Don't Close Your Eyes - Part 2 by MooMooMilk
Standard disclaimers apply

---

Duo awoke to the sound of heavy rain pattering against the balcony outside. With a muffled groan, he snuggled deeply into his nest of silken blankets in an attempt to catch a few more moments of rest, before he would have to get up.

Twenty minutes later, Duo was shivering as he toweled himself off and began pulling on some clothes. Maybe such a big bathroom wasn't that much of a good thing after all, he mused. The hot steam from the shower wasn't enough to heat the entire room, and it was very cold. With chattering teeth, he tugged a large, thick sweater over his long-sleeved shirt and began to dry his hair.

He glanced at the clock on his wall. It was nine in the morning, an hour before first period started.

At nine-thirty, he finally finished with his hair and was in the process of making his bed. This wasn't something he would normally do, but Duo didn't want his beloved silk sheets to get wrinkled. As he worked, he happened to glance up at the ceiling, immediately spotting the small round stain he had noticed the night before.

The stain was a reddish brown color that resembled the color of dirty pipes. It contrasted sharply with the wooden ceiling. Sighing, Duo frowned as he smoothed the last wrinkle from the sheets. It was most likely a rust stain caused by the attic roof leaking or something. He just hoped it wouldn't start to drip.

Yawning loudly, Duo stretched his arms and was about to begin his daily morning aerobics when a long, shrill scream shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

Duo immediately dashed down the stairs to investigate.

When he arrived on the fourth floor, he saw Heero, who was clad only in a pair of cotton pajamas pants, bent over in front of Rereena's door. Duo stared at Heero in confusion. The chocolate-haired young man was attempting to pick the lock with a small bit of wire.

Rereena chose that moment to release another muffled, hysterical shriek from inside her room.

Duo cringed at the sound and approached the door. "Heero, what's going on?" Heero wasn't looking very happy. "I don't know. She won't unlock the door, so I'm trying to unlock it myself and see what the problem is."

Duo bit his lip and looked at Heero curiously. His partner didn't look worried at all. "Uh...aren't you afraid that she might be screaming 'cause someone's about to kill her or something? You don't look very concerned..."

Heero snorted dryly. "I installed a security camera in her room while she was gone yesterday night. The monitor is in my room. Go see it."

Duo nodded and did what Heero said. The flat, square device was sitting on a low table next to Heero's bed, and through it Duo saw what was going on inside Rereena's chamber. The girl was dressed in a slinky white gown, and was standing on top of her bed with a shocked, frightened look etched on her face. She was staring at something on the floor that the camera couldn't pick up from its angle.

Frowning, Duo walked back into the hall and saw Trowa and Sarah standing next to Heero, who was still picking at the lock unsuccessfully. Sarah was looking panicked. "What's going on!" She demanded as Duo joined them. "What's happening to her in there!" Duo shrugged. "As far as I know, nothing. She's standing on the bed and screaming her head off. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong..."

Duo turned to Heero and sighed. "Hey man, why don't you give me a try at the lock? You know I'm better at that kind of stuff then you are."

Wordlessly, Heero nodded and stepped back, handing Duo the pick that he had been using. Duo frowned at the given pick and deftly slipped it into one end of his braid. At the same time, he removed another that was thinner and longer. "This one'll work better." He explained as he knelt down and began working on the lock. "But I don't see why Rereena just won't open the door herself."

Within half a minute, there was a small click, and Duo smiled. "Okay, all done." He stood up and swung the door open.

The first thing they noticed was that Rereena's screams became infinitely louder, causing everyone to wince and cover their ears.. The second thing they noticed was that there was a strange metallic stench in the air. It was not a pleasant smell, and the three pilots immediately guessed what it was.

Upon seeing Heero, Rereena let out one final eardrum-bursting scream and launched herself towards him. "You have to help me!" She sobbed. "Someone...someone's trying to scare me...they...I..." She trailed off and simply buried her head into Heero's naked shoulder, drenching it with her tears.

Inching his way into the room, Duo bit his lip as he stared at Rereena's rumpled bed. The reason she screamed was lying on the other side of it, and Duo wasn't really sure he wanted to know what it was...since the scent of blood still drifted strongly in the air.

But in the end, Duo's curiosity won out. He glanced over to Heero, who had his arms full of weeping girl, and then to Sarah, who was looking worried in the doorway. Trowa was standing next to him with a dispassionate on his face. Heaving a big sigh, Duo grabbed Trowa's arm and pulled him along as he walked around the bed.

What they found wasn't a pretty sight at all.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Duo stared at the small brown lump of fur that lay very still in the middle of the pristine white carpet. It was drenched in congealing red fluid, which had also seeped into the carpet it lay on. Duo looked confused. "What is that thing?" He asked out loud. Trowa knelt down beside the mess and gently rolled it over.

It was a dog. A Pomeranian to be exact.

It was obviously dead. Twin beady black eyes bulged from their sockets, and a long, slimy thin tongue hung out of its muzzle, which was covered in frothy white saliva. The poor dog had been sliced open and stabbed multiple times. Its intestines were hanging out of its body, looking eerily similar to a long parasitic worm.

"That's sick." Duo choked out, feeling instantly sorry for the furry little animal that had been killed in such a grisly manner. Trowa stood up and nodded, his face full of contemplation. "I think it is best that we have a meeting." He murmured softly.

By this time, everyone had come up to see what the commotion was about. Duo and Trowa exited the room just as Quatre and Wufei arrived with the other two girls behind them. The Chinese fighter was looked irritated. "What's the problem?" He demanded, onyx eyes flashing dangerously. "What happened to the damn onna that's causing such a disruption?!"

It was painfully obvious that Wufei hadn't had his morning cup of tea yet, and so his temper was at its wildest at the moment. Duo shrugged, and leaned against the wall. "Someone killed Miss Darvian's dog." He explained. "Go see for yourself."

Wufei shot a look at Rereena, who was still clinging to Heero like he was her lifeline. "Stupid onna. Dog's aren't allowed in the dorms." He muttered darkly before disappearing into the room.

Trowa gave Quatre a look. "You don't wish to analyze the crime?" He asked gently. Quatre shook his head shyly. "I'm allergic to dogs." He explained. Trowa gave him a little smile. "That's too bad." He commented quietly. Quatre nodded and his blush deepened. "Yes...yes it is." They stared into each other's eyes.

Standing off to the side, Duo rolled his eyes and grinned as he looked at his two friends. Looking around, he noticed Sarah chattering with Jenni, and both of them were staring at Trowa and Quatre with unease in their eyes. Duo's smile turned into a frown. He kinda felt sorry for those girls...but...then again...not really.

