Hello loyal readers:
I know it’s been a
while. This was my chapter from
hell. It was very hard for me to write
it because it has a lot of mush and kind of angsty. Not to mention it near the end of the semester and school is hell
itself. Anywho thanks for reading and
reviewing.
Laterz
On to Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I in no
way shape or form own Gundam Wing or its characters.
THE
ORACLE AT DELPHI
Recap:
“Uh guys? I don’t feel so good.” Duo said growing
paler by the second.
“It’s probably from
all that food you ate.” Heero said as he looked at Duo.
“No. I don’t think
it was that.”
All of a sudden Jai
felt a sharp pain.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Quatre screamed.
Duo clutched his
chest and fell over in Hilde’s lap.
“DUO!!!!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hilde fell out of
her chair, cradling Duo still in her lap.
Sally and Jase rushed to Duo.
“There’s no pulse!
Lie him on the floor!”
Hilde gently placed
Duo on the floor and stood up her gazed never leaving Duo’s face. Jase and Sally began CPR.
“Someone call an
ambulance!”
“We need to get his
heart going!”
Lady Une called the
ambulance. Noin and Milliardo went to
wait outside for the ambulance. Heero
was staring at the seat Duo was sitting in.
Catherine was lost in her thoughts.
Wufei, Trowa and Simon were watching Sally and Jase work on Duo.
“I got a pulse!”
“He’s barely
breathing! Where the hell is that
ambulance!”
Relena and Kellee
came up behind Hilde and wrapped their arms around her to comfort her. Hilde showed no emotion she just stood there
staring at Duo.
Jai had her arms
wrapped around Quatre gently stroking his hair. Quatre was doubled over in pain
clutching his chest, struggling to breathe.
“Quatre, you need to
focus on my voice. Stop focusing on
Duo. You’re only going to hurt yourself.
Just listen to the sound of my voice.”
Jai began to hum a soft lullaby.
She gently rocked him back and forth while stroking his hair. He concentrated on the sound of her
voice. The pain began to subside. Shortly after he was able to breathe
normally.
“Are you OK?” Jai asked Quatre as he turned to face
her. He saw a brief flash of worry and
concern in her eyes before they turned cold.
The Yuy “perfect soldier” eyes.
He nodded and Jai got up to check on Duo.
“DAMN IT!! WHERE’S
THAT AMBULANCE?!?”
Jai looked at Heero
who was still staring at Duo’s seat and then turned to Catherine who was still
lost in her thoughts.
“How did Duo get
sick so quick?” Catherine said mostly to herself.
Hilde was thinking the
same thing. Duo was fine until they
came here. Hilde turned her head to
stare at Duo’s seat.
“The food.” Heero
and Hilde said at the same time.
“What?” Jai said.
“The food. It s been poisoned” Hilde said staying
surprisingly calm. Hilde’s calmness was
unnerving to Relena and Kellee. They
were definitely going to have to watch her.
“Jase call the
hospital and tell them to have a lab ready when we get there. Draw 10 vials of blood from Duo as soon as
you can. I’m going to need a complete diagnosis of his symptoms.” Jai said back
in her monotone mode.
Milliardo lead the
paramedics into the banquet room. They
loaded Duo into the ambulance with Hilde riding along and rushed him to the
hospital. The others followed in they
respective vehicles.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time the
others got there the lab and the vials of blood were waiting for Jai. Jase and Sally were currently working on
Duo. Hilde was pacing outside of the room they took Duo into. Heero was leaning
on the east wall while Wufei lean against the west. Quatre, Relena, Catherine, Trowa, Noin, Millardo, Lady Une, Simon
were sitting in various chairs around the waiting room.
Jai was leaning on
the wall beside the entrance to Duo’s room waiting for Sally and eyeing Hilde
through her long bangs. Hilde’s silence
unnerved her. Jai knew Hilde loved Duo
more than life itself. The moment Duo’s
life ends so will Hilde’s.
She shifted her gaze
to Heero. Although he never publicly
acknowledged it, Duo was his best friend.
Actually he was more than that.
He was a brother. She knew Heero
was more than worried about Duo but being Heero, he wasn’t going to show it.
Catherine stood up
from her chair and headed for the door.
“Where are you
going?” Jai asked Catherine in her monotone voice.
“Head Hunting” she
responded checking her gun. She slammed
her hand onto the door nearly knocking it off its hinges as she left the
waiting area.
“Trowa, Kellee go
with her and make sure she ask questions first before she shoots.”
Kellee nodded and
followed Catherine. Trowa was
bewildered.
“You’ll see” was the
only explanation Jai gave Trowa.
He nodded and
followed Kellee out of the waiting room.
Jai walked over to
the others.
“I need you guys to keep
an eye on Hilde and Heero for me. I
know this is hard on both of them. They
may need someone to lean on. I know I
would.”
They all nodded
their response.
Sally and Jase
emerged from Duo’s room their faces solemn.
Hilde stopped
pacing, “How is he?”
