No, I still don’t own Gundam Wing. The strange men just don’t want to sell it to me. But I promise for all of you nice people, I WILL KEEP TRYING! ::Looks in her wallet:: Or, maybe I could just buy everyone a little key chain or an ice cream cone…Anyway, no relief yet in sight for poor Duo-chan. I’ll um…see what I can do about that. You know where to send comments. Now on with the fic!
Heero watched, frozen in shock as Duo collapsed to the floor. For what seemed to be an eternity, he couldn’t move; he just stood and stared at the small form lying inert on the floor, blood staining the carpet around him. After several agonizingly long and helpless seconds, Heero snapped out of his paralyzed state and rushed to his lover’s side. As gently as he could, he rolled the braided pilot onto his back and began to check his vitals. “Baka!” He hissed as he gently placed two fingers on the side of Duo’s neck. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
Blood was seeping through his shirt from where the bullet had hit. Although Heero couldn’t see it through the black shirt, he could certainly smell it and feel it stick to his fingers as he lightly pressed Duo’s side. He cursed, furious that Duo would try something stupid like this. Several long moments had passed before Heero calmed down enough to speak calmly to the unconscious boy. “Duo…Koi, wake up.” He said in a stern tone, lightly slapping the braided pilot’s face. Duo moaned and opened his eyes, groggily focusing on Heero.
“Hee…chan?” He murmured in pain.
“You’re okay,” The Japanese pilot said calmly, brushing Duo’s long bangs away from his pained face. “You just need to get cleaned up.” His lips formed a small frown as he watched Duo’s clouded eyes fill with tears.
"Please…Heero…J-just let me…die…I don’t deserve to live…I don’t deserve anything but death a-after what I’ve done."
"Kudarani!" Heero was almost shouting. "You just made a mistake baka. A horrible mistake yes, but you don’t need to die for it!"
"Just…a mistake?" Duo choked.
“Yes, you may feel terrible about what you’ve done. I did the same thing once,” Heero said. “But you can’t just give up and die now! Not because of a mistake!”
"I murdered over one hundred kids today!" He winced and allowed a soft whimper of pain to escape his throat before continuing." They didn’t…didn’t deserve to die…If it wasn’t for me…they’d all still be alive."
"Don’t talk like that."
“Why? It’s all…my fault…” Duo gasped as tears began to stream down his face again. He looked up at Heero with a look of unparalleled misery in his eyes. “All those kids are dead and it’s my fault!” Even though his breathing was raspy and erratic, more than a few loud sobs managed to tear themselves from his throat.. He tried to sit up and pull himself from Heero’s hold, but the sharp pain in his side was almost unbearable. He bit back a scream as he tried to get away again, but the radiating pain from his side barely allowed him to move.
Heero cringed slightly as he saw fresh tears start to fall down Duo’s face along with the look of pain that was already there. He hated to see anyone cry. Part of him wanted to slap Duo across the face and tell him to shut up and stop acting like a baby, but a more consoling part allowed him to lift the braided pilot into his arms and hold him comfortingly. “Daijoubu,” Heero managed to say to the sobbing pilot. Duo suddenly stopped crying and glared at him.
“No Heero…It’s NOT okay!” He screamed, causing himself more pain then he realized. “People are dead and you’re just sitting here and telling their murder ‘it’s okay’?!” The Japanese boy widened his eyes and stared at Duo in surprise.
“Duo-chan--”
“Don’t!” Duo let out another sob. “Please…don’t call me that.” He closed his eyes and proceeded to again cry uncontrollably. This time not just because of what he had done, but also because of the painful bullet wound in his side.
For the longest time, Heero only sat and stared at the anguished look on Duo’s face, wishing he could do something to alliveate the pain just a little. “Koi, you need help." He said finally.
“No…Lemme die Heero.”
“Duo, right now you need help…We can talk about this later.”
Neither boy said another word.
Duo moaned as Heero picked him up; he bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from screaming in pain. It took Heero a moment to realize that blood was still flowing heavily from the shot wound in his side. He quickly dug his fingers into Duo’s lower abdomen, checking for internal injuries. "I don’t think you perforated any organs," He said as he shifted Duo’s position to hold him like a small child and stood up.
“Doesn’t…feel that way,” Duo gasped.
"I’m going to take you down to the infirmary and have Quatre’s medics look at you."
Duo let out a soft whimper in response, then let his body fall limp against Heero as he ran out of the room as fast as he could.