Just then, Wufei reappeared, looking pale and uncomfortable. "Maxwell, that is one of the creepiest things that I've seen yet." He muttered truthfully. "The message on the wall was...unsettling indeed." Duo blinked. "Message? What message?" He asked confusedly. Wufei looked surprised. "You didn't see the message?" He asked. Duo shook his head and started back for them room. "Show me."

Ten seconds later, Duo was standing next to Wufei, Trowa, and Heero, who had managed to get rid of the Rereena girl for the time being. Various expressions were displayed on their faces as they read the words on the wooden wall...that Duo was almost sure had previously been blank.

In a sloppy red scrawl, it read, "Dog's aren't allowed."

Trowa looked slightly pale as he stared at the wall. "We *really* have to have a meeting. Preferably now."

~*~*~*~$~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes later, five undercover Preventers and three college girls were gathered together in the kitchen. Duo, Quatre, and the girls were sitting down, while the others stood in various positions around the dining room table.

Rereena was still sniffling and dabbing her gray eyes with a pink silk handkerchief, and Sarah was trying to comfort her. Wufei sighed and started pacing around. "Well where should we begin?" He asked tiredly. "I don't know what's going on, but..." He marched over to Rereena and glared at her pointedly. "How dare you sneak your dog into our dorm! Do you not follow the rules, onna?!"

Rereena looked shocked. "Wh-what are you talking about?!" She exclaimed in a croaky voice. "My...my dog was just *murdered* and you're talking to me about following the rules?!"

Wufei sighed and rolled his eyes in exasperation. Then suddenly he slammed his hands down on the table and loomed over Rereena, a fierce glare in his black eyes.

"You stupid idiot! Do you not know that this mansion is haunted?! It is required that you follow the rules...that we *all* follow the rules!"

The rest of the Preventers exchanged looks but didn't say anything.

Rereena narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe it! You're just saying that to get us to leave! Well it won't work. We don't believe any of your mumbo jumbo. Right, girls?" She looked at her two friends for confirmation, and they nodded, if a bit uneasily.

Wufei growled. "If I am lying, then how can you explain the sudden death of your dog!?" He shot back triumphantly.

Rereena's eyes began to tear up again. "You...you monster!" She wailed. "I know exactly what you're doing! *You're* the one who killed poor Muppet...and-and now you're pinning her death on some make-believe story about this place being haunted! Well your plans won't work. I...I'm staying, and I'm going to make sure you get a call from my lawyer very soon!"

With that said, Rereena stood up so suddenly that her chair almost tipped over. "You...you won't get away with this! Jenni, Sarah, let's go!"

The moment the trio left the room, four pairs of eyes immediately fastened to Wufei, who now had an uncharacteristic grin spread over his face.

"Was that really necessary?" Quatre asked, a bit upset. "I know we all dislike her, but she just lost her dog for gods sake..."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "I understand how you feel, Quatre, but I did what was necessary. We need to talk about this alone. If making up a story about this place being haunted gets them to leave, then that is all that matters."

Quatre looked unsure. "Still..."

Trowa sighed and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's alright, Quatre." He said reassuringly. "Rereena didn't believe a word of it anyway, so technically we are not deceiving her."

Quatre reluctantly nodded, his feelings placated by Trowa's words.

Wufei shot Trowa an appreciative look, and sat down in one of the vacated seats. "Alright. For starters, I think that the murderer of Rereena's dog is someone in this house. Someone who has a hidden animosity towards her."

Duo agreed. "Yeah, and since I know none of us would ever do somethin' like that, then it's probably either Jenni or Sarah...or even Rereena herself."

Quatre frowned. "Why would Rereena kill her own dog? That doesn't make sense at all."

Trowa looked contemplative. "I would say she'd do it for attention, but even that seems to be a bit extreme. Wait..." The tall brunette turned to look at Heero who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall.

"Didn't you say you put a surveillance camera in her room? I bet that the perpetrator is caught on tape."

Heero shook his head seriously, and a frown tugged at his lips. "No. I checked the recordings...and there's nothing there."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"I mean that the surveillance didn't catch anyone sneaking into or out of Rereena's room. Whoever it was must have come in through the window."

Wufei scowled. "Well that's just great, isn't it! I admit, I do not like how our entire mission is turning out. We've barely been here for two days, and already something bad has happened."

Duo smiled wryly. "Well Fei, be glad that only a dog was killed. Ya know, this whole thing seems kinda cheesy. It's like that urban legend movie about the girl who has her dog lick her fingers every night before she goes to bed...you guys know which one I'm talkin' about, right?"

Quatre gave him a small smile. "Unfortunately I don't think the rest of us watch the same movies you do, Duo."

The braided Preventer shrugged. "Oh. Well...I'm just sayin' that this whole thing is stupid, that's all. Even the message was stupid. Whoever killed her dog was probably just tryin' to scare her, that's all. I wouldn't be surprised if she's got some enemies at this school."

Trowa nodded and brushed part of the bangs from his face. "I agree. This matter is trivial compared to our real mission. We should call the campus police and let them take care of it for us instead."

Heero pushed himself off the wall and stood up straight. His deep blue eyes were guarded. "Fine." He muttered. "We let this settle for now. But if it happens again, then we will have to act. Trowa is right. We must first concentrate on the mission at hand."

The small blonde looked uneasy at the decision, but moved to pick up the antique telephone that lay in the center of the dining table. "I'll call the campus police then."

Duo shook his head. "Nah, no need to. I bet one of the girls already did that for us, because they're already here." His large violet eyes were trained on the windowpane, which just happened to be reflecting the flashing red and blue lights of the newly arrived police vehicles outside.

A half hour later, the entire mansion was swarmed with people. Two dozen men dressed in blue uniforms with the initials CP sewn into the back, were investigating the entire five-story structure from nearly top to bottom.

It was soon apparent that Black Cedars spared no expense for their protection squad. Many of the men held hi-tech portable machinery that allowed them to check for signs of break-in and other such things. The tiniest nooks and crannies were looked into thoroughly, and someone even went along the walls with a strange hammer-like thing to check for hidden passages or chambers.

The dead dog in Rereena's room was carted away for evidence, and the scrawl on the wall was repeatedly photographed from different angles until the investigators were sure that they had all the evidence they needed.

Everyone was taken in for questioning.

Rereena and the girls all gave detailed accounts on what had occurred earlier that morning, and Rereena herself didn't neglect to include in her lengthy explanation, that she thought Wufei was the one behind the death of her beloved pet.

This of course incensed the Chinese pilot, and his furious protesting voice was heard well beyond the small quarters of the questioning room.

There were a lot of things to explain, like why there was a security camera installed in several of the chambers, including Rereena's, and why there were so many expensive gadgets tucked away in the back of Heero's closet.

At this point, the five Preventers had no choice but to explain who they really were and what they were doing there. The campus police had been skeptical at first, until they saw their authentic Gundanium plated ID's.

