From Far Away
Part 4
"Hey, we forgot to check this alley!" The shout stopped Duo's
movement. He could hear barrels and boxes being kicked and shoved away
as footsteps got closer. //No, I won't let them hurt Heero. I have to
protect him.// He extended one hand, reaching for Heero's sword, which
Duo had put on Heero's lap before carrying him. But before his hand
reached the sword, another hand had grabbed the sword. It was Heero's.
"Heero?" Duo looked down at the boy, who still panted slightly.
"I can do this..." Heero detached himself from Duo and stood up.
Shoving Duo behind him, Heero faced the approaching thieves. "I'll
finish them all." Heero growled, revealing his sharp fangs.
Some minutes passed and a wounded thief ran back into the inn to find
Rashid. "Boss, we found him in the alley!"
"What are you waiting for? Kill him!" Rashid, who was punching the inn
owner, glared at his man.
"We tried! But he is too strong. We have lost more than 20 men." The
thief collapsed after saying these words. Blood seeped from his wound.
"Damn, I thought he was in no condition to fight." Rashid ran out to
the alley, the rat-like animal still intact on his shoulder. Arriving,
Rashid's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the situation before him.
Blood was splattered everywhere, coloring the ground, which was full
of his men, dead or dying. His target was still standing, surrounded
by five men, the last of his group.
Heero charged forward, sword high in the air, ready to finish a thief.
However another thief threw his chain, trapping and stopping Heero.
"My chance!" Rashid saw the opening and quickly teleported himself to
in front of Heero. "Die!" He stabbed Heero, right in the chest.
#No! Heero!# Duo watched in horror as blood spurted out from Heero's
chest and mouth as the young warrior collapsed on the ground.
"This is the end!" Rashid raised his sword ready to finish off the
bleeding boy beneath him.
#No! Stop it!# Duo shouted, jumping out from the alley.
"What?" Rashid watched, surprised, as another boy sprung out from the
alley. Duo used the moment to kick the big man, causing him to stumble
back and fall to the ground, belly up. Suddenly, an animal's scream
echoed through the night. Rashid had fallen on top of a dead body that
still held a sword up, and the animal on his shoulder fell upon and
impaled itself onto the said sword
"My lovely pet!!" Rashid shouted as the animal dissolved into the air.
He sounded panicked. "No, come back!! I can't teleport without you."
Duo didn't pay attention to the big man. After he kicked Rashid, Duo
had quickly knelt and gathered Heero up in his arms. #Heero! Are you
okay?# He looked at Heero's bleeding chest worriedly. The blood had
soaked the tank top, causing it to lose its original color.
"You little bastard! How dare you kill my pet!!" An enraged Rashid
appeared behind Duo, swinging his sword at the braided boy. From their
positions, Duo knew that if he dodged the sword, Heero would receive
the sword's biting cut. So he remained still and waited for the sword
to strike him. But the sword never touched him, instead he heard two
swords clash together. "What?" Rashid was surprised to see his sword
stopped by another, especially when it came from the bleeding boy in
Duo's embrace. A foot came from the ground and kicked Rashid, causing
him to stumble backward.
"Heero!" Duo looked at the owner of the foot and was surprised to see
Heero's blue eyes glaring at him. He had thought Heero was unconscious
after being stabbed. Heero had saved his life once again.
"Baka, you shouldn't have come out of hiding." Blood trailed down from
Heero's mouth to his jaw but he didn't seem to be in any pain. Heero
detached himself from Duo and stood up, holding his sword firmly. "It
didn't stab my heart. I can still fight."
"He...he is still alive..." The thieves looked at Heero in horror. One
of them quickly threw his chains to tie Heero again. The chains
managed to trap Heero, encircling the boy and preventing him from
moving, but with a growl and a little twitch, the chains were
scattered on the ground in pieces. Now the thieves were truly
horrified. They moved back slowly as Heero stepped forward.
"Monster....." Rashid, who had watched the whole thing, unconsciously
let the word slip from his mouth. The word reached Heero, who growled
and gave the big man his best death glare. His sharp fangs were
clearly visible, making Rashid tremble and step back. He had lost all
his courage and confidence since he had lost his pet. Heero advanced
towards Rashid, who reacted quickly and shouted, "Retreat!!"
As soon as the word was spoken, the remaining thieves ran away into
different directions and disappeared into the night, leaving Heero and
Duo alone with dead bodies sprawled on the ground.
//They have gone! We won!! // Duo looked up from where he knelt and
saw Heero discarding his sword and walk away.
Monster. The word echoed in Heero's mind as he wiped off the trailing
blood from his mouth. An image of a woman accusing him of being a
monster repeated over and over again infiltrated his mind. "You are
not my son! You are a monster!" The woman shouted hysterically. Heero
growled as the image changed to another one of villagers accusing him
he's a monster.
