Ch 3: Into the Looking Glass



Amiko



"A mirror?" I step forward, completely baffled. "Why would he hide a *mirror*?"
Heero scowls, obviously wanting to inspect the object, but staying by the door to guard it since I moved first.

I ignore him, slowly circling the mirror, ready for a trap, a bomb, anything, but when nothing happens, I relax slightly, standing before it and studying it.

It's one of those old fashioned mirrors, the tall standing ones that are over six feet tall with a gaudy gold frame. But despite the obvious age and wear of the frame and stand, the glass itself has not a scratch on it, and looks like a freshly-cut pane from the factory. I step closer, staring deep into the mirror at the boy that steps towards me almost warily.

Long legs, slim waist, flat stomach and chest, wiry arms, a black priest outfit that looks like it hasn't been washed in weeks (it probably hasn't), long braided chestnut hair, and long fingers wrapped around the hilt of a pistol.
The face is young, but thin from hardships. High cheekbones, slightly upturned nose, full lips, and wide violet eyes.
The eyes captivate me, and I step closer, raising my free hand and placing my fingers delicately against the glass.

"Duo...?"

I barely hear the irritated voice behind me, still gazing into those wide orbs.

They are deep, deeper than any lake I've ever seen, and swirling inside them is the hardness that comes with years and years of pain, suffering, and disappointments. Somewhere in there is a fragment of a dead childhood being stubbornly clung to, and even deeper.. deeper in those indigo mirrors of my soul.....
....I find...


"The truth.." I whisper, barely audible.

"Duo, what are you babbling about?" Heero's annoyed voice seems to come from far away. I am unaware of the room around me, pressed close to the glass, staring into the reflection of my eyes.
"What are you doing? Get away from the damn mirror."

"Heero...."

He falls silent, and I wonder if he's noticed, too, that my voice seems slightly deeper. Huh. How strange..

"Have you.. ever wondered who you are..?"

".... Duo..."

"I know who I am, now," I continue dreamily, my forehead pressed against the glass, my eyelids hooded, a small lazy smile on my lips. "I think... I always knew.. and that's..... why.. I......."

Then suddenly the room tilts crazily, and it's very hard to stay upright.

I faintly hear a frantic scramble, and then strong arms are catching me, keeping me from meeting violently with the floor.

"Duo..?! Duo!"

Heero... is that you? Nah.. That can't be Heero. Heero doesn't have that desperate edge to his voice....
But...
I force my eyes open, blinking groggily.
You look like him....

The flicker of-- fear? no, impoosible --whatever it was instantly disappears from Heero's eyes, and he sets his mouth in a tight line, glaring at me. I blink, and realize he's kneeling on the floor, holding me in his lap, my head slumped against his chest. I open my mouth, but no sound comes out, so I cough and try again.

"Hee.."

We both jump, startled, as someone outside starts banging on the door. "Who's in there?! Open up!"

Cursing under his breath, Heero climbs to his feet, dragging me with him. He releases me, but for some reason my limbs won't work. I giggle helplessly, starting to sag to the floor once more before he grabs me roughly by the arms, my head lolling forward. He stiffens at the strange smile on my face, but I hardly notice.
How amusing, that I should be helpless at this moment. Me, of all people.
It is especially ironic since I now know who I am.

I fumble weakly and manage to grip one of Heero's wrists, my voice weak but determined as I stare up at him with burning eyes. "Heero.. Look. *Look*."

He growls something at me, shooting a wary glance towards the mirror and batting my hand away, shaking me slightly as the banging on the door intensifies. "Knock it off, baka," he snaps irritably. "Quit fooling around. We have to get out of here."

"No.." I shake my head and grab his wrists again, this time as hard as I can. To my mild surprise he actually *flinches*. Well... sort of. His eyebrow kind of twitches, and he stops trying to shake some action into me.

"Look," I whisper harshly, glaring up at him. He stares back at me, eyes narrowed, chest heaving with impatience and adrenaline. But finally, unwillingly, his eyes glance over my shoulder at the smooth glass surface behind me.
"Look," I murmur, slowly releasing his wrists and lifting my hands to his cheeks to keep him looking in the direction I want him to, never taking my eyes off of him. His jaw jerks a little, but I know he can't escape, and so does he, so he continues to stare at the mirror until his eyes fade and become blank.

Blank...? Suddenly afraid for him, I twist his head back so that he's looking at me, instead, searching his face desperately for some sign of life, but he seems to see straight through me. A little whimper starts in the back of my throat, but is drowned out by a particuarly loud crash as one of the guards throws his weight against the door. The emergency lock won't hold long.. I return my attention to Heero, beginning to tremble in anxiety.

What did he see? What could he have seen to make him blank out like this?!

Then, suddenly, his eyes snap into focus, and I jump, startled by the fierce look in them as he stares down at me.
The door slams open with one final crash, and Heero whirls around like poetry in motion, only deadly.

His hand snaps up faster than a striking cobra, and before the two men are even halfway through the door they're falling back with bullets lodged in their skulls, dying too quickly to scream.

My mouth opens in a silent noise of astonishment, but then Heero has me by the wrist and is hauling ass out of there like his tail's on fire. I gasp as I stagger, struggling to keep up, forgetting in my surprise who I am and what I can do.
His reflexes, his speed-! Were they ever like this?! I mean, I know he's practically inhuman, but...
That thought fades into unhappy oblivion, and I have the sudden urge to run the other way.

*Away* from Heero.

Or whatever that thing is that is holding my hand and dashing through the halls like a bat out of hell.



Author's Notes: OK, this is where it reeeally wanders off into la-la land.. O.o;; I'm really sorry that it's not nearly as good as the first part... a while passed between when I wrote that one and the ones after it... But it does eventually loop around so the beginning goes with it (sorta), so don't worry. ^^; *hides* Pleez don't kill me..




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