Tainted Souls Chapter 3 (PG-13)

[FatGlamour]

Author's Note: I do not own.

*****

Tainted Souls

Part I
Backstabber

Chapter III
The World is Changing

I?m shaken, I?m broken
I need you
Isn?t that the last words you?ve spoken?
When you held me close
Baby, take me with you
Baby, will you understand?
I love you more than that other man
I know I?ve made mistakes
I?m nothing but a silly little girl
Baby, take me with you,
Baby, will you change my world?

With the child cradled in his arms, he ran, pumping his legs as hard and fast as he could. He could hear the frightened screams of the children who had once been so happy. He could hear the shouts and the clang of weapons. He could see men running ahead of them, large guns on their backs, leading the children through a bunker even further under the earth.

The only child that was not screaming was the one in his arms who looked up at him with beautiful teal eyes, so clear and yet so blank. His eyes twitched every few seconds as he took in as much as he could. His fingers were loosely fisted in Duo?s jacket. His tufts of light brown curls bounced gently as he ran.

Then the child would catch Duo staring and look at him in a way that he felt vulnerable and weak.

Yet the child could only be six or seven months at best. It was ridiculous that a baby, even one as unusual as the one he held to look at him in such a way. Like the child knew every secret he ever had.

Dust fell on them from the shuddering cavern wall.

And Duo did something that he had nearly forgotten how to do.

He crossed himself.

***

He wrenched the knife from her frozen fingers, throwing it to the ground. Relena stared as the still open blade glinted in the moonlight. She stared as her way of escaping seemed to melt in the moon?s glow. She felt a rushing in her ears, a pain in her chest.

And she screamed.

Quickly, Heero?s hand covered her mouth until he allowed her to pull his hand away from her face. Hard sobs erupted from her, tears pouring down her face. In only a short time, she had gone from being the strongest person he knew, to a broken, frightened little girl.

?Heero? I?m sorry? I?m sorry??

He had prepared himself for her guilt. He had prepared himself to kill her. He never thought that her guilt would consume her this much. He cocked his head and stared at her. Shadows seemed to bleed around her eyes. Her lips were pale, dry, and cracked. She seemed incredibly tired and had lost weight in only the few short weeks they had been apart. What could have caused such a transformation in her? What could have shattered her life so much?

Was it him?

It was absurd really but he couldn?t help but think that his safety played a part in all this ? this cat-and-mouse war game. But as he stared at her, he found that he could not hate her. She was the only woman that had ever cared to love him. She was the only woman he?d ever allowed to.

And the only one he?d only ever would.

She looked up at him with sparkling teal eyes, rising up on her knees and taking his face in her hands. He stayed perfectly still, staring into her desperate eyes.

Then as if he could not control himself, he took her delicate face in his large rough hands, pulling her face forward gently. He touched his forehead to hers, noses touching gently. This was all they needed, just the other?s presence.

She moved one hand from her face and pressed it gently against his chest.

?I don?t care if you kill me, Heero? I-I can?t live like this? anymore??

He crushed her to him quickly, needing her presence, her smell, her warmth. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, his hot breath tingling her skin. ?I promised I would protect you, Relena.?

?Even you can break a promise, Heero? After all, I?ve done??

?None of that matters?? The minute the words were out of his mouth he knew that it wasn?t true, at least for the others but he felt that he couldn?t care. His angel was back in his arms and he felt intoxicated by her.

?Heero, please let me die. Please, kill me. It would be justice.?

Indeed, he had spent nearly a year convincing himself that her death would be the ultimate justice. But coming from her own lips, it sounded wrong. A death could not repay the pain. A greater punishment would be to allow her to live in this guilt.

Yet, he found that he wasn?t content to watch this woman ? this once proud, strong woman ? wither away like a forgotten flower.

?It would be murder, Relena.?

She seemed placated for a moment after his words, holding on to his ratty jacket with cold fingers. Nestling her head in the crook of his neck, she sighed and whispered, ?Then take me with you, Heero.?

?What??

She leaned back and stared into his eyes. ?I don?t care if you chain me to a dungeon wall, feed me nothing but bread and water, or just leave me to rot. A life such as that would be infinitely better. It would be a life I could accept. Any kind of life with you by me? I can accept that.?

He wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. ?If you leave me alone again, kill me first.?

***

Trowa looked up from his book with strained eyes. He looked over at Quatre?s sleeping form and sighed at his furrowed brow. Quatre was in pain and yet, Trowa was unsure about waking him up long enough to take his medicine. At least, in his sleep he was unaware. If he woke up, then he might suffer awake all the night long.

The door creaked open a bit, and Hilde stuck her head in.

?How is he?? she whispered.

Trowa made to respond but a gurgling noise cut him off and he turned quickly to see Quatre?s convulsing body. Blood and vomit was coursing in a sickening river from his mouth. Trowa swiftly made it to his friend?s bedside and turned him on his side so he would not aspirate.

Hilde stripped him down and opened the window to let the cold night air rush in. Pouring water over top of him in an effort to slow the attack, she watched helplessly as everything poured out from inside him. After a while, he lay there gasping with green bile dribbling from his chin.

Suddenly, his eyes opened weakly and he looked at her.

?Oh my God?? she breathed out in fear.

His eyes were gold.


***

?What the hell is this?!? Duo screamed over the roaring and the screaming of the refugees. ?An earthquake?!?

Coming around a corner, Une typed in a pass code and entered a metal bunker. ?We should be safe here.?

Duo looked up as Wufei turned on a seemingly ancient monitor. He could hear the static and crackling of the machine. But he watched as Wufei?s form changed subtly. His shoulders tightened. He could see him flex his jaw and leave it clenched. He saw the shake in his partner?s hands and he fisted them at his sides.

??Fei, what?s up??

Wufei declined to answer, only pushed a single button on the dusty console. A fuzzy picture appeared before them. Duo squinted at it.

?What is that?? Mariemaia whispered, wheeling herself forward a bit as Lady Une?s hands had went limp. Then, she gasped.

The longer they stared, the clearer the image became. It was a seemingly impossibility and yet it was seemingly, strikingly real.

?Mobile suits?? Lady Une breathed out in fearful amazement.

?Well, that makes things pretty damn complicated,? Duo laughed, nervously, trying to stop his stomach from falling to his feet.

But it was there. The giant machines had been resurrected. Yet only this time there was no enemies to defeat them. They would ravage the world.

Duo glanced down at the child in his arms. The child stared at the screen, unblinking.

***

The house was dark when he walked in, her limp body in his arms. She had fallen asleep on the bus. Her hair was tucked haphazardly underneath an old baseball cap he found in a thrift store. Her ratty sweatshirt smelled faintly of cigarettes but she slept with the hood over her hat, and her face and hands pushed into his jacket.

Walking the two blocks from the bus stop was harder than he had ever imagined. He would be endangering those that had become his family. He would be putting them at risk for a woman whose guilt was eating her alive, for a woman he knew he would never stop loving despite anything she had ever done and everything she ever would do.

Standing on at the old, rickety gate outside the house ? his home for all extensive purposes ? Heero looked down at the woman in his arms.

He was a murderer.

Kidnapping seemed nothing more than another chain link in hell.