But suddenly the images were gone as his mind registered that his body
didn't touch the ground anymore. He had been scooped up! Heero
startled and looked up to see the violet eyes full of concern and
worry. //What does this baka want to do?// Heero struggled and tried
to break free but Duo held him tightly. #Hey, stop that! You want to
walk to the inn with your current condition? Are you crazy? You were
stabbed and still bleeding! Don't struggle, you will make the blood
come out faster.#
Of course Heero didn't understand a single word Duo had said. // This
baka, does he think I am not capable of walking?// Heero was about to
struggle when he noticed Duo eye his chest worriedly. //Is he worried
about this wound?// As if answering his unspoken question, Duo, who
noticed Heero ceased struggling, tightened his grip and quickly
walked, almost ran, back towards the inn.
Duo entered the inn and saw the doctor tending the inn owner. He
approached him just as the doctor turned back and saw them. "My God,
you are bleeding! Here, let me take a look." The doctor reached for
Heero's tank top but Heero held up his hand, signaling the doctor not
to bother. "I am fine. This is not my blood. A thief soaked my shirt
when I finished him off."
"But then why is the boy carrying you? Did you break any ribs or one
of your legs?" The doctor looked at Duo who looked back in confusion
and worry.
"I am fine. He just over reacted." Heero snorted and squirmed to free
himself from Duo, but the braided boy held him fast. He finally
stopped squirming and glared at Duo. "Put me down or omae o korosu!"
Duo looked at him in confusion. "Omae.. o..kisu?" *I'll kiss you?"
Heero could hear the doctor's loud laughter and sighed in defeat.
//This baka will never learn....//
The Mayor joined them. "What are you laughing at, Doc?"
The Doctor stopped laughing. "Uhm, nothing, Mayor. Where have you
been?"
"I was on the second floor, cleaning the mess there." The Mayor turned
to Heero. "There are many dead men in your room, I assume that you are
the one who killed them?"
Heero nodded. "They are the Manganacs you wanted me to eliminate."
The Mayor nodded approvingly. "I have misjudged you. Well, I think you
will get your reward then."
"No," Heero shook his head, "I haven't finished with their boss yet.
He ran away and I don't have the energy to chase him right now."
At that time, Duo had had enough. The doctor was not tending to
Heero's injury. Instead , the Doctor kept talking with Heero. Couldn't
he see that Heero was bleeding? #Doctor, why don't you check for his
wound? He was wounded badly. The man stabbed him right in the chest.
Don't you see his blood? He have to..hhmpphh.#
Heero had reached for the boy's braid when he had started talking and
the braid was now firmly secured in its owner's mouth. While Duo
concentrated on spitting his braid out, Heero struggled to break
himself from Duo's grip. He stood up and turned to the Doctor and
Mayor. "I need to rest to fully recover. I will deal with Rashid
tomorrow."
"Sure. Since your room is in chaos, you can use the room over there."
The Mayor pointed out a door at the corner of the room. Heero nodded
and headed for the door.
Duo managed to spit his braid out in time to see Heero disappear
behind a door.#Heero! You are injured!! You shouldn't be walking!!"
Duo quickly chased Heero, ignoring the two men standing behind him who
looked at him, looked at each other, and shrugged.
Heero entered the room and saw two beds, separated by a nightstand. He
approached the bed on the right and stood beside it. Actually, he
wanted to throw himself on the bed and black out but first he had to
remove his blood soaked tank top.
Duo stormed into the room just as Heero pulled the tank top over his
head, back turned. "Heero! Be careful, your wound...." Duo lost his
voice as Heero turned to face him, revealing his smooth chest. Yes,
smooth, no scar, no blood. //His wound.....// Duo's eyes widened in
disbelief as he pounced on Heero.
Heero was surprised at Duo's reaction that he didn't have time to
dodge the braided boy. He found himself sprawled on the bed with Duo
on top of him. "Duo!"
The braided boy ignored Heero as he leaned closer to look at the bare
chest beneath him. He could see a faint scar where Rashid's sword had
stabbed in before. //His wound healed!!// He let his fingers trail
over the scar, as if he couldn't believe his eyes, oblivious to the
look of surprise from the scar's owner.
"Duo, what are you doing?" Heero didn't know what to do. Never. Never
in his life had someone touched him so soft and gentle like this. He
stared at the braided boy above him and watched as the said boy lifted
his head to stare back at him. Violet eyes radiated with joy and
relief and the heart shaped face formed a very sweet smile.
#Your wound....it's gone......So you don't feel pain anymore, do you?#
Duo murmured, gently stroking the bare chest beneath him. He was very
glad to know Heero was okay. So glad that Duo didn't even think about
what he was doing, trusting his instincts to guide his body. Duo could
hear the boy beneath him gasp in surprise as he replaced his fingers
with his lips, placing butterfly kisses along the scar while
murmuring. #Thank God......Thank God , you are okay....# Duo nuzzled
the chest, pouring out all stress he had been under since the day
started. Worry when Heero fell sick without Duo knowing why, fear when
the men attacked Heero, and the horror when he saw Heero collapse,
coughing up blood.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Duo knew it wasn't usual for humans
to recover as fast as Heero did, but he didn't care. Heero was alive
and okay. That was all that mattered. He sighed in relief and rested
his head on Heero's chest, listening to the beats that kept the boy
beneath him alive. Those beats were like lullabies that lulled him to
sleep.