The Perfect Soldier raced down the stairs, holding the small body against his as securely as he could without crushing him. The other three pilots were waiting at the bottom of the stairs; obviously they had heard the gunshot. Quatre cried out in horror when he saw the American Pilot. “Duo!” He cried loudly, running to his unconscious friend.
Wufei stared, somewhat in disbelief. “Heero, you didn’t!”
"Iie. He shot himself," Heero said tonelessly as he turned his gaze to the blond haired boy. "Get your medics to the infirmary, Quatre." The Arabian nodded and ran off. Heero gently shifted Duo’s weight again to hold him more easily. Blood was now beginning to stain his green shirt. Duo moaned as Heero started to walk again.
“By the way Heero,” Trowa said as they neared a very fancy staircase. “Hilde and Relena will be here soon.
“Relena?!” Heero exclaimed. “Why the hell is she coming here?” That was all he needed, that girl clinging to him while Duo was injured.
Trowa shrugged. “Apparently she and Hilde were out shopping when I called. Hilde said she’d be here as soon as she can, and that Relena was coming too. They’re both pretty worried.” He paused and looked at his watch. “They’re catching the next flight here. It should be about four or five hours.”
Heero started down a second staircase without a word, Trowa and Wufei right behind him. He didn’t need to know any more bad news for the time being. Relena would only upset Duo more than he already was, and Heero refused to let that happen. ~~ I’ll just have to keep them as far away from each other as I can. ~~ He thought.
The infirmary was located on the lowest floor of the estate. It was a small room with only three beds and limited medical equipment, but the medics would have to do their best with the available resources. Taking Duo to the hospital would be the same as turning him over to Oz, since everyone in the world probably knew what he had done by now. Pretty much the entire world was after him.
Duo moaned as Heero laid him on one of the beds and gently pulled his shirt off and promptly threw it in a wastebasket. Wufei sat himself in the closest chair while Trowa kept a watch out for Quatre. A few moments later, Quatre entered the room, along with a red haired female doctor. "What happened?" She asked as she walked over to Duo, a concerned look on her face.
"Baka woman." Wufei grumbled from his chair. "Isn’t it obvious?"
The doctor ignored the Chinese boy’s comment and looked at Heero. "Is it self-inflicted?" She asked as she let her glove-covered fingers brush along Duo’s blood-covered side and receiving a pained whimper in reply.
"Yes." Heero said. "He was trying to kill himself." "If he had pointed that gun two more inches to the right, he would have perforated his liver and that would have pretty much done it." The doctor said. "But this isn’t terribly serious. Just give me an hour to get him patched up and make sure he doesn’t have any infections. Then I’ll give him some painkillers to help him sleep tonight. He’ll be alright."
The other pilots nodded and left, Wufei and Quatre practically having to drag Heero into the hall. The Japanese pilot refused to go any farther than right outside the door. After promising the others he would not go in, they returned upstairs. Heero began to pace, stalking back and forth like a lion and his dark blue eyes focused sternly on the closed door.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the doctor came out. She gave Heero a reassuring smile and stepped away from the door. "Duo will probably sleep through the night, but you can go in and see him if you want. The bleeding has stopped and he has no infections. If he complains too much of pain, let me know and I’ll prescribe a stronger medicine for him. He should be fine in a few days, just keep him off his feet as much as possible and don’t let him do anything strenuous, okay?"
Heero nodded. "Aa. Arigato."
The doctor smiled. "You’re welcome." She walked away as Heero entered the infirmary. Duo was lying on the bed looking much better than when Heero brought him in. His waist was wrapped in a clean gauze strip and an IV was stuck in his right arm. The room was silent except for the steady beeps of a machine keeping track of Duo’s heart rate.
He pulled up a chair and sat down right next to his lover’s bed, gently stroking his braid, which had been slung over his left shoulder. Normally he would flinch if his braid was touched, but Duo was too deeply asleep to respond to anything. The drugs certainly had done their job. Heero sighed as he watched him. Duo looked so helpless like this, and the Japanese pilot couldn’t stand it. He wanted to help him, but what could he do? He remembered Duo’s crying from before. That wasn’t like him at all. Heero had never seen the braided pilot even come close to crying. Something was wrong here. Deathscythe couldn’t have just accidentally told Duo the wrong place to bomb, and Duo was smart enough to know when and when not to make a scene. So what on earth could be wrong?
