Crimson Ties Part 8
"O-oh my God," Duo sputtered, his eyes growing. His back straightening, he looked on the Infected across from him in a new light, now knowing that he was actually sharing the room with an Original.
To have walked the Earth, for as long as Heero had... it was unfathomable. The braided teenager could only image the things that those cobalt eyes would have seen and experienced over the centuries. From the changes and progress in medicine and science to political shifts and wars, it was as if he was in the presence of a living, breathing history book.
Shaking his head, Maxwell heard himself ask, "How old were you when you became... well, you?"
Heero grinned, "I'd just turned nineteen when my father's trading ship landed on the coast of Spain. My family was well-known for producing the finest of silks and other fabrics from the Asian corners of the world and so we traveled often to sell our wares every year."
Biting his lip, the Vampire's blue eyes finally looked away from the violet pair watching him as he frowned, "I was unwell when we docked, feverish and raw. When I began to cough up blood and was diagnosed with consumption, my parents searched for help to save me when they heard word of a handful of scientists that were looking to cure the disease. The men paid my parents to leave me in their care to experiment in whatever way they wished."
Dumbstruck, the living's jaw fell. "Your parents sold you?" he breathed, his heart sinking for the Infected.
"You have to understand that they did all they could for me up to that moment," the librarian replied, casting his gaze back up again. "The sickness had progressed quickly and there was little chance of my ever surviving. And even with all of the trading that we did, my family was never well off. The money was good for them, so they left me."
Sinking deeply in his seat, Duo's shoulders slumped. Heero was abandoned by his parents the same way he was left behind by his own. The fact that they shared such a personal, profound bond left the braided youth mentally reeling.
With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the Vampire turned his head away again and shrugged, "I've forgiven them for that over the years. But, it did take a very long time. Especially after the change came on and I really did feel alone." A shudder ran through his body as those dark memories came back to him.
* * * * * *
(Flashback)
"His heart stopped hours ago."
"The lungs are no longer expending, either. But he still lives."
Blinking his eyes open, Heero stared up at the cloth ceiling of the medical tent that he had seen all too much of over the weeks since his arrival at what he called the scientists' 'lair.' Beyond the bed that he was strapped in, he could head more hushed voices speaking anxiously as they rattled off a list of strange findings.
The sounds of coughing and moaning filled the rest of the air along with the occasional scream of pain. Thick scents of blood, ether, sweat and other smells of the proclaimed 'hospital' could be felt through the skin along with actually being smelled, they were so strong.
But the most powerful of those was the presence of blood. And strangely enough, that usually nauseating smell was somehow welcoming.
How could it be that a person could live if their heart was no longer beating and their lungs no longer breathing? Whoever that poor soul was, the teenage boy felt for them. After being shot up with chemicals for days, himself, he feared what might come of his own body.
A stifled whimper broke from the bed beside his own. Slowly turning his head, Heero looked to the Latin boy that he'd come to know over the course of his stay as they were taken in at the same time when their consumption symptoms worsened. A fall of brown bangs covered half of the other patient's face, but his visible eye was closed tightly as though he was in agony.
"Trowa?" the unruly-haired boy called. Thanks to his family's travels, he could speak nearly every derivative of Spanish as well as most languages in Europe. Speaking in the tongue that his companion would understand, he questioned, "What is it?"
His body shaking, the other teenager kept his eyes squeezed shut as he whispered, "They are talking about me. Even as I talk to you now, I do not need to breathe. And I cannot feel my heartbeat." A sob bubbled from him as he asked, "What is happening to me?!"
Opening and closing his mouth for words of comfort that he could not find, Heero remained frozen in fear. Then, Barton turned his pale face to look at him. Gasping at the sight, he stuttered, "T-Trowa... your eyes... they have a ring of gold around them."
The strange, gold-rimmed eyes widened on him as the Latin breathed, "So do yours."
Stunned, Yuy remained still as stone in his restraints. That... that could not be! If he had the same strange symptom as his fellow experiment, then did that mean...
Terrified as he was, Heero should have been able to feel his heart racing in his chest. But now that he was concentrating for the feel of it, there was not one single, solitary beat. At that same startling realization, he realized that he had not taken a needed breath the whole time that he lay there.
