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"SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND" Written By: Stone Angel
Please see Prologue for disclaimer, ratings and explanations. ^_^ AN: Ok. I want to be clear here.
I HATE Relena. Reason for this: I just can’t stand people who
follow other people around and beg them to kill them. Christ, give
the girl a razor for God’s sake and take her out of my misery.
And she just won’t leave Heero alone so he doesn’t get much
time with Duo. Hate her…hate her… Well, since I detest her
so, she is a player of the annoying kind that she pulls off so well
and has a big role in this thing. You’ll see.
SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND:
'Well.' He stood and walked to the bathroom. 'That's
not until tonight. I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it. I
want to tell her to back off; that I'm taken. I wonder what the look
on her face would be.' He smirked. 'Whatever it is, it would definitely
be priceless. But what if they react badly to whom I chose to be with?
My land lord wants an excuse to kick me out. It would be an easy matter
to fire me. Well, I can find another job if that happens. I hate working
with her anyway.' He turned on the water and waited until it was warm
to step into the shower stall. 'When did Duo say he could come back?
First thing tonight. Good.' Heero showered and got ready to leave for school. * * * Duo awoke at dusk, yawning. 'Oh, man. It's been a while
since I slept a whole day. This is just what I needed. I was so tired
I don't think I could have gotten up and gone to my bed if I had WANTED
to.' He sat up and looked around, eyes landing on the grandfather
clock against the wall. 'Ok. It's a little after Eight. I'm good,
hunting wise. I can just leave here and go straight to Heero's.’
Duo stood and stretched before walking to the door, picking his keys
up off the little table and heading out, locking the door behind him.
He got in his car and headed off the property and towards town. * * * It was quiet at the Record Warehouse. There were hardly
any customers all night. Only two employees and their boss were in
the CD store for much of the time. "...Heero...!" Heero tried ignore the shrill voice that seemed to be
constantly calling his name. 'God I hate her.' The annoying voice continued to try to call his full
attention back to its owner. "Heero...." The girl whined
in a tone that made Heero's skin crawl. "Yes, Relena?" He replied mechanically, not
showing any emotion upon his face or in his voice as he looked up
from his work to her, an expressionless mask over taking his features.
It was either wear the mask or show the true revolt the woman inspired
in him. He hated her, but did not want to be cruel. 'Just go away.
I'm not interested. I applied here to work and make money, not be
hit on twenty-four, seven by a stupid little blonde bimbo who can't
take a hint.' Everyone at Heero's work had never once seen him smile,
frown, grin, or make any other facial expression. He simply didn't
know how to express him self to people he did not know very well.
'Everyone here and at school probably thinks I'm made of stone. But
not Duo. And he's all that matters.' Relena giggled, twirling a small lock of hair, between
her fingers. "So, I looked at the schedule. You're off on Saturday.
You wanna hang out or something?" She shrugged, trying to play
it casual. Heero blinked. "Relena, I would but I have plans
on Saturday." 'And they all involve Duo.' Relena looked hurt. "Oh, Ok. I just thought you
might want to do something. It's fine though." She pouted. Heero sighed. "Look, Relena. I know you're a good
person. And I think you're very nice." Relena smiled at him, obviously thinking he was going
to ask her to go out on a different night. "But..." Her face fell. "I'm involved with someone." He finished and
went back to organizing the CD's. Relena stood there with her mouth hanging open for a
moment before composing herself. "Really?" Heero nodded. "Oh. Who is she?" Heero felt like laughing at her but refrained. 'I don't
want to be fired. Not yet, anyway. And not because of a jealous girl.'
He shrugged. "I go to school with her. She and I have the same
classes." Relena shifted her stance, obviously put off. "I
see..." She turned and walked back the checkout counter where
she was supposed to remain, but seldom did when she and Heero shared
shifts. "Well. It probably won't last very long. You know where
I'll be when it's over." She called over her shoulder. Heero felt himself begin to shake with rage at her words,
forcing himself to calm down before he walked over to the bitch and
decked her. Heero didn't hit girls, but this one was pushing it. 'I
can't believe she just said that. Is her mouth connected to her brain
even a little? How can a human being say that? HOW CAN ANYTHING SAY
THAT?! Is she even human?!' Heero thought about that as he forced
himself to continue putting the CD's in their assigned locations.
