Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ ZER0 ❯ Lust ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Vinyl-Koneko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Suspense / Psychological / Police / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.25.2002 | Updated On: 10.14.2002 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 416 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Suspense / Psychological / Police / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.25.2002 | Updated On: 10.14.2002 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 416 | Status: Completed
Title: ZER0 - Part 7 - Lust
Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
Rating: R
Warnings: language, angst, death, blood, gruesome stuff, yaoi
Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I just like to play with them and make them play with each other.
Comments: *Emphasis*, 'thought', [flashback], /written/, //lyrics//. Lust is the Seventh Deadly Sin and is defined as an intense or unrestrained sexual craving. I know nothing on NYC so please don't hurt me if I got something wrong. ^_^ And if I got anymore info wrong, sorry, but my Episode Zero ran away. -_-;;
*~**~*
/At that time, I just wanted to leave. I wasn't helping anybody, and whoever the killer was, he seemed to be taunting me more than the other pilots. I still don't know why. Maybe we're similar somehow, or he expects me to understand his reasoning behind what he has done. But I didn't, and I still don't. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue, though, and that's really pissing me off.
It scares me, too, though. If somehow and in someway it's personal. So far only complete strangers have been targeted, people I've had little or no connection with, but what if they start getting closer to home? I don't think I could tolerate that. I know guilt. I know desperation. I know revenge. As much as I'd rather put the facade to rest, I still need to be Shinigami at times, just like how Heero can't truly kill the soldier in him, no matter how well he hides it.
Heero's probably the most unlikely relationship of mine in the five of us. I mean, when we first met, I shot him. Repeatedly. Sure, I wasn't trying to kill him, but I still could've. It's probably fate just being all twisted and fucked up like fate wants to be. As much as I'd hate to think that there's someone in control of my life besides me, way too many coincidences occur for it all to be an accident.
Like me and Heero.../
*~**~*
February 8, 201 AC
*~**~*
"There has to be a bug in there or something..." Duo was digging through a cabinet of the more high-tech gizmos and gadgets the Preventers agents were allowed to use at any point on a case if they were deemed necessary. "I don't even want to *think* about how the killer could've gotten in there, but you might want to get new locks, Heero, buddy."
"Duo...what are you looking for?"
"The transmission scanner thing... Shit, I know we have one, now where the hell is it?"
At that moment, Wufei walked in to see Duo's butt sticking out of the cabinet. "Lose your brain again, Maxwell?"
Duo pulled himself out with a boxy object with lights that flickered green and red in his hands. "Ha, ha. Funny, Fei-Fei, but wrong. Heero's apartment has bugs."
"Why don't you just call an exterminator?"
Duo's expression seemed to say you-can't-be-serious. "Not bugs as in *insects* - listening devices! We're being watched and I want to know why and how; then, if we track down where the transmission is coming from, voila, we found our killer and no one else needs to die!" Duo checked to make sure the device had batteries. "I'm ready when you are."
Heero nodded and they left without a word, Wufei trailing behind.
"What about the crime scene investigation?"
[/ONE iS thE lONEliESt NUMbER/]
Duo shuddered involuntarily. "I think T and Q can handle it fine by themselves, Wu-man. It'll be forensics still tearing the place inside-out anyway...more inside-out than it already is, at least."
"Is that an invitation for me to join you?"
The American shrugged. "Only if you want to."
*~**~*
The device beeped a steady monotone, lights flashing red along every wall and other place that seemed to be the ideal location for a listening device. The carpet, the furniture, and every electronic device also came back negative. The monotonous beeping was slowly getting on the three Preventers agents' nerves.
"Duo, there's nothing in here," Heero said, almost a little too smugly.
"Then how the hell would he know? The song can't be *that* popular, and I don't believe in coincidences anymore."
"Maybe it was just irony," Wufei suggested. "The killer might not have known that you said anything about it, and he had planned to put the message there earlier."
[/thE iMPliCAtiON Of A COUPlE iS NOt bYPASSiNG MY AttENtiON./]
[/ONE iS thE lONEliESt NUMbER thAt YOU'll EVER dO/]
"Damn it. He's giving us a mental mind fuck and the sadistic bastard knows that it's rape." Duo rubbed at his temples. "I think I have a date with Sam Adams tonight."