The investigation had stopped at the fourth floor, and all two dozen of them had quickly left after that, pronouncing the mansion safe. They were in awe at having actually had the privilege of seeing Preventers on duty, and all of them had been sworn into secrecy not to tell anyone else about the information they had learned that day in exchange for autographs.

Duo let out a huge yawn and flopped down bonelessly on to the blue velvet sofa in the living room. "Man, I thought those guys would never leave!" He exclaimed in a tired voice.

Quatre heaved a big sigh and slumped into the spot next to him. "It's one o' clock." He bemoaned. "We've managed to skip first period completely..."

Duo shut his eyes and relaxed. "That's not such a bad thing." He commented. "I'm kinda tired actually. How 'bout just skipping classes today altogether?"

"No." Heero's low voice answered unexpectedly from only a few feet away. "Remember why we're here, Duo. We need to gather information for the mission."

Duo frowned and reluctantly nodded. "Fine then...I guess you're right. Uh...so when does the next class start?"

"For you and Trowa, it starts in half an hour."

Quatre perked up at the sound of Trowa's name. He immediately sat up and looked around. "Where is Trowa right now?" He asked when he didn't see the tall brunette anywhere around.

Heero walked over to an armchair and sat down. "He is upstairs with Wufei helping Rereena with new carpeting."

Duo cracked open an eye and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Those girls are still gonna stay here even after the dog got killed?" He asked in surprise. "Geez...they must be more infatuated then I thought."

Heero ran a hand through his messy, spiky hair and looked grim. "Their stay here will most likely be unavoidable. They have no knowledge of our true identity, and we also cannot force them to leave."

The braided Preventer looked less then pleased as he slowly stood up. "Well...I guess I should go grab Tro-man and tell him we have to get ready for class now." He turned to leave, and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Heero...I need a lock for my balcony door." He added. "The wind blew them open last night, and it was really cold."

Heero's cobalt eyes narrowed slightly at the information. The only time he had been to Duo's room, he had discreetly but thoroughly analyzed the balcony doors. It would take a very strong gust of wind to get them to blow open.

Nevertheless, Heero nodded. "I will order one for you before tonight." He replied.

Duo shot Heero a grateful look. "Thanks buddy, I appreciate it." He said, and headed up the stairs.

True to word, Trowa and Wufei were in the process of installing a new section of white carpet into Rereena's room, replacing the unsightly bloodstained portion. The silly message on the wall had been washed off, and a picture of Rereena's dead dog now hung there instead.

Jenni and Sarah sat on the bed watching the two work, and Rereena was standing next them with a frown on her face. She was glaring daggers at Wufei. Duo decided not to comment.

"Hey Trowa!" Duo called from the doorway. "We've got class in about...twenty minutes. I think you should get your bony ass to your room and get ready!"

Trowa rolled his emerald eyes at the use of Duo's language, and stood up from his kneeled position. "We are nearly done." He replied. "I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes, okay?"

Duo nodded cheerfully and continued on his way to the fifth floor. He reached his door in no time at all and slowly pushed it open, prepared for another gust of wind.

To his surprise, there was none. A quick scan of his room told him that the doors to his balcony were as shut as he had left them earlier that morning.

Duo quickly flicked on the nearby light switch and padded across the Persian carpet to his large wooden dresser. Now where was that black sweater he was planning to wear? Pulling open the heavy drawers, Duo began rummaging through his personal belongings.

The first drawer was filled with shirts and pants. The second one had boxers in both cotton and silk, and the third drawer held socks and several pairs of cotton pajamas. Every single article of clothing was in Duo's favorite color, which was black. But no sweater was to be found.

Duo pushed the drawers back into place, a crease of frustration marring his normally smooth forehead. Now where in the world could he have put it? After a few seconds of contemplation, violet eyes brightened considerably and Duo moved to stand in front of his closet. He was being stupid. Of course! He remembered putting the sweater in his closet with a bunch of jackets and scarves.

A quick search later still revealed no black sweater.

The braided Preventer openly scowled. He was positive he had put that sweater in the closet! Maybe one of his friends had borrowed it without asking him...nah. That wasn't something they would do.

With a big sigh, Duo shut the closet door and threw himself onto his bed. He lay there for a few minutes, letting the soft smoothness of the silk sheets alleviate his frustrations. That had been his favorite sweater, and he was upset that he had lost it so easily. Ah well. He'd buy another one when this mission was over. Duo let himself relax as he stared at the ceiling.

His eyes quickly sought out the round, rust-colored stain, and he found himself sighing again. It was bigger, definitely bigger then before, which meant that the attic roof was indeed leaking. He'd have to see if he could get it fixed.

Checking the watch on his wrist, Duo bit his lip and quickly sat up. It had been nearly ten minutes already, and Trowa was downstairs waiting for him.

Well, he would just have to pick something else to wear. Duo swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. On an impulse, he glanced outside to check the weather. The rain was still coming down in torrents, and the sky was a dark, gloomy gray. The wind seemed to be blowing really hard, too, because from what he could see, the treetops were bending over like crazy.

Duo was about to walk back to his closet when something he hadn't noticed before caught his attention. Lying in the middle of the balcony outside was a black crumpled heap.

Narrowing his eyes curiously, Duo walked over to the balcony and peered through the glass doors. It was dark outside, but not *that* dark, and Duo immediately recognized the black thing for what it was.

His sweater.

Now what the hell was it doing out there?! With a dark and baffled look on his face, Duo pulled open one of the doors and quickly went to retrieve the prized article of clothing.

It was freezing outside. The icy wind whistled and blew right through the thin shirt and pants he was wearing, raising goose bumps all over his skin.

With his entire body shivering, Duo used one hand to scoop up his sweater from where it lay, discovering much to his dismay that the entire thing was drenched. It had most likely been outside for a very long time.

Muttering curses under his breath, Duo turned to go back in...and froze. The balcony doors were both shut. But how could they be? He was pretty sure he hadn't closed them when he walked out. Maybe someone had...nah. Duo blinked rapidly for a few moments as if to clear his head.

"Don't be stupid." He muttered to himself aloud. He really didn't want to become as paranoid as Heero. There were a lot of possible reasons why the doors were shut. Like...maybe the wind did it, or he had shut it himself without remembering.

Deciding the latter was the best possible reason, Duo reached for the doorknob with every intention of going inside...when someone chuckled softly.

With eyes wide, Duo stiffened and whipped around, his braid swinging a wide arc and smacking loudly against the glass doors behind him.

There was nobody there.

But this time, Duo was more suspicious. He treaded cautiously around the balcony, looking everywhere for signs of an intruder. When he was completely sure he was alone, Duo dazedly walked back into his room, convinced that he was slowly going insane.

The first night here, he had thought he saw someone standing by his door. Now he was hearing voices on his balcony.

"Maybe I just need more rest..." Duo mumbled to himself as he hung the sopping wet sweater over the bathtub to dry.