//The baka......he is sleeping!// Heero stared at the snoring boy on
his chest and recalled the first time they had met, Duo had also
fallen asleep then, similar to their current position. Slowly he moved
the braided boy to his side and brushed aside the bangs that prevented
him from seeing the heart shaped face. //You shouldn't worry about
me.....I'm the one who wanted to kill you.......wanted....//
Heero could still feel the gentle strokes on his chest and the warmth
those delicate lips gave to his scar. The scar was completely gone
now, leaving no evidence that he just recently been stabbed there.
Heero placed a hand on his chest as the other one caressed Duo's
cheek. //Thank you for caring about me....//
After he covered the both of them with the blanket, Heero moved in
closer and snuggled in next to the slumbering Duo, letting the sleep
claim him. //I'll protect you, my Shinigami....//
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Next morning inside the inn.
"What's the latest news, Mayor?" The Doctor sat up as the Mayor
entered the inn. TThey have both stayed awake, all night long. During
this time, the Mayor tried to trace the rest of the thieves and the
Doctor tended to the injured villagers, making the first floor of the
inn as their base.
The Mayor smiled smugly. "We managed to trace them, Doc. They're
hiding on the mountain a couple miles from here."
"Give me the exact coordinates to their place." Heero's voice startled
them as they turned to see see him closing the door to where he and
Duo had slept. The boy wore his green tunic, black leather pants, plus
green bandanna. His sword was secured on his hips.
"Have you fully recovered?" Heero answered the Doctor's question with
a nod, then turned to the Mayor. "Where is the location? I will finish
my job today."
"They are at the second mountain to the south of this town. It's quite
far so you will need transport to get there. Wait here, Doc and I will
prepare a horse for you." The Mayor seemed very enthusiastic. He
pulled the Doctor and they quickly walked out, not giving Heero a
chance to speak.
//I don't need a horse.// Heero stared after the retreating figures
and chose to remain silent. He walked back to his room and stared at
the sleeping boy who rested on the bed. Duo looked so peaceful in his
sleep. For once, those deep blue eyes became softer and warmer as the
owner of the eyes watched the slumber boy silently.
Duo felt fingers caressing his cheek and then something wet touch his
forehead, making him stir. "Heero..." He purred, still deep in his
sleep. Duo later slowly opened his eyes only to find himself alone in
the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Outside the town, Heero tied the horse to a tree. He didn't need the
horse for he could run faster than any horse. He jumped from cliff to
cliff, crossing the gaps easily. In short time, he arrived at the
second mountain behind the first one.
"Damn, he is coming." A thief whispered to another from his hiding
place in the bushes. They could see Heero searc for them.
"Don't worry, we have set the trap. Look!" Rashid pulled a rope
connected to the trap.
Heero looked up to see fishnet spread above him. It fell down and
entrapped Heero beneath it. "Bingo!" Rashid jumped out from the
bushes, followed by the other thieves. "The net is made of iron. He
can never break it. This is our chance to finish him." They charged
toward the trapped boy only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw
Heero tear the net as easily as the paper and step out of its remains.
"Hn, you had shown yourselves so I don't need to bother searching for
you all." Heero eyed all of them. "This will be the end of the
Manganacs."
Rashid quickly lost his nerve. "Ru...RUN!!" His command was useless
for Heero was faster. Before the thieves could manage to step more
than two steps, Heero had delivered quicksilver punches and kicks to
the thieves, knocking them all down to the ground. "Damn..." Rashid
tried to stand up but failed miserably. He was aware that some of his
ribs had broken.
"Don't fight or I have to kill you." Heero glared at Rashid.
"Such a kind person you are." A mocking voice came from behind him.
Heero turned around and saw a long blond haired man sitting lazily on
a big rock, smiling confidently.
"Zechs! Where did you go last night? I told you to back us up!" Rashid
shouted. Zechs looked at Rashid. "You may have invited me to join your
group but I have no intention to join weaklings like you." He stood up
and turned to Heero. "However, I heard about this boy's action last
night in the bar. It's very interesting to see a group of thieves
being knocked down by a boy." Zechs approached Heero who stood at
guard.
//I didn't sense his presence until he spoke up. He must be quite
strong.// Heero narrowed his eyes, studying the man in front of him.
Zechs wore a milk-creamed tunic with a brown vest, loose white pants,
and dark brown boots that reached his mid calf. A sword was secured at
his waist, indicating he was a warrior too.
Zechs stood a couple of feet in front of Heero. "I saw how you beat
these weaklings. You are quite strong but I wonder if you are strong
enough to receive THIS." Out of sudden, Zechs raised a hand and
unleashed an energy ball,striking Heero square in the chest.
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