Why was he not breathing?! What happened to his heart?!
Madness sunk in quickly. Arching his back in desperation to free himself, the harnesses only bit into his skin all the tighter as he closed his eyes in effort.
And when his mouth opened again, he released a horrified scream.
(End Flashback)
* * * * * *
Shuddering at the recanting of that experience, Duo rubbed the front of his neck, muttering, "Damn. I don't know how I would have handled that. So, what happened after that?" he questioned, leaning towards the Vampire. "I'm sure the scientists would have been scared shitless by you and the others when they made their discoveries."
Nodding, Heero's cobalt eyes shifted as he returned to those terrible few days. With a deep breath, he stated, "By the dozens, those of us that had been experimented on were experiencing the same changes. There were methods taken to see what actually would kill us, if the shutting drown of our bodies wasn't doing the job."
Gasping, Maxwell exclaimed, "They started killing you?! But that's-"
"They were scared and they wanted to know what they were dealing with," the Vampire defended without looking back at the wide-eyed teenager. In little more than a whisper, he continued, "It didn't take them long to find out that exposure to the sun would make us dissolve into thin air. By then, the shift in us progressed and the need for blood became more and more prevalent in our thoughts."
He paused and looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap and he frowned deeply, "One of the patients lashed out at one of the doctors that was trying to sedate him and he ended up having a pair of fangs dig into his neck. Within seconds, the old man fell dead... completely drained of his blood. And it was decided by our captors that we all needed to be eliminated immediately."
"What else could we do but defend ourselves?" the Infected asked Duo as much as he seemed to ask himself as he stared forward. Shaking his head, he groaned, "They were pushing the beds of the patients out of the tent and into the sun." He paused to swallow roughly before he breathed, "I can still hear the screams of the ones that were taken."
Running a hand through his unruly hair, Heero sighed, "We learned pretty quickly from the one Infected that they were having a time containing- the first to take a human life. Our bodies were stronger than we'd ever imagined and so our restraints were easy to break through. And any doctor or scientist that tried to fight us was killed, drained by the need for their blood that had awakened in us. Within seconds, they were all dead and we were on our own."
Lightly rubbing his hands together in a nervous gesture, the Vampire looked to the human beside him and said, "I don't want to give you any more details than that. What we did that day, what we had to do if we wanted to survive still torments me even after all of these centuries."
Sinking even more heavily into the cushions of his end of the couch, Duo murmured, "What happened then?"
A small smile curved Heero's mouth and he stayed focused on his Other as he answered, "We waited for darkness to fall. And we ran... faster than our human bodies ever could until we reached the mountains where we hid for years. Before long, our rare sightings made us the things of ghost stories passed on from humans to their children to keep them from wandering out alone at night."
The Infected took a moment before he told the braided youth quietly, "You're the only human that I've ever told this story to." Shaking his head, he laughed bitterly, "And so I've only supported your beliefs that we're nothing more than monsters... the scourge of the Earth."
Duo didn't even realize that he had closed the distance between them until he felt the cold flesh of the wrists that he'd gripped onto. Cobalt eyes grew as wide as his own when their gazes met. "Y-you're not a monster," the living heard himself whisper. "Not for that... not for wanting to survive. Like you said, what the hell else could you do but defend yourselves?"
And who the hell was this person that was actually comforting an Infected?! Torn in every way, Maxwell almost trembled with how at odds his emotions and his instincts were at war with each other.
In the end, his desire to help the creature that he held onto won out.
"Look, those things that I said, I..." Duo's voice broke and he shook his head and sighed, "Well, maybe I did mean them because of the things that I've been through. But I admit that I've never really given your kind much of a chance. This was the first time that I've ever heard anything of what it was like for you and the other Originals who were toyed with by men who wanted to play God. None of those things were your fault."
For the second time that week, it was as if a huge weight was lifting from his chest. This whole 'letting go' bit really did have its perks, even if he only released some of that anger and hate. And it was so much easier than he ever thought it'd be.
Heero's eyes blinked as he glanced down at the warm hands around his wrists. Slowly, carefully so as not to startle the teenager and break the moment between them, he turned his palms up so that their fingers could lace together.