The clothing he was wearing had become damp since he had been outside for so long, but Duo didn't bother to change out of them. He was late enough as it was...and despite Trowa's taciturn nature, there were times when the tall brunette had been known to snap at people for being late.

Grabbing a thick jacket from his closet, Duo threw it on and began to run down the stairs, pausing only on a sudden impulse to lock the door to his room.

Trowa was tapping his foot impatiently by the time Duo appeared, panting like he had just run a three-mile long marathon.

"Duo, you need to learn how to not be late." The green-eyed Preventer reprimanded sternly. "Because of you, we now have only five minutes to get to class...which you know is not nearly enough time. We will be at least several minutes late for sure."

Duo tried his best to look meek. "Uh...I know that, Tro. I'll try to be more on time in the future, kay?" Trowa was suddenly staring at him almost curiously. "Why are your clothes wet?"

The braided young man suddenly looked indignant. "I was lookin' real hard for my black sweater, and in the end I found it lying in the middle of my balcony outside! It was drenched..." He explained unhappily. "I think someone's pullin' a stupid prank on me or something. Maybe it was one of those campus police guys when they came over today."

He had decided to leave out the part about hearing someone laugh outside. Since in actuality there had been nobody there at all, he didn't want Trowa to think he was going crazy--like he thought he was.

Trowa looked skeptical. "A prank?" He repeated slowly. "You think someone pulled a prank on you?"

Duo opened his mouth to reply, but Heero's sudden voice robbed him of the chance.

The tall cobalt-eyed Preventer walked up to Duo, his face an unreadable mask as he thrust a bouquet of six glossy black roses in front of his partner. They were tied together with a satin crimson ribbon. "This came for you while you were upstairs." He explained carefully.

Duo stared at the seemingly innocent flowers, but made no move to take them. "Black roses..." He said doubtfully. "They're pretty...but definitely not my type. Who are they from?"

Heero looked uncomfortable. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. "Someone knocked on the door ten minutes ago, and this was found lying on the doorstep."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Okay...then how do you know it's for me if nobody was there?"

The taller young man looked expressionlessly at Trowa for a moment before looking back at Duo. "There was a card that came along with these roses. Wufei and Quatre are running tests on it as we speak."

"Tests?" Duo repeated in confusion. "Why the hell are they testing it for? Oh...you mean they're testing it for fingerprints...am I right?"

Trowa sighed and placed a hand on Duo's slender shoulder. "You might as well go see for yourself, Duo. We're already late so it won't matter. This is actually kind of important."

The longhaired Preventer let himself be steered down the hall and into Wufei's tiny chambers. His Chinese and Arabian friends had set up a number of scientific equipment on the table; each one was specified for doing a certain job.

Apparently, the testing was over because Wufei and Quatre were both sitting on the bed silently, with identical frowns on their faces.

When all five young men were inside, Trowa shut the door behind them and leaned against it wordlessly. "So what were the results?" Heero demanded in a low voice.

Wufei was clearly upset. The crease in his brow deepened as he lifted an arm, revealing the small glass vial that was gripped lightly between his fingers. "This is the result from the ink test." He explained as Heero took the vial from him. "It turns out that this card wasn't written in your normal red ink."

Heero didn't look surprised as he brought the glass tube to his eye level and studied it carefully. "What was it then?"

"Blood. But not human blood." Quatre answered solemnly. "There is also no trace of fingerprints, and the paper is the average type that can be bought from a stationary store."

Duo had a permanently confused look on his face as he listened to the exchange. "Hey guys? How about showing me the card?" He asked a bit uncomfortably.

Wufei nodded almost apologetically. "It's over there under the microscope." He pointed. Within a minute, Duo had the small piece of paper firmly in his grasp, and he began to read it slowly aloud.

It was written in a flowery, flowing cursive.

"To my violet-eyed beauty." Duo recited. "How I've missed you."

Crinkling his forehead in puzzlement, Duo flipped the card over and back again. "That's it?" He asked in a slightly surprised voice. "Well I think it's uh...kinda super creepy...actually..."

Everyone nodded and Duo quickly placed the card back on the table, as if he didn't want to touch it for too long. Turning to Quatre, Duo looked very serious as he asked the next question. "So if it wasn't written in human blood...then what was it?"

Quatre's teal blue eyes reflected the trouble he was feeling.

"Dogs blood. Not only that, but I checked up on its DNA and believe it or not...it matched perfectly with the DNA of Rereena's dead pet."

There was a hushed silence, and Duo sat down heavily next to Wufei. The springs in the bed squeaked under their combined weight.

"Well...that's just great..." Duo muttered unhappily. "This is the second prank someone's pulled on me today, and neither of them were funny ones either."

Heero looked at him with a little worry concealed in his deep blue eyes. "Second? What was the first?"

Sighing in frustration, Duo explained all about how he had found his favorite sweater sitting outside in the rain. It wasn't anywhere as big a deal as the roses were, but it meant something. The same person who had killed Rereena's dog was now terrorizing Duo. There was also no question that the card had been directed to the slender young man. Violet eyes were extremely rare, close to nonexistent.

"I mean..." Duo continued. "We've got a number of suspects. It's either one of the girls in this house," His nose wrinkled in distaste, "Those three bastards at school, or someone else altogether which is unlikely. I don't think anyone else would know the color of my eyes."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Bastards at school? Don't tell me you've gotten into a fight already..."

Duo shrugged. "Yeah...well...I did. It wasn't my fault though." He shot a look at Heero, who was now leaning against the wall with both arms crossed over his chest.

Beside him, Quatre was suddenly looking extremely nervous as he pressed a hand firmly over his chest.

Trowa noticed this and his emerald eyes gleamed with concern. "Quatre? If something is wrong, please say it." He urged gently.

All eyes directed to the fidgeting blonde, and Quatre couldn't help but flush in embarrassment. "No...no, it's nothing." He stammered in reply. "It's really nothing important."

Trowa walked over to the Arabian and sat down next to him. "Please don't lie to us. Don't lie to me. Just say whatever is on your mind because we will not laugh at you." He placed a gentle hand on Quatre's arm and the blonde visibly relented.

"Oh alright..." Quatre shot Trowa a grateful smile and took a deep breath before facing everyone else. "This might sound a little silly, but do you guys have the feeling...that something strange is going on?" He whispered slowly. "And I'm not talking about the pranks that someone keeps pulling."

Heero's eyes narrowed, and Wufei sat up straighter. "What do you mean by 'strange' things?" The black-haired Asian asked curiously.

Quatre flushed again. "Well...I'm not sure, but...but the first day we arrived, Duo and I heard laughing on the third floor. We assumed that it was the girls, but it turned out that the girls had left..."

Duo bit his lip. "Yeah...I remember that too, but it didn't seem very serious..."

