'...' thoughts
Chordney Manor Part 9
It was warm. That was the first thing that crossed Duo's mind when conscious thought finally began to return to him. And not only warm, but dry as well and even though he knew those facts should mean something to him, he simply could not gather his sleep-fogged mind together enough to remember why. Instead of worrying about it though, he allowed himself to settle into that warmth and feel grateful for it as he drifted in that place just between sleep and awake.
Only a second later, although it could have been hours as his sense of time did not seem to be working properly, he was startled from that place by the sound of movement near his left side. And as his sense of hearing returned, so did the others. The feel of soft, feathery down beneath him, and an answering softness covering him, told Duo he was in a bed and that that was the source of the warmth he was feeling. He also caught the scent of food, something a bit on the spicy side with freshly baked and sweet smelling bread as well. It was to those things that the braided young man finally clawed his way back to full consciousness. And he was just about to open his eyes, completing the array of senses, when he heard a door near by open and close. Then the smooth, deep voice of Gregory Chordney filled the room, causing him to still in surprise.
"Is he alright?" the man asked and before Duo could wonder who he was speaking to, another voice answered him.
"Yes, Master. His body temperature has returned to almost normal, only a small fever remains, which is to be expected. And he's been sleeping soundly for the last few hours."
"Good, Edward, you've done a fine job."
"If I hadn't let her hide him from me in the first place, it wouldn't have been needed." the other man said with enough self-disgust in his voice for even Duo to notice.
"That's enough." Gregory said with a heavy sigh. "Castigating yourself will not change what happened. I'm only glad I managed to find him in time."
It was those words that finally managed to unlock Duo's mind, clearing the fog that sleep had left in his thoughts and releasing the memories he had been suppressing up until then. Visions of his trek through the manor, climbing the stairs, and the attack on the widow's walk, passed before his still closed eyes and with them also came the remembered terror he had felt when the railing had given way beneath him. With a half-strangled scream, he lunged forward in the bed, grasping his chest as if his heart would burst from him if he did not.
"Duo!" Gregory called in alarm at seeing the young man suddenly sit up in the bed, his body shaking visibly and his eyes opened wide in what could only be described as pure terror. Without thinking, he rushed across the room to the young man's side, grasping him by the shoulders to try and calm him. But at his touch, Duo immediately cried out again and pulled away, scrambling backwards until he was pressed against the headboard; his wide, frightened eyes peering wearily back at the man through his long bangs. "It's alright, Duo." the man cooed, easing himself down to sit on the side of the bed while keeping a close eye on the younger man. "You're safe now."
"No." Duo croaked with a shake of his head, his scream-sore throat immediately protesting the sudden sound and he winced in pain; one hand coming up reflexively to cradle his windpipe. Gregory, seeing the obvious sign of distress, moved to pull the young man close. But once again, Duo pushed backwards to avoid the touch, this time putting himself dangerously close to the edge of the bed. "Don't." he whispered even as he pulled the bed covers up as far as he could around himself.
With no other choice but to comply, Gregory moved backward until he was once again sitting squarely on the far edge of the bed, giving the longhaired man the space he wanted. But he did not relax his guard. He knew Duo was not yet recovered from the incidents that had nearly claimed his life and once the burst of adrenaline that was keeping him upright had faded, he would be in danger of falling from the bed and possible hurting himself further. He could already see him struggling to keep himself from falling over. And when the anguished sob escaped Duo's lips only a second later, he wasted no time in grasping the young man and pulling him firmly into the bed, cradling him close to his side.
"Shh, it's alright, it's alright." he breathed into the top of the braided man's head, almost slumping in relief himself when Duo's futile attempt to resist ceased and he suddenly relaxed against him, having completely spent his remaining energy. "She can't hurt you here."
"...who--?" came the faint question after a few moments of stillness only to be silenced when the platinum-haired man placed a finger over Duo's lips.
"Shh." Gregory said softly while gazing down into those violet eyes that were even now full of fear and confusion. With a soft smile, he lifted his finger before moving his hand upwards, pushing those long bangs back then allow his fingers to run down through Duo's free flowing hair, relishing in its softness. "Now's not the time for questions. You need rest."
