Love, Life, and Family: The fight For Death

Hello loyal readers: I know it’s been a while. This was my chapter from hell. It was very hard for me to write it because it has a lot of mush and kind of angsty. Not to mention it near the end of the semester and school is hell itself. Anywho thanks for reading and reviewing. Laterz On to Chapter 8

LIFE LOVE AND FAMILY : THE FIGHT FOR DEATH THE ORACLE AT DELPHI

Recap:

"Uh guys? I don’t feel so good." Duo said growing paler by the second.

"It’s probably from all that food you ate." Heero said as he looked at Duo.

"No. I don’t think it was that." All of a sudden Jai felt a sharp pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Quatre screamed. Duo clutched his chest and fell over in Hilde’s lap.

"DUO!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hilde fell out of her chair, cradling Duo still in her lap. Sally and Jase rushed to Duo. "There’s no pulse! Lie him on the floor!" Hilde gently placed Duo on the floor and stood up her gazed never leaving Duo’s face. Jase and Sally began CPR.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"We need to get his heart going!" Lady Une called the ambulance. Noin and Milliardo went to wait outside for the ambulance. Heero was staring at the seat Duo was sitting in. Catherine was lost in her thoughts. Wufei, Trowa and Simon were watching Sally and Jase work on Duo.

"I got a pulse!"

"He’s barely breathing! Where the hell is that ambulance!" Relena and Kellee came up behind Hilde and wrapped their arms around her to comfort her. Hilde showed no emotion she just stood there staring at Duo. Jai had her arms wrapped around Quatre gently stroking his hair. Quatre was doubled over in pain clutching his chest, struggling to breathe.

"Quatre, you need to focus on my voice. Stop focusing on Duo. You’re only going to hurt yourself. Just listen to the sound of my voice." Jai began to hum a soft lullaby. She gently rocked him back and forth while stroking his hair. He concentrated on the sound of her voice. The pain began to subside. Shortly after he was able to breathe normally.

"Are you OK?" Jai asked Quatre as he turned to face her. He saw a brief flash of worry and concern in her eyes before they turned cold. The Yuy "perfect soldier" eyes. He nodded and Jai got up to check on Duo.

"DAMN IT!! WHERE’S THAT AMBULANCE?!?" Jai looked at Heero who was still staring at Duo’s seat and then turned to Catherine who was still lost in her thoughts.

"How did Duo get sick so quick?" Catherine said mostly to herself. Hilde was thinking the same thing. Duo was fine until they came here. Hilde turned her head to stare at Duo’s seat.

"The food." Heero and Hilde said at the same time.

"What?" Jai said.

"The food. It s been poisoned" Hilde said staying surprisingly calm. Hilde’s calmness was unnerving to Relena and Kellee. They were definitely going to have to watch her.

"Jase call the hospital and tell them to have a lab ready when we get there. Draw 10 vials of blood from Duo as soon as you can. I’m going to need a complete diagnosis of his symptoms." Jai said back in her monotone mode. Milliardo lead the paramedics into the banquet room. They loaded Duo into the ambulance with Hilde riding along and rushed him to the hospital. The others followed in they respective vehicles.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time the others got there the lab and the vials of blood were waiting for Jai. Jase and Sally were currently working on Duo. Hilde was pacing outside of the room they took Duo into. Heero was leaning on the east wall while Wufei lean against the west. Quatre, Relena, Catherine, Trowa, Noin, Milliardo, Lady Une, Simon were sitting in various chairs around the waiting room. Jai was leaning on the wall beside the entrance to Duo’s room waiting for Sally and eyeing Hilde through her long bangs. Hilde’s silence unnerved her. Jai knew Hilde loved Duo more than life itself. The moment Duo’s life ends so will Hilde’s. Her shifted her gaze to Heero. Although he never publicly acknowledged it, Duo was his best friend. Actually he was more than that. He was a brother. She knew Heero was more than worried about Duo but being Heero, he wasn’t going to show it. Catherine stood up from her chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jai asked Catherine in her monotone voice.

"Head Hunting" she responded checking her gun. She slammed her hand onto the door nearly knocking it off its hinges as she left the waiting area.

"Trowa, Kellee go with her and make sure she ask questions first before she shoots." Kellee nodded and followed Catherine. Trowa was bewildered.

"You’ll see" was the only explanation Jai gave Trowa. He nodded and followed Kellee out of the waiting room. Jai walked over to the others.

