A Shifting of Fortune Part 8
Heero and Duo found no blockade either human or canine on their slow but steady journey back to the Lady's home. Some twenty yards from the basement's outside entrance Duo involuntarily began to cough. His natural defenses, trying to clear his windpipe of the blood tinted saliva building with each swallow, took over violently and with enough strength to cause his knees to buckle.
Disregarding the sore stiffness across his ribs Heero scooped up Duo's feeble form carrying him the rest of the way. He only set Maxwell down when they reached the entrance but still kept a secure hold as he opened the door.
The racking coughs had subsided but Heero did not at all like the raspy tones Duo's chest produced.
"I can walk to my room." Duo insisted even though he was using Heero for most of his support.
Heero didn't argue with Duo's assessment of his obviously weakened state deciding to let Duo try the short walk down the hall. Trowa's door was closed. If he and Quatre were inside they were quiet for Heero could detect no noise or voices.
Kicking the bedroom door shut behind them Heero leaned his hip against Duo while he pulled back the bedcovers. Easing Duo down into a seated position Heero winced at the grabbing pain traveling from one side of this ribcage to the other.
Pulling off Duo's running shoes added to his torment but soon the job was done. "I hope nothing is broken." Heero thought to himself hoping Duo was not aware of his awkward movements.
Duo began to remove his blood stiff shirt but gave up, as the discomfort was not worth the effort. "I must look like a mess." he sighed. In his own state of pain Maxwell carefully laid back thankful the mattress was firm.
Heero shook his head as if to acknowledge the comment but offered no personal opinion of his unexpected ally's appearance.
"Lay quietly while I get some water to clean you up." Heero urged moving with difficulty from the bed. "There is a first aide kit in the bathroom." he muttered as he disappeared through the door.
Suddenly aware of his solitary surroundings Duo's breaths quickened. Afraid that Chang would materialize from thin air with fiery malice exploding from his ebony eyes and bearing frothy fangs, he clutched up handfuls of the sheet fighting to keep from screaming Heero's name.
Not soon enough Yuy returned carrying a bowl of water and the first aide kit. A towel was draped over his shoulder. Seeing Duo's widened eyes, the renewed bout of sweating soaking his bangs, he leaned over for a closer inspection. "Are you all right?" he asked moving quickly to pry Duo's hands from the sheet.
Duo nodded against the pillow trying to push up on his elbows. "Stay still." Heero ordered then went to work wiping away the horrid leftovers of Duo's assault.
Speaking in a muted calming tone and using gentle touches Heero carefully cleaned Duo's face then rinsed out the tainted towel. The water turned deep pink. The odor of stale blood hung heavily in the air.
Duo lay limply doing nothing to either help or hinder Heero's care. The face cleaning finished, Heero moved on to Duo's neck and down his chest. "Let me help you sit up and get that nasty shirt off." he instructed taking Duo's arm.
Duo sat up enough for Heero to slid the sticky material over his shoulders the he propped up on the pillow to stay in the semi-upright posture.
Duo's cross stuck on his chest held fast by dried blood. Heero reached down towards the cross but Duo quickly laid a shielding hand on top.
"All right I won't touch it if you don't want me to." Heero promised withdrawing his hand.
Duo lowered his eyes, "Someone who once cared deeply about me gave me this. It is all I have left."
Heero nodded as he returned to his cleaning. The remainder of the washing went smoothly. Soon Duo was clean if not totally comfortable.
Heero set the bowl and towel on the floor before retrieving the first aide kit. He tore open a packet removing a disinfectant wipe. Now it was Duo's turn to wince as the antiseptic burned in his cuts and scrapes.
Heero knew the healing liquid stung but there was no point in apologizing since it was a necessary part of Duo's treatment. All he could do was be as gentle as possible and try to finish as fast as he could.
After six pads were soiled and discarded the job was about done. Several cuts were deep enough to bandage; the rest were left to heal on their own.
A puffy welt ran along Duo's jaw line becoming sorer by the minute. But the bruised discoloration that concerned Heero the most was the wide expanse across Duo's stomach.
"Oh Duo." he sigh touching lightly the bluish patterns left behind by Chang's fist.
Duo drew in a breath at the raw contact. Heero jerked back his hand whispering his regrets at the pain he caused.
"It's all right." Duo replied taking Heero's hand laying it back on his stomach. "The heat from your hand feels good."