“Not good” Jase
answered, “His pulse is weak and his brain waves are slowing down. I don’t know what they poisoned him with but
its slowly” he paused drawing in a deep breath, “killing him” he said just
above a whisper.
“At most he’ll only
have 24 hours. Jai lets go. We’ve got to find what he was poisoned with
and get the antidote.” Sally added.
Jai and Sally headed
toward the lab. Jai turned around and
walked over to Hilde and gave her a hug.
“I won’t let him
die, I promise.” She said looking Hilde straight in the eye. They stayed that way for a minute exchanging
unspoken thoughts. Jai left Hilde and
continued to follow Sally.
“Can I go see him?”
Hilde asked Jase.
He gave her a weak
smile. “Go ahead and let him know his
has someone to live for.”
She nodded and
entered Duo’s room. What she saw made
her heart fall into her shoes. In the
middle of the room, on a starchy white hospital bed laid Duo. He had an IV that was connected to various
fluids running into his arm. There were
a multitude of tubes and electrodes taped on his chest that connected to
machines that constantly beeped and hummed.
Cautiously she took the seat next to his bed. His normal braid was a bit messy but it wasn’t enough to take
away from his handsome face. Hilde gently
took his hand in hers. It was so
cold. ‘The colds hand of death.’ She took her free hand and brushed his bangs
back from his face but of course they went right back to their resting place.
“I love you,
Duo. I betcha didn’t know that huh.”
she smiled sadly and lightly traced the outline of his jaw. “I’ve loved you
ever since the day I met you. You
wanted to know why I left you? Well, I
left because after seven years of waiting you never return my feelings and I
need to be loved. I wanted to be loved
by you but I guess in your eyes I was never good enough, pretty enough, smart
enough.”
Silent tears ran
down her face. She leaned over and
softly kissed Duo’s blue tinged lips.
She rested her head on his chest, letting it rise and fall with his shallow
breathing letting the tears fall freely onto the blanket that covered him.
“I love you,
Duo. Come back to me.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo was walking
aimlessly. Everywhere he looked, he was
surrounded by white. He didn’t know
where he was or why he was there but he knew if he kept on walking he would
find a way out. He didn’t know how long
he’d been walking when he came across a lone figure sitting on something. He approached the figure hoping the person
could tell him where he was and how to get out. As he got closer he noticed the person was sitting on a white
bench and wearing a black and white outfit.
He walked over to the bench. The
person looked up at him and smiled.
“Sister Helen?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine, Kellee
and Trowa arrived back at the Chinese restaurant right at closing time wearing
their Preventer jackets.
The manager, a
short, round black haired man snorted at the three, “Where closing. Come back tomorrow.”
Catherine looked
down at the man “I want to see the kitchen surveillance tapes from tonight”
The man laughed,
“Woman, who do you think you are?” then he turned to Trowa, ”You need to teach
your woman how to subservient to a man”
Trowa was about to
grab the man by the throat when Kellee shook her head, stopping him.
“You have a lot of
nerve for a man who is knee high to a pew.
Don’t make me get down on my knees to smack you, I’m afraid I’ll have
trouble reaching you from up here.”
Catherine retorted.
The man huffed
shocked that she would make such a remark to him.
***CLICK***
“The tapes.
NOW!” Catherine said as she leveled her
gun at the man head resting it in the middle of it.
“y…ye…yes…mm..mm..mm…ma’am…fff..fff..follow
me” the now scared man replied.
“That’s better”, she
said keeping her gun aimed at the man’s head as the followed him.
Trowa leaned over to
Kellee, “Is she always like this?”
“Nope. She must be in a good mood. She didn’t kill him.” Kellee replied as they
entered the small security office.
Trowa suddenly felt
sorry for whoever crossed his sister when she was in a bad mood.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jai and Sally stared
at the green vials of Duo’s blood that was once red. They’ve tried nearly every poison known and still could not
figure out what Duo was going through Duo’s system
“We are getting
nowhere with this” Sally said staring at vials.
“We are over looking
something so simple but for the life of me I can’t figure it out” Jai replied
staring at the same vials.
“We need to approach
this from a different perspective” Sally stated reaching for a new vial.
“I wish I knew what
that perspective was.” Jai said as she removed the used vials.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hello Duo. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” She
said.
Duo looked
dumbfounded at Sister Helen, “Don’t take this the wrong way but am I dead cause
I don’t want to be?”
“No Duo. You’re not
dead but whether you live or die will be entirely up to you.”
“I don’t
understand.” Duo said as he sat next to
Sister Helen.
Just then a woman
dressed in a red blouse and black slacks appeared before them. She had black hair and red eyes. As soon as she appeared the air around them
turned bitterly cold. She flashed Duo a
sinister smile.
“Duo I am The God of
Death and I am here to take you home.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine was staring
intently at the small surveillance screen looking at every little detail. Kellee who was sitting next to Catherine
began to doze off. Trowa sat on the other
side of Kellee staring just as intently at the screen as Catherine. The manager sat on the other side of
Catherine sleeping.
