'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy

By Silver Twilight Part 2

As sounds of the other students beginning to amble about in the hallways reached his ears, Duo allowed himself to relax the death grip his hands had on his knees. He had spent the last several hours following Heero's departure sitting on his bed, staring at the closed window, and resolutely not thinking about the events of the night before. In fact, he had been so intent on keeping his thoughts away from what had happened that he had not realized just how tense his body had become. With his first tentative movements though, he found himself doubled over and gasping in pain as intense muscle cramps, brought on by the now unrestricted blood flow, racked his small frame.

"Oh god." he moaned as he tried desperately to stay relaxed, hoping it would ease the cramps and muscle spasms. For nearly five minutes, he lay and endured the pain until it finally began to diminish. Only when it had reached a bearable level did he cautiously sit up before sliding across the bed and crawling to his feet. "Man, remind me never to do that again." he mumbled as he trudged slowly across the room and into the bathroom with the intention of taking a nice, hot shower. He hoped, as he turned the hot water tap as far as it would go that the steam and heat would help to loosen his still tense body. And luckily, when he finally emerged from the room nearly half an hour later, he was feeling decidedly more human.

From there, he slipped on a t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans over his boxers as he contemplated what his next move should be. He knew from dinner the night before that breakfast would have been laid out for them that morning by the castle's staff. And since there really was not anything else to occupy his time before they left for the ruins in a few hours, he decided to head for the dining room. He did indulge in taking the long way around the castle's hallways though as he enjoyed a little sightseeing along the way.

When he finally entered the large room nearly fifteen minutes after leaving his room, it was still quite early but as he paused in the doorway long enough to glance around, he noted that about half the group was already there and eating breakfast. A few of his classmates looked up when he entered and a couple of them waved or smiled at him, calling their good mornings before returning to their conversations and plates. He returned the greetings with a smile of his own as he approached the long buffet table where he was even more surprised to once again find a wide variety of food to choose from.

Just like the night before, he picked his food carefully, choosing to have several ethnic offerings along with the more traditional fare he was used to. Then, once his plate was full, he headed for one of the deserted tables in the corner; just because some of his classmates had acknowledged him that morning, did not mean he wished to deal with their inane chatter right then. Already, the events from the previous night had once again taken center stage in his mind and he needed the space to think things through.

It was not that easy though and after nearly ten full minutes of picking at his food while not actually ingesting any of it, he gave up. His mind by that time was once again a swirl of conflicting feelings and thoughts that he simply could not straighten out. So, with a heavy and disgusted sigh, he stood from the table, leaving his still full plate of food, and headed back to his room to wait for the time to leave. He had not been in his room for more than an hour though when a frantic knock started on his door. Putting the book he had been reading aside, he slipped off the bed and padded over to open it.

"Duo, thank god." Professor Mann breathed at seeing the braided teen seemingly whole and unharmed before him and his shoulders visibly relaxed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Alex and Muller." the grey-haired man stated in a near growl and Duo felt a chill race down his spine. With everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten about his two companions from the night before. But before he could give it any real thought, the professor waved toward the student standing at his elbow as he continued, "Michael here said he saw you with them last night after dinner."

"Yeah, they caught me in the hallway as I was leaving."

"Did they do or say anything to you?" Professor Mann asked, his voice taking on a cautious tone as he watched the violet-eyed teen very carefully.

"Well...." the braided young man hedged, shifting from one foot to the other in embarrassment.

"You can tell me Duo. I promise I won't be angry, but I need to know."

"They talked me into going into town with them." Duo finally admitted with a sigh and shake of his head, his eyes dropping away from those of his professor in shame. "I know it was stupid and that you told us not to leave the castle, but...."

"Did they come back with you?"

"No, something happened and they took off." Duo explained. By this time, all the questions had peaked his curiosity and he raised his eyes to meet his professor's grey ones.

"And you came back on your own?"

"Um, they weren't with me, no." the violet-eyed teen hedged his eyes once again drifting away from those piercing grey ones even as a bright blush colored his cheeks. The last thing he wanted was to tell his professor a lie, but he simply could not tell the man about Heero and the events that had transpired in the graveyard either, not without sounding completely crazy. "Why? Are they alright?"