To anyone watching, he looked as if he had not heard her. 'No. She's
human. I've met vampires and they're good people. Better than most
human beings I've met. They would never say anything like that. Leave
it to humans to give a good race a bad name, and do bad things themselves
but claim to be saints. I hate ningens. I hate that I am one. Duo
talks about self loathing; he has no idea.' Heero glanced up to the clock on the wall. It was nearly
time to close. 'Thank god! I'll be out of here in fifteen minutes!'
Heero hurried in his work so he could leave sooner and see his lover. * Duo pulled into the parking lot in front of Heero's
building, scanning the parking spaces as he parked in one. 'Che. His
bike is gone.' He wondered for a moment before smacking himself on
his forehead. 'Duh! You stupid baka! He told you he had to work tonight!
How could I have forgotten that completely?! Now what am I gonna do?'
He looked around the dark parking lot as he turned off his engine.
'Well.' A thought occurred to him. 'I have a few basic tools in the
back. I can fix the damn alarm system. Now is as good a time as any.'
Duo stepped from the car and opened the gate, looking
at the small plastic box he kept with him for emergencies. Opening
it he looked around at its contents. Jumper cables, Bioplasma, several
reflective window shades that would ensure that no sunlight penetrated
his car windows should he ever be caught out in the day. A blanket.
A first aid kit including water, rubbing alcohol, bandages, a needle,
things with which he could stitch a large wound together, and a knife
and wooden stake, just for those times he had to go after a mark or
two. Also in the box were many tools. And his favorite item of all.
His black baseball cap. He smiled as he pulled it out of the box, fitting it
over his head as he pulled his braid through the hole above the adjustable
sizing. It pushed his bangs into his eyes more, but he could still
see. He then reached into the box and retrieved the tools. He closed
the gate, popped the hood and looked over what had to be done, rolling
up his sleeves. 'Ok. It's not the fuse. If it was, it wouldn't work
at all. It must be a chewed wire or something. Damn mice. And the
wires are under the hood AND beneath the chassey. This should be fun.Yosha.'
And Duo dove headlong into the fray. * * * Heero smiled, feeling his heart flutter as he pulled
into his parking lot, seeing Duo's car parked there. 'Good. He's here.'
He looked at the car. 'Hn. I never noticed it was white before. You'd
think he'd have chosen a dark color. To blend in or something. Hmm.'
Heero parked in the spot next to the Jeep and quirked an eyebrow at
the open hood. He turned off his bike and stepped to the car. "Duo-kun?" "Down here." Came Duo's reply from beneath
the car. Heero startled and crouched down to look beneath the
car, only to nearly butt heads with Duo as he slid part way out from
under the vehicle so he may see Heero. Duo chuckled. "Sorry." Heero chuckled as well, looking down on his lover. "So,
what are you doing down there?" Duo glanced back under the car and then looked back
up to Heero. "I'm just fixing my security system. The alarm keeps
going off when I set the locks. It's a real problem when I'm trying
to hunt. So I'm fixing it. I'm tired of my car crying out for attention
when I leave for a little while." He grinned. Heero chuckled. "You cook, cut hair, write thesis papers, and fix cars." He shook his head, smiling playfully. "Is there anything you DON'T do?" Duo grinned wider. "Besides sunbathe? Not really."
He said with a wink before scooting back under the car. Duo grunted as he scooted from beneath the car. "I
think I've located it to a faulty wire under the hood." Heero smiled and playfully tapped the bill of Duo's
cap with a forefinger. "Nice touch. I like it. It adds to the
whole 'sexy guy fixing a car' attitude." Duo blushed and giggled. "Hai, hai." He replied
quietly, waving it off as he moved to the front of the car. Heero looked to his hand and saw that Duo had a small
gash on the back of it. He took a hold of it and examined it. It was
deep, but it wasn't bleeding a whole lot. Not as much as it should,
but the blood still ran down to the side of it, threatening to drip. * Duo startled when he felt Heero grab his hand unexpectedly
and then looked to what Heero was inspecting. A bleeding wound contrasted
against his pale skin. He quickly pulled his hand back to himself,
not willing, after what Heero had said the night before, to take any
chances. 'No way, Hee-kun.' "It's Ok." He covered with a
grin. "I didn't even notice. It doesn't hurt." He stuck
the wound in his mouth, turning and walking to the front of the car. * Heero was saddened by the obvious lack of trust he had
inspired the previous night. 'He thought I might try to get his blood.
I suppose I should be mad that he would think that, but I know I caused
the reaction myself. Baka. But…he acted like I had tried it before.