Trowa was looking at the
videotape when he felt something land on his shoulder. He glanced sideways only to find Kellee was
using his shoulder as a pillow.
‘She looks peaceful when
she sleeps and she’s quiet. Now that’s a bonus’, Trowa thought as he reached
his hand out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear for no apparent reason.
“Hey whose that?!?”
Catherine demanded startling Trowa and causing Kellee and the manager to jump
up.
The manager rubbed his eyes
and looked at the brunette woman on the screen.
“Her name is Felicia
Baker. She’s a waitress but she quit
today.”
They all looked at the
screen as the woman named Felicia removed a small bottle from her apron and
pour the contents in the sauce and stir it.
She then dumped the sauce on a plate of food.
“Where does this girl
live?” Catherine asked getting up from her seat and the others followed.
The manager gave them the woman’s
address and they left the restaurant.
“Where to now?” Kellee
asked
“First we go back to the
hospital to check on Duo and the others.
Then we go make our little canary sing” Catherine replied as she slide
into the drive side of Jai’s Escalade.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo looked at the one
called Death, leaned on the back of the bench and put his hands behind his
head, ”So you’re here to take me home, huh.
Somehow I get the feeling that my definition of home and yours is
totally different.”
“You don’t think you can
run around and call yourself “The God of Death” without there being any
consequences do you.” She replied
flashing that sinister smile again.
“Oh, so whatcha gonna do?
Sue me for copyright infringement” he said flashing a sinister smile of his
own.
“You smart ass! How dare you disrespect Death! You have done nothing with your life but
caused pain and agony. You should come
with me now and pay the price for your sins.”
She waved her hand and
parts of Duo’s past appeared before them.
The faces of the soldiers he killed during the war ran together like a
flowing stream. All the faces were
contorted in pain as they died at the hands of the God of Death. Duo became angry, his eyes blazing.
“That was war! They knew the risks they took by getting
into those mobile suits just like I did!
I didn’t WANT to KILL anybody!”
“And yet you did spatting
“God Of Death” as you welded your scythe taking countless lives.” She retorted
as a vision of Duo in Deathscythe cockpit appeared before them doing exactly
what she just said.
“I only did what I had to
do.”
“Fine what about that young
lady? Uh, what’s her name? Oh, yeah Hilde.”
Flashes of Hilde appeared
and each one Hilde was crying.
Sometimes silently and sometimes sobbing uncontrolably. Duo felt his heart twist in a million
different directions. He had never
experience anything like it before.
“Tell me Duo, were you
“only doing what you had to do” every time you broke that pooooooor girls
heart? Do you know how many times that girl
cried over you? Well let’s start ant
the beginning and count shall we.” She was about to wave her hand again.
“No. We don’t have to. I have seen enough”, He solemnly replied.
“Oh. So you’re not so tough
after all. With all the pain your
existence cause, you don’t need to return to the land of the living. The world is a much better place without
you. Do you think anyone would miss
you? Your so-called friends won’t
especially Heero. He doesn’t like you
and you know it. How many times has he
put his gun in your face? And you call
yourself his best friend. Ha. If he was
your best friend he wouldn’t threaten to kill you every time he sees you.”
Duo hung his head but said
nothing. He was beginning to believe
everything Death had said. After all it
was his life, he’d already knew what she showed him.
“Come. We’ve wasted enough time.” She grabbed Duo’s hand and a wave of
coldness went through him. He felt like
he was submerged in frozen water.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hilde had fell asleep
holding Duo’s hand with her head resting on the side of the bed.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Hilde woke with a
start. Suddenly Duo’s hand became cold
as ice. Hilde began shaking Duo.
“DUO!!! DUO!!! DON’T
LEAVE ME!!! DUO, DON’T GO!!! I LOVE YOU!!!”
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the waiting room
Heero was still leaning against the wall.
He hadn’t moved since they brought Duo in. Wufei was sitting in a chair meditating. Quatre and Relena were quietly talking. Lady Une and Simon had returned to Preventer
HQ to review the investigation reports on the bombing and the poisoning. Milliardo and Noin went home but said to
keep them posted on Duo’s progress.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
“DUO!!! DUO!!! DON’T
LEAVE ME!!!
Heero jumped off the
wall and with two strides slammed the door the Duo’s room open. Hilde was
furiously shaking Duo, crying and shouting at him.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Heero was unable to
move. Jase came running in the room
knocking Heero out of the way in the process, followed by a team of nurses and
other doctors. Hilde was still shaking Duo
and yelling at him.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
“Get Hilde out of
here!” Jase shouted as he ripped the gown so he could have access to Duo’s
chest.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
“I’m not leaving
him!” Hilde shouted back
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
“Do you want him to
die?!? GET OUT!!! EVERYBODY OUT!!!”
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Quatre and Wufei
dragged the screaming Hilde out of the room.
Relena tapped Heero on the arm.
