"SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND"

Written By: Stone Angel

 

Please see Prologue for disclaimer, ratings and explanations. ^_^

AN: (Looks up from book.) Hey! You're still here! Wow. You MUST be patient. Good on you.

Yes, I hate this chapter too. Of all of them, this one is my second most despised. I hate this bit with a fiery vengeance. It's so freaking hokey and just total crap. But, again, necessary. If I just deleted this part(which I did TWICE before returning it) you'd be very confused later. I'm working on an alternative part to the crappy part in this chapter but don't expect anything anytime soon. I'm a busy woman.

 

SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND:

CHAPTER 3: MIND'S EYE

Ok. Eisenhower. Eisenhower.' Heero looked down at the nearly blank page on the table in front of him. 'Mou!!! I've been working on this for three hours! And the only thing I have so far is "Eisenhower"?!' He thought furiously. He glared at the paper for a few more seconds before taking another huge gulp of his coffee. 'This would be so much easier if we were allowed to type it. But, no, we have to have a hand written thesis paper AND a typed one. This is ridiculous.' "Oi, Duo, how ya doing in there?" He asked over his shoulder.

"I'm doing Ok." He replied from behind him. "Thanks for letting me read the book."

"Not a problem." Said Heero.

*

Duo lay sprawled over the couch, a Jack London book in hand, eyes drooping shut for a moment before he shook his head to wake himself up.

*

Heero had been doing much the same thing. 'I didn't get enough sleep.' He thought. 'Well, who the hell could?! I nearly witnessed a trio of murders, got drunk off my ass, met a vampire, and fell in love with him. All in the same night. Who WOULD be able to get a full night of sleep?' He felt himself grow even more exhausted. 'Ok. I have to do this. WAKE UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!'

"Hee-kun. Can you stop shouting? You're hurting my head." Came Duo's voice from the couch.

"Gomen. I'm just really tired." Heero said sleepily.

"Me too." Said Duo with a yawn.

Heero heard the couch creak slightly and shuffling footsteps make their way towards him. He turned around to see Duo preening his braid and walking to the kitchen with half mast eyes. "You look tired. How much sleep do you usually need?"

Duo picked up the pot of Coffee and poured some into the mug Heero had given him to use. "Almost all day." He replied as he turned around and sat next to Heero at the table.

Heero watched amazed as Duo drank every last drop in one drought.

Duo grimaced. "Mmm. Cold AND bitter. Splendid."

Heero shot him a halfhearted snide look. "How did you drink all that in...? Wait, I know the answer to that." He said, ducking his head back down and reading more of the history book from which his assignment was based.

"What are ya doing?" Asked Duo, standing up to walk back to the coffee and get another cup.

"I have to do a thesis paper about Eisenhower. It's an easy assignment, I just can't think. I'm trying to do the outline right now. Then I have to do the first draft. Then the second. And then the final. And so far all I've got is this." He held up the paper to Duo when he sat back down next to him.

Duo slammed the second cup of coffee down in one gulp and grimaced again. He set the cup down on the table. "Have you thought of sleeping for a while and coming back to this?" He asked looking at the text book aside the paper that was so thick it looked as though it could have been made of an acre of rain forest. "Looking at it with fresh eyes can help a lot of times."

Heero took a sip of his coffee. "This is all just a clever ploy just to try to get me into bed, isn't-" Heero stopped and blushed.

Duo's eyes widened and he looked at the table and blushed deeply.

"I...I meant, 'to try to get me to sleep'." Heero stuttered after a moment.

Duo moved past the uncomfortable subject with grace and a grin. "Ah, you found me out. Yes. You need sleep. I think you should get some."

"I can't." Heero defended in a whiney tone. "I have to finish."

"Suit yourself." Duo said in a chirpy voice.

Heero watched as Duo walked back to the couch and flung himself onto it, grabbing his book from the table in mid air and twirling in the air on his side gracefully to land on his back. He held the book above his eyes and opened it to the page he had been reading, resuming as if he had never stopped. 'How does he move like that?' Heero wondered. 'I guess it comes with the territory.' "Well, you seem chipper. I guess my coffee, if not good, is at least strong." He said to the book that was visible over the back of the couch.