Wufei put on a wry smile. "Well in that case, can I recommend an airy little sports bar across the street from Yankee Stadium?"
Heero snatched the device before Duo could break it and went to put it back in its box where Duo left in next to his Preventers jacket. "Duo, no; it won't help. Wufei...shut up."
A wailing klaxon sounded, causing Duo to jump, startled, before he realized what it was. "Heero...the transmitter... Where is it?" He walked slowly forward to see where it had been located.
"Aa, it's on your coat, Duo."
[The man smirked out from under his cap, but Duo still couldn't see any of his features. "It's perfectly all right. I'm fine, and I should have been paying better attention, so it's partially my fault. Now, if you'll excuse me, but I'm in a hurry." The man continued walking before Duo could say anything else. "And I'll see you soon, Agent Maxwell."]
Duo blanched, not even able to think of something to say.
Heero noticed his friend's distress, but things had to be done, and fast. "Wufei, my laptop's on the coffee table. We have to trace the origin of this transmission ASAP."
*~**~*
PROGRAM ON
ENTER COMMAND:
LOCATE TRANSMISSION ORIGIN
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRANSMISSION ORIGIN: LOCKED ON
NORTH AMERICA, EARTH
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NORTHEASTERN, USA
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NEW YORK STATE
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NEW YORK CITY
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
985 BROAD ST
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
PRINTING BLUEPRINT NOW
FURTHER INFORMATION? Y/N
N
PROGRAM END
*~**~*
February 9, 201 AC
*~**~*
The search ended at midnight; Wufei called NYPD requesting a search warrant for 985 Broad St in lower Manhatten. The department had responded quickly, breaking into the home of a Mister Norman Baker at nine-thirty that morning. The five Preventers agents who were assigned to the case were there, eager to end the killer's reign. One of the New York officers kicked the door open, and they entered cautiously in case of an ambush.
Duo checked the safety on his gun for the fifth time in the past minute. "I don't miss the smell of gunpowder, that's for sure," he commented conversationally. "Whatever it takes to nab the bastard, though."
"Don't get your hopes up," Trowa said.
Quatre nodded absent-mindedly. "This doesn't feel right." His gaze was concentrated on something far away.
"You guys can be so disheartening..." Duo was shifting from one foot to the other impatiently until he felt a sharp tug on his braid, but before he could complain a lieutenant came back out in the hallway.
"Agents, you might want to take a look at this..."
Duo, not wanting to hear the bad news from a cop and preferring to find out for himself, pushed himself into the apartment before the lieutenant could finish whatever he was going to say.
In the main room were several recording devices, enough to last years. Black and white photographs were hanging on the walls, side-by-side with newspaper clippings. The colored lighting of the room made it hard to see, but there was enough green and blue light to locate what was meant to be seen. The photographs were before and after shots of each of the victims, next to the newspaper report of their murder. Twelve-year-old Evan Gail was smiling brightly, surrounded by his dogs, in an article about his brutal death. The Preventers ID photo of Paul Lucas was the one printed in the paper next to a photograph of his office marked off with yellow police tape, bloodstains on the wall. The killer's personal collection was once again before and after, the before being one he took himself of Lucas, tears streaming down his face, mouth contorted to form silent words, most likely pleas for his life. And after, the glazed over stare and the blood oozing out of the bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.
And there were more from each and every kill. There was a collection of obituaries tacked to a corkboard under a lithograph of the Last Supper. Another newspaper clipping caught Duo's attention, and automatically he felt his mouth go dry.
Maxwell Church Disaster - One Survivor
[/i kNOW AbOUt YOUR PASt; i AM iN YOUR PRESENt; i CAN CONtROl YOUR fUtURE./]
The newspaper clipping was turning grey from age and was limp, as if it had been folded and stuffed into a pocket countless times over the years. Duo had seen the article so many times; he couldn't hide from it, no matter how far and how fast he ran. That was when he started calling himself Shinigami, and to cope with the loss of those that had cared for him more than anybody, he learned to treat it as a title, an honor, instead of a burden. The photo of him next to the article was from the school he had spent time at. He was scowling at the camera with a light of mischievous revenge in his eyes. After the picture had been taken, Duo snuck in during the photographers' lunch break and punched several small holes into the back of the camera, so the film that was about to be taken would be prematurely exposed by pinpricks of light. He remembered one of the girls that would make fun of him had run home crying because of her ruined picture, and Duo's day was made better because of it. The newspaper's reporter had never even talked to him; his body wasn't in the rubble, so everyone assumed he was still alive, but no one bothered to look for him.