Weird.' "Is it going to be Ok? I have a first aid kit." Duo turned to him, his hand still at his lips. He lowered
it from his mouth and held it up for Heero to see."Naw. It'll
be fine. See? It's almost healed." Heero looked at the wound to see that it was indeed
no longer bleeding and was much smaller than it had been a few seconds
before. 'Segoi.' He watched as Duo let his hand hang in the air. The
wound closed and soon, there was nothing to show it had ever been
there. It was gone without a trace. "Wow. You weren't kidding.
You heal fast." Duo nodded. "Yeah. It comes in handy, this trick
of blood. We use it on the wounds on a target after... Well, it heals
the wounds and there is no trace that there ever were any. We can
also lick wounds closed, but I chose not to. I don't like hanging
around any longer than I have to. The first way is much faster." Heero's eyes widened. "That explains the last thing
about the three on the road." Duo nodded. "Ah." He turned his attention
back to the engine. Heero watched as Duo opened a box and examined the wires
individually. "Ah-HA!" Exclaimed Duo. "There it is.
See?" He pointed to the wire that looked as though it had been
chewed. Heero nodded. "That looks like it has to be soldered
together. I don't have anything like that. Do you?" Duo shook his head and grinned at him. "Nope. I
got something better." He looked about quickly before he held
his hand in the air, palm up. His eyes began to glow dimly. Heero was confused for a moment before he saw what looked
like tiny specks of light gather into the palm of his lover's hand,
merging and becoming a very small ball of white light. "...Duo...
How... Are... You....Doing...........?" Duo grinned wider and moved his hand away from the light,
the strange yet beautiful marble sized ball hovering in air. "Have
you ever heard of 'Ki'?" Heero nodded. "Ah. But I thought it was just an
energy people have within their beings." Duo nodded. "Sou ka. Shikashi..." He seemed
to think for a moment on how to best explain it. "Well, you are
right. It is in the body. But one can also call it forth to be of
use outside the body. We can do this easily. Ningens can't. Yet. But
they will someday, I'm sure." Heero's eyes didn't leave the floating white light.
He watched as it bobbed slightly in the air, reaching out to touch
it. Duo immediately grabbed hold of his hand in a gentle
but firm grip, stopping him. "Heero, if you touch that, it's
gonna burn your fingers." He warned him. Heero dropped his hand to his side. "Segoi..." Duo grinned and placed a forefinger on the small light,
pushing it towards the engine. His other hand took hold of a flat
head screwdriver. Heero looked on in awe as Duo pushed the light onto
the wire, the metal immediately softening and melting together as
the light flickered to nothing. His lover's other hand brought the screw driver to the wire and began to scrape the melted plastic over the cooling wire, covering it to avoid a short. He stood straight when the wire was completely covered and surveyed his work. "Well, it's not perfect. But it'll do in a pinch." He closed the hood and looked back to Heero who's mouth was slightly agape. Duo playfully
reached out and applied pressure beneath Heero's chin, closing his
jaw. Heero blinked and smiled at him. "Wow." "Ah. It's a trip for the first twenty years or
so. Then you get used to it." Duo gathered his tools into a bundle
in his arms. "Aside from this, it really only comes in handy
during a battle with a mark, though. I can't even heat blood with
it. I always end up burning it. It's really hot." Heero followed his lover to the back of the car where
Duo opened the gate and put the tools into a small clear plastic box.
He then removed his cap, pulling it down the length of his braid and
putting it in the box as well. Heero stepped back so Duo could close
the gate before walking to the driver's door. Once the gate was closed,
Heero noticed something over the taillight in the rear window. He
looked closer. It was a collection of black letter decals. He read
them aloud. "Shinigami." 'I remember that. That's what Quatre
called him last night.' Duo stopped and looked back at him, not saying anything
for a few moments, a solemn expression upon his heart shaped face.
He stepped closer and looked at the letters. "That was the name
I gave myself when I had just become..." He trailed off. "I
didn't know what was happening to me. But I knew that I had to kill
every night or I'd accidentally kill those I loved. I... I fucked
up real bad one night. I hadn't fed in days out of fear and stubbornness.
Then I went to see the kids I had spent my whole life with. One of
the younger boys was so exited to see me after the few days I had
been gone, that he sat in my lap and hugged me. After that, things
are a little hazy. ...I...remember my body moving without me making
it. I remember him crying and trying to get away before we went limp.