A pair of purple eyes rose to be visible as well as the book. "Yep. Coffee has an effect on me. Not a big one, but it's there. Arigato. It helped." Duo replied.

Heero looked down at the paper on the table. He continued to stare at it for a few more moments before rubbing tired eyes. 'Why isn't that coffee kicking in for me?' He felt his head dip, the muscles in his neck crying for rest. 'Ok. I'll just rest my eyes and neck. Just for a minute. Then I HAVE to get to work on this. I can't afford to fail this class.' Heero laid his head down on the book in front of him. 'Just for a minute...'

*

Duo read the book for another half an hour before standing to stretch his legs. He glanced over to where Heero sat at the small dining room table.

Heero was hunched over, head lying on the large textbook. The pencil he had held in his hand, rested against it, having fallen from the lax grasp he had had upon it.

'He fell asleep.' Duo thought with smile. 'Well I can't say I wouldn't do the same. I know what he went through last night. This was a shocker to me, too. It must have been REALLY weird for HIM.'

He moved over to where Heero slept and gazed down at him. 'He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. He's still got a little bit of that scowl, but he looks... Cute.' Duo bent down and kissed the top of Heero's head.

Heero moaned slightly in his sleep and shifted in his chair.

Duo smiled sadly and pet his hair. 'He's not used to physical affection. I think he likes it.' He stroked Heero's hair gently.

Heero moved his head to press it against Duo's hand.

Duo froze. 'Shimatta. Did I wake him up?' He looked fearfully down at Heero.

Heero began to rub his head against Duo's hand when it had stilled.

Duo smiled and resumed his previous activities, petting and playing with the thick, dark brown locks under his fingers. 'I could do this forever. Hee-kun. I hardly know you, but you mean so much to me. How did you do that?'

Heero moaned again and raised his head, opening bleary eyes to Duo.

Duo jumped back, eyes wide.

*

Heero awoke at the feel of a hand petting his hair gently. He looked up to see Duo staring at him with a ...fearful?... look. He rubbed his eyes. "I fell asleep?" He asked.

"H-Hai." Duo replied.

Heero noticed that his scalp felt strange. Nice, but strange. He rubbed at it briefly, tousling his hair and causing the feeling to leave for the most part.

"Gomen, ne?" Duo said meekly from his side. "I couldn't help it."

Heero recalled what had awakened him. He blushed. "You were petting me?"

"..."

He looked to Duo who was staring intently at the floor, his skin pale. 'He thinks I'm mad at him. Man, he's got almost no confidence when it comes to contact or confrontation. Or is it just that he doesn't know me that well?' Heero smiled at him. "What am I a cat?" He asked jokingly, trying to give Duo cause to believe he was not angry with him.

Duo chanced a glance upwards to meet eyes with Heero. Catching the smile, he smiled as well. "Iye. Omai nekko nai. Omai kawai desu ka."

"What. You don't like cats?" Asked Heero yawning.

Duo grinned. "Hey, I'm fine with cats. I'm more of a dog person, but cats are cool, too. It's just... You're cuter." He blushed.

Heero smiled at him before a memory came to him from the night before. He scowled at the table. "Um, Duo-kun?" He said slowly. "Why did I suddenly want you to drive me home last night?" Heero looked up to Duo, pondering what could possibly have changed his mind.

Duo seemed to shrink back slightly. "I...."

Heero watched as Duo took a small step back. His eyes widened as he remember glowing amethyst. He rose from his chair. "You used that mind control crap on me, didn't you?!" He pointed at Duo accusingly.

Duo looked back at him, eyes sad and fearful at the same time. "Hee-kun..." He straightened and set his jaw, resolve overtaking his features. "You were thrashed. If you had driven home, you'd be dead. You mean a lot to me. I liked you from the moment I met you. I didn't want you to end up dead like almost everyone else that was ever important to me." He closed his eyes and raised his chin in the air, as if expecting a blow, but wanting to take it with grace. "I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't want to. But you left me no alternative. If I had to make the decision again, I'd do nothing different."