"Not only that...but while we were playing cards, someone was knocking on Duo's door for a very long time. When we opened the door...there was nobody there." Quatre continued. "And last night...last night while I was sleeping, I woke up because someone in the hall was...was-"

"-Singing." Trowa finished for him.

The blonde looked surprised. "You heard it too?" He whispered hoarsely. Trowa nodded silently. "Yes...I heard it when I came down the stairs to..." His tanned cheeks looked pinker the usual. "...To check on you."

Quatre couldn't help but blush. "Did--did you see who it was?" Trowa shook his head and looked away. "I checked around, but I couldn't locate the source of the sound. And the lights in Jenni's room were off."

Wufei looked caught Trowa's gaze uneasily. "Come to think of it, I heard someone singing in the hall early this morning." He admitted. "I hoped that it was one of the girls, but I never went outside to check."

Again, silence descended on the group of five Preventers in the tiny room. No one seemed to know what to say.

After a minute or two, Duo released a forced laugh. He jumped to his feet and clamped his hands around Trowa's arm in a tight grip.

"Uh...wow, look at the time! Me n' Trowa have to get to class before class actually ends. Um...so...we'll talk to you guys later, ok? Try not to think too hard about all this. I mean, we're Preventers! We'll figure out the answer to everything in time. Who knows, this might actually be linked to our mission somehow."

With a hurried goodbye, Duo threw open the door and ran out, dragging Trowa behind him.

When they were a good distance away from the mansion, Duo sighed heavily and cast an apologetic glance to his friend. "Sorry 'bout that, Trowa...but everything got too weird for me in there and I had to get away."

Trowa nodded. "I understand how you feel. But I must ask you...do you believe what Quatre says about the 'strange things' that have been happening?"

Duo was uncharacteristically quiet as he re-adjusted the grip on his black umbrella. His gaze was riveted to the drenched forest path in front of them. After several minutes of silent contemplation, he looked up and exhaled loudly.

"I'm really not sure...but I'm leaning more towards yes then no." He finally answered. "Quatre's usually right about things. If he thinks something's going on, then there probably is. Though in this case, it's really too soon to tell."

Trowa wordlessly agreed, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

 

~*~*~*~*~$~*~*~*~*~

Class was extremely uneventful.

Duo and Trowa arrived only thirty minutes before the period was over, but they had another class scheduled directly after that, which was a good two hours long.

Their second class turned out to be a philosophy course, and the professor was an old man with short white hair and tiny spectacles perched on a crooked nose. Dr. Murray was his name, and he spent the entire class period lecturing about the fundamentals of Nothing.

This of course was exceedingly boring, and Duo immediately started dozing off, only to be awakened by the sound of his name.

He sat up straight, noticing to his dismay that the good professor had stopped teaching and was now looking at him with a frown on his ancient features. "Mr. Maxwell, would you please repeat the last thing I said?"

Duo flushed uncomfortably. "Err...um..." He didn't know what to say. From the corner of his eye, he saw Trowa shoot him an amused look.

Dr. Murray sniffed in disdain. "I know you don't have the answer to my question, young man. Now pay attention next time or I will assign you some extra work to do." He turned to the class. "Write this down in your notebooks everyone! Science wishes to know nothing of Nothing."

And so on and so on and so on.

By the time class finally ended, Duo was so tired of hearing about Nothing that he was in a very bad mood. Not only that but he got caught dozing off a second time, and was now assigned extra homework as a punishment. He had to write a thousand-word essay on Nothing.

"I'm going to kill Heero for giving us that class." Duo groused as he and Trowa walked through the halls.

Trowa snorted in amusement. "You know very well that it was your own fault for not paying attention, Duo." Duo glared up at his friend. "It wasn't my fault." He defended unhappily. "Class was just too boring. Only boring people like yourself can even stand to be in a class like that!"

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm boring?" He asked in mild surprise. Duo rolled his eyes. "To tell the truth, yes. Do you ever make jokes? No. Do you ever laugh out loud? No. See? How can I *not* think you're boring?"

Trowa actually managed to look miffed, and seeing this, Duo laughed nervously. "Ah...but even though I think you're boring, you're still one of my best friends, right Tro?" He added quickly, and Trowa looked somewhat appeased.

The time was nearly six o' clock, and the two undercover Preventers were on their way to the dining area. Breakfast and lunch had somehow been forgotten in the confusion that morning, and both of them could feel the sharp pangs of hunger stab them in the stomach.

Before they reached the entrance to the restaurant, Duo suddenly froze in dismay as he remembered something. He groaned aloud and smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. "Shit Trowa, I left my umbrella in Murray's class...so now I hafta go back and get it before he leaves."

The tall brunette nodded. "I'll save a seat for you then." He offered.

The braided young man shot his friend a grateful look before heading back the way they came. "I won't be long!" He called back.

Trowa watched Duo's figure disappear around a corner before turning to enter the 'cafeteria'. To his surprise, Quatre and Wufei were there. The blonde he was so attracted to was waving his arm in the air trying to get his attention.

A minute later, Trowa was seated comfortably at the table fit for four. Wufei looked at him curiously. "Where is Duo?" He questioned. Trowa explained about the umbrella, and Wufei shook his head wryly. "Well...I guess we can order first then."

All three of them ordered the same thing, which was roasted salmon with lemon pepper, and a side of baked string beans.

With Duo being absent, Quatre took over the job of making conversation. He did a fairly good job, and soon all three of them were deeply immersed in various confidential subjects about the Preventers and their current mission.

So it wasn't until half an hour later that Trowa suddenly realized Duo hadn't returned yet. Normally he wouldn't have worried, but he suddenly recalled his small friend's off-hand reference to the 'three brutes' earlier that day.

The tall brunette had his own suspicions about what Duo had meant. He hadn't missed seeing the strange and sudden bruise on Duo's cheek lately, but he had kept his thoughts to himself, as everyone else had.

But with growing unease coiling in the pit of his stomach, Trowa abruptly stood up. His eyes were narrowed and his face was grim.

"I'm going to look for Duo." He muttered before turning around and heading back out the door.

Duo jogged silently down the deserted hallway. It had taken him and Trowa nearly ten minutes to walk to the dining area, but at his current speed it was possible that he could make it to the classroom and back again in only under seven.

He just hoped that Dr. Murray hadn't locked up the room yet. It would be a big hassle if he had to share an umbrella with Trowa on the way back. The rain hadn't let up yet.

Thinking about the weather made Duo furrow his brow. In fact, it had been raining for nearly two days now. The daily forecast in OaksTown had said BlackCedar's weather was to be sunny all week. Strange. Either the weatherman was nuts, or the clouds were.

The classroom was at the end of the hall, and Duo reached in no time at all. His eyes widened in relief as he saw his umbrella propped up next to the door. Not surprisingly the door to the room was locked, but his teacher had been kind enough to leave it for him outside. Maybe the good Doctor was not such a bad soul after all, he mused thankfully.