"But--"
"Sleep Duo." the blonde man stated and this time his voice held a hint of command that the violet-eyed man found he could not refuse. So, with a soft sigh, Duo allowed his eyes to slip closed again and in no time, he was sound asleep.
For a long time even after he knew the young man was asleep, Gregory continued to hold him close, a slow smile spreading across his face. Even though he was still extremely angry with Christina for moving against Duo as she had, he could not help but thank her as well. In his current state, he would not have much trouble taking control of the young man's mind. And once that was complete, Christina would finally feel the sting of defeat.
After a few more minutes, with the knowledge that he had other things to attend to before night arrived, he gently laid Duo back down on the bed, pulling the covers up over him once again. Then, standing from the bed, he turned to leave the room; his duties as host already running through his mind. Once he had put the guests at ease yet again, he would return to begin the process. Luckily, after her attack on Duo on the roof, Christina had run out of energy and could no longer keep the storm going. With its dissipation, the electricity had also returned but still no phones so no way of contacting the outside world to have the trees removed from the road. Also, with the storm leaving, a cold front had settled in, covering the land in a blanket of thick fog that made leaving the house nearly as dangerous as the storm itself had.
Keeping those thoughts in mind as he left the room, Gregory braced himself for another volley of questions and barely controlled hostility from Duo's friends. It had been nearly six hours since the braided man's disappearance and with each hour that passed, they grew more and more agitated. The blonde man knew that it would all come to a head soon as Yuy's temper became too much for the others to control. He hoped to have them dealt with and out of his way though before that happened. But he could not until Duo was under his complete control. So, once again, he headed off to deflect their search for a little longer.
********************
When Duo woke again sometime later, it was to an empty room. And while he cursed himself for dropping his guard so completely as to allow himself to sleep in an unknown and possibly dangerous situation, he had to admit that the rest had done him some good; he felt a bit stronger and his mind was clearer as well. With a little effort, he pushed himself up in the bed, allowing him to look his surroundings over.
He was in a very large bedchamber, much larger than either the one he had been giving upon his arrival at the manor or Heero's. The four-poster bed he was currently sitting in was enormous and took up a rather large part of the room. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed and each held a small lamp. To the left side of the bed, the entire length of the wall was covered by heavy drapes, speaking of windows on the far side. There were also two large, wing-backed chairs sitting in front of the curtains. On the right side, the wall was dominated by a wardrobe that was nearly as tall as the room itself and almost as wide as it was tall. To the massive piece of furniture's left was a small dining area complete with a small round table and two comfortable looking chairs. While on the other side, was a door.
More than anything thing else in the room, it was the door that caught and held Duo's attention. With careful movement, still very much aware of his lack of strength, he pushed himself across the bed until he could throw his legs over the edge. It was only then, upon seeing his bare legs that he finally realized that he was no longer wearing the clothing he had changed into that morning. Instead, he found himself wearing a long, white nightshirt and nothing else. Embarrassment and anger flooded his mind at the thought of someone stripping him of his clothing without his knowledge and he could feel his cheeks burn with it. But he quickly pushed the feeling aside in order to concentrate on finding a way out of the room instead; that was his first priority. So, with that in mind, he pushed himself to his feet, cursing once again when his loose hair fell forward around him, forcing him to gather it to one side to keep it out of the way.
From there, the going was slow; he had to stop to catch his balance on more than one occasion, and the chills that had set in almost immediately upon setting foot on the floor kept threatening to send him to his knees. He made it to the door though, having to lean against it for a long moment before reaching out to turn the knob and pull it open. But instead of the escape he had thought it to be, he found himself looking at the largest and most ornate bathroom he had ever seen. The light filtering in from the room behind him highlighted the sunken bathtub and marble vanity as well as the huge mirrors that covered just about every surface. But Duo could not have care less about a bathroom at that moment, and he swung the door shut with a resounding thud before turning to look around the room once again. However, besides the door he was now leaning against, there did not appear to be another way out of the room.