Heero’s pondering tired him out, and it wasn’t long before he started to doze off, sitting in the chair with his head next to Duo’s. He really didn’t even hear the door open as Wufei came in. So when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder, it took all of his energy not to jump in surprise. "Oi baka…" Heero growled, turning around slowly. The Chinese boy was obviously just out of the shower. His hair was still damp and out of its ponytail, and he was dressed in a simple casual pair of sweats. Wufei’s dark eyes narrowed a bit as he looked down at the Perfect Soldier.
"You should go get some sleep, Heero." He said as he ran a hand through his loose wet hair. "You’ve been down here for almost three hours."
"I have?" Heero looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost two-thirty a.m.
"Trowa and Quatre said they’d stay up and wait for Relena and Hilde. I’ll keep an eye on Duo so you can get some rest." The Chinese pilot offered, glancing at the sleeping American. "If he wakes up, I’ll come get you."
"Okay…" Heero said almost hesitantly. "If he wakes up, don’t let him get out of bed. He’s supposed to stay right there for a few days."
Wufei nodded in response to Heero’s instructions but only half listened. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew very well how to take care of an injured person. He watched as the Japanese boy kissed Duo’s forehead, said goodnight, and left. He sat down in the same chair Heero had used and stared down at Duo, his eyes showing a little concern. "You’re even worrying me, Maxwell, and when you get better, I’ll make you pay for it." Duo whimpered softly but didn’t stir. The drugs would keep him down for the night, Wufei was sure of that. So when he started to fall asleep, he didn’t fight it much. Duo wasn’t going anywhere for a while. Of that he was sure. Finally he leaned back in the chair and let his eyes close.
Duo began to mumble incomprehensible words and toss his head in his sleep as Wufei dozed off. His fists clenched tightly as he seemed to be fighting off something in a dream. "I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…" He murmured softly. A soft feminine voice spoke in his head, sounding soothing yet scolding him at the same time.
~~ Duo, you killed all of those poor children…~~
"I…know…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…"
~~ You enjoyed it…You wanted them to die…~~
"No!" The sleeping boy protested weakly. "It was an accident…That location…Deathscythe told me that was where the…Oz hideout was…I didn’t know there were…kids."
~~ You can here those poor little children screaming in your mind…~~ Duo’s face contorted in a grimace, but still he did not wake up. "Stop…" He murmured sluggishly. "I’m sorry…Leave me alone, please…I’m sorry…"
~~ You want to forget what happened, don’t you? ~~
“O-of course I do…But that just can’t happen.”
~~ Duo Maxwell, ~~ The voice began in a stern tone. ~~ From this moment on you will recall nothing about what happened at Luna Bay. There is a blank there. You have no idea why and when you are questioned about it later, you will not seem concerned. Do you understand boy? ~~
“Yes,” Duo murmured softly.
~~ You also must not know why you are in the hospital. The others will claim you tried to commit suicide, but you know that is not true. Come to your own conclusions about that but do not panic. Understand? ~~
“Y-yes.”
~~ Good. ~~ The soft voice suddenly changed to a dark mechanical one. ~~You completed your mission perfectly…and you will carry out this next one we have prepared for you as soon as you are healed…~~
"No…" Duo moaned and tossed his head from side to side. "I don’t want to listen …anymore. I won’t do…Oz’s damn…dirty work!" A sudden sharp pain in his head made him cry out and arch his back in agony.
~~ You have no choice but to listen…because that is when the pain stops…~~ The voice paused for a moment, allowing the pain to radiate through his whole body. ~~You are nothing but a puppet for Oz…Eventually your condition that is controlled by a remote will become permanent and you will serve as our operative for the rest of your life. You carry out the missions we give you and unless you are in the midst of completing one, you will act entirely normal and remember nothing…You understand this…don’t you? ~~
"Yes…" Duo gasped through clenched teeth as the pain was turned up a notch.
~~ Good…Your next mission is to kill the other Gundam pilots…~~
“No!”
~~ You really have no choice Duo…Do you want to be in pain until your mind melts and you’ll never be able to have one of your own thoughts again? Because that is what will happen if you do not comply with us. You will kill the other pilots, along with the girl and Miss Peacecraft, who are coming to visit. Now, are you going to be good and listen? ~~
Duo moaned softly as he tried to ignore the order, but he had to have the pain stop. He couldn’t bear it anymore. It increased with every negative answer he gave, making his mind a complete and utter mess. He just had to say what they wanted and the pain would stop. It was that simple. "Yes…" He mouthed silently, nearly in tears. He could feel something cold seeping into his mind and taking control. "I’ll kill them all…"