The sensations running through him were every bit and more of what Anna had tried to describe to him when he wished to know what it was like to be touched by Wufei, her true match. It was as if electric pulses were pulsing through his whole being, strengthening him... completing him.
In that instant, Duo had to remind himself to breathe as those gold-flecked eyes locked back onto him. Fighting the racing of his heart, he dampened his throat before he asked, "So, what about that other boy, Trowa? Was he able to escape?"
"Ah," the Vampire smiled. There was the slightest hint of tension in the boy's shoulders when they continued to hold onto each other. Reluctantly, Yuy released his hands to keep his Other from growing uncomfortable with the contact. The corner of his mouth curling up, he smirked, "Actually, Trowa and I stayed close."
Gesturing to the windows behind them, he informed, "Not far from campus, we took up a cluster of mansions where our respective families now live. Trowa and I came to consider each other like cousins and call each other as much. Since we went on to escape our hell, we'd traveled the world but never stayed far from each other."
Two Originals. And they were here.
Duo straightened his back and allowed that information to set in. To think that he was one of the few living to know that he was in the presence of such old souls that had been a part of the world for as long as they had... he couldn't help but feel honored.
And there was still so much more to know. Hell, even in his lifetime, the braided teenager knew that he would never be able to learn everything that the Infected had to share.
But somehow, learning more about the librarian's family was more important. Maxwell assumed that was because he grew up without a normal family of his own. "You said you both have respective families?" he began. "I'm assuming that you mean Trowa has his own Companion while you have Anna?"
Chuckling, Heero nodded, "Trowa went back to his homeland not long after we went into hiding... when we realized the effects that biting a human had in making them one of us. That was the longest that he and I were ever parted."
A wistful smile spread across his face at the more pleasant memory as he went on, "When he returned to the mountains, he surprised us all when he brought along Midi whom he'd turned. The two had been sweethearts for years when my cousin came down with consumption. He never stopped thinking about the love he left behind. And I had the honor as serving as his Best Man at their wedding a few years after her joining us. There are few couples more suited for each other than they are."
"Midi is a natural, mothering creature," the Vampire complimented. "She doesn't have a single mean bone in her body and she is a voice of reason to anyone that goes to her for advice and someone to talk to." He snickered, "Her only downfall is that she is a fretter, but she does more harm to herself with that."
The braided teenager smiled widely, his checks warming as he listened to the Infected tell of his family. "What of Anna?" he asked quietly, leaning back, comfortable against the back of the couch. "How did she come into your lives?"
His smile instantly fading, Heero bit his lip and stared at the floor. Visibly shaking, he answered softly, "I turned Anna under... terrible circumstances more than three centuries ago. That much is very hard for me to discuss as it's something that I never wish to relive because of what she went through."
Duo frowned deeply, blinking in surprise in hearing that the same redheaded Infected Heero had shared such a sweet, loving reunion with was not created under happy circumstances. It was definitely a story that he hoped to hear some time to better understand the eternal youth that he seemed was forming quite the attachment to.
With a deep breath, Yuy looked back to the teenager, smiling, "However, the moment the transformation was complete, Anna quickly became one of the best things in my existence. In many ways, we're complete opposites. I prefer to be alone and she prefers to socialize. I'm methodical and she's rash. I tend to lean towards being quiet and safe while she's bold and fearless. We balance each other."
"For a long time, there was no one that I could consider tied to me when she came along," Heero shrugged. "And I really didn't think that I needed anyone before I met Anna. She really made me... live more than I had even when I was a human. I love her deeply and there is not a thing I wouldn't do for her, and I know without doubt that she feels the same for me."
He smirked, "A lot of your personality reminds me of her, too. I think that the two of you would become fast friends if you ever met."
Simply listening to the description of the female Vampire had Duo inclined to agree with the suggestion. Chuckling, he gave a small nod that was meant to keep that much of the dialogue open.
Dealing with just Heero was one thing, after all. He was harmless and easy to talk to while the living didn't have the slightest idea how he would handle being around others.