Duo blinked suddenly and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. 'Shit. Not this, not now. Not now. Not now. Not now!' He looked down at his hands. They were trembling violently, and he stared at them with a sort of morbid curiosity. 'I wanted to forget. I tried so hard to forget. I haven't cried since then, so why am I now?'
He felt a hand on his shoulder and suddenly remembered he wasn't alone in the apartment. "I'm taking the rest of the day off," Duo announced, trying to keep his voice steady and briefly catching the shock in Heero's eyes when he turned around and left for an unknown destination.
*~**~*
/I still don't know why that article was there, and why it was just me, but I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe, the killer was right in saying he was able to control our future. That image might have been planted there for a reason, and if the reason is what my day-off led up to, I would hate to think that I owed something to the killer.
I mean, when this is all over and we finally nab the guy, I wouldn't want to think that his actions made my life better in the slightest way. I'll believe that incidents led up to it, but I will never give in and say that this sick bastard had benefitted my life./
*~**~*
There was a quick knock at the door. "Duo, open up."
Duo was lying on his side on the sofa, watching a Spanish soap opera on the television but more just watching for something to do than to understand what was going on. He could understand if he *wanted* to, but the American wasn't feeling to up to thinking right now. He was up to forgetting.
"It's your apartment. You have a key."
"How did you get in?"
"I'm Duo Maxwell, break-in-break-out artist extraordinaire; I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie." Duo turned the volume on the television up a little, laughing half-heartedly at the commercials.
"Duo just open the damn door!"
"YOU HAVE THE FUCKING KEY, YUY!"
"You locked the door for privacy, Duo; I'd be intruding on that if I opened the door myself."
Duo let out a small, "Oh," before getting up slowly, hovering his hand over the doorhandle to let Heero in. 'Why's he being so nice to me? Why do I think I have feelings for him all of a sudden? And why in God's name are my eyes watering again. It's like I have a fucking leak or something...' He unlocked the door and opened in a little before launching himself back across the room to sprawl in his position in front of the television.
"Baka," the violet-eyed American caught Heero saying softly as he shut the door. "Are you going to work tomorrow?" Duo shook his head. "Someone else will die in five days if we don't stop them." Heero paused and continued when there was no response. "We need your help."
"Why? The killer seems to have some sort of vendetta against me. He probably can see me lying here being miserable and is getting himself off on it."
"Then don't give him the pleasure by giving up. All these things involving you...it might be somebody from your past."
Duo seemed to consider that for a moment. "Everyone from my past is dead."
"Duo..."
"Will you *stop* saying my name like that? Jesus Christ, Heero, you're starting to sound like fucking *Relena*!" Duo's eyes widened and he clamped his hand over his mouth. 'I'm gonna die now. Just peachy.' Duo's instincts were telling him to start talking to try and save his sorry ass, and frantic babble started to pour out. "S-Sorry, Heero, really. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I know your friends with her and all, maybe even more for all I know, but I've been having a really shitty day with no reason to take it out on you or Miss Relena whatsoever and it was out-of-line and immature of me, and I really shouldn't have said that because I do technically work for her, maintaining peace, preventing war and all, and..." He paused. Something wasn't right. Heero Yuy was...laughing? "What the hell is so funny?"
"You think I'm mad at you."
Duo blinked owlishly, disbelieving. "You're *not* mad at me?"
"Iie, baka. Why should I be mad? You needed to vent before you hurt yourself."
[/i GUESS YOU AlWAYS WERE GlUttONS fOR PUNiShMENt./]
The braided American couldn't help but smile, honestly, truly smile. Heero's laughter had seemed to lighten him up, and for the first time, Duo was seeing his Japanese friend without any emotional barriers. "Yeah, I'm a baka, all right. A big, stupid baka."
