as he
took a seat beside Quatre, picking up the book that Catherine had
been reading to Quatre. He looked at the cover, reading the title
aloud. “The Green Fairy Book . . . Is it any good?” Trowa
asked, removing the mask from Quatre’s pale face.
“Yes . . . many fairy tales . . . wonderful.” He whispered,
a smile on his lips. The effort to speak was probably tiring to Quatre.
Trowa wondered if he should ask questions of the blonde now, or whether
he could let them wait awhile. It was Quatre that resolved the unanswered
question. “Is there something on your mind?” He asked,
his voice quiet and strained.
Trowa nodded, although he wasn’t sure how to ask what he felt
he needed to ask. He didn’t want to offend Quatre, and yet his
commanding officer had asked him to get this information from Quatre.
He sighed, taking a breath and letting it out before focusing his
eyes on Quatre’s aquamarine ones. “What Duo did to the
doctor . . . throwing the man across the room . . .” He trailed
off, unsure of what he was asking.
Quatre raised his hand, setting his fingers against Trowa’s
lips. Trowa let his question remain unfinished, watching Quatre intently.
“There . . .” Quatre said, gesturing to a cup full of
melting ice chips. “Watch.” He said. Then his face grew
serious, his eyes intently focused on the cup that was only a few
feet away from him. His brow furrowed in obvious concentration, his
expression one of strain, as if he were exercising some unused muscle
for the first time in years.
Trowa diverted his gaze to watch the cup. He blinked, not believing
his own eyes. Before him, the cup lifted off of the surface of the
table, wobbling as it did so. There was nothing nearby, nothing that
could be lifting it in such a manner. It must have been Quatre doing
it. For a moment the cup hovered unsteadily over the table, then it
fell, almost tipping over since it had descended too rapidly.
When it was over, Trowa looked to Quatre, only to find him laying
there panting, his eyes closed as he struggled to breathe. Trowa put
the mask over his nose and mouth again, not wanting the pale young
man to grow ill again. “Are you okay?” He asked, deeply
concerned for the young beauty.
Quatre nodded weakly, reaching over and grasping Trowa’s hand.
Trowa waited until Quatre was breathing more easily, then pulled the
mask off again. “Hard to do . . . I’m tired . . . not
strong enough.” Quatre said, sweat beading on his skin.
Trowa reached over to the table, picking up a cloth. He dabbed at
Quatre’s feverish skin, smiling at him. “That was quite
impressive.” He said, admiring Quatre for even attempting such
a display in his condition. “How long have you been able to
do such things?”
“As long . . . as long as I remember.” Quatre replied.
“Was a child . . . when it started.” He looked away. “Only
causes problems.”
Trowa frowned, watching as a number of crystalline tears trailed
down along Quatre’s lovely face. “I won’t ask any
more of you.” He said honestly, knowing that any other questions
he might have could wait until later. He didn’t want to pressure
Quatre into speaking about something that he seemed unwilling to talk
about. Trowa wasn’t about to lose the tentative trust that Quatre
had in him. “When you’re ready to talk, I’ll listen.”
Quatre’s eyes shimmered as more tears fell from his eyes. “Thank
you.” He breathed . . . a weak smile lighting up his entire
face.
Trowa smiled back, using the cloth to wipe away Quatre’s tears.
“Don’t cry.” He hushed, brushing his fingers through
Quatre’s silken hair. “Would you like it if I read to
you?” Trowa asked.
“I’d like that.” Quatre replied, smiling.
Trowa flipped through the pages of the book that Catherine had left.
Still, he didn’t know what story his sister had left off on.
“Do you know what story Catherine was reading?”
“The Blue Bird . . . page thirty-two . . . Fairy Mazilla just
turned . . . King Charming into . . . into a blue bird.” He
answered, pausing every few words to take a breath.
Trowa nodded, turning to the appropriate page. He found the section
that Quatre had spoken of, deciding to start at the top of the paragraph.
Before he started speaking though, he placed the oxygen mask back
onto Quatre’s face, wanting him to be able to breathe easily.
“If you get tired, let me know and I'll stop.”
At Quatre’s nod, Trowa began to read, telling Quatre of the
fate of King Charming and the fair princess Fiordelisa . . . as well
as that of the evil queen and her unattractive daughter. As he read,
Trowa found himself growing quite interested in the story himself.
Before Trowa could finish reading the tale, Quatre’s hand gave
a gentle squeeze to his arm. His eyes were barely open. Trowa told
him to rest, deciding to wait until the next time they were together
to find out whether or not King Charming would be reunited with the
newly-crowned Queen Fiordelisa . . . of course in such stories happy
endings were common. Still, he would like to read it.
He smiled, staying at Quatre’s side as the blonde fell into
a peaceful slumber. Setting the book aside, Trowa took hold of Quatre’s
hand. On a whim, Trowa raised the delicate hand to his lips and kissed
it, watching as a smile appeared on Quatre’s delicate features.
He hoped Quatre’s health would progress . . . he did want to
get to know him better.
*******
TBC
*******
Note: The story referred to at the end of this
part is called “The Blue Bird.” It is one of many fairy
tales found in a book called, “The Green Fairy Book.”
On to Part 11
Back to Part 9
Back to Keara's Fan Fictions
Back to Fan Fiction Index