"What the fuck is going on here?" he breathed even as he felt the panic he had been suppressing since he first awoke in the strange room begin to rise inside of him. Never once in his life had he ever experienced a feeling of claustrophobia, but just the thought of being trapped inside the room made it feel like the walls were beginning to close in. With a hard push, he took a stumbling few steps toward the windows on the far side of the room; right now they were his only chance at freedom.
He had only made it a few feet toward his destination when a gasp from behind him had him spinning around, sending a wave of dizziness through his head. When he managed to clear his sight once again, he saw the old servant that had met him and Hilde at the door the day he had arrived standing before a previously solid wall that had been swung inward to form a door.
"Master Duo." the man exclaimed as he hurriedly placed the tray he was carrying on the table before continuing in his direction. With the panic still racing through him, Duo's first instinct was to retreat and as he began backing away, the servant stopped, his withered hands coming up as if he was trying to calm a frightened animal. "You shouldn't be out of bed, young master." he stated as he took a slow, tentative step forward. "You've only just managed to recover from the cold and shock of being on the roof in the storm. Please, let me help you back to bed."
"Where am I?" Duo demanded while he continued to slowly edge backwards away from the man. "And where are my clothes?"
"They were wet, from the rain, and they had to be removed before you could be warmed up."
"I want them back, and I want to be taken to my friends." Duo stated as forcibly as he could. His voice was still quite horse though so it came out more a whisper. Edward simply continued forward, his hands still raised in a nonviolent manner. "Dammit, let me out of here!"
At that moment, the little strength his sleep had given him finally gave out and his knees buckled beneath him, sending him to the floor in a spill of white cotton and chestnut silk. In the next instant, before he could gather himself to try and climb back to his feet, he found himself being lifted by a surprisingly strong pair of arms.
"Let me go." he said as he struggled weakly in those arms, the platinum blonde hair that drifted over his shoulder having identified the person as the manor's enigmatic owner.
"Now Duo, you shouldn't have gotten out of bed just yet." Gregory chided as he crossed the room to the bed and gently laid the braided young man back down on the soft surface. "You're not strong enough."
"Son of a bitch, you can't keep me here." the braided man snarled while pushing himself as far across the bed as his arms allowed him. He only made it halfway to the far side before they gave out completely and he collapsed onto his back. "Heero and the others will find me."
"I'm afraid they won't." the blonde said, a self-satisfied look on his face. He had followed Duo's retreat and once he had fallen, he had wasted no time in leaning over to pin the lithe young man to the bed. He reached out with his left hand to cup Duo's cheek but the violet-eyed man jerked away before it touched him.
"Leave me alone." Duo whispered, his exhaustion and vulnerability nearly more than he could take.
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Gregory stated before threading the finger of his right hand into the hair at the base of Duo's neck. This then allowed him to hold the young man's head in place. "I had wanted to wait until you were stronger before beginning, but there's no other choice."
"Stop." Duo protested weakly, his trembling hands coming up to push against the man's chest.
"Shh, just relax." the man soothed as he looked deep into those beautiful yet frightened violet eyes. Then, using those eyes as a gateway, he began to force himself into Duo's mind.
Pain, that was all Duo could feel. His mind was a chaotic, swirling mass of thoughts, feelings, and images that came in bright bursts that were impossible to understand, let along decipher. Flashes of memories, ones he knew where not his own, ran though his mind. In one, a woman in a long flowing gown with white blonde hair stood on the cliff behind the manor; the wind from an approaching storm, causing her hair and skirt to swirl around her. In another, a boy of about his own age ran through a forest, his laughter ringing through the trees while another boy gave chase. Finally, in the last vision, this one more vivid and real than the others, he saw himself, sitting in a chair by the windows of that very room, staring blankly at nothing. Gregory Chordney stood behind him, brushing his long hair and speaking softly in his ear, but he did not hear him nor even register his presence. There was simply nothing, because there was nothing left of him.