And I remember the couple of kids that had been playing with him running
away. When I came to, I was alone with the corpse of a friend. I lost
it a little after that." He looked at Heero before turning his eyes back on the
letters. "I called myself 'Shinigami'. 'God of Death'. I figured
it was a fitting name. I killed as a rule of life. The only thing
I couldn't kill was myself." He sighed. "I named myself
that for a different reason, as well. I wasn't Duo anymore. He wasn't
a mass murderer. Duo had died in an alleyway on Maxwell Street. Quatre
found me during that phase and explained everything. After that, it
took a while, but I started calling myself Duo again. The nickname
still held, though. I kept it as a reminder that I could never make
such a mistake again. Ever." Duo looked at Heero. "Don't look at me like that."
He said looking away from Heero's sad eyes. "It happened a long
time ago. I moved on. The name is even a joke between Quatre and me.
It's no big deal. I've killed hundreds. What's one boy?" He glanced
back to Heero from beneath his bangs before looking away. Heero didn't say anything, just embraced Duo tightly. Duo stiffened in his arms for a long moment before embracing
him as well, resting his head, face down on Heero's shoulder. "I don't think you're a god of death, Duo-kun."
Said Heero, quietly. "I think you're an angel." He rubbed
Duo's back softly. Duo didn't say anything, but Heero felt cool wetness
touch his shoulder. Duo was crying. Heero hugged him tighter. "Let's go inside, Ok?" Duo nodded against him, but neither moved for long moments. Finally, Duo dropped his arms from Heero's waist and
stepped back, Heero doing the same. Heero watched as Duo wiped the
tears away with the backs of his hand and gave him a weak and forced
looking smile but did not meet his eyes. "Ok." Heero took Duo's hand and led him up the stairs, Duo
locking his car with the remote over his shoulder as they walked away. When they were both inside the small apartment, Heero
closed the door and locked it. He looked to Duo who was gazing at
the floor, arms crossed, seeming to hug himself. He decided that to
bring up something from his day would be a good idea. The vampire
looked lost, his eyes empty. Heero figured that a change of subject
would be welcome. "So you wouldn't believe this total bitch I'm
forced to work with. She's had a thing for me for months. Ever since
I started there. I work at Record Warehouse. You ever been there?" Duo nodded his head silently, his expression still solemn.
But his eyes were slightly less empty than they had been a moment
before. "Yeah. Well I work with this total bimbo. Her name
is Relena and she thinks she's the fucking queen of the world." Duo smiled slowly. "I've met a few of those."
He said softly. Heero smiled as well. "Yeah, well not this bad,
I'll bet. She talks like she doesn't have a thought in her head for
others. Just herself. I hate that girl." He said enthusiastically.
"She's been hitting on me since I started there. I almost quit
more times than I can count. I talked to the boss but she won't listen
to him and he doesn't want to fire her cause she's his niece. Today
I finally got the nerve to tell her that I was involved with someone." Duo smiled wider and his eyes were that of sincere interest.
"How did she take it?" Heero smiled at him. "She took it the way she takes
everything that displeases her. She waved my relationship with a supposed
girl from school off as a mere fling. Then she had the nerve to tell
me that it wouldn't last very long and that when it was over, I knew
where she was." Duo grinned. "Man. She really IS a bitch. What
do you want to do about it?" Heero looked at him for a moment. "What did you
have in mind?" Duo's grin widened as his eyes sparkled. "Payback." * * * The next night, Heero was at work, stocking albums onto
the wire shelves in the store. Relena was swooning over him as was usual when there
were next to no customers in the place. "So, what ever happened
with that girl?" Heero looked up and smiled. "She's good. She's
thinking of coming in to visit me tonight." He could almost hear
the gears turning in the girl's head as her soulless grin fell, then
was replaced by a smirk. 'Oh, don't even think about it. We so have
you outdone. You'll never bother me again.' He looked to the door
as it opened and a 'girl' with a long braid and tight jeans and high
cut tee-shirt walked in. Heero wanted to laugh uncontrollably at Duo's make up.
It really did make him look just like a girl. And the fact that he
had no body-hair and already looked somewhat feminine most the time
helped. Duo's lips were painted a light pink. His eyes were
lined with a thin black eyeliner and he wore mascara, making his long,
dark lashes seem even more so. His eyes were shadowed in light purple,
accenting his violet depths beautifully. His hair had glitter in it
and a long, silky tendril that seemed to have escaped the braid hung
attractively over one shoulder. The thing that nearly made Heero give
up and laugh uncontrollably, however, was that beneath the shirt,
Duo wore a large bra, stuffed with cotton balls. Heero guessed the
bra to be a C cup. 'I can't believe he's doing this.' He laughed mentally.