Heero looked at Relena. He
turned and left the doorway. He took
his position leaning against the wall, closing his eyes. Relena walked over to Heero and stood next
to him. Relena could always read
Heero’s emotions in his eyes. She had
never seen what she just saw in them, helplessness and sorrow.
“CLEAR!”
Electric shock
rocked Duo’s body as it lifted up off the bed.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
“CLEAR!”
Another shock wave
lifted his body off of the table.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sister Helen finally spoke,
“Before you go Duo there is something I’d like to show you.” And she gently
removed Death’s hand from Duo’s
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Jase let out the
breath he was holding. He examined Duo
to make sure he was stable and noting any changes. He then walked out to the waiting room. Hilde was again pacing outside of Duo’s door. She pounced when Jase exited Duo’s room.
“How is he? What happened? Is he going to be alright?”
Jase hung his
head. This was the hardest thing he had
to face. He had just found his brother
again. They were starting to get close
like they were before they were separated.
He told Duo about the Dr. and Mrs. Andrews who had raised him and Duo
told him about Solo, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. He was not prepared to lose him again and yet it was a reality he
had to face. A reality they all had to
face.
“Its not good. His brain waves are now slower than they
were when he came in and his heart is weaker” He took a deep breath, “It won’t
be long before he is either brain dead or his heart gives out completely.”
Hilde went pale for
a few seconds and looked like she was about to faint. She then squared her shoulders, put a determined look on her face
and went back into Duo’s room. Heero
began walking down the hallway. Relena
let him get a good distance ahead then followed him. Wufei and Quatre went to update Sally and Jai in the lab. Trowa, Kellee and Catherine had arrived as
Jase began to fill everyone in on Duo’s condition, so they heard the bleak
prognosis. Trowa went to call Lady Une
and Simon. Kellee went to call
Milliardo and Noin. Catherine followed
Jase to his office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hilde resumed her position
by Duo’s bed. She reverently ran her
fingers through his bangs and tried to brush the stray hairs from his braid
back off his face. She placed a long kiss
on Duo’s cold lips, took his hand in hers and sat down in her chair.
“Duo this is not the
time for one of your bad jokes” she said and smiled, “I need you. I love you and I want you to come back to
me. I don’t want to live my life
without you. It was hard enough these
last six months. Believe me, I was a
real bitch. Jai stated more than once
that she was going to drug me and FedEx me back to you.” She gave a slight laugh knowing that Duo
would fall out the bed laughing at that.
“I miss you. Come home soon.
I’ll be here waiting for you” She steeled herself against the tears that
threaten to fall. She would not cry
again. She will give Duo her strength
so he will be able to find his way back to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Heero kept walking
the hallways of the hospital letting his feet guide him. When he ran out of hallways he looked up to
find that he was standing in front of the hospital chapel. The chapel was empty so Heero entered. He walked up to the Alter, lit a candle and
kneeled down before it. Since Heero
wasn’t a praying man, he had no clue what to say. So he closed his eyes and hoped the Almighty could read how he
was feeling in his heart because he didn’t know the words to say how he felt
about Duo. Duo was indeed his best
friend although he’d never admitted it to anyone. He chuckled to himself.
‘Funny how someone who shot you twice when you first met him could be your best friend’
Heero didn’t know
how long he was sitting at that Alter when he felt a pair of arms wrap around
his neck. He didn’t have to look back
to see that it was Relena. He could
always sense when she was near. She
didn’t say anything. She just held him
like that for what seemed like forever.
Once again Heero was
grateful for the comfort she gave to him. Her touch always eased his pain,
physically and emotionally. If he
didn’t know before he knew it now, Relena was the other part of his soul.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wufei and Quatre
entered the lab. Jai and Sally both had
their heads on the lab counter staring at nine green vials. After hours of analysis they still couldn’t
find what type of poison was used and they only had one good blood vial left. Neither woman moved as they heard the door
open.
“What happened?”
Sally asked.
“Duo crashed again
but he’s stable for the moment. He
won’t last much longer.” Wufei replied.
Both women shot
straight up and looked at one another.
This is definitely not what they wanted to here especially when they
were not any closer to finding an antidote than when they first started. Sally got up from her seat and walked down
to the end of the table placing her hands on the edge to brace herself as she
leaned forward. Jai continued to stare
at the green vials. Wufei noticed Sally’s
tense muscles and walked over to her.
He began to massage her neck and shoulders. Sally let out a sigh as she leaned into the massage. His hands on her neck and back felt
heavenly. It was amazing how such
strong hands could be so gentle. The
sleeping nerves in her body woke up and began to run rapid. If the situation wasn’t so dire, she
wouldn’t mind a full body massage at the hands of Wufei. Wufei’s hands slowly worked their way back
up to her neck.
A soft moan escaped
her lips “Mmmmm”
Wufei immediately
removed his hands from Sally.
‘Damn’ Sally thought as she felt him pulled away
from her.
Quatre walked over
to Jai to do the same. Jai put up her
hand, stopping him dead in his tracks.
“Don’t even think of
touching me. I don’t need my brain
going to mush at the moment thank you.” Jai said looking Quatre straight in the
eye.