Heero gazed at him, his anger cooling to nothing.

*

'Hee-kun, I'm sorry.' He thought as he squeezed his eyes shut automatically. 'Boys don't cry. Boys take what's coming to them. Boys don't cry.' Memories of his father came to Duo's mind. Duo waited moments before opening his eyes slowly.

*

Heero gazed at the floor thoughtfully. "Well... Thanks. I know I would have killed myself. I just...feel..." 'Violated.'

"Gomen nasai, Heero-kun." Duo said with large, sincere eyes. "I know it's weird when that happens. I won't do it again... Unless I have to."

Heero looked up at him for a moment before sitting down again. He looked back to his paper. "Ok." 'It's not like I can do anything to stop him. All I can do is trust his judgement. I mean, I'll know if he does it again. Right?'

"Hee-kun?"

Heero looked to Duo who gazed at him timidly. "I'm not mad, Duo. I just feel a little tricked is all."

Duo and Heero gazed at each other for long moments before Duo stepped forward a few paces and took his seat next to Heero. "Hee-kun. What if I made it up to you? Showed you that I trust you, too."

Heero swallowed. 'Is he talking about sex? It's too soon.' "How?"

Duo gazed at him. "I'll lower my shields and you can see into my mind as I can into yours."

Heero was instantly interested. 'This could get weird, but I want to know what he's like unguarded.' "Yosha."

Duo smiled sadly. "Ok. What you need to do is clear your mind. Then focus all of your mental energy on me. Think you can handle it?" He asked with a nervous grin.

"Hai." Heero smiled. "Ok. Here goes." He closed his eyes and concentrated on what Duo had said to do. "Duo-kun, human's aren't typically physic."

"Actually, all humans have the potential to be. Some have unlocked it, most haven't. Becoming...what I am, unlocks it. All you have to do right now, though, is concentrate, I'll do the rest, Ok? Concentrate."

Heero's brow furrowed with the effort. He felt a pull at his mind and jumped, opening his eyes to gaze at Duo who's eyes glowed slightly. "Gomen nasai. I...startled."

Duo grinned, eyes still glowing violet.

Heero shivered. 'He looks the way he does when he grins normally, but this is eerie, the way his eyes are glowing. It's eerie but...beautiful at the same time. That sums him up well I think.'

"It's Ok." Said Duo, still grinning. "Try again. You're gonna feel a pull. That's me. And it might feel like you're falling. It's Ok. I won't let anything happen to you. Ok?"

Heero nodded and closed his eyes again, concentrating. He felt the pull again and followed it. It led him to Duo. After a short moment, he felt as if he was standing before a pair of large double doors. He felt at them. They opened slowly and he looked inside. Past them was pitch blackness.

He stood and stared at them for another moment. 'Do I want to do this?' He asked himself hesitantly.

It's Ok, Hee-kun. I invited you. Come in.

Heero hesitated another moment before stepping across the threshold.

*

Duo opened his eyes and looked to Heero, who's eyes were closed and looked as if he were asleep but sat straight in his chair. "Hee-kun..." He said lovingly. "I hope this is Ok."

*

Heero felt around in the dark. 'Why isn't a light coming on?' He felt something that seemed soft and drew his hand back quickly in alarm. It was like a breeze or a...thread? He reached for it again and felt at it as it passed over his hand. He could feel it but not grasp it, like a ray of sunlight through an open window. Thoughts came to his head. They originated from the strand that was intangible yet there. They were taken completely out of context. 'This is like reading.' He read more from the strand. It was vague at best but it said all it need say. 'Duo hates the word "Vampire". He finds it degrading and offensive. He doesn't want to let go of his last shred of humanity. He thinks it's all he has.'