'No! Stop!' his mind screamed as he fought back with the strength of his renewed panic, but the man simply pressed further and he could feel himself begin to slip. 'No, please, don't do this.'
'I'm sorry, but I have to.' was the man's answer that echoed loudly through his mind, sending another spike of pain through him. 'Just let me in, Duo. Give yourself to me.'
'I... I can't. I won't!'
'You can't stop me, dear one. Fighting me will only bring more pain.'
'Fuck you.' Duo finally snarled. He gathered the rest of his strength before using it to push the man back, forcing Gregory to retreat nearly all the way from his mind. 'I saw what you have planned for me and I won't let you. This is my mind and body; I won't be your slave!'
'You don't have much of a choice.' Gregory countered, but no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not push past the new shields that Duo had erected. By this time, his own pain was also beginning to wear on his strength and he knew he would have to retreat for the time being. 'A brief respite, Duo, that is all you will get. By tomorrow morning, your mind will be mine to control as I choose. And there is nothing you can do to stop me. But you may choose how much pain you will go through before it is done. I can promise you that, if you force me to shred your mind first, the pain will be excruciating and there will be nothing of you left once I am done.'
'I'd rather die than allow you to own me!'
'If you fight me that might very well be the outcome.' the man stated as he began to pull himself from Duo's mind. 'If you surrender though, I will leave a small part of you behind. You will not remember who you were before and there will be nothing for you to miss so you can live a happy life here, for all eternity. Think about it Duo. Either way, I will win.'
With that, Gregory used the last of his own strength to give the braided man once last taste of the pain that was soon to come, leaving the braided man's mind screaming in agony before sending him into blessed unconsciousness. Then, gasping sharply, he sat back, his hand reaching up to rub sharply at his right temple as the sharp pain from being forced from Duo's mind hit him full force.
"Master, are you alright?" Edward asked, his voice coming as if from a long distance away.
"Yes." he answered, his own voice sounding weak and drained to his ears. "Even with his current vulnerability, his guards are still too strong. We'll have to wait until he regains consciousness before continuing."
"How long could that take?"
"Hopefully not too long." Gregory answered. "But until then, I need to rest."
"Of course, Master."
With that, Gregory Chordney stood from the bed with his servant's help and left the room. Behind them, on the bed, Duo's head turned fitfully in his sleep and a single, whispered plea passed over his lips, "Heero, help me."
********************
"Heero, it's getting late." Quatre said in what he hoped with a soothing voice. Ever since Duo had disappeared nearly twelve hours ago, the dark-haired man had been like a man possessed. By that time, they had managed to search the entire second floor of the manor, every room, nock, and cranny receiving the same methodical once and twice over before being search yet again. Now though, everyone was tired and needed a break. Heero was not ready to quit though, and Quatre knew he would continued through the night if he had to, something that the blonde could not allow. "You need to rest."
"I need to find Duo."
"We all want to find him, Heero. But at this rate, we're going to be too exhausted to look for him."
"Then get some rest, I'll keep looking."
"No, Heero." Quatre said, this time firming his voice. He had to make the other man see the truth in his words. "You're just as dead on your feet as the rest of us. If you don't give yourself a few hours to rest, you're going to be of no good to us or Duo."
It was a risky move, using the threat to Duo's welfare, but it was one that Quatre was prepared to use. After all, nothing else seemed to be working.
"Don't try that on me, Winner." Heero practically growled and the blonde could feel Trowa moving a step closer to him. Quatre knew that Heero would not harm him though; he was just worried and becoming desperate at this stage of the search.
"Heero, listen to me." the blonde businessman started as he stepped forward to place a hand on his friend's shoulder, ignoring the deepening glare that was directed at him from those deep blue eyes. "You're tired, you have to realize that. It's already starting to interfere with your thinking and, as a result, your ability to continue the search. What happens if, because you're too tired to realize what you're seeing, you miss a vital clue that would lead us to Duo? Can you risk that?"