They sat in silence watching the Spanish soap operas for the next several minutes, Duo being able to figure out what was going on and even laugh when necessary while Heero could only pick out every few words. J hadn't seen languages as part of his training, but it seemed Duo had picked a lot up, almost fluently, from growing up on L-2 and later with the Sweepers Group.
"Neh, Heero?"
"Hn?"
"Wanna order a pizza or something? Actually, screw the pizza, I could really do Chinese right now."
"There's a place a little down the street. What do you want?"
Duo, after changing his mind several times, finally came to a decision. "Heero?" The Japanese man looked back questioningly. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"You're...my friend, and you care so much for this killer to be brought to justice that it's becoming too personal and wearing you out."
Duo got up from the couch and went over to lean against the wall near the doorway where Heero stood. "Do you think I'm caring too much?"
Heero shook his head. "It's good to act on what you feel strongly about."
The American bit his lower lip. "Then can I act on something else I feel strongly about?" Heero was obviously confused, so before any questions could be raised, Duo captured Heero's mouth with his own, feeling the hesitance at first on the other's behalf which gave way to a pleasurable moan as Duo's tongue plundered the hot, moist cavern of Heero's mouth. They broke apart wordlessly, just searching for truth in each other's eyes and finding apprenhension as well as desire.
Heero removed his shoes and coat. They stayed in the apartment for dinner that night.
*~**~*
February 14, 201 AC
*~**~*
"Duo!" That was Quatre, popping his head in the door, eyes the size of saucers. "Nice of you to decide to come back. Who are the roses from?"
The American grinned broadly, despite the melancholy that enveloped the five former-pilots. It was Valentine's Day, so the holiday that granted stuffing your face full of chocolate and romantic gestures should have been a happier time, but the fact that another murder was due wasn't helping much. Duo showed up at headquarters as early as possible. He wanted to be sent out to investigate the scene as soon as the call came in.
"My lover, who else?" his smile became taunting. He knew that the others knew nothing about what had developed between him and Heero in the past several days because Duo had been on a sort of leave of absence and Heero just wasn't about to bring it up for no reason. "Why? Didn't Trowa get you anything?"
"He did, but you're...you're not seeing anyone." Duo didn't respond; he just batted his eyelashes innocently. "Duo, spill, already! It's not like you to be staying so quiet about this."
"Oh yeah, like you and Trowa told anybody. I had to walk into the middle of-"
Quatre's face turned pink. "We had our reasons."
"As I have mine."
Heero chose that moment to walk into the office.
"Good morning, Heero!" Duo chirped, and Quatre's eyes nearly fell out of his head as Heero smiled and they shared a tender kiss. Duo raised an eyebrow, noticing that Quatre was still standing in the doorway looking like he didn't know how to react. "Hey, Cat, today's not going to be a good day, so you should probably get some blank reports and have Trowa grab several rolls of film so we can leave quickly."
*~**~*
Duo thought he was going to throw up when he saw the body. Apparently the victim had been the recipient of an impromptu sex change and what was left of his genitalia had been stuffed down his throat where, by the look of the man's face, he choked to death.
From Duo's reaction, Wufei didn't even look at the body and just recited off the information that had been gathered by the cop who had found the body from the neighbors' complaints of too much noise. The noise had turned out to be gay pornography that was on a repetitive play cycle. It was the last thing the victim saw before he died.
"Victim is 56-year-old David Reeves. We were only able to ID him so quickly because he was on the most-wanted criminal lists for the Alliance, OZ, and the UESN. Reeves was a sexual predator and had been linked to the kidnapping, rape, and death of nearly twenty victims, the majority of which were under the age of seven."
Duo's features expressed pure disgust. "Maybe he deserved this, then."
Heero came back from searching the rest of the house. Trowa was taking pictures and Quatre was outside talking to the neighbors and asking if they saw anybody. Duo reached for reassurance as he grasped Heero's hand in his own, noticing red spots in the carpet below his feet. He looked up at the ceiling, noticing a new note from the killer in the collection of many they had received. The only difference was that instead of spray paint, this message was done in blood.
