Touched and Bound Part 10
I awoke the next morning to someone standing over us and words that were just beyond the reach of my sleep dulled mind. Blinking my eyes I forced my body to wake up and find out what was going on around me, and found that I'd fallen asleep in a most peculiar fashion.
For one thing, perhaps the main thing, Duo was still sitting in my lap, partially curled up against me and the arm of the couch. His head was resting on my shoulder and one of his hands still clutched at my shirt, as if afraid that I wouldn't be there in the morning holding him. He looked peaceful in his sleep and I wondered how much sleep he actually did get on that bed on the other side of the room. How comforting was it to sleep on a cold bed with sheets that had to be locked away every morning and a pattern he couldn't deviate away from without serious consequences.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I acknowledged the fact that I'd slept comfortably through the whole night as well. How strange.
A second later I noticed that Mari was standing in front of us and she had a large grin on her face with mischievous and wondering eyes. I blinked at her in question but didn't say anything. After all, what does one say when they are found with a girl's father, curled up on the couch? Half of me wondered what she was thinking at that moment. The other half just really didn't want to know.
"Wake up, cutey pie!" She said cheerily as she poked Duo a few times. He stirred in my arms, curling a bit closer at first, then he stiffened, his eyes flying open. I watched his face turn red as he slowly realized where he was, then he ducked his head and stuttered out an answer.
"Morning... Trowa... Mari."
Mariemeia responded with a laugh. "You two looked so cute together I almost didn't want to wake you. Have a nightmare dad?"
Duo's head shot up and he stared at her. "What?! No that's not... I mean... we just..." He sputtered through a few more attempts at answering, then he just quickly stood up and grabbed a pillow from the couch to throw at her. As soon as his hand touched the pillow he faltered and stumbled back into my lap, dropping the pillow to the floor. His body trembled slightly as he shook off whatever had grabbed him at that moment.
"Dad..." Mari watched him carefully, her cheerfulness gone for a look of worry.
He'd touched the pillow and then stopped. I realized that the shock from an unexpected vision must have been the thing that made him fall back. He was so used to wearing his gloves and protecting himself that any time he accidentally touched something and got a vision it shocked him. But if that were the case how strong were his visions usually? I remembered how strong the one that I saw was, it had felt like it was going to make my head split in two. Was it that strong for him all the time? Or maybe even stronger? I suddenly found myself with the urge to hug him again, but this time I stopped myself.
"Are you all right?" Mari asked in concern.
Duo nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be fine... just didn't realize I didn't have my gloves on." He reached forward and took the two driving gloves off the table, slipping them on to his hands. Then he reached down and grabbed the pillow, this time throwing it right at Mari and hitting her in the chest. "Now go to work, you lazy bum!" He said with his usual cheerful grin.
Mari gave a small cry of surprise. "You should talk! You work too you know!"
"I'm taking the day off." His grin widened as he spoke matter-of-factly. Standing up from his place on my lap he waltzed over to the kitchen like a ten-year-old who was amazingly proud of himself because he'd just won capture the flag. Mari laughed as he started to make breakfast, still looking overly proud and grinning like a mad man.
"All right, fine. I'll stop by Quatre's office and tell him." A smirk crossed her face. "Just make sure you close and lock the door if you plan on doing anymore 'snuggling' on the couch. Wouldn't want someone to walk in on something."
I felt my face turn warm in embarrassment at her words and heard Duo drop something in the kitchen. He didn't say anything in response, and neither did I... but then we didn't have too because Mari was too busy bolting for the door so she didn't have to feel our wrath. I stayed on the couch, willing the unwelcome blush on my cheeks away, while Duo just stood silently in the kitchen area.
"You know... it wasn't meant like that... right Trowa?" He spoke softly after a moment.
I nodded, then actually spoke, realizing he probably couldn't see me. "I know."
"Still..." Duo walked around out of the kitchen area and leaned against the counter, facing me, but looking at the floor. "Thanks for spending the night with me. It was... well... to admit it was kind of nice waking up in someone's arms."
"Yeah," I admitted softly, without even realizing what I was saying. But then, there was no point in lying really. Both of us appeared to have slept quite well that night, so what was wrong with admitting that? And the feeling of waking up with someone in my arms, knowing I'd protected them for the whole night, was very comforting indeed. I hadn't minded that the couch was hard or that we'd fallen asleep sitting up. It hasn't mattered. What had mattered was making Duo feel safe and I'd accomplished that. I'd woken up feeling almost proud of myself and something else.
I knew I wouldn't mind falling asleep like that again.