The strand dispersed and Heero was confused for a moment. He felt around for it but encountered a different one. 'There's more than one. I wonder how many...?' He touched the center of the strand and read what it had to say. 'Duo loves his car. Ok, I can understand that, I love my motor bike.' He reached for the next strand when that one dispersed. 'Duo hides behind his jokes. His grin is a mask for him. His nature is shy. He hides from everybody. ...Except from me.'

The strand dispersed and Heero moved on to the next. 'Duo misses the sun. I would, too.'

Next. 'Duo had a friend named Solo. He... Looked a lot like me. Duo... Loved him. Like a brother. A best friend. But he always wanted to go further than that. He feels like Solo is around when I am but he died shortly after Duo was made.'

The next. 'Duo was a thief. And a whore. But, like he said, he didn't do any of this for himself. He did it for Solo, and the other children he ran with. He hated it. It destroyed his confidence, self esteem and, for a while, his sanity. Duo-kun...'

The next. 'Duo loves killing bad vampires. And hates it. He likes the fact that he's doing good, but hates them and the fact that he has to kill them.'

Next one. 'Duo loves music. It calls to him in a primal way. He can't resist a good song. He has to listen to music or talk to either himself or those close to him to keep...the voices?...from talking and driving him insane. Duo-kun...'

Next. 'Duo hated the taste of blood before he was made. He still hates it. But...he loves it. He knows he needs it and hates being dependant on it, but, being a vampire, he loves the taste. But he doesn't want to. Wow, this is complex.'

Onto the next one. 'Duo hates his father. His father abused him for years until Duo finally left. He was happy when he heard he had died.'

Heero felt the next strand. 'Solo loved Duo's braid. Was the first to braid it; That way, it wouldn't get in Duo's eyes when he ran.'

Next. 'Duo is still traumatized from becoming a vampire. He still harbors hatred for the one that made him. He even tried to find him for years to either kill him or let the other kill him. He still looks for him every now and then but has never seen him since. He can't stand being a vampire. Loathes it. He tried to die several times when he was first made, but couldn't kill himself. He is scarred from the change. ...And something that happened afterwards? What happened?'

The next strand. 'Duo loves swimming. Most vampires do.'

Heero read the next strand. 'Duo often gets drunk on blood. It's like alcohol in that effect. Ok, that explains last night. He was forthcoming and then timid. I guess he sobered up.'

The next. 'Duo constantly looks over his shoulder to make sure he is safe. He is constantly afraid of being attacked. He hates crowds for this very reason. He is paranoid. He wants to trust, but is too afraid.'

Next strand. 'Duo was unable to read Solo after he was made. It was the same as me. Neither of us seem to have auras. How strange.'

Heero read the next strand. 'After Duo was made, he accidentally fed on one of the children he ran with. He was new, starving and confused, partially insane. The boy died and he panicked and ran from the group. He shies away from people because he is afraid he'll do it again. But I was so much like Solo that he had to see me. He couldn't find me easily. He had to track me with his sense of smell and let his instincts guide him. He is usually fearful of human contact for that fact and the fact that people die so easily. Duo-kun.

Heero felt for the next strand and read it. 'Duo loves me. He loves me so much it scares him. He would do anything for me. He would walk to the ends of the earth, night and day. He is unused to feeling for people that way, and that makes him a little uneasy. But he wants to pursue the relationship. He is scared, but he thinks he can trust me. He wants to. ...Duo is in love with me. I love you, too, Duo-kun. Trust in me.'

Heero felt a pull and followed it. He felt himself rising towards the real world as if in a pool of deep water, rising to the surface.

Heero opened his eyes. He looked to his side and gazed at Duo who looked back with a timid expression and wide eyes. Heero smiled brightly at Duo, who simply stared back. "I love you, too, Duo-kun." He said aloud this time. "I don't know how I fell in love with you. I had myself convinced that love was stupid and pointless. Then I met you. And I changed. And I know we haven't known each other for even twenty-four hours, but I feel like I've known you my whole life. I was just waiting for you to come to me. Do you understand?" He asked with a smile.

A smile lit up Duo's face and his eyes sparkled. "I do. I feel the same way. Ai shite ieru, Hee-kun."

