Title: Tainted Conviction – Part Ten

Author: Sita Seraph

Genre: Angst, Religious relatings

Pairing: 1x2 eventually.

Rated: R

Warning: Gruesome treatment, stigmata, sixth sense, and a whole lot
of shit.

          Note: *heavy sigh* I don't feel very creative at all with
this story at the moment…*stares at the words* I think I need some
constructive reviews?  Like maybe 'you could correct this and that'
stuff?  That fuels my writing a lot.  I feel depressed from writer's
block…Help me…

Trowa stared at the tissues scattered across the kitchen table,
wadded up and thrown aside like frustrating homework.  A man's broken
sobs were the only sound in the room, in the whole house, as Quatre
continued to cry with all of his worth.  Trowa watched his friend
from across the table as he rocked back and forth in his seat, one
hand wrapped around his trembling form and the other with a tissue
that kept wiping at his face as tears spilled forth.  His cheeks were
red, his eyes swollen and his eyebrows forcefully down over his
closed eyelids.  Choked sobs kept throwing up from his throat, making
a little cry of internal pain and his body continually shuddered.

A toss of a tissue and Quatre jerked another free from the box next
to him.

He had been crying from the same force for a half an hour now, the
pain deep and his well of tears endless.  Trowa didn't know what to
do, what to say.  He couldn't say everything was going to be all
right because he didn't know if it ever would be.  Duo was beginning
to lose his mind, that fact was obvious.  His moods would shift too
quickly for him to be a sane, normal being.  He even believed the God
was punishing him.  God.  An invisible entity.  Angels.  Where would
he get such an idea?  Why?  Why would Duo think he needed to be
punished?

Because one person out of thousands didn't believe?  Why punish
him?  Why did He strike now?  What had Duo done to made God so
furious with him that His own hand would strike a low human being? 
It didn't make sense.  It had no purpose, no right, no…honor.  The
thought was insane.

Yet…Who could explain the tiding that had befallen them?  Who could
explain the wounds on Duo's wrists?  Who could explain…what happened
an hour ago?  It was too much.  Too much to accept, to believe. 
But…what if Duo was right?

Did we Humans make God look all-powerful and full of love because we
wanted something to believe in?  Were we so scared in our first steps
into our world that we needed something to encourage us as we walked
in the darkness?  Was God some being that enjoyed our pain and
sorrow?  Had we made everything up like little children and their
ghost stories?  It was a frightening, terrifying thought.  That
darkness never met light. That when you died, there was nothing
comforting in the end of the tunnel. 

Quatre sobbed again and Trowa stared long and hard at his friend. 
He was suffering like Duo, taking all the blame upon himself.  Trowa
couldn't just sit around and watch Quatre blame himself for
everything.  He wanted to help but he didn't know how.  What if he
made it worse…?

If you hesitant in battle, it will change the outcome of the war.

Trowa gave a soft sigh into the broken air and moved off his seat. 
Walking silently to his friend's side, he knelt down, watching Quatre
from a different perspective.  Tears ran free sometimes, dodging the
tissue and falling onto his comrade's lap.  Quatre didn't notice his
presence immediately and it gave time for Trowa to reach out and
nudge Quatre's chin.  The tissue fell away from his red face and he
looked up, tears falling like waterfalls over his cheeks.  A sob
bubbled past Quatre's lips and his eyes watered more as his blue orbs
met Trowa's.  He raised his tissue to wipe away the hints of his pain
again but Trowa's free hand caught his wrist.

Quatre stared confused at him.

Slowly, Trowa, without thinking, leaned forward and started kissing
his tears away.  Salt water littered past the silent pilot's lips and
into his mouth.  With a thirsty throat, Trowa doubled his efforts and
kissed each section of Quatre's innocent cheeks.

Quatre didn't move away.  He watched Trowa with wide, blurry eyes as
his smooth mouth touched his burning skin, kissing away his pain. 
More tears fell from his eyes but he didn't seem to notice as they
were quickly sucked and kissed away.

His cheeks didn't burn quite as much anymore.

"T-Trowa…" Quatre whispered softly and Trowa pulled back, just
barely.  Green embers burned into his eyes, inches from his face. 
Quatre lifted a heavy hand, mesmerized by jade orbs in front of him. 
His fingertips encountered soft skin of Trowa's cheek and he
caressed, running his curious fingers into his hair.  They must have
sat there for a few minutes, the world passing them by in a matter of
seconds.  Heavy brown silk covered Quatre's fingers and he sighed
softly, a crushing feeling wrapping around his heart.  He stared at
Trowa, heart beating against the crushing force encased around it,
and watched as the silent pilot slowly leant forward.  The innocent
pilot let his eyes slip close but green jewels still shone through
the blackness behind his eyelids.  He felt Trowa's breath upon his
lips and knew he was drawing closer, ever so closer.

Skin brushed skin when suddenly they were interrupted

Quatre's head jerked up with Trowa's, eyes incredibly wide, as Duo's
horrified, painful scream broke through the silence of the house.

*****

Heero pounded up the stairs, taking two at a time, and quickly heard
the footsteps of his companions following.  Not taking a breath to
wait for them, Heero followed the endless screaming to its source at
the middle of the hall, to a closed bedroom.

Heero's bedroom.

Heero skidded to a stop in front of the wooden door and stared
transfixed with horror-filled eyes as screaming spilled forth from
inside.  The owner of the voice barely paused for breath, never lost
its volume, before it began all over again with the same note.  It
was like a broken record, playing over and over again and never
stopping.