"They're not here, Duo." Professor Mann stated as he heaved another sigh, his hand coming up unconsciously to rub over his face. He could tell that Duo was not telling him the whole truth from not only the blush but from the pause the teen had taken before he had spoken. Duo was not the type of person to lie and while he would have preferred knowing exactly what the young man was hiding, he decided now was not the time to press him; he would prefer Duo tell him what had happened on his own. "As far as we can tell, they never came back at all last night. Their beds haven't been slept in."

No sooner than the words were out of the professor's mouth, he knew he had said the wrong thing; Duo's face paled frighteningly and before he could even ask if he was alright, the braided teen turned on his heels and stumbled across the room to slump down onto his bed. Professor Man paused for only a moment to instruct Michael to find one of the servants before following the violet-eyed teen across the room, his own mind a bit shocked by the teen's actions.

"Duo, I need to know everything that happened last night; did they hurt you in any way?" the man asked after only a moment of silence. Allowing Duo to come to him about the events of the previous night was no longer an option if his actions were any indication of what had happened.

Duo's mind though was far too scattered by the revelation to comprehend or even acknowledge the man's words for a long moment, a lot longer than the grey haired professor liked. And when he did finally respond, he could only manage a distracted, "What do you mean?" before falling quiet once again.

"I mean, did they... touch you... in any way."

At that, the braided teen's head snapped up and his impossibly large eyes stared incredulously at the man as he finally realized exactly what his professor was trying to ask him. The very implications had him sure he would spontaneously combust at any moment. "Nn... no of course not." he stammered in disbelief. "Why would you think something like that?"

"It's nothing, never mind." the professor said in a rush with a blush of his own and a wave of his hand even as relief washed over him. Both Alex and Muller were known for their taste in young, pretty boys and had had their eyes on Duo since the first time they saw him at the beginning of the semester. "Just forget I asked, alright?"

"Definitely." Duo agreed readily, anything to change that particular subject.

"Good, now under the circumstances, I think it would be best if we all stay inside the castle for the next few days." the Professor continued as he turned and began to pace beside the bed; his embarrassment quickly evaporating with the more pressing problem of two missing students to deal with. "We'll contact the local constable and have them begin a search. Hopefully those two will turn up on their own, having just found a safe place to sleep it off last night."

"I really am sorry Professor." Duo mumbled, his eyes returning to stare at the floor although not really seeing it as his guilt from earlier returned. Along with the guilt also came the remembrance of the events that had led to him being separated from the missing students in the first place. That combined with the morning's shock and his lack of sleep or food, was effectively causing his mind to systematically shut down.

"I know Duo, and while I'm very disappointed that you would allow them to talk you into something like that, I'm also very relieved that you're alright." the professor said with a smile as he turned to look at his favorite student. The smile quickly slid from his face though at seeing the braided teen swaying lightly where he was sitting on the side of the bed. Taking a step forward, he asked, "Duo, are you alright?"

The braided teen did not answer though, and as he began to tip sideways, the professor quickly closed the distance between them and caught his slight form before he could hit the floor. "Duo!" he exclaimed, tilting the teen's head back only to find him unconscious.

********************

When Duo returned to consciousness a little over a half an hour later, it was to find a strange man leaning over him and shining a light in his eyes. Instinctively, he jerked away from both the light and the man. However, before he could go very far, two strong hands gripped his shoulders, holding him in place. Panic instantly flared inside him at being so easily pinned down in an unknown situation. But it was quickly replaced by relief when he turned his attention toward the left side of the bed and found Professor Mann looking at him with genuine concern glowing in his grey eyes.

"How are you feeling?" the old professor asked in a soft voice, further soothing his raw nerves.

"What...." the braided teen began, grimacing at the dry, scratchiness of his throat. He swallowed a few times to moisten it before trying again. "What happened?"

"You fainted." the professor explained before nodded toward the man with the light even as he turned and grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table, holding it so the teen could sip from it. "The local doctor was nice enough to come and look you over."