Heero began a series of circular strokes being sure to keep them light. Gradually he widened the range of his nimble finger's path. Duo sighed relaxing for the first time in the pure comfort of Yuy's warm massage.
"Does that feel better?" Heero asked watching Duo's eyes droop as he allowed himself to slowly wind down.
Duo shook his head but said nothing. The only sound was another contented sigh. He turned slightly on his side facing Heero but the twisting about caused his sagging eyelids to fly open as he flinched.
"Duo?" Heero questioned Maxwell's obvious painful reaction.
Duo eased closer, "My shoulder and neck are stiff," he answered "and my head hurts." he added bringing a shaky hand to his temple.
"Let me see." Heero proclaimed turning his attention to Duo's shoulder.
"Here? And here?" he asked letting his fingers caress the knotted muscles along Duo's shoulder and neck.
"What about here?" he asked again trailing two fingers up until they rested lightly on Duo's temple. "Let me undo your braid that should help."
Duo nodded with a half-closing of his eyes. Once more with gentle care Heero freed Duo's ratty braid combing his fingers through the tangled tresses that, despite their unkempt condition, still felt like silk.
"How?" Duo whispered growing sudden sleepy from the stroking of his hair.
Heero continued his expert manipulation concentrating on the nape of Duo's neck, "How?" he repeated the question.
"How did you know where to find me?"
"I saw Trowa and Quatre in the basement as they were going to Trowa's room. Quatre told me what happened and said he thought you would need my help."
Duo sighed as Heero's hands kept up their marvelous maneuvers. "Why?"
Now it was Heero's turn to sigh at the disjointed, hard to follow pace of their conversation. "Why what, Duo?"
"Why did you come?"
"Because I know Chang and what he is capable of doing. I knew you could not handle the madman." he stated with certainty, "That you would be foolish to try." he added letting a slight smile tug at his mouth.
"So now I am a fool as well as a whore." Duo announced drawing his knees to his chest, as he again felt vulnerable.
The sudden withdrawal of Heero's fingers made Duo look up through his stringy bangs straight into the deep cobalt of Yuy's eyes. Their piercing glare made him wish he could burrow into the mattress and pull the bedcovers over him.
But Heero's next action was unpredictable catching Duo completely off guard. Placing his thumb under Duo's chin Heero leaned over lifting Duo's face until their noses were inches apart.
"I don't ever want to hear you use that word again." Heero ordered in a surprisingly tender tone.
Duo blinked in confusion, "What word?"
"Whore."
"But that is what I am, a street-gutter whore."
"Not anymore." Heero declared. "Your heart had already turned away from that life before you came here."
Now Duo's eyes were wide as he stared in amazement, "What do you know about my heart or anything else about my fucking life?" he hissed in anger at Heero's blatant presumption to know anything at all about him.
Heero didn't react to Maxwell's verbal attack but kept his eyes glued to Duo's flushed face. "I saw it in your body language as Chang began to take you." he stated leaning further until his mouth brushed over Duo's quivering lips.
Duo pulled back at Yuy's unexpected move continuing to stare in an astonished state of bewilderment.
"What's wrong can't deny I am right?" Heero challenged Duo to refute the truth.
Tears welled in Duo's eyes. Squeezing them tightly the stinging moisture spilled in shimmering streams over his pale cheeks, "I don't know any other way." he whispered what he believed to be the truth.
Heero's finger intercepted a crystal droplet bringing the shed wetness to his lips. Tasting its salty tang immediately spurred him to want to taste more of the beautiful boy.
Heero touched Duo's lips breathing out what he knew to be the truth.
"You can learn. I will help you." he promised as his tongue slipped inside Duo's slackened mouth.
This time Duo didn't pull away but melted in Heero's embrace as his comforting arms enfolded about Duo's trembling body. The kiss was laced with more tears as their tongues danced together in perfect rhythm.
Just as Duo was about to become lost in Heero's sensual warmth, just as he was about to surrender to the temptation, the realization that his tainted soul would ruin anyone who loved him hit with full force.
"No!" he exclaimed pushing back against Heero's arm's enfoldment. "I won't hurt you too." he declared trying desperately to turn away. He couldn't stand to see the longing in Heero's eyes anymore.
Heero held tightly not giving up an inch. "Please." Duo begged as his strength all but gave out.
A soon as Duo stopped fighting Heero eased up on his gentle but firm grip. "You won't hurt me," he whispered seeing the terror in Duo's widened sight. "You could never do that."