"Duo!!" Quatre cried, nearly running into the immobile Heero Yuy. 
Wufei's hand reached out and grabbed the knob.  But suddenly he
stumbled back with a ring of curses, gripping his hand.

"Wufei?" Quatre called.

Slowly, Wufei raised his fingertips to show his companions.  Beaten
red beamed up at them, cold frost lingering at his fingertips.  What
kind of magic was this? Wufei thought, staring at his frozen hand. 
It was funny; it didn't even hurt anymore.  Just numb and tingly…

Heero stared hard at the golden knob.  Upon closer inspection, just
around the edges, frost lined the yellow hued handle and melted into
the door.  Heero glanced secondly at Quatre who had his ears covered
tightly and was screaming out Duo's name.  But over the cries,
everything was mute.  Heero's ears were ringing and if Wufei had
yelled into his ear this very moment, he still wouldn't be able to
hear him.  Trowa stood by, uncertainty tainting his features.  So, it
was basically up to Heero.

The perfect pilot took a deep breath, braced himself, and then ran
forward, slamming himself into the door.

He had never heard anything like it.  The screams.  Filled with
unbelievable pain, unspeakable horror.  It rang in their ears; it
sang down the hall, it made shuddered the whole house.  The cries of
torture had reached deep into Quatre's gut and seemed to be squeezing
it with teasing, pain-giddy fingers.  Duo's bawls came out loud and
strong, coming up to a pitch not even Relena could imitate.  The
yells spoke of a man wishing with all his might for death; anything
but what was being forced upon him.  Quatre couldn't help but see
nothing but red.  Duo's blood being splayed across the walls.  Hate
and pain burning through the walls of chestnut and stands of russet
lying naked across the floor.

SLAM! Quatre's eyes broke free from his wild imagination as Heero
threw all his strength into the door.  It didn't crash open.  It
didn't bend.  It didn't even make a creak.  The door stayed a perfect
guard to the tortured man behind.

Heero stumbled back, gripping his sore arm, and anger began to burn
at his throat.  Duo, so close, was just beyond his reach.  And he
couldn't even get past a fucking door.  Fury began to choke off
Heero's air, making him gasp for air.  Again, he threw himself at the
door and it didn't even budge.  He felt like he was an ant trying to
make a stone ten times bigger than he.  Frustration.

"You fucker!!! Whose in there?!  Stop it!!!!" Heero exploded.

Screaming, screaming, endless screaming.

"DUO!!!!" Heero shouted and started punching the door for all its
damn faults, for keeping him locked away from his treasure on the
other side of the door.  He had to do something; he had to stop it
all!  He was the perfect soldier, he could do anything!  No DOOR
could trap his Duo away!!!

And then it hit him.

Heero gave a last punch with his abused fists and caught his breath,
staring at the wooden fabrics of the door before him.

"DUO!!!!" Heero screamed with all his might, trying to override the
cries from inside.  "MY GUN, DUO!!!! GET MY GUN!!!!"

And for a split second, the screaming stopped, leaving the closed-
off pilots ears ringing and heads pounding.  But that was all.  Until
the silence was broken again.

BAM!BAM!

Heero blinked in shock as two identical holes appeared on either
side of his face, burning wood wafting up on his cheek.  The bullets
had missed him by a centimeter each.  But that didn't mean they
didn't catch a different target.

Heero whipped his head around just in time to watch Trowa fall,
clutching his bleeding shoulder.  Blood splattered across the wall
behind him and Heero watched, fascinated, as Trowa's usual blank face
was covered in complete and utter shock.  He stared across the hall
in a daze and Quatre let out a cry, falling next to his sitting
companion.

"Trowa!" Quatre cried.

Sometime after the bullets, the screaming had started up again. 
Time seemed to be frozen in space, the smell of bloodshed in the air
and fearful cries coming from the room beyond their reach.  Then came
the second scream.

Wufei's head whipped up as an animal like wail screeched through the
entire house and probably beyond.  No human could make such a howl,
as the pitch was beyond the highest reach.  It was like nails digging
into chalkboard and Wufei's heart thumped hard in his chest.  His
ears had to be bleeding by now, ringing and hurting like Heero's beam
cannon had been blasted right near his ear.  The scream was short
though but it had left something in its wake.  Wufei's head began to
swim and he lowered his head to calm the spinning room.  His head
felt so heavy, so dizzy.  Something suddenly caught his eye and Wufei
forced his eyes to look beyond the haze to a flickering white light
seeping free from under the door.  It was like a white flame…licking
at Heero's feet.  Wufei's eyes widened.

"Heero!"

Heero looked over at Wufei then turned his head around to look at
the door.  Too late.  There was a blast of light, so bright that
Heero knew he had to have gone blind.  He tried to lift his hands to
brace from the oncoming blow but they seemed frozen in place.  The
screaming had gotten louder.

Quatre watched with wide eyes as a flash of light appeared and
Heero's form became nothing but a silhouette in the halo of light. 
Then suddenly, he was flying through the air, arms finally lifting to
shield himself but it was too late.

SLAM!!!!!!!!

Heero's body had twisted in mid air and collided with the wall.  A
deep dent broke into the wall, leaving a crater in its wake, and
cracks to run up along the wall.  And as if in slow motion, Heero
fell from the wall, falling limply upon the ground with a slump as
particles of dust and barrage came down with him.  Paint debris rain
over his limp form as Heero remained immobile on the floor.  The
screaming had stopped upon impact.

"HEERO!!!" Quatre screamed.

Click.

                The door slid open.

09 <--- Previous Chapter - Next Chapter ---> 11

Not in frames? Click here to get in them.
It's for your own good. ^.~ Trust me. Hontou.