"Then there's my brother-in-law, Wufei," the Infected announced. "Anna turned him as the last accepted Vampire at the time of the pact between our races, making him the baby of the family and of our kind." Raising a finger, he snickered, "Don't ever let him know I called him that, or he'll have both of our necks."
His hands raising in the air, Maxwell chuckled, "Mum's the word."
Nodding, Yuy laughed, "Good. There are few things in this world that are more threatening than Wufei's temper. And nothing sets him off faster than feeling undignified. The only person who can go toe-to-toe with him and rein him in is Anna. Like Trowa and Midi, they're a perfect match for each other. And the fact that we share the same blood now only makes our connection all the stronger."
Duo tilted his braided head as he questioned, "How did they meet? What was it that made Anna turn him?" As soon as the question left his mouth, he regretted in by the way the Vampire's mood saddened again.
"That is something that would not be my place to ever say," the librarian replied. "Perhaps some time, if you ever get to know them well enough, they'll tell you. But where Anna's turning was difficult enough to bear, her bringing Wufei in was almost an unbearable burden on my whole family."
Swallowing roughly, the living played with the end of his braid. He never would have imagined Infected as having their own heartaches and struggles. It made him feel guilty for being so consumed by his own challenges that he didn't consider their having struggles in coping through their existences.
Heero's smile returned as he reassured, "The road to where my family is now has been a long one, but it's been more than worth the darker times. I couldn't imagine going on without any one of the four of them. Even more than the tainted blood in our veins that we have in common, we're tied through the experiences and trials by fire that we've endured together. So long as there is one of us, the others will never be far."
The braided teenager hummed quietly, a grin warming his face. "That's... really nice that you have that." And for once, he could say that he was happier for the Infected than he was envious in any way. In a strange way, he was almost relieved to know that Heero had such a supportive lot surrounding him.
Glancing at the wall clock, the Vampire sighed, "Well, that's all I'll be able to go into that now that my break's up." He paused, as if debating something before he met the violet eyes on him and offered, "You know, you're always welcome to my home to meet my family if you're ever interested. They're always welcoming of company."
'Nope. Thanks, but no thanks,' Duo's mind supplied. But instead, he heard himself ask, "Tonight, maybe?"
Shit!
Where the hell did that anxious response come from?! He even sounded excited by the invitation!
Cobalt-and-gold eyes widened in shock. And for the first time, the librarian seemed at a loss as he stammered, "Oh, us, t-tonight?" Quickly fighting to collect himself, he chuckled, "Well, I would really like to have you over so soon, but Midi would find a way to kill me if I didn't give her more time to prepare for your visit being the womanly home-maker type that she is."
Biting his lip, he suggested, "But tomorrow night would work, if you'd like. You know my shift ends around the same time you get out of Literature for your final class."
'Shit, no!' the instinctual voice yelled in Duo's mind. Smiling widely, he shrugged and almost cheered, "Great!"
Fucking hell!
Who was controlling his motor skills, because he couldn't have actually wanted to spend time with a whole damned family of Vampires... could he? Whether he liked it or not, he answered that question himself when he was rewarded with one of the brightest smiles that he'd ever seen on the Infected's face.
It was like the sun breaking through the clouds.
Rising to his feet, Heero laughed, "All right, then. I'll tell the others tonight so that they can plan their work schedules to be home so they can meet you."
"Sounds good," Maxwell grinned as he stood. Before he leapt out of his crawling skin, he saluted, "Well, I'll let you get back to work. See you tomorrow."
And in a near bolt, he grabbed his windbreaker on his way for the door to open it and head from the library without really paying attention to his surroundings until he felt the cool rain hitting him when he stepped outside.
Gasping from the shock of the spray, Duo reached up to wash his face with his dampened hands. "Holy shit," he muttered against his palms. "What in the hell am I doing to myself?" There was no backing out of this one. Even if he wanted to stay away, he knew that he would never be able to go through with it.
Every time he was around Heero, he only wanted to be closer. So, his fate was sealed. He was going to be spending time with a whole family of Vampires.
But he didn't know what scared him more- the fact that he was in this new predicament... or the fact that a little part within him was sincerely looking forward to the opportunity.
TBC...
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