Quatre smirked and
Jai mentally kicked herself.
All of a sudden Jai
drew her arm back and sent the green vials crashing to the floor. The crashing noise took Sally by surprise
and she jumped back in alarm causing Wufei to wrap his arms around her to keep
them both from falling. The prickling
sensation was felt by both of them. But
they didn’t have enough time to enjoy it.
“DAMN IT!! The answer is so basic! I drug people all the time yet I can’t find
what the hell is coursing through Duo’s system. He is going to die because of my stupidity.”
Jai continued on
with her rant until she felt someone grab her shoulders and spin her around.
“What do you mean “I
drug people all the time”, Quatre asked her.
“You don’t think I
sleep with those fools to get the info I want.
I drug them, knocking them out and read their minds.”
“OK. Pretend you
have to find the antidote for one of the drugs you use. How would you do it?” Quatre asked
“You couldn’t find
the antidote to the stuff I use because I don’t…use …typical…chemicals…”
Jai walked away from
Quatre with her hand on her hip thinking.
She then smacked her forehead and for the first time in hours she
smiled.
“Quatre you are a
genius!” Jai exclaimed and grabbed Quatre’s face and gave him a quick bruising
kiss on the lips. She let him go,
grabbed the last good vial and ran for the door.
“Come on Sally we have
to go!” she shouted as she ran out the door.
Sally was hot on her
tail, “Where are we going?”
“Chinatown!”
Quatre was in a
daze. Her lips were so soft even if it
was a bruising kiss. He made a mental note to definitely kiss her again and
soon.
***WHACK***
Quatre snapped back
to reality and glared at Wufei who was standing next to him.
“Come on Weakling.
You don’t want to get left do you?”
“You should
talk. You’d still be holding Sally in
your arms had she not took off after Jai”, Quatre retorted as he walked towards
the door, “Weakling”
“Injustice!” he said
as he ran after Quatre to catch up with Sally and Jai.
The four ran by
Trowa and Kellee.
“Hey where ya
going?” Kellee shouted.
“Chinatown. Tell Heero I got his bike.” Jai yelled back.
Jai hopped on
Heero’s motorcycle, tossed Quatre the spare helmet and put on hers. Wufei and Sally did the same. A second later the two couples were speeding
down the deserted street on their way to Chinatown.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine lightly knocked
on Jase’s office door and entered.
Inside the office it was totally dark.
Only a small window allowed some of the moons beams to filter in. Jase was standing in front of the small
window gazing at the many stars that filled the sky. He was wishing on every last one of them for a miracle to save
his brother. Catherine looked at Jase’s
profile and slightly smiled. He had his
hair in a long braid which was not typical for him. He always let his long
chestnut hair flow in the breeze.
Standing with his hair braided he looked just like Duo. Catherine walked over to him, put her arms
around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulders. They stood like that for a while before
Catherine spoke.
“I see you’ve braided your
hair.” She said as she placed a kiss on the back of his neck.
Jase smiled, turned to face
her and wrapping his arms around her.
“Yeah. Duo said women find
the braid sexy.”
“It is”, she replied as she
ran her hand through his bangs, “I may have found the person responsible for
poisoning Duo. I’m going to question
her as soon as I leave here.”
Duo’s prognosis came
crashing back in his mind and instinctively tighten his arms around Catherine.
“I lost him once Cath. That lost left a whole in my soul I can’t
even begin to describe.” He buried his
face in the crook of her neck, “I can’t bare to go through that again. I just got him back. I’m not ready to loose him again.” He said
as he began sobbing.
Catherine backed up, found
the chair and sat in it still holding on to Jase. He placed his head in her lap and continue to release the hours
of frustration, hurt, sorrow and helplessness he’d been keeping inside. Catherine
gently stroked his head as her silent tears slid down her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Duo dear” Sister
Helen said taking the same hand Death held earlier in hers “ I think you should
see something.” And she waved her hand in front of them. Duo felt warmth and love flow through him as
Sister Helen held his hand.
“Oh my God” Duo said
as he gaped at the sight before him.
There was Heero in a chapel. Duo
didn’t think Heero was a praying man.
But why was he there? Could he
really care? Then he heard the most
shocking thing, Heero was praying for him.
Although Duo didn’t see Heero mouth moved he heard the prayer from his
heart. He then saw Relena come behind
Heero and drape her arms around his neck and begin to add her silent prayers to
Heero’s.
“Heero cares so much
for you that he is willing to pray for you.
That’s a big step for him. You
are his best friend and he needs you, if only to point his gun in your
face. He depends on you to keep him
sane. Besides how many times has he put that gun in your face and threaten to
kill you?”
“Too many to keep
count but I know that he only threatens those he cares about. Heero was never good with his emotions” he
said with a smile.
“Always remember
that Heero cares about you and you matter to him even if he doesn’t show it.”
Death gave a snort
in disgust.
Sister Helen waved
her arm again. The scene before them
now was Jai, Quatre, Wufei and Sally spending down the dark streets.