Duo covered his face with his hands to hide from Heero's loving gaze. "I lost my only love because of my selfish attitude." he stated the words muffled by his hands.
"Damn it, Heero, he is dead because of me!" Duo almost screamed as the pain of remembrance lanced through his heart. "Because....of.....me." he choked out the words letting his tears flow freely once more.
When Heero didn't respond, when silence was all that answered his anguished declaration, Duo parted his fingers just enough to search for Heero's face dreading what he would find.
But to his surprise Heero was crying, weeping unashamedly as now his heart was breaking, too.
Duo reached up tentatively touching Heero's wet cheek. Heero laid his hand on Duo's intertwining his fingers, "Tell me." he demanded the whole story, "Please Duo I have to know."
Duo took in a steadying breath and began to recall the most wretched time in his life. "I had my first true lover two years ago. His name was Solo.
Solo knew what I was when we met but he accepted me anyway. Still he pleaded with me daily to stop, he was afraid I would get hurt or worse."
Duo took in another shaky breath wiping his face with the back of his hand, "I promised I would stop and I did for awhile, but the street always called me back. After the third time I broke my word Solo finally gave me an ultimatum that I either quit or he would leave. He said he couldn't bear to have his heart torn again.
Looking back on that night I realized Solo was acting out of desperation, not knowing what else to do. Of course when he confronted me in such a severe manner I immediately went on the defensive.
We had an awful fight. Solo stormed out declaring that I would never see him again. Angry and hurt I left shortly afterwards and picked up the first guy that would go home with me. I would show Solo, yeah, he would know exactly where he and his demands stood with me.
Solo had second thoughts and decided to come back to try to work things out. He walked in on the man and me in bed, our bed. I swear that was the first and only time I ever turned a trick in our bed.
Solo stood silently staring at the defilement I had committed. As his heart finally was rent in two he began yelling, ordering the man to leave, crying and begging me to kick him out. All I could do was pull the tangled sheet around me and weep bitter tears of remorse at what I had done.
The man became enraged at Solo's actions stating he had not received his "money's worth" then threw my infidelity in his face suggesting that Solo stay to watch me do what I did best.
Still, with the evidence clearly before him, Solo refused to believe I would betray him. He staunchly held to his beliefs that he could save me. Solo charged the man cursing and punching, once more begging me to stop not for his sake but mine.
All I saw was a glint of silver before Solo clawed at his middle, before he crumpled to the floor. The man grabbed his cloths and ran leaving his knife behind in Solo's stomach.
Sitting in the middle of my private hell, holding my dying lover, I promised on my own life that if Solo would not leave me I would change.
As my only true love's life flowed out between my clutching fingers, as his pain-racked body convulsed, his voice grew weaker and weaker. Responding to my pitiful plea that he could not die Solo said something that I will never forget.
"Duo my love," he whispered his feeble voice fighting through gurgling fluid flooding his throat as he was drowning in his own blood, "You will always be an angel in my eyes, pure and spotless. Promise me you will always be my angel."
Duo shuddered suddenly feeling cold, "That night the only person who ever believed in me died in my arms all because I was too selfish to care about anything but what I wanted. Because of my damned egotistical pride, my weakness for the wanton sensations of this world, I killed my lover."
Heero began to speak but Duo's raised hand kept him quiet. He nodded silently telling Duo to continue.
"After Solo died I lost my reason for living. I no longer cared what happened. I was no angel but a demon with a soul so damned there was no hope of redemption.
"I took to the streets where I believed I belonged. Night after night I tried to exorcise the demon, doing anything that might ease the unbearable torment if only for a short time. Drinking, drugs, sex; always sex. Anything to escape my self-imposed prison. But the nights grew darker until I lost the last of Solo's loving light.
"A few months later I met a man named Treize Khushrenada who took full advantage of my depressed state of mind and soul. In my complete self-loathing I went willingly to his bed trading one misery for another."
With more tears catching in his voice Duo finished the sorted tale of his life. How he became one of Treize's prized prostitutes and, for a time, his lover. Duo broke down further as he told of his torturous ordeal, his eventual recovery and how he then came to be purchased by Lady Noin.
Throughout the painful recalling Heero remained silent letting Duo take his time until his entire pathetic life story was laid out in all it's sinful glory.
Finally when all of Duo's tears had run out, when nothing but total fatigue had sapped his last bit of fortitude, Heero decided to speak.
"You are not the same person." he proclaimed focusing his cobalt sight directly into Duo's red, puffy eyes.