Another blush started to rise on my cheeks, but I quickly banished it away by looking up at him and speaking. "You said I was blank. But I wasn't, because I saw the image too."
Duo frowned a little. "It's not that you were blank, it's just that's my name for it." He paused and walked over toward me, taking a seat on the large chair next to the couch. He propped his feet up on the coffee table. "See, when I touch things I see what they've seen. But there are certain things in my life that I've made 'blank' on purpose. Like my bed sheets, they're blank. That's why I put them in the chest all day long. So when I fall asleep wrapped in them and if I accidentally touch them, then the only thing I see all night long is images of me sleeping and the inside of that wooden chest. See?"
I thought for a moment and then nodded as I voiced my thoughts. "So when you say blank, you mean that you only saw one or two things. But I shouldn't be blank."
"No, you shouldn't." Duo dropped his feet and leaned forward, frowning a bit in thought as he rested his chin on his gloved hands. "But the fact is that you are. You said you saw something? Well, you saw the same image I did, that's also why I don't like touching people, because they see it too for that brief moment."
"I saw a hospital room. I was lying in a bed and there were two people. One, I think was the doctor, was leaning over me. It looked like he was checking the monitoring machines. The other was standing in the doorway, just watching the room and the doctor."
Duo frowned and nodded. "Yeah, I saw them." Then his face turned a bit embarrassed and he leaned back running a hand over his braid. "But I kinda didn't pay attention to the guy at the door. I was a bit too preoccupied with the fact that I'd actually found someone who's blank. I mean, not even Fei is blank..." He trailed off with a nervous laugh.
"I don't like him." I said softly, not even realizing I was really speaking out loud.
"Don't like... Fei?"
I stopped. True, I wasn't exactly a 'big fan' of Officer Chang, but I knew that was simply based on some irrational annoyance that he and Duo had a relationship. While the statement applied to Officer Chang, it wasn't who I'd meant it for. So I decided to clarify. After all, my feelings of jealousy or annoyance weren't something I wanted to share. Because that would require me to admit other facts I wasn't willing to face yet.
"No. The guy who was by the door. I don't like him."
Duo leaned toward me again. "You remember him?"
I shook my head. "Not a memory, exactly. It's more like a feeling. I know I don't like him. I know I don't trust him and... I felt threatened by him."
"That doesn't sound like instinct to me. It sounds like you're starting to remember something you blocked out." He shrugged a bit. "Quatre's got an extensive file on people, with pictures, records and everything. Maybe if you described what he looked like... then we might be able to find him on that database."
I nodded and leaned back against the couch closing my eyes. I remained silent for a while, just picturing that strange strobing vision in my head from the night before. Mentally I found his face in the vision and began to describe him.
"He has red hair. But it's the shade that is more natural, more of a muted red-orange then red itself. I think blue eyes, and his face is angular, very cut and defined in its features. His hair has a slight curl and stops somewhere a bit above his neck line, that's hard to see. He's not wearing glasses and there's no distinguishing marks that I can see. He's not wearing anything strange either. Just a boring business suit and a white trench coat."
I stopped at that, a sick feeling growing in my stomach. After describing what he looked like my stomach seemed to lurch forward. The mental image of the man in my head was replaced, with something much more sinister. It was the same face, but suddenly everything about it was darker and he had more of a sneer on his face, rather then a blank expression. And beside his face was his hand... holding a glowing and burning hot blade.
My eyes shot open and I gripped the side of the couch, uttering a very soft cry. I took a deep breath to calm myself but refused to shut my eyes. I didn't want to see that image again.
Beside me, Duo was completely silent. After I'd managed to calm myself down enough to not drop into a panic I glanced at him, only to find him sitting still, looking very pale. His face held a look of fear that was minimal, while his eyes held a completely different light. In his eyes I could see terror. Pure, painful and real terror that was the kind of look you saw in the eyes of a soon to be murder victim who can only stand in the dead ended alley, watching their soon to be killer stalking slowly toward them. I shuddered a bit at his look and immediately forgot my own strange reaction.
"A white coat?" He asked softly. I could barely hear his shaking voice and had there been any other sound in the room save for the whirling of the fridge, I might have missed it.
I nodded slowly.
Duo stood up quickly from his chair and fumbled his way to the table which he used as his make-shift desk. I watched his legs wobble as he made his way over, worried that he would fall to the ground any second, yet I didn't get up to help him. I was in just as much shock as he was, simply from seeing that expression on his face and how my description had horrified him. He moved with the look of someone haunted, almost possessed by a memory that refused to go away. A memory, which was so terrible that it threatened to rip him apart. I had to wonder if it was something he'd seen from touching me. But then, no, I would have seen it too... wouldn't I?