“Hey, that’s love
for ya. Here I am laying in a hospital
bed fighting for my life and their out joy ridin’.” Duo said with a pout.
Death smirked, “You
see Duo they don’t give a damn about you.”
Sister Helen just
laughed, “Still jumping to conclusions I see.
They’re not out joy riding Duo they’re going to Chinatown to get an
antidote for you. Jai and Sally have
been working all night to find one.
They’ve been working hard to save your life Duo. They also care about you enough to go
through any lengths to make sure you live.”
Duo smiled and Death
frowned.
Sister Helen waved
her hand again. Jase was kneeling on
the floor with his head in Catherine’s lap sobbing. Duo felt his brother’s pain.
He remembers sobbing the exact same way on his bed when the mistress of
the orphanage told him Jase was dead.
Duo didn’t want to leave his brother this way. Hell, he didn’t want to leave him at all. A tear slid down cheek as he felt his brother’s
pain.
“He cries for you,”
Sister Helen said looking back a the couple sitting in the dark, “He is a very
brilliant doctor. He has save countless
lives but yet he can’t save the life of the one he cares about the most. His own little brother. He loves you very much and it is hard for
him to sit by helpless as you fade away.
Duo wiped his eyes
and Death grunted.
He looked as she
waved her hand once more and his mouth dropped open. Before him he saw Hilde shaking him and he heard her yelling,
“DUO!!! DUO!!! DON’T LEAVE ME!!! DUO,
DON’T GO!!! I LOVE YOU!!!” His mouth dropped open and Sister Helen
smiled widely.
“You see Duo,
although you made her cry on numerous occasions her feelings for you have never
changed. You would hurt her more if you
die. She loves you, Duo. Her world will crumble without you.”
Duo looked at Sister
Helen, “I love her, too and my world did fall apart without her.”
“Duo, I could show
you scenes like these for all eternity.
You are somebody and you mean something to somebody. They all love you for who and what you
are. They are your family and you are
their cherished brother. You have a lot
to live for and you have a lot to give.
Don’t throw it away.” She finished a brushed back his bangs and gave him
a kiss on his forehead.
When she kissed him
he felt his resolved strengthen. Then
he saw a faint golden glow in the distance.
“That is the way
back to the land of the living.” Sister Helen said as she pointed to the golden
glow. “The love of those you left behind
has opened the door for you to return.
Duo gave Sister
Helen a hug and kiss. He stood up to go
home. Sister Helen blew him one last
kiss
“Remember Duo, I
love you, too.” And she faded away.
“Where do you think
your going?” Death asked him.
“Home” and he
continued on his way.
All of a sudden
Death appeared before him. “I don’t
think so. You’ll have to get through me
first and I never lose.”
“Well there’s a
first time for everything.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jai, Quatre, Sally and
Wufei arrived at a small Chinese herb shop in Chinatown. Jai lead them to the back of the shop. Above the shop was the residence of the
owner and his wife. Jai knocked on the
door. After a few moments a light
turned on in the window. The door swung
open reveling an elderly Chinese man and woman.
“Janai? Dear, what
has brought you out this late hour?” the elderly woman asked as she stepped
around her husband to give Jai a motherly hug.
Jai hugged the woman
back. The woman released her and she
bowed before the elderly man.
“Master and Mistress
Fong, I’m sorry to wake you but I’m in desperate need of your help.” she said
as she rose from her bowed position.
“Come.” the elderly
man said as he stepped aside to let them enter.
Quatre, Sally and
Wufei followed Jai into the door and down a stairway. When they reached the bottom, they were surrounded by three walls
that had various oriental pictures covering them from the ceiling to the
floor. Master Fong walked over to a
picture of the Great Wall of China. The
picture was made entirely of very little colorful tiles. He began pressing the bricks of the Great
Wall, typing in a code. A door began to
slide down the stairway entrance and the wall before them began to slide up
reveling a large chemistry room. They
all entered the room and Jai introduced Sally, Quatre and Wufei.
“Duo has been
poisoned and I think it the poison was made from Chinese herbs. His heart and brain waves are steadily
slowing down. I brought the last vial
of the blood sample taken from him.” Jai
said as she handed the vial to Master Fong.
Mistress Fong looked
at the weary group, “I’ll go get us some tea would you come and assist me
Wufei”
Wufei bowed and
followed her.
Master Fong rubbed
chin and furrowed his brow as he processed the information Jai had given
him. After a few silent moments Master
Fong went and gathered a few herbs and began putting various herbs in a large
wooden bowl. Quatre watched in awe as Master
Fong began pounding the leafy concoction into a powdery substance. Sally and Jai perused the large collection
of Chinese herbs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mistress Fong put
the kettle on the stove to heat the water for the tea. She then removed six teacups and handed them
to Wufei.
“Meiran wants you to
be happy with Sally”
Wufei almost dropped
the teacups. He looked at her with wide
and shocked eyes.
“How do you know
about Meiran?”