Smiling a little, Duo grabbed the umbrella and looked it over carefully, making sure it was really his. When he was satisfied, he turned around to jog back...when three hulking shapes suddenly stepped out from behind the corner.

Duo mentally cursed his bad luck, and his grip tightened so much on the umbrella that his knuckles turned white. Riley, Chris, and Mark stood in front of him, each with disgusting smirks plastered on their faces. They stood side-by-side, filling up nearly the entire hall space, and effectively blocking him from going anywhere.

"I suppose I already know what you guys want from me." Duo muttered in a tired voice. But his violet eyes glowed with suppressed energy, promising a good fight if any of them dared try to repeat yesterday's events.

Mark smiled nastily. "I see that your friend isn't here today." He commented in an unusually nasal voice. "I'll have you know that my father was extremely upset that he broke my nose." Ah, so that's why he was talking so strange.

"Once I get his name," He continued, "I can assure you that he will no longer have a place at this academy."

Duo rolled his eyes and snorted. As if the principal would ever expel Heero. In fact, the principal had been the one to hire them in the first place. He and the campus police were the only ones that knew of the five's real identities.

"Yeah yeah, enough with the threats. What do you plan on doing with me today?" Duo asked in a suspicious voice, even though he already had a pretty good idea of what their answer would be.

Riley took a step forward. All traces of smirk were gone from his face, and he now sported a mask of stony anger instead. "We're gonna teach you a lesson on how to obey, you bitch." He growled in a low, menacing voice. "You're gonna pay for what your friend did to us yesterday. By the time we're through with you, you won't ever walk straight again."

Duo scowled and brandished his umbrella as a weapon. "Why don't you just try?" He replied acidly. "Just warning you, but I won't be as easy to take down this time. You guys have no idea how embarrassed I was yesterday because I couldn't beat you on my own."

Chris snorted dryly. "And what can you do to stop us?" He asked pointedly. "In case you haven't realized, pretty boy, but...you're a shrimp compared to us."

Violet eyes flashed dangerously. This man was obviously insulting his size, and size was a very tender topic when it came to the longhaired Preventer. "We'll see." He growled angrily. "C'mon, what're you Fuckers waiting for? Bring it on!"

Duo didn't exactly know how he was going to win the fight, but he was determined. He had an advantage this time in the form of a long black umbrella, and he planned on using it to jab out as many eyeballs as he could. However, he was not prepared for all three of his molesters to rush at him simultaneously, like charging football players.

But Duo didn't panic. He stood there calmly, body crouched and tensed. When the three were almost upon him, he suddenly straightened leapt into action.

"Fuck you!" Duo yelled, swinging his pointy umbrella in a wide, sweeping arc at his adversaries. The unexpected move forced the brutes to slow down and leap backwards to avoid getting hit. Chris wasn't fast enough, and as the umbrella swung towards him, he was smacked forcefully against the side of his face, hard enough to throw him off balance and thunk his head loudly against the smooth marble wall.

His two friends' watched in shock as Chris's brown eyes rolled up into their sockets and he collapsed in an untidy heap on the floor.

Duo could feel a serious smirk spread across his face. "That's more like it..." He muttered aloud. With one down, the sides were more even. Duo's chance of winning rose dramatically.

"Who's next?" He growled.

Riley and Mark both turned red with rage. "You'll pay for that!" One of them yelled as they threw themselves at Duo.

This time, Duo wasn't so lucky. Before he knew it, he had lost his grip on the umbrella and the three of them were rolling on the floor in a wild brawl. Minutes rolled by.

Duo grunted painfully as he felt one of Mark's blows connect with his lower abdomen, but he didn't relinquish his hold on Riley's hair. Viciously, he began yanking out locks of the short brown hair. Riley let out an agonized screech, and managed to buck Duo from his seat on his back.

Rolling quickly to his feet, the furious Preventer dodged as Mark swung at him again with a rock-sized fist. He grabbed the meaty arm as it shot by. "You're *not* taking me down!" Duo yelled as he pulled Mark off balance and kneed him hard in the stomach.

Mark released an "Oooof" and as he doubled over and clutched his stomach in agony. Realizing a chance to bring the fight down to one on one, Duo shoved Mark with all his might, watching in satisfaction as the thug hit the wall much like Chris did, and was knocked unconscious.

Two down one to go.

Riley was on his feet in a matter of seconds, and the two remaining fighters faced each other warily. Riley glanced at his unmoving friends from the corner of his eye. "Not bad." He admitted. "But not good enough." From the pocket of his pants, he produced a six-inch long, gleaming switchblade. The tip of it was speckled with dried blood.

Duo narrowed his eyes as Riley began advancing towards him. "Tell me." He muttered stiffly. "Were you the ones that killed Rereena's dog?"

Riley stopped and looked confused. "Are you talking about Muppet? Why would I kill my own sister's pet?"

If Duo was surprised, he hid it well. Instead, he shook his head. "Never mind." And the fight resumed. With a loud battle cry, Riley suddenly lunged at Duo with his knife. The Preventer was prepared for that sort of move, and was about to dodge it when Riley's other hand came up, revealing a second blade.

Duo desperately tried to twist his body in an awkward in an attempt to avoid both blows, but was slashed along the arm. The unexpected pain caught him off-guard, and Riley took that opportunity to slam Duo's head against the wall, blinding him with stars.

"I win." He hissed merrily, holding one knife against the pale flesh of Duo's neck. His dark eyes glinted. "Now you're going to cooperate with me, and I'm gonna make it hurt as much as possible without killing you." Duo groaned incoherently and tried to blink away the blackness that had crept upon his vision.

The slender young man found himself violently thrown to the cold floor. "Take off your clothes, or I'll do it for you." Riley commanded. His eyes gleamed with excitement. This was it. He was finally going to get what he wanted.

Duo made no move to obey, and with a scowl Riley stepped forward, intent on carrying out his demands himself when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"What is it!" He growled, not taking his eyes off the prone figure in front of him. "Can't you see I'm busy!?" Trowa's icy voice was the last thing he expected to hear. "Yes, but not for long." The tall green-eyed Preventer hissed as he drew back his fist and punched him in the face. Cartilage shattered underneath the force of the blow, and Riley let out a long shriek of pain.

The twin blades clattered uselessly to the floor, and the bottom of Trowa's boot was the last thing Riley saw before he succumbed to oblivion.

Trowa quickly knelt beside his fallen friend with worry in his eyes. The worry increased ten-fold when he realized blood was trickling down Duo's arm in a steady stream.

"Duo...are you awake?" Trowa whispered, shaking the slender shoulder lightly. Duo's eyelids fluttered several times before he managed to get them open. "Tro--wa...is...that...chu?" He slurred incoherently. Trowa nodded and slipped a strong arm around Duo's shoulders, lifting him into a sitting position.