'I owe him.' Heero blushed at the thought of all the ways he could
repay his lover for getting Relena off his back. 'We will go all the
way. I'll tell him about the scars. And then we'll make love. And
I'll do my best to please him. Not like last time.' Heero smiled at Duo and walked towards him, embracing
him, feeling Duo embrace him back. "Hi, Sara." "Hi, Heero." Said Duo in a very feminine voice.
No one would have ever known he was a man. Relena approached with a wary smile on her face. "Well,
Heero, who is this?" Heero released the 'girl' and turned to his nemesis.
"Relena, this is Sara." He turned to Duo. "Sara, this
is Relena. She's the one I was telling you about." Relena's eyebrow cocked but she didn't say anything.
She took 'Sara' ‘s hand when it was offered to her and shook
it. Heero smiled. "I have to finish stocking the L's.
You two talk." And so saying, Heero left the two to speak to
each other. 'This is gonna be great.' * Duo looked the girl over. Heero had been right. She
was extremely shallow and self centered; he could tell just by looking
at her. And she was obsessed with Heero. HIS Heero. 'I'll teach you.
This is gonna be an old fashioned beating. The kind where I hit you
a whole lot more than you hit me. Metaphorically speaking.' He scanned
her soul. Though not red, her aura had the potential to be. 'She's
gonna fuck up in the near future.' "So. You're the famous Relena."
He grinned. "I've been wanting to meet you for a while." Relena grinned as well. "Here I am. So... What
classes do you and Heero have together?" Duo faltered. "History. Math. English. The list
goes on. But that's not why I'm here." He grinned. This time it was Relena's turn to falter. Her confident
smile fell for a moment before she stubbornly put it back into place.
"Oh? Then why ARE you here?" Duo put an arm around her and led her outside the building.
"Let's step outside for a sec, K?" Relena looked frightened but nodded and didn't fight
him. Duo sighed. "Relena, this may be a little surprising,
but Heero likes you. In the way I like him." Duo nodded. "See, here's the thing. Heero and I
are intimate. VERY intimate. And we're both open minded about certain
things." Relena's eyes widened. "What...kind of things...?" Duo grinned. "Oh, you're cute. Bed sport, of course." By now Relena's eyes seemed to be as wide as they ever
would be. "....What...do you mean?" Duo smiled sincerely. "Oh, you know, bondage, toys.
Or in this case, something else... Tell me, Dear, have you ever heard
of a 'manage a trios'?" Relena shook her head. "It's a threesome." Relena made a choking sound in the back of her throat. Duo chuckled inwardly. 'I guess I was wrong. Her eyes
definitely got bigger.' "Anyway, Heero and I were talking. You've
been a little obsession of his for quite some time now and we were
wondering if you'd like to join us sometime. Have a little fun. That
is, if you're into that sort of thing?" Relena didn't speak or move for long moments, merely
stared at Duo with comically wide eyes. "Relena? You Ok?" Duo reached out and placed
a hand on her shoulder, caressing it lightly but being careful not
to cause her pleasure. The girl jumped back at the touch, her mouth opening
and closing like a fish for a moment before turning and heading to
the door to the store. "I have to get back to work." She
called frantically over her shoulder. "Ok." Duo called after her. "If you want
to do it, just tell Heero. You know where he'll be." Duo hid
his smirk until she was inside the building and out of sight. Once
his 'target' was out of eyeshot, however, he couldn't help the grin
that broke across his features. "That was great." He walked
to his car and got in through the gate, changing his clothes and taking
off all the makeup. * Heero suppressed a snicker at the look on Relena's face when she walked through the door. "Relena-hun? What's wrong?" He stood in front of her with a
concerned expression. She glared at him. "Don't call me that. I can't
believe I ever made a shrine to you on my dresser! You're a total
pervert!" Heero blinked. "So is that a 'No.'?" Relena shrieked loudly. "I hate you!" She
exclaimed with tears forming in her eyes, running into the storage
room, hiding her face in her hands. The manager walked out of the room and watched as his
niece ran by him crying. "Um... What...? Never mind. I don't
want to know." He turned to Heero. "I'll go talk to her.
Why don't you take the rest of the night off?" Heero smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate this. I hope
she's Ok." Relena's uncle nodded and disappeared to find his distraught
niece. Heero set down his stack of CD's, taking off the shirt
with the company’s logo and putting it in his locker, heading
for the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back to
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