“I know a lot of
things but it would take too long to explain how I know such private things
about people. She wants you to stop
blaming yourself for her death and let her go.” She said as she removed the
kettle from the fire.
Wufei continued to
stare at the woman in awe. Mistress
Fong placed her hands on both sides of his face and raised it to look straight
into his eyes. She could see the pain in
his soul.
“It is not your
fault that she died. Stop blaming
yourself. She is happy where she is and her wish is for you to be happy
to. Let Sally heal you.”
She removed her
hands from his face, reached for the kettle and poured the water into the cups. They finished fixing the rest of the tea in
silence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Master Fong placed
the powdered mixture on the Bunsen burner and added a little water to it. Mistress Fong and Wufei returned with the tea
and they placed it on a small table located in the corner of the room. The others walked over and each took a cup
of the steamy liquid. Master Fong broke
the silence.
“This Duo must be a
very important person to you.”
Wufei grunted and
Quatre smiled.
“Yes he is. I can’t speak for everyone but he’s like the
annoying brother you can’t wait to see come and then can’t wait till he goes
home. He always making people laugh
usually at their expense but its all in good fun,”
Wufei grunted again
and Sally, Jai and Quatre laughed.
“I take it the jokes
are usually at Wufei’s expense” Mistress Fong said eyeing the laughing trio.
“Usually” Sally
chuckled.
Wufei gave her a
fierce look and Sally stuck her tongue out at him. Mistress Fong looked at the couple, took a sip of tea and smiled.
‘You’re right
Meiran. They are made for each other’
Master Fong
continued, “Whoever poisoned him wanted you to suffer.”
“Us? How?” Jai asked
but she already knew the answer but she wanted the others to know maybe they’ll
figure the rest out.
“The poison this
person used should have killed him in minutes.
He should be dead by now. The
fact that he is not is quite a mystery.
This person wants those closest to him to go through the pain of losing
someone and not being able to do anything to save him.” Master Fong looked at
the group over the rim of his cup as he took a sip.
Quatre’s thoughts
immediately went back to the conversation with Jai on the roof and the chain
reaction concept. This was personal for
whoever was trying to kill them. Quatre
looked over at Jai, their eyes meeting for a moment. Mistress Fong saw this and smiled
‘I thought so.’
Master Fong went to
check on the now boiling mixture and Jai returned to the Chinese herbs. Mistress Fong followed Jai.
“Janai? Why are you giving that nice young man such
a hard time?”
Jai didn’t even have
to guess who she was talking about.
Somehow Mistress Fong always knew what was going on. Mistress Fong stood next to Jai.
“Janai dear it been
7 years, you have to let it go. What
happen to you was not your fault.”
“It was my
fault. I was raised to be an assassin,
a terrorist. There is no way on God’s
green earth that should have happened to me.”
“Dear. It’s all in the past. You can’t keep the woman in you hidden
behind that soldier facade forever. He
will eventually break her out. Even you
aren’t strong enough to fight the feelings he has for you”, she paused “or your
own feelings for him.”
Jai looked at
Mistress Fong, ”I’ll fight him every step of the way and I won’t lose.”
“You are a most
stubborn girl. What are you afraid
of? After all you have been through,
don’t you deserve to be happy? That man
over there is the only one who can heal your shattered soul and you are the
only one who can heal his.”
“I don’t deserve to
be happy. It’s my punishment for being so foolish and letting my guard
down. Quatre is kind and gentle. Even through a war he managed to stay that
way. I don’t know how he did it but I’m not worthy to be with him and as soon
as he figures it out the better.”
Mistress Fong shook
her head balled her little hands into fists, “I see you still have a low
opinion of yourself as a woman. As long
as you do those who have dishonored you will always control your life. And as for Quatre, don’t be so fooled by his
outward appearance. He might be better
at hiding himself from the world than you are.
I hate to see you waste your life and his by pushing him away. He needs you and you need him. Go to him.”
The last sentence
came out like a command. Master Fong
called everyone over to him and Jai was grateful to be spared the wrath of
Mistress Fong.
Master Fong took a
drop of the light blue liquid and placed a couple of drops in to the remaining
vial of Duo’s blood. At first the vial
turned purple but gradually the color turned from purple to clear. Sally and Jai jumped up and down. They gave Master Fong a great big hug. Master Fong smiled at the women. Wufei, Quatre and Mistress Fong smiled as
well. They now had the antidote. Master Fong placed the antidote in a new
vial and handed it to Jai.
“Thank You Master
Fong” Jai said as she hugged Master Fong again and the two couples left Master
and Mistress Fong.
“Janai! Don’t forget
what I told you!” Mistress Fong
shouted.
The two couples sped
back to the hospital as the sun woke the world with its yellow and orange rays.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine, Kellee and Trowa
arrived at the address the manager gave them for Felicia Baker. It was a run
down apartment building in the worst part of town.
Felicia had finished
packing the last of their belongings.
She and her three-year old daughter Jennifer were leaving for the
colonies.
“Going somewhere?”