"Come on, Duo. We had best leave before any one of those three wake up." Duo nodded once and began climbing to his feet with Trowa's help. When he was upright, Trowa was forced to place an arm around his waist to keep him from swaying like a drunkard.

It was obvious that Duo had sustained a head injury. Trowa didn't know how bad it was, but he guessed it was a concussion.

The two hobbled their way back to the dining area. Along the way, Duo became more coherent. "Ouch ouch ouch ouch..." He groaned under his breath. "My head hurts like a fucking bitch!" Trowa sighed softly. "I can imagine." He helped Duo settle down somewhere near the entrance to the dining hall.

"Quatre and Wufei are in there. I will go get them and then we can go home, okay?" Duo let his eyes slip shut. "Sure." He croaked out tiredly. "But..uh...I'm kinda hungry. ..Ya think you can get me some food? And Heero too...I bet he hasn't...hasn't eaten nothin' yet..."

The uni-banged young man couldn't help but smile sadly. Duo was still trying to take care of others even when he himself was hurt. He was one of the kindest people Trowa had ever known. "Of course." Was the reply before he quickly disappeared into the restaurant.

Five minutes later the three Preventers emerged and Trowa quickly helped Duo to his feet. Quatre and Wufei had been told the tale, and the blonde had only extreme concern on his face, while the Chinese young man was clearly enraged.

"Kisama! I will exact revenge!" Wufei swore when he saw the condition Duo was in. Duo cracked open a slightly unfocused eye, and forced a crooked grin. "Thanks Wu. Hey...didja get me dessert?"

Wufei rolled his eyes but smiled reassuringly. "Yes Maxwell. There's a big slice of chocolate cake right here." Duo licked his chapped lips. "Mmm...Chocolate cake..." He reached to take the bags Wufei was carrying, but Quatre stopped him.

"Not until we get back to the dorm, Duo." He reprimanded gently. "And only after you get your wounds treated."

Duo nodded unresistingly, and they headed outside. It turned out that Duo's head injury was much more serious then it looked, because halfway to the mansion...he passed out.

Everyone had been extremely worried and after failed attempts to get him to wake, Trowa hefted the slight body into his arms and they made it the rest of the way without any more problems.

Heero had been the one to open the door. His cobalt-blue eyes had taken on a murderous glint when he caught sight of the battered Duo lying motionlessly in Trowa's strong arms.

Before Quatre could open his mouth to explain, Heero cut him off. "I can guess what happened." He muttered with barely suppressed rage. The others exchanged surprised glances, but kept silent. Heero held out his arms, and Trowa carefully transferred Duo's limp body to him.

"From what we can tell, the most serious is a concussion, and a knife wound in the arm." Trowa explained. "He also has numerous minor injuries."

Heero nodded stiffly. "I will treat him. The first aid kit is in my room, so that is where I will take him."

As he turned to go up the stairs, Quatre cleared his throat. "Heero, I'll heat up your dinner and bring it to you in half an hour, okay?"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Dinner?" He repeated. Quatre nodded and smiled. "Yes...Duo asked us to get you some because he was worried you'd be hungry."

The cold fury in Heero's eyes softened as he took in the information. Looking down at his fragile partner, Heero felt his heart swell with an unidentifiable sensation. "Arigato, Quatre." The stoic young man murmured before silently walking up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~$~*~*~*~*~

Duo was dreaming. He dreamed that he was flying. The air was filled with the sounds of children's laughter, and the songs of a thousand singing birds. Rainbows were everywhere, painting the sky with so much color that it seemed unreal.

A genuine smile spread across his face as he let himself float in the air, feeling the cool breeze toy with his unbound tresses. This was freedom. This was utter, total, complete freedom.

*tap tap tap, tap tap tap tap tap...*

Duo strained his ears to catch more of that faint sound. Strange...it sounded so familiar. The sound of laughter and bell chimes slowly died away.

*tap tap tap tap, tap tap tap...*

Running a hand through his long hair, Duo frowned. There it was again. What in the world was it?! The rainbows in the sky suddenly disappeared.

*tap tap tap, tap tap...*

No more bird song, no more breeze. The sky suddenly became dark, and Duo found himself slowly floating downwards. No! What was happening?! Where was the light? And then even the floating stopped, and he was plummeting, plunging straight into the depths of an inky darkness.

Duo awoke with a start. His violet eyes blinked open, and he found himself staring into the nondescript blue of a painted wooden ceiling. He was in Heero's room.

It was just a dream. He slowly realized unhappily. Ah well...good dreams were always meant to end. With a small sigh, Duo attempted to sit up. He was not prepared for the sudden rush of blood to his head or his vision distorting, and he let himself lie down again. "What the hell..." He croaked aloud, and winced at the sound of his own voice.

In fact, he suddenly realized his entire body ached as if someone had used him as their personal punching bag. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

The sound of a door creaked open, and Duo instinctively turned his head to see who it was. He grimaced as the sudden movement caused pain to shoot up from his neck. Geezus, was there any part of his body that was not sore?!

Heero stood framed in his bathroom doorway. In one hand was the first aid kit. In the other, was his black laptop. Ah...so that was what the tapping noise had been. Heero had been typing.

Upon seeing Duo awake, Heero quickly strode over to him and placed the stuff on a nearby table. "Are you alright?" He asked softly.

Duo grinned wryly. "As good as I can be considering what just happened." He admitted. The dark-haired young man suddenly looked enraged. "I will kill them." He swore menacingly. The injured young man looked slightly surprised, and then laughed. "You and Wufei both." He said smilingly.

Heero watched the pale, delicate heart-shaped face of his partner for a brief moment before snapping open the first aid kit. He took out a tube of ointment, several band-aids, and some gauze before placing the kit on the ground.

Duo looked up warily as Heero turned his intense gaze on him. "It's time to change your bandages." He announced quietly, and picked up the gauze.

Violet eyes blinked in confusion. "Bandages? I didn't get *that* hurt, did I? What do I need bandages for?" He felt a feather light touch to his left arm, and looked down to see Heero fingering the baggy sleeve of his black shirt.

Heero gently rolled the sleeve up...to reveal several crimson stained bandages that were wrapped neatly around his upper arm and elbow.

Recognition made the fragile looking Preventer flush. "Oh yeah...I remember." He muttered in embarrassment. Wordlessly, Heero began unwrapping the dirty gauze. The gash in Duo's arm was long, jagged and wide, but thankfully very shallow. With careful treatment, it would barely scar.

Duo watched in silence as Heero worked, feeling extremely thankful that he had friends to take care of him. When his arm was re-bandaged, Heero picked up the tube of ointment and uncapped it.

"Take off your shi-" He began to say, but something caused his eyes to suddenly narrow, and he placed the tube back on the table.