"I know your heart has changed. You can change your life."
Duo flopped his head against the pillow. His energy was spent. He was now too exhausted to raise his voice higher than a sighed whisper.
"Haven't you heard anything I said? How can you be so certain? I have failed.....so many......times."
The words drifted off as Duo's strength gave out, "How?" was the last thing said before a thorough faintness took his last thoughts and crumpled them inside his weary mind.
"Solo gave you this cross, didn't he?" Heero asked running a finger over the blood tainted symbol of Duo's and Solo's loving union.
"Yes." came the choked reply.
"If you are so sinful then why do you still wear it?"
Duo shrugged redirecting his swollen sight at the far wall, "Out of love." he whispered lowly, "And out of guilt." he finally admitted the whole truth.
"You will always be connected to Solo and his love. Use that love to help you find the strength to change." Heero declared, "Let me help you." Yuy leaned down pulling the bedcovers over his new partner's slender frame. With love's lucid understanding he now saw Duo as his true self. Despite his life of whoredom, one borne from loneliness and despair, Duo was an angel. His soul was still pure, if not, he would not be hurting so badly.
"Heero." Duo began again.
"Shhhh." he answered wanting Duo to sleep. "We will talk later."
Duo pressed to be heard. "We have to leave. Chang will come for us."
"Let him and it will be the last thing he will ever do." Heero declared with no doubt whatsoever in his mind.
"Quatre and Trowa must go, too." Duo stated with the same surety as Heero that none of them were safe.
Duo pushed up on his elbows. The resulting dizziness caused the color to drain from his face as a wave of cold sweat and terror washed over. "Today. We have to leave today."
"We will but we have to make a plan." Heero advised.
"Sleep now. Give me a chance to think."
"But Chang...." Duo began before giving into the encompassing faintness.
Heero lifted Chang's pistol eyeing the weapon with cold calculation, "Like I said before let him come. He has ruined his last life. NO MORE!"
*********
As Heero held his clammy hand Duo settled into a restless sleep. He tightened his hold lying back beside Duo. There were a lot of things that would have to come together if they were to have any hope of escape. A lot of careful planning and not much time.
"Why hasn't Chang come already?" Heero's mind asked, "He is waiting for the right moment." Heero answered aloud knowing all too well Chang's predatory nature.
The hunt was as much a thrill as the kill. No Chang would be patient choosing his own time and place, picking them off one by one. Heero was absolutely certain that Chang would come after him last. After he had killed everyone else, taken all he could, then the bloodthirsty Fire Dragon would come for him.
"Come on you son of a bitch I'm ready." Heero swore.
A soft knock at the door jarred Heero from his thoughts and planning. Raising the gun at the ready beside his cheek, he eased up to the door standing to one side. "Who is it?"
"Duo, it's Quatre and Trowa." Winner called not recognizing Heero's voice through the door's thickness.
Quatre eyes widened in surprise as the opening door revealed the enemy. Trowa stepped quickly between his lover and the man he believed to be a threat. "Where is Duo?" he demanded trying to see around Heero, "What did you do to him?"
Heero could not take offense at Trowa's reaction. Neither he nor Quatre had any means to know how the situation had been altered. "Come in." he said moving aside, "Duo is all right, he is sleeping." he assured Maxwell's worried friends.
"I don't understand." Quatre stated going to the bed to see for himself if Duo was indeed all right.
Heero quickly scanned the vacant hall closing the door's fragile blockade against any intrusion knowing, if Chang really wanted any of them, that there would not be anywhere on the estate they could hide. Nowhere Noin's Security Chief and his murdering horde could not find them.
"It's a long story and we don't have time for explanations. You will have to trust me." Heero replied.
Trowa folded his arms across his chest studying Duo as he slept seemingly content with Heero presence. "I suppose Duo trusts you." he stated looking over at Quatre for some sign he was correct in his assumption.
Quatre shook his head affirmatively as he mopped back damp bangs for his own observation of Maxwell's sleeping form.
Tense silence hung in the air in a dense saturation that made even the act of breathing a challenge. They all knew time was running out. They had to move and quickly if they had any hope of surviving Chang's horrific hunting.
"What do you want?" Heero asked as time pressed for some immediate action.
"This is the last time that Chinese bastard will ever hurt anyone." Trowa declared, "We want to join you and Duo."
Trowa walked to Quatre putting an arm around his partner's shoulders.
"The last time." he swore under his breath pulling his own perfect angel nearer.
TBC...
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