Felicia turned
around to see two women and a man standing behind her. Her eye shifted to the bedroom door.
“The girl is just
fine. She’s still sleeping” the man
said.
“What do you
want? Why are you here? Who are you?”
The blond woman spoke,” One
question at a time. My name is Athena,
her name is Artemis and his name is…”
“Nanashi”
Athena gave him a
bewildered look but said nothing.
“How much did they
pay you to put that poison in that mans food?”
Artemis demanded.
Felicia’s jaw
dropped, “How did you..”
“Just answer the
question don’t make me force it out of you”, Artemis said as she pulled out two
throwing knives.
“Fifty thousand.”
Felicia responded fearing for her life as she stared at the knives.
“Who gave it to
you?” Artemis asked as she took a
menacing step forward.
“An old woman with
gray hair. She looked rich. I’d never seen
her before she approached me. She said he had to pay for all of the death and
destruction he caused and offered me the fifty thousand cash. I needed the money to get back to the
colonies and make a better life for me and my daughter.” Felicia replied
backing away from the advancing knives and backing into the wall.
They had already
figured out why she did it when they saw the sleeping girl as they came in the
window.
The hair on the back
of Nanashi’s neck stood up as rustling was heard outside of the apartment
door. Before he could give a warning
the door crashed open and bullets began to fill the room. Artemis grabbed Felicia and dove behind the
couch. Athena flipped over the kitchen
table and hide behind it. Nanashi made
a break for the little girls room.
Athena and Artemis returned fire and after about five minutes all was
silent. Artemis, Felicia and Athena
emerged from their hiding places. Three
men lay dead on the floor. Athena
quickly searched their bodies and pocketed all that she found.
Artemis turned to
Felicia, “Looks like someone wanted a refund.”
The sounds of
laughter came from the little girls room.
“Oh my God,
Jennifer” Felicia gasped as she ran for the bedroom.
She flung the door
open.
“Hi Mommy!! Mr.
Nashi wa givin’ me sock puppet show!” Jennifer giggled,” He so funny!”
Felicia grabbed
Jennifer and gave her a crushing a hug.
“Can’t breathe
Mommy!”
Felicia relaxed her
grip on Jennifer.
Nanashi removed the
socks from his hands, “We have to leave here now.”
They all nodded in
response and left the apartment using the fire escape.
A half an hour later
they arrived at the shuttle port.
Athena handed them two shuttle tickets, an envelope and a business card.
“Here you go. If you need any help call the number on that
card. It’s a social service agency that
helps people find homes, jobs and other needed services.”
Felicia gave Athena
a hug.
“Thank you for
everything”
Jennifer gave
Nanashi a kiss on the cheek.
“Tanks Mr. Nashi fa
makin’ me laugh.”
“You’re welcome
little one” he replied and smiled at the girl.
Felicia grabbed
Jennifer’s hand and ran for the shuttle and their new life.
“I didn’t know you
were good with kids.” Athena said to
Nanashi.
“There are a lot of
things you don’t know about me”, he replied as he walked away.
‘But I intend to
find out’ Athena thought as
the trio left the shuttle port.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo and The God of
Death stood facing each other for a few moments.
“I don’t have time
for this. Get out of my way” Duo told
Death looking her straight in the eye.
Duo tried to walk
past Death only to be punched. Duo
stumbled back.
“I already told you;
you’ll have to get through me. I own
you and your soul.”
“No one owns me”,
Duo shot back at death,” and Hilde owns my soul.”
As he landed his own
punch on Death’s face.
Then Death and Duo
engaged in the fight for life; Duo’s life, each throwing a series of punches at
the other. Death was shocked at the
amount of power Duo had.
“I’m impressed Duo,”
Death said as she landed another punch, “I didn’t think you would last this
long.”
“Yeah” he said while
landing his next punch, “You’ll be amazed at what I can do.” As he swept Death
legs from underneath her causing her to fall to the ground. Duo took the opportunity to make a run for
the golden light.
Duo was half way
there. He could see the golden rays
increase in intensity as he neared it.
Death appeared right before him and he grabbed her shoulders, flipped
over her head, landed on his feet and kept on running.
“Thank You Trowa!”
he said as he nearly entered the golden light to return to the world of the
living. He felt something grab him by
the collar and throw him back.
“Did you think you
could escape me you fool!?” Death yelled, “I am The God of Death, you die when
I say you die.”
“Not today I don’t”
he replied as he lunged at Death. Death
side stepped him and grabbed Duo by his throat. He felt the same cold feeling as before when she’d touched his
hand shoot though him. Death grinned
evilly in his face.
“Today you die, Duo
Maxwell.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jai raced into Duo’s room
startling Hilde out of her light slumber.
She held a syringe in her hand.
“I got the
antidote!” she happily said as she injected it into the IV line.
They both stood there
and watched as the blue liquid made its way down the IV tube and into Duo’s
blood stream. Both women began jumping
up and down and hugging each other. All
of a sudden they heard a dreadful noise.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~