/diRtY diRtY diRtY bOYS/
*~**~*
End Part 7
Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
Rating: R
Warnings: language, angst, death, blood, gruesome stuff, yaoi
Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I just like to play with them and make them play with each other.
Comments: *Emphasis*, 'thought', [flashback], /written/, //lyrics//. Lust is the Seventh Deadly Sin and is defined as an intense or unrestrained sexual craving. I know nothing on NYC so please don't hurt me if I got something wrong. ^_^ And if I got anymore info wrong, sorry, but my Episode Zero ran away. -_-;;
*~**~*
/At that time, I just wanted to leave. I wasn't helping anybody, and whoever the killer was, he seemed to be taunting me more than the other pilots. I still don't know why. Maybe we're similar somehow, or he expects me to understand his reasoning behind what he has done. But I didn't, and I still don't. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue, though, and that's really pissing me off.
It scares me, too, though. If somehow and in someway it's personal. So far only complete strangers have been targeted, people I've had little or no connection with, but what if they start getting closer to home? I don't think I could tolerate that. I know guilt. I know desperation. I know revenge. As much as I'd rather put the facade to rest, I still need to be Shinigami at times, just like how Heero can't truly kill the soldier in him, no matter how well he hides it.
Heero's probably the most unlikely relationship of mine in the five of us. I mean, when we first met, I shot him. Repeatedly. Sure, I wasn't trying to kill him, but I still could've. It's probably fate just being all twisted and fucked up like fate wants to be. As much as I'd hate to think that there's someone in control of my life besides me, way too many coincidences occur for it all to be an accident.
Like me and Heero.../
*~**~*
February 8, 201 AC
*~**~*
"There has to be a bug in there or something..." Duo was digging through a cabinet of the more high-tech gizmos and gadgets the Preventers agents were allowed to use at any point on a case if they were deemed necessary. "I don't even want to *think* about how the killer could've gotten in there, but you might want to get new locks, Heero, buddy."
"Duo...what are you looking for?"
"The transmission scanner thing... Shit, I know we have one, now where the hell is it?"
At that moment, Wufei walked in to see Duo's butt sticking out of the cabinet. "Lose your brain again, Maxwell?"
Duo pulled himself out with a boxy object with lights that flickered green and red in his hands. "Ha, ha. Funny, Fei-Fei, but wrong. Heero's apartment has bugs."
"Why don't you just call an exterminator?"
Duo's expression seemed to say you-can't-be-serious. "Not bugs as in *insects* - listening devices! We're being watched and I want to know why and how; then, if we track down where the transmission is coming from, voila, we found our killer and no one else needs to die!" Duo checked to make sure the device had batteries. "I'm ready when you are."
Heero nodded and they left without a word, Wufei trailing behind.
"What about the crime scene investigation?"
[/ONE iS thE lONEliESt NUMbER/]
Duo shuddered involuntarily. "I think T and Q can handle it fine by themselves, Wu-man. It'll be forensics still tearing the place inside-out anyway...more inside-out than it already is, at least."
"Is that an invitation for me to join you?"
The American shrugged. "Only if you want to."
*~**~*
The device beeped a steady monotone, lights flashing red along every wall and other place that seemed to be the ideal location for a listening device. The carpet, the furniture, and every electronic device also came back negative. The monotonous beeping was slowly getting on the three Preventers agents' nerves.
"Duo, there's nothing in here," Heero said, almost a little too smugly.
"Then how the hell would he know? The song can't be *that* popular, and I don't believe in coincidences anymore."
"Maybe it was just irony," Wufei suggested. "The killer might not have known that you said anything about it, and he had planned to put the message there earlier."
[/thE iMPliCAtiON Of A COUPlE iS NOt bYPASSiNG MY AttENtiON./]
[/ONE iS thE lONEliESt NUMbER thAt YOU'll EVER dO/]
"Damn it. He's giving us a mental mind fuck and the sadistic bastard knows that it's rape." Duo rubbed at his temples. "I think I have a date with Sam Adams tonight."
Wufei put on a wry smile. "Well in that case, can I recommend an airy little sports bar across the street from Yankee Stadium?"