Duo looked at Heero in confusion as the taller Preventer stood up and stared at the ceiling with a frown on his handsome face.

"...Heero? What's going on?" Duo whispered.

Heero slowly put a finger to his lips, telling him without words to keep silent. "Listen." He replied.

Duo obeyed. There was complete silence in the room, and this time Duo could hear what he had missed earlier.

It was very faint, but it was there.

*...creak....creak.....creeak...*

Duo's eyes widened in surprise. Footsteps. Someone was walking in his room.

He swallowed hard, and quickly shot a worried gaze to Heero. "I locked the door to my room this morning..." He hissed under his breath. "No one should be in there right now..."

The creaking grew louder, and Heero silently went to his dresser and pulled open the first drawer. He lifted out his Preventers issued handgun.

"This ends now." He muttered angrily. "Whoever it is must be the person...the intruder that is toying with us, with *you*." Flashing cobalt eyes locked with a pair of worried violet. "I'm going to make sure that nothing else happens until our mission is over. Stay here, Duo."

Heero released the safety on his weapon, and began to walk across the room.

Duo watched aghast as his best friend neared the door. Something felt very *wrong*, but he couldn't place what it was. All he knew was that his instincts were suddenly screaming to him that stepping outside of this room would be a bad mistake. A very bad mistake.

*...creak...creak....creak...*

The braided young man could feel his heart beat painfully in his chest as Heero reached out a hand to touch the doorknob. This wasn't right. He couldn't allow Heero to leave the room.

"D-don't!" Duo suddenly shouted, and leapt from the bed. His entire body still ached from his recent brawl, but he forced himself to keep moving until he had latched himself firmly to Heero's left arm.

The ominous footsteps stopped.

Heero stared in surprise as Duo started dragging him back to the bed. "Duo, what are you doing?!" He started to ask, but one look in his partner's frightened violet eyes, and he shut his mouth.

When they were both seated safely on the edge of Heero's bed, Duo bit his lip and looked up into a pair of concerned blue eyes. "D-don't go." He whispered nervously. "Something feels different. Wrong. Please stay here." His grip tightened on the taller young man's arm, and Heero couldn't help but notice that Duo was trembling.

Hesitantly, he placed the gun next to him on the bed, and drew the shaking young man close to him. "Shh.." He whispered softly. "I'll stay. It's okay." He soothingly rubbed Duo's small back, watching in relief as the trembling stopped and Duo huddled closer to him.

Duo didn't know what had come over him. His sixth sense had somehow gone haywire during the footsteps, but now that there was no more sound, he felt himself relax. Gods. He must look so weak in Heero's eyes.

Raising his head in sudden embarrassment, Duo was about to express his thanks and move away when his senses suddenly flared back to life. Heero must've felt something too, because he stiffened. It became very cold.

*...squeak...*

Duo jerked his head towards the direction of the door. His breathing became ragged, and he watched with growing dread as the doorknob suddenly began to turn slowly, stopping halfway.

Thank gods the door was locked.

Something told him that it wasn't the other Preventers, but he couldn't help calling out anyway in a slightly shaking voice. "Who's there!?"

The moment the words left his lips, the doorknob was suddenly released, reverting back to its original position. Distantly, Duo realized he was trembling again, and was grateful when Heero's grip tightened around him and he was pulled halfway into the taller man's lap.

*Knock knock.*

Heero slowly curled his hand around the gun again. Although he didn't show it, he was highly disturbed. This scenario was very much like the one that occurred last night. If he remembered correctly, the knocking would become louder.

He was right.

*Knock Knock Knock!*

Raising the gun, Heero pointed it at the tall wooden door. "State your name and business!" He called out with authority, "Or no one in this room will be responsible for what will happen if you do not."

His strong words seemed to anger the person behind the door, and the knocking quickly rose in intensity.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!!*

Feeling Duo shudder against him, Heero put his finger on the trigger. "I'm warning you." He said louder. "Stop knocking or I will shoot!"

And all of a sudden, there were no more knocks--the door was being pounded on so ferociously that with only a bit more pressure, Duo was sure it was going to fly off its hinges. Cracks appeared in the surrounding walls, and the entire room seemed to shudder with the force of each blow.

Enough was enough.

With a grim expression on his face, Heero tightened his finger on the trigger and fired one shot.

*BANG!!!*

And there was silence.

For five minutes, neither of the two Preventers dared move an inch or make a sound. It was eerily quiet, but for the sounds of their breathing. When he couldn't sit still anymore, Duo carefully shifted off of Heero's lap and unsteadily stood up.

"I...think it's over." He whispered hoarsely.

Wordlessly, Heero nodded and also stood up. With quick, purposeful steps, he strode to the door and stared at the spot where his bullet had gone through. His aim had been perfect as usual, and there was a quarter sized hole smack in the center of the heavy wooden door.

Duo walked towards Heero uncomfortably. "Do you...think you killed the person?" He asked hesitantly. Heero shrugged and placed his hand on the doorknob. "Why don't we find out." He muttered before unlocking the door and yanking it open.

A gust of cold air billowed into their room, making the goose bumps on Duo's sensitive skin rise. The hall was dark and empty. All the wall lamps had been turned off, and the only source of light came from Heero's room.

Heero slowly stepped into the hall, his gun held firmly in one hand. "Stay behind me, Duo." He instructed. Duo clenched his jaw tightly as they crept out of the room. He was rightfully scared, and so he clenched his fist around the fabric of Heero's blue tank top.

Progress was slow because Heero double-checked everything around them before moving on. They were heading down the hall towards Rereena's room.

The violet-eyed Preventer couldn't help but feel something cold firm up in his chest the closer they got. Rereena's door was slightly ajar, and the light inside was turned off.

The small antique clock on the wall read ten-thirty.

At length, the both of them stood silently in front of Rereena's door. There was no sound coming from inside. "Rereena?" Duo called out slowly. "If you're in there, say something!"

There wasn't a reply, and Duo released his breath. "She's not in there." He muttered with a little relief. Heero didn't look so sure. With his gun, he slowly pushed open the door, and warm air blew out.

Their noses were suddenly assaulted by the scent of something heavy and coppery. The smell was so strong that Duo nearly gagged before he covered his nose with his sleeve.

Reaching a hand into the room, Heero felt along the wall for the light switch. A moment later, he found it...and the electric lights flickered on.

They weren't prepared for what they saw. With only one look, Duo was bent over noisily sick. Heero was pale, his cobalt eyes wide with shock as stared into the chamber.

A body so mangled it was hard to identify lay motionless on the bed. Chunks of flesh and bone were scattered around the carpet, and the walls had been painted in bright red.

*******

TBC

*******

On to Part 3

Back to Part 1

Back to MooMooMilk's Fan Fictions

Back to Fan Fiction Index