Feeling those normally strong and rock solid shoulders slump in defeat under his hand at his words was almost more than Quatre could take. But he held his ground, knowing that if he did not, they would lose Heero far more assuredly then they had lost Duo. Seeing the acceptance in those eyes, he turned his attention toward Wufei, who had been waiting in the doorway to Quatre and Trowa's room and gave him a small nod. The black-haired man simply returned the nod before walking over to take Heero by the arm and lead him from the room. "Rest Heero, just for a few hours. We'll begin the search again soon." he called just before they passed through the door, Wufei pulling it closed behind them.
As soon as they were alone, Quatre felt Trowa closed the small distance between them and wrapped loving arms around his waist, drawing a sigh of relief from him.
"You did the right thing." the tall brunette whispered in his lover's ear.
"I know." Quatre said as he turned in those loving arms and wrapped his own around the taller man. "I just wish I could've done something more for him."
"What else could you have done? You kept him from killing himself, isn't that enough?"
"He's hurting so much, Trowa. He blames himself for Duo's disappearance and I get the feeling that something may have happened between them this morning. Heero's not felt this close to his feeling for Duo in a long time."
"Do you think he told him?"
"I don't know. But god I hope so. Right now, I feel that they both need that reassurance from each other."
********************
Heero allowed himself to be led back to his room without really noticing anything along the way. He could hear Wufei speaking to him and Zechs, who had joined them in the hallway outside Quatre's room, as well. But he simply could not force himself to focus on their words and they simply became a background hiss along with everything else. The only thing that he could think about or focus on was the fact that Duo was not there with him. The longhaired man had become such a large part of his life, starting during the first of the Eve Wars and continuing even after the fighting had ended. How the gregarious and beautiful young man could put up with his standoffish attitude and his inability to share his feeling freely, he would never understand. But he would cherish every day for however long Duo chose to remain at his side.
But now he was gone and the dark-haired man found he simply could not function properly without him.
"Come on, Heero, you need to change out of these restrictive clothes." Wufei's words, spoken in a soft yet encouraging tone, finally reached him and with a sigh, he allowed himself to snap out of his detached state and look around. They had made it back to his room and he was now standing beside the bed that he and Duo had awoken in just that morning.
Without even acknowledging the other two people in the room with him, he quickly shucked off the heavy overcoat he was wearing before sitting down on the side of the bed and stripping off his boots as well. Then, still without saying a word, he pulled the covers and sheets down and slid inside, turning his back to the room and allowing his exhaustion and worry to pull him almost instantly into a deep sleep.
With a sigh of his own, Wufei watched this whole thing with a deep anguish twisting his heart. Never before had he ever seen Heero this upset about anything and he hoped beyond hope that he would never see it again.
"Come on, dragon." Zechs said softly before taking him by the elbow. "Let him sleep. I'm sure he'll feel better after he wakes up."
"He won't feel better until we've found Duo." Wufei countered, but he did not fight the hand that led him from the room. He could feel his own exhaustion pulling at him as well and the only thing he wanted was to curl up with his lover and sleep for the next few hours. Then they would start the search again and this time they would find their lost companion.
********************
"Heero, help me."
That voice, Duo's voice, pulled him from his deep sleep almost immediately; the sound of pain and fear it held, more than enough to clear the fatigue from his mind and bring him upright in the bed. Only, he was not in the bed anymore. In fact, he had absolutely no idea where he was. It was white all around him and for as far as his eye could see.
"Heero, help me." the voice came again, and he no longer cared where he was. The only thing that mattered in his mind was finding the braided man and finding him quickly. So, climbing to his feet, he started in the direction he was sure the voice had come from.
"Heero, help me." Like an echo in a tunnel, the voice continued to call to him, over and over again it repeated. And even though he still could see nothing but the pure white that surrounded him, something inside told him he was closing in on the source of the request so he did not falter; his steps sure and quick.
Then, out of the whiteness, something appeared, urging him to increase his pace to a run and as he came closer, he could make out the shape of a person. A person with long chestnut hair that spilt across the white floor like a blanket of silk. With his target now in sight, Heero put on an extra burst of speed, not stopping until he dropped to his knees beside Duo's prone body.