Heero snatched the device before Duo could break it and went to put it back in its box where Duo left in next to his Preventers jacket. "Duo, no; it won't help. Wufei...shut up."
A wailing klaxon sounded, causing Duo to jump, startled, before he realized what it was. "Heero...the transmitter... Where is it?" He walked slowly forward to see where it had been located.
"Aa, it's on your coat, Duo."
[The man smirked out from under his cap, but Duo still couldn't see any of his features. "It's perfectly all right. I'm fine, and I should have been paying better attention, so it's partially my fault. Now, if you'll excuse me, but I'm in a hurry." The man continued walking before Duo could say anything else. "And I'll see you soon, Agent Maxwell."]
Duo blanched, not even able to think of something to say.
Heero noticed his friend's distress, but things had to be done, and fast. "Wufei, my laptop's on the coffee table. We have to trace the origin of this transmission ASAP."
*~**~*
PROGRAM ON
ENTER COMMAND:
LOCATE TRANSMISSION ORIGIN
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
TRANSMISSION ORIGIN: LOCKED ON
NORTH AMERICA, EARTH
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NORTHEASTERN, USA
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NEW YORK STATE
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
NEW YORK CITY
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
985 BROAD ST
NARROWING COORDINATES
TRACKING...
TRACKING...
PRINTING BLUEPRINT NOW
FURTHER INFORMATION? Y/N
N
PROGRAM END
*~**~*
February 9, 201 AC
*~**~*
The search ended at midnight; Wufei called NYPD requesting a search warrant for 985 Broad St in lower Manhatten. The department had responded quickly, breaking into the home of a Mister Norman Baker at nine-thirty that morning. The five Preventers agents who were assigned to the case were there, eager to end the killer's reign. One of the New York officers kicked the door open, and they entered cautiously in case of an ambush.
Duo checked the safety on his gun for the fifth time in the past minute. "I don't miss the smell of gunpowder, that's for sure," he commented conversationally. "Whatever it takes to nab the bastard, though."
"Don't get your hopes up," Trowa said.
Quatre nodded absent-mindedly. "This doesn't feel right." His gaze was concentrated on something far away.
"You guys can be so disheartening..." Duo was shifting from one foot to the other impatiently until he felt a sharp tug on his braid, but before he could complain a lieutenant came back out in the hallway.
"Agents, you might want to take a look at this..."
Duo, not wanting to hear the bad news from a cop and preferring to find out for himself, pushed himself into the apartment before the lieutenant could finish whatever he was going to say.
In the main room were several recording devices, enough to last years. Black and white photographs were hanging on the walls, side-by-side with newspaper clippings. The colored lighting of the room made it hard to see, but there was enough green and blue light to locate what was meant to be seen. The photographs were before and after shots of each of the victims, next to the newspaper report of their murder. Twelve-year-old Evan Gail was smiling brightly, surrounded by his dogs, in an article about his brutal death. The Preventers ID photo of Paul Lucas was the one printed in the paper next to a photograph of his office marked off with yellow police tape, bloodstains on the wall. The killer's personal collection was once again before and after, the before being one he took himself of Lucas, tears streaming down his face, mouth contorted to form silent words, most likely pleas for his life. And after, the glazed over stare and the blood oozing out of the bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.
And there were more from each and every kill. There was a collection of obituaries tacked to a corkboard under a lithograph of the Last Supper. Another newspaper clipping caught Duo's attention, and automatically he felt his mouth go dry.
Maxwell Church Disaster - One Survivor
[/i kNOW AbOUt YOUR PASt; i AM iN YOUR PRESENt; i CAN CONtROl YOUR fUtURE./]
The newspaper clipping was turning grey from age and was limp, as if it had been folded and stuffed into a pocket countless times over the years. Duo had seen the article so many times; he couldn't hide from it, no matter how far and how fast he ran. That was when he started calling himself Shinigami, and to cope with the loss of those that had cared for him more than anybody, he learned to treat it as a title, an honor, instead of a burden. The photo of him next to the article was from the school he had spent time at. He was scowling at the camera with a light of mischievous revenge in his eyes. After the picture had been taken, Duo snuck in during the photographers' lunch break and punched several small holes into the back of the camera, so the film that was about to be taken would be prematurely exposed by pinpricks of light. He remembered one of the girls that would make fun of him had run home crying because of her ruined picture, and Duo's day was made better because of it. The newspaper's reporter had never even talked to him; his body wasn't in the rubble, so everyone assumed he was still alive, but no one bothered to look for him.