Heero stood up and walked to Duo, kneeling by his side and embracing him, resting his head against his shoulder and closing his eyes.

Duo embraced him back, sliding from his chair to kneel with Heero on the floor, never breaking the embrace.

Heero leaned back from Duo for a moment to look deeply into his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed him.

*

Duo froze for a moment before kissing back. He gently took Heero's lower lip between his teeth, pulling lightly before releasing it.

Heero responded immediately, holding Duo more tightly.

It was obvious to Duo that Heero was inexperienced at such things. Taking the initiative, he gently licked at the lip, as if in apology. Heero instinctively opened his mouth and Duo deepened the kiss. Heero seemed surprised for a moment before responding, his shoulders shaking with the pleasure Duo knew he felt. The two were locked in a passionate kiss for what seemed like an eternity. After what was actually a few moments, they parted. Duo looked into Heero's lust glazed eyes. He looked down. "Hee-kun?"

Heero simply looked into his eyes for a moment before seeming to come back to reality. He looked down as well.

Heero was sitting sideways in Duo's lap, arms around Duo's neck and a not so hidden by his shorts erection making itself known with it's obviousness.

The two blushed deeply, and Heero jumped up and ran into the bathroom.

Duo blinked, not understanding, before he stood and walked to the bathroom as well to see what was wrong. The bathroom door was closed, but he thought he heard cursing from within. "Heero? Doshda? Is everything Ok?"

"Yes!" Heero called from the other side of the door. "Everything's fine!"

After a moment Duo heard a shower running. 'Oh.' He thought, blushing. 'Cold shower.' He walked back to the table and sat down, patiently awaiting his lover's return.

*

Heero stood under the spray of cold water. 'I need to find out if there's a way to get rid of hormones. It's not like I use them for anything. I have no facial hair, I don't lift weights, I'm not getting laid. Yet.' He reached down and turned the water on colder. 'I wonder if Duo can have sex. I mean, I guess he could...be on bottom... But can he get an erection? THIS ISN'T HELPING! Dammit!' He turned the water on even colder, still getting little results. 'Jeez. This is worse than when the girl's volleyball team would jog past my classroom window every morning. I was hopeless for that whole semester.' He looked down. He was still not getting the results he wanted. 'You know, ANY OTHER DAY AND I'D PRACTICALLY BE A GIRL BY NOW! But now that it matters, I can't get it to go away. They make pills to GET these, they should make them to make them GO AWAY as well. They'd make a fortune on teenage boys.'

Heero pulled the plug off the shower stall shelf and placed it in the drain, letting the bath fill with cold water. Once full, he sat down with a gasp. 'Christ that's cold.' He felt himself shrink slightly. 'Well what'a'ya know? There is a god. That would have sucked, walking around like that for the rest of the day. I wonder if Duo being a vampire has anything to do with that. I need to find out. I'll make a list of questions that I wanna ask him. He probably won't like it, but I really want to know some things.'

Heero, judging himself to be ready, stood up and drained the bathtub. He took the towel he had grabbed before entering the bath and wrapped it around his waist.

He stood before the mirror, white towel wrapped around his hips, hair and skin dripping with cold water. He gazed at the large scars on his lower chest/upper abdomen that he had known all his life. He turned and looked at the similar ones that marred the skin of his lower back. He faced the mirror and raised a hand to the scar on his chest, running his fingers along it. 'I hate these things.' He thought with more than a touch of disdain. He grabbed his green shirt and pulled it on over his head, then put on a clean pair of boxers and his shorts. He checked his reflection again, making certain that the scars were not visible, and stepped out of the bathroom. He walked into the dining room, using the same towel to dry his hair roughly.

Duo looked up at him from the table and smiled sheepishly. "Gomen nasai, Hee-kun." He said, placing a hand behind his head.

"Hekki." Heero smiled back, putting the towel around the back of his neck. He walked to the kitchen and poured himself another cup of coffee. He poured a ridiculous amount of sugar in it and stirred it, walking back to the table and sitting down. He took a sip and grimaced. "I put too much sugar. Oh, well, I need the rush."