"Was it this man?" He asked, his voice now turning cold.
I stood up and crossed to the table, relieved to find that my legs supported me much better than his as he was still grasping onto the table for his life by one hand. I took the picture from him.
Staring back at me, from what looked like a torn and copied piece of a professional family photo, was the same man. He had a friendly smile on his face and a general happy manner, which all struck me as completely fake. So fake, in fact, that it almost scared me to know that he was able to smile like that and make others believe his expression meant whatever he wanted it to.
"Yes, that's him."
Duo grasped the table tighter, closing his eyes and taking long breaths to steady himself. As he did this he spoke in a surprisingly stern and commanding voice.
"I need to go to Branch 2, right now. I don't have time to call Mari to come back here and you can't come with. You need to stay in the apartment. Don't leave. Trust me on this. I will be back as soon as I can."
I watched him quietly for a long moment and waited until he opened his eyes until I gave my answer. And even then I gauged my response by the almost pleading look in his eyes, the terror hidden just beneath.
"I'll stay." I said quietly.
Duo seemed satisfied with that and he quickly bolted toward the front door, stopping only for a second to grab his jacket from the rack. Then he was gone and the door shut quietly behind him.
I remained at the table not sure what to do, and unfortunately with only more questions than answers. So I did the first thing I could think of. I turned the picture in my hand over and read the name.
Treize Kushrenada.
~*~
I don't know how long I stood there and looked at the picture in my hand. But by the time I managed to glance away, the man's face was already burned into my mind. Of all the things in the world to strike me as familiar and be the clue to gaining back the memories that I had lost, why was it this man?
Treize Kushrenada?
I sat down at the table and looked through the files lying there. I pulled out the one Duo had retrieved the picture from but didn't manage to find much else. What little was in the folder consisted of his name, his last known whereabouts, and speculations on where he might be now. But considering that he hadn't been spotted by anyone for the last two years, I doubted the speculations held much water. Beyond that sheet of paper and the photo there was nothing.
It wasn't like the real Trowa's folder, or Middi's. Their folders had had family records, work records, dossiers and daily habits and all sorts of information that would make any stalker proud to have. In contrast to those I didn't need to think too long to realize that Treize's folder was surprisingly empty, and there had to be a reason for it. Either it was all confidential information that even Duo wasn't trusted with... or Quatre knew that eventually I might see the folder and he still didn't know enough about me to let Duo bring such important information home.
I slid the photo back into the folder and closed it, abandoning the table to return to the couch. Once there I flopped down and just lay on my stomach, burying my face against the pillow. It took a moment to gather up the courage, but then I recalled the vision in my mind and went through it again with painstaking detail.
In the hospital room, there was nothing to use to figure out why Treize was there. He had no clues on himself to alert me of anything important. He wasn't wearing any scrubs, a lab-coat, or even a name tag, so I knew he wasn't staff. Everything about him was pristine and pressed, ironed to perfection with no wrinkles out of place. And yet, the white trench coat he wore seemed to stand out. Something about that didn't fit. Something about that didn't fit him.
And it sounded familiar-
I bolted up in the couch, wide eyed and staring at the wall. Hadn't Mari mentioned that? A white coat? The killer of her parents. He'd been wearing a white trench coat. And Treize had been wearing a white trench coat in the vision that I'd had because of Duo's strange power. That had to be more then a coincidence, especially considering the look of horror my describing him had caused on Duo's face.
The second vision assaulted me again, and I wavered, dropping back against the couch holding my head. It was strong, and my entire body seemed to scream out in pain as I saw that same face above me, a glowing hot knife in his hand.
I shuddered and shook off the image, heading toward the bathroom. Once there I splashed my face in freezing cold water, which seemed to be enough to shock that image out of my system. Though, I did notice, now that I was able to think clearer, that there was no white coat in that image. Even though I could only see his shoulders and head, and the knife, there was no white coat.
Why wasn't he wearing it in that image? Was it significant?
Out of everything I'd learned from Duo's power, nothing seemed helpful. My only clue was that something important had happened to me at the hospital. Important enough to make me only remember that one moment. And if this Treize Kushrenada was standing in the door at that very moment, then that had to mean he was important in some way.
So the only thing for me to do was to go to the hospital.
In spite of the fact that Duo had told me to stay.
I frowned and considered that, but my mind was already made up. What good would it do for me to stay here in Duo's apartment when I had a lead? What happened if he came back and it was too late to investigate it? I couldn't take that chance. I refused to.
So I took my own coat and headed for the hospital.
TBC...
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