Duo blinked suddenly and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. 'Shit. Not this, not now. Not now. Not now. Not now!' He looked down at his hands. They were trembling violently, and he stared at them with a sort of morbid curiosity. 'I wanted to forget. I tried so hard to forget. I haven't cried since then, so why am I now?'
He felt a hand on his shoulder and suddenly remembered he wasn't alone in the apartment. "I'm taking the rest of the day off," Duo announced, trying to keep his voice steady and briefly catching the shock in Heero's eyes when he turned around and left for an unknown destination.
*~**~*
/I still don't know why that article was there, and why it was just me, but I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe, the killer was right in saying he was able to control our future. That image might have been planted there for a reason, and if the reason is what my day-off led up to, I would hate to think that I owed something to the killer.
I mean, when this is all over and we finally nab the guy, I wouldn't want to think that his actions made my life better in the slightest way. I'll believe that incidents led up to it, but I will never give in and say that this sick bastard had benefitted my life./
*~**~*
There was a quick knock at the door. "Duo, open up."
Duo was lying on his side on the sofa, watching a Spanish soap opera on the television but more just watching for something to do than to understand what was going on. He could understand if he *wanted* to, but the American wasn't feeling to up to thinking right now. He was up to forgetting.
"It's your apartment. You have a key."
"How did you get in?"
"I'm Duo Maxwell, break-in-break-out artist extraordinaire; I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie." Duo turned the volume on the television up a little, laughing half-heartedly at the commercials.
"Duo just open the damn door!"
"YOU HAVE THE FUCKING KEY, YUY!"
"You locked the door for privacy, Duo; I'd be intruding on that if I opened the door myself."
Duo let out a small, "Oh," before getting up slowly, hovering his hand over the doorhandle to let Heero in. 'Why's he being so nice to me? Why do I think I have feelings for him all of a sudden? And why in God's name are my eyes watering again. It's like I have a fucking leak or something...' He unlocked the door and opened in a little before launching himself back across the room to sprawl in his position in front of the television.
"Baka," the violet-eyed American caught Heero saying softly as he shut the door. "Are you going to work tomorrow?" Duo shook his head. "Someone else will die in five days if we don't stop them." Heero paused and continued when there was no response. "We need your help."
"Why? The killer seems to have some sort of vendetta against me. He probably can see me lying here being miserable and is getting himself off on it."
"Then don't give him the pleasure by giving up. All these things involving you...it might be somebody from your past."
Duo seemed to consider that for a moment. "Everyone from my past is dead."
"Duo..."
"Will you *stop* saying my name like that? Jesus Christ, Heero, you're starting to sound like fucking *Relena*!" Duo's eyes widened and he clamped his hand over his mouth. 'I'm gonna die now. Just peachy.' Duo's instincts were telling him to start talking to try and save his sorry ass, and frantic babble started to pour out. "S-Sorry, Heero, really. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I know your friends with her and all, maybe even more for all I know, but I've been having a really shitty day with no reason to take it out on you or Miss Relena whatsoever and it was out-of-line and immature of me, and I really shouldn't have said that because I do technically work for her, maintaining peace, preventing war and all, and..." He paused. Something wasn't right. Heero Yuy was...laughing? "What the hell is so funny?"
"You think I'm mad at you."
Duo blinked owlishly, disbelieving. "You're *not* mad at me?"
"Iie, baka. Why should I be mad? You needed to vent before you hurt yourself."
[/i GUESS YOU AlWAYS WERE GlUttONS fOR PUNiShMENt./]
The braided American couldn't help but smile, honestly, truly smile. Heero's laughter had seemed to lighten him up, and for the first time, Duo was seeing his Japanese friend without any emotional barriers. "Yeah, I'm a baka, all right. A big, stupid baka."