"I need you guys to keep an eye on Hilde and Heero for me. I know this is hard on both of them. They may need someone to lean on. I know I would." They all nodded their response. Sally and Jase emerged from Duo’s room their faces solemn.

Hilde stopped pacing, "How is he?"

"Not good" Jase answered, "His pulse is weak and his brain waves are slowing down. I don’t know what they poisoned him with but its slowly" he paused drawing in a deep breath, "killing him" he said just above a whisper.

"At most he’ll only have 24 hours. Jai lets go. We’ve got to find what he was poisoned with and get the antidote." Sally added. Jai and Sally headed toward the lab. Jai turned around and walked over to Hilde and gave her a hug.

"I won’t let him die, I promise." She said looking Hilde straight in the eye. They stayed that way for a minute exchanging unspoken thoughts. Jai left Hilde and continued to follow Sally.

"Can I go see him?" Hilde asked Jase.

He gave her a weak smile. "Go ahead and let him know his has someone to live for." She nodded and entered Duo’s room. What she saw made her heart fall into her shoes. In the middle of the room, on a starchy white hospital bed laid Duo. He had an IV that was connected to various fluids running into his arm. There were a multitude of tubes and electrodes taped on his chest that connected to machines that constantly beeped and hummed. Cautiously she took the seat next to his bed. His normal braid was a bit messy but it wasn’t enough to take away from his handsome face. Hilde gently took his hand in hers. It was so cold. ‘The colds hand of death.’ She took her free hand and brushed his bangs back from his face but of course they went right back to their resting place.

"I love you, Duo. I betcha didn’t know that huh." she smiled sadly and lightly traced the outline of his jaw. "I’ve loved you ever since the day I met you. You wanted to know why I left you? Well, I left because after seven years of waiting you never return my feelings and I need to be loved. I wanted to be loved by you but I guess in your eyes I was never good enough, pretty enough, smart enough."

Silent tears ran down her face. She leaned over and softly kissed Duo’s blue tinged lips. She rested her head on his chest, letting it rise and fall with his shallow breathing letting the tears fall freely onto the blanket that covered him.

"I love you, Duo. Come back to me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo was walking aimlessly. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by white. He didn’t know where he was or why he was there but he knew if he kept on walking he would find a way out. He didn’t know how long he’d been walking when he came across a lone figure sitting on something. He approached the figure hoping the person could tell him where he was and how to get out. As he got closer he noticed the person was sitting on a white bench and wearing a black and white outfit. He walked over to the bench. The person looked up at him and smiled.

"Sister Helen?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Catherine, Kellee and Trowa arrived back at the Chinese restaurant right at closing time wearing their Preventer jackets.

The manager, a short, round black haired man snorted at the three, "Where closing. Come back tomorrow."

Catherine looked down at the man "I want to see the kitchen surveillance tapes from tonight"

The man laughed, "Woman, who do you think you are?" then he turned to Trowa, "You need to teach your woman how to subservient to a man" Trowa was about to grab the man by the throat when Kellee shook her head, stopping him.

"You have a lot of nerve for a man who is knee high to a pew. Don’t make me get down on my knees to smack you, I’m afraid I’ll have trouble reaching you from up here." Catherine retorted. The man huffed shocked that she would make such a remark to him.

***CLICK***

"The tapes. NOW!" Catherine said as she leveled her gun at the man head resting it in the middle of it.

"y…ye…yes…mm..mm..mm…ma’am…fff..fff..follow me" the now scared man replied.

"That’s better", she said keeping her gun aimed at the man’s head as the followed him.

Trowa leaned over to Kellee, "Is she always like this?"

"Nope. She must be in a good mood. She didn’t kill him." Kellee replied as they entered the small security office. Trowa suddenly felt sorry for whoever crossed his sister when she was in a bad mood.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jai and Sally stared at the green vials of Duo’s blood that was once red. They’ve tried nearly every poison known and still could not figure out what Duo was going through Duo’s system

"We are getting nowhere with this" Sally said staring at vials.

"We are over looking something so simple but for the life of me I can’t figure it out" Jai replied staring at the same vials.

"We need to approach this from a different perspective" Sally stated reaching for a new vial.

"I wish I knew what that perspective was" Jai said as she removed the used vials.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sister Helen gave Duo a warm smile. "Hello Duo. I didn’t expect to see you so soon." She said.