"Duo." he breathed as he pulled the other man into his arms, cradling his head to his chest before pushing that long hair back from that adored, heart-shaped face. "Please Duo, please open your eyes and look at me."
"Heero, help me." Duo whispered and thrashed his head to the side, his body trembling in the dark-haired man's arms. The sound of fear and anguish in that voice nearly broke Heero's heart.
"I'm here angel, please wake up. Please Duo." Heero answered before pulling the violet-eyed man further into his arms and holding him close. Then leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to those petal soft lips. When he drew back only a second later, he watched in amazement as those amethyst pools opened to look back at him in wonder and doubt.
"Heero?" Duo breathed, one hand coming up to cup the dark-haired man's cheek. At the first touch, a bright smile spread across the other man's face. "You came."
"Whatever it takes; if it brings me back to you, I'll do it." Heero stated firmly as he placed his own hand over Duo's before turning his head to place a kiss on the palm. Then turning his attention to the man still cradled in his arms, he asked softly, "But where are you, Duo? Where can I find you?"
"I don't...." Duo began, his brows pulling down in confusion before turning his head to look around. At the sight of the whiteness that surrounded him, his eyes grew large and he began to tremble once again. "Where...?"
"I don't know." Heero admitted just before Duo suddenly gasped and sat up straight. "Duo?"
"Oh god, Heero." the violet-eyed man exclaimed before turning and throwing his arms around Heero's neck. "It hurts so bad!"
"What, Duo, what hurts?" Heero asked frantically as his hands began to slide over that lithe form, quickly assessing the other man's body for injuries.
"My... my mind. He.... Oh god!"
"Duo! Duo!!" Heero exclaimed as the young man in his arms began to shake violently. As much as he wanted to simply pull Duo further into his arms and hold him until whatever it was had passed, he could also feel that time was running out for them and so, he gripped the violet-eyed man by the arms and pushed him back so he could look him in the face. It was not an easy task since Duo did not want to let him go, but he did eventually succeed and the look of fear mixed with horror and pain that graced that much loved face nearly broke his resolve. He needed to know though and so, slipping his hands up until he was cupping both of the other man's tear stained cheeks, he tilted Duo head up so he could look deep into those wondrous eyes. "Tell me, Duo. What did he do to you?"
"My... my mind, he... he tried to... take over... my mind."
"How, Duo."
"I don't... don't know." the braided man said and shook his head as far as Heero's hands would let him in emphasis. "He... through my eyes... he came in and.... It hurt so much, 'Ro." Duo finished in barely a whisper.
With the new bought of tears beginning to fall from Duo's eyes, Heero pulled him back into his arms. "Shh, I've got you now." he whispered into the top of Duo's head as he ran his hands over the other man's back to try and comfort him.
"He said he was coming back." Duo continued after a moment, his voice, although still weak and trembling, was a bit steadier just from being in Heero's arms again. "He said that if I don't... surrender to him, he'll destroy my mind. He said it would hurt, so so much."
At those words, Heero froze in place, the horror he felt inside spreading across his own face. Duo though, did not seem to notice as he burrowed further into the man's arms. "He said that if I give myself to him though, he'll leave something of me behind and that it wouldn't hurt. But I... but I won't remember anything."
That was all the dark-haired man could take and before he even realized what he was doing, he grabbed Duo's shoulders again and shoved the man backwards, the look of pure fury causing Duo to cringe. "No, Duo. Do you hear me? You've never backed down from a fight before and dammit you're not going to give up now."
"But it hu... hurts, Heero." Duo whispered and the blue-eyed man cursed himself as both the trembling and tears had returned. Once again, he pulled Duo close. He could feel his own tears beginning to threaten, but he pushed them back, he would deal with them later.
"Shh, Duo," he said softly once the worst of the tremors had calmed again. "it's going to be ok."
"Heero?" the braided man whispered after several long, silent minutes passed.
"Hn?"
"I'm scared."
"Me too, Duo." Heero said before tightening his grip. "Me too."
TBC...
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