They sat in silence watching the Spanish soap operas for the next several minutes, Duo being able to figure out what was going on and even laugh when necessary while Heero could only pick out every few words. J hadn't seen languages as part of his training, but it seemed Duo had picked a lot up, almost fluently, from growing up on L-2 and later with the Sweepers Group.
"Neh, Heero?"
"Hn?"
"Wanna order a pizza or something? Actually, screw the pizza, I could really do Chinese right now."
"There's a place a little down the street. What do you want?"
Duo, after changing his mind several times, finally came to a decision. "Heero?" The Japanese man looked back questioningly. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"You're...my friend, and you care so much for this killer to be brought to justice that it's becoming too personal and wearing you out."
Duo got up from the couch and went over to lean against the wall near the doorway where Heero stood. "Do you think I'm caring too much?"
Heero shook his head. "It's good to act on what you feel strongly about."
The American bit his lower lip. "Then can I act on something else I feel strongly about?" Heero was obviously confused, so before any questions could be raised, Duo captured Heero's mouth with his own, feeling the hesitance at first on the other's behalf which gave way to a pleasurable moan as Duo's tongue plundered the hot, moist cavern of Heero's mouth. They broke apart wordlessly, just searching for truth in each other's eyes and finding apprenhension as well as desire.
Heero removed his shoes and coat. They stayed in the apartment for dinner that night.
*~**~*
February 14, 201 AC
*~**~*
"Duo!" That was Quatre, popping his head in the door, eyes the size of saucers. "Nice of you to decide to come back. Who are the roses from?"
The American grinned broadly, despite the melancholy that enveloped the five former-pilots. It was Valentine's Day, so the holiday that granted stuffing your face full of chocolate and romantic gestures should have been a happier time, but the fact that another murder was due wasn't helping much. Duo showed up at headquarters as early as possible. He wanted to be sent out to investigate the scene as soon as the call came in.
"My lover, who else?" his smile became taunting. He knew that the others knew nothing about what had developed between him and Heero in the past several days because Duo had been on a sort of leave of absence and Heero just wasn't about to bring it up for no reason. "Why? Didn't Trowa get you anything?"
"He did, but you're...you're not seeing anyone." Duo didn't respond; he just batted his eyelashes innocently. "Duo, spill, already! It's not like you to be staying so quiet about this."
"Oh yeah, like you and Trowa told anybody. I had to walk into the middle of-"
Quatre's face turned pink. "We had our reasons."
"As I have mine."
Heero chose that moment to walk into the office.
"Good morning, Heero!" Duo chirped, and Quatre's eyes nearly fell out of his head as Heero smiled and they shared a tender kiss. Duo raised an eyebrow, noticing that Quatre was still standing in the doorway looking like he didn't know how to react. "Hey, Cat, today's not going to be a good day, so you should probably get some blank reports and have Trowa grab several rolls of film so we can leave quickly."
*~**~*
Duo thought he was going to throw up when he saw the body. Apparently the victim had been the recipient of an impromptu sex change and what was left of his genitalia had been stuffed down his throat where, by the look of the man's face, he choked to death.
From Duo's reaction, Wufei didn't even look at the body and just recited off the information that had been gathered by the cop who had found the body from the neighbors' complaints of too much noise. The noise had turned out to be gay pornography that was on a repetitive play cycle. It was the last thing the victim saw before he died.
"Victim is 56-year-old David Reeves. We were only able to ID him so quickly because he was on the most-wanted criminal lists for the Alliance, OZ, and the UESN. Reeves was a sexual predator and had been linked to the kidnapping, rape, and death of nearly twenty victims, the majority of which were under the age of seven."
Duo's features expressed pure disgust. "Maybe he deserved this, then."
Heero came back from searching the rest of the house. Trowa was taking pictures and Quatre was outside talking to the neighbors and asking if they saw anybody. Duo reached for reassurance as he grasped Heero's hand in his own, noticing red spots in the carpet below his feet. He looked up at the ceiling, noticing a new note from the killer in the collection of many they had received. The only difference was that instead of spray paint, this message was done in blood.
/diRtY diRtY diRtY bOYS/
*~**~*
End Part 7