Duo looked dumbfounded at Sister Helen, "Don’t take this the wrong way but am I dead cause I don’t want to be?"

"No Duo. You’re not dead but whether you live or die will be entirely up to you."

"I don’t understand." Duo said as he sat next to Sister Helen. Just then a woman dressed in a red blouse and black slacks appeared before them. She had black hair and red eyes. As soon as she appeared the air around them turned bitterly cold. She flashed Duo a sinister smile.

"Duo I am The God of Death and I am here to take you home."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Catherine was staring intently at the small surveillance screen looking at every little detail. Kellee who was sitting next to Catherine began to doze off. Trowa sat on the other side of Kellee staring just as intently at the screen as Catherine. The manager sat on the other side of Catherine sleeping. Trowa was looking at the videotape when he felt something land on his shoulder. He glanced sideways only to find Kellee was using his shoulder as a pillow.

‘She looks peaceful when she sleeps and she’s quiet. Now that’s a bonus’, Trowa thought as he reached his hand out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear for no apparent reason.

"Hey whose that?!?" Catherine demanded startling Trowa and causing Kellee and the manager to jump up. The manager rubbed his eyes and looked at the brunette woman on the screen.

"Her name is Felicia Baker. She’s a waitress but she quit today." They all looked at the screen as the woman named Felicia removed a small bottle from her apron and pour the contents in the sauce and stir it. She then dumped the sauce on a plate of food.

"Where does this girl live?" Catherine asked getting up from her seat and the others followed. The manager gave them the woman’s address and they left the restaurant.

"Where to now?" Kellee asked

"First we go back to the hospital to check on Duo and the others. Then we go make our little canary sing" Catherine replied as she slide into the drive side of Jai’s Escalade.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo looked at the one called Death, leaned on the back of the bench and put his hands behind his head, "So you’re here to take me home, huh. Somehow I get the feeling that my definition of home and yours is totally different."

"You don’t think you can run around and call yourself "The God of Death" without there being any consequences do you." She replied flashing that sinister smile again.

"Oh, so whatcha gonna do? Sue me for copyright infringement" he said flashing a sinister smile of his own.

"You smart ass! How dare you disrespect Death! You have done nothing with your life but caused pain and agony. You should come with me now and pay the price for your sins." She waved her hand and parts of Duo’s past appeared before them. The faces of the soldiers he killed during the war ran together like a flowing stream. All the faces were contorted in pain as they died at the hands of the God of Death. Duo became angry, his eyes blazing.

"That was war! They knew the risks they took by getting into those mobile suits just like I did! I didn’t WANT to KILL anybody!"

"And yet you did spatting "God Of Death" as you welded your scythe taking countless lives." She retorted as a vision of Duo in Deathscythe cockpit appeared before them doing exactly what she just said.

"I only did what I had to do."

"Fine what about that young lady? Uh, what’s her name? Oh, yeah Hilde." Flashes of Hilde appeared and each one Hilde was crying. Sometimes silently and sometimes sobbing uncontrolably. Duo felt his heart twist in a million different directions. He had never experience anything like it before.

"Tell me Duo, were you "only doing what you had to do" every time you broke that pooooooor girls heart? Do you know how many times that girl cried over you? Well let’s start ant the beginning and count shall we." She was about to wave her hand again.

"No. We don’t have to. I have seen enough", He solemnly replied.

"Oh. So you’re not so tough after all. With all the pain your existence cause, you don’t need to return to the land of the living. The world is a much better place without you. Do you think anyone would miss you? Your so-called friends won’t especially Heero. He doesn’t like you and you know it. How many times has he put his gun in your face? And you call yourself his best friend. Ha. If he was your best friend he wouldn’t threaten to kill you every time he sees you." Duo hung his head but said nothing. He was beginning to believe everything Death had said. After all it was his life, he’d already knew what she showed him.

"Come. We’ve wasted enough time." She grabbed Duo’s hand and a wave of coldness went through him. He felt like he was submerged in frozen water.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hilde had fell asleep holding Duo’s hand with her head resting on the side of the bed. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!

Hilde woke with a start. Suddenly Duo’s hand became cold as ice. Hilde began shaking Duo. "DUO!!! DUO!!! DON’T LEAVE ME!!! DUO, DON’T GO!!! I LOVE YOU!!!"