Duo laughed. "Don't tell me you're still trying to do this on next to no sleep."

"I have to." Heero replied, taking another sip.

Duo looked at him nervously for a moment before looking at his clasped hands. "So. When you... What did you see?"

Heero looked down. "I saw a lot of things. Things that explained some things."

Duo smiled weakly. "Nothing too incriminating I hope."

Heero smiled at him. "I saw things that made me think you're even more beautiful than I already did." He looked down. "So. What do you think it is about me that reminds you so much of Solo? And why does your name mean two and Solo mean one? Is that a coincidence? Who was he anyway?"

Duo looked surprised. "You saw that?"

Heero nodded.

Duo looked down. "When I ran away, I was beaten and bloody. I had cuts and bruises all over my body. Everything hurt. I walked into an alley way to lie down and rest. Solo found me and took care of me. He was a little older than me. He said he was seven. He dressed my wounds with pieces of cloth he tore off of his clothes and stole some food and fed me until I was able to run without crying. He called me 'Tomodachi', since I didn't tell him my name. I can't even remember it. I know that I hated the name since it reminded me of my father, who used it when he hurt me. So I named myself 'Duo' because I was eternally in Solo's debt. I loved him. He was my best friend."

Heero processed this information. "So, how did he die?"

Duo looked sad. "A few years after I was made, he got caught steeling money out of a woman's purse. They hung him." He said quietly.

Heero looked down at the table. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

"What for? You didn't hang him. You didn't refuse to look past the pickpocket to the starving boy who simply wanted to buy food with money from a rich woman who had enough to eat every night." Duo said.

Heero was quiet for a moment before a yawn forced itself from him.

"Hee-kun. Can't you get even a little sleep and then come back to this?" Asked Duo with a concerned tone.

"Iye. When I'm done I can sleep. But I don't know how long this'll take so I can't take a nap." He turned a few pages in his textbook with one hand and removed the towel from his neck with the other, draping it over the back of the chair next to him.

Duo sighed and gazed at him for a moment before standing and walking back to the couch and flopping down on it. He picked up his book and resumed where he had left off.

Heero wrote a paragraph in sloppy handwriting. He read it to himself. 'Eisenhower was like my favorite dog. He had a green doghouse with a red roof. He liked to play ball and frisbee. He was cool.' He stared at the paper for a few more moments. 'WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!? MY DOG?! I'VE NEVER EVEN HAD A DOG! AND HOW IS IT THAT I'M WRITING BLITHERISH WHEN_' His head dipped down. 'I... Oh...boy. Maybe I do need sleep.' He stood up and walked to the couch.

Duo looked up from his book to Heero's eyes. "Nanda?"

Heero didn't say a word, merely lay down along side Duo on the couch, resting his head against his shoulder and draping an arm around Duo's waist.

*

Duo was confused for a half a second before he smiled and kissed the top of Heero's head and rubbed his back.

*

"Just for a little while." Heero mumbled as his eyes slid closed. He purred at the feel of Duo's hands on his upper back. 'He's got magic fingers. There's no doubt in my mind...'

*

Duo looked down at Heero when he heard his breathing become even. He gently scooted out from under him and silently jumped over the back of the couch, landing in a crouch position to keep from making noise. He looked down at Heero for a moment before gently lifting him and carrying him to his bedroom. He lay him down on his bed as carefully as if he were made of glass and pulled the blankets up to his chest. He kissed the crown of Heero's head softly before walking out of the room, leaving the door open. He waltzed over to the kitchen table and stared down at the assignment. 'This looks pretty easy. And, hey, I was around then. I probably know some things the textbook doesn't.' He sat down and began to write.

-----

YAY! That was the last bit that I hate for a while. Woo-hoo! (busts open champagne) I think the fic gets much better after this point. My humble opinion. (grin)


Chapter 4

Back to Stone Angel Fics
Back to Gundam Wing Authors Main Index