"Oh." Duo said softly once he had drunk his fill and settled back down onto the bed, his attention then going toward the man standing to his right side sporting a very stern look.

"You've not eaten, yes?" the doctor asked, his heavily accented voice and broken English making it difficult for the braided teen to understand and he had to think for a moment before answering.

"No, um, I wasn't very hungry this morning."

"And sleep? You not sleep much either?"

"No, not last night."

"You need sleep and eat, then you be fine." the doctor said with a nod before turning to quickly pack up his things. "Stay in bed for rest of day, no moving about in case you faint again."

Then, without another word, the doctor picked up his bag, nodded to them once more, and walked from the room, leaving them both stunned by his sudden departure.

"Not much of a bedside manner, I guess." the violet-eyed young man commented after a moment before turning back to his teacher, who was shaking his head and chuckling softly at the teen's words. "Professor Mann?"

"Yes Duo?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, you're not in trouble." the old professor said with a sigh, a soft smile gracing his lips as he looked into his student's tired eyes. "Like I told you earlier, while I'm very disappointed that you'd allow yourself to fall for their taunts, I'm just glad you're alright."

"Thanks Professor."

"You're very welcome. Now, you need your rest and I have to speak with the constable about the search for Alex and Mueller."

"Oh, right. Do you really think they can find them?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll turn back up sooner or later." Professor Mann said, giving the young man's shoulder a squeeze in reassurance. "Now, get some rest. We'll talk later." the old man finished before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

********************

Contrary to the Professor's words, Alex and Mueller never did show up again and the search led by the local constabulary did not turn up a single trace of them either. For the three days following their disappearance Professor Mann kept the students inside the castle but by the end of that time, they had explored just about everything the renovated building had to offer and were beginning to become far too restless. Not to mention the fact that they had fallen seriously behind schedule. So, calling a meeting, he informed them that they would be traveling to the nearest of the planned castles the next morning so that they could continue their research trip. The announcement was greeted by applause and cheers that their forced inactivity would soon be ended.

For Duo's part, he tried for those three days to do as the village doctor had instructed him. But every time he closed his eyes to sleep, he kept seeing the creature in the cemetery and the way Heero had dealt with it. And when he did manage to fall asleep, his dreams were not much better. They were filled with visions of the possible fates of the two missing students as well as what his own would have been if the dark-haired man had not shown up when he did. This would usually result in only a few hours of actual sleep before he was once again wide awake. And after spending the first two nights of the three alternating between nervously pacing his room and tossing ineffectively on the bed, he just quit trying. This of course effected his eating and by the time Professor Mann made the decision to continue their trip, he had dropped several pounds and was beginning to seriously worry about his sanity.

Even with all that hanging over his head though, he would not give up the chance of new scenery, hoping as he did that it might help to ease some of his anxieties. And so it was to a dreary day that the braided teen and his fellow students stepped from the castle's front doors for the first time since their arrival. From there, they boarded two shuttle buses on which they would make the thirty-minute drive to the ruined castle where they would spend most of the rest of the day exploring. Luckily, by the time they arrived, the sun had poked its way through the clouds, much to everyone's relief since none of them liked the thought of wondering around old ruins with the threat of rain literally hanging over their heads. Filing out of the buses, they lined up in front of the ruins while the professor went to speak with their guides for the day.

"Ok ladies and gentleman." Professor Mann said, once he was finished and had returned to organize them. "I want everyone to stay together; no wandering off. While I've been assured that this ruin is quite stable, I'd rather not take any chances." Then, with a wave of his hand, the professor turned and led them toward the entrance a few yards away.

From the outside, the ruined castle did not look like much, but given that it was several hundred years old that was to be expected. Only a few of the outer walls were left standing and even some of the inner ones were crumbling. At its center, the castle stood three stories tall, with wooden beams along with huge stone blocks making up the majority of the building material. The third floor, while still discernable as such, was little more than a flat platform with the roof gone and most of the walls as well. The second was in far better shape, with even what might have been a wooden walkway winding around the outside and small windows spaced regularly yet high on the walls. While the first and lowest of the floor, was completely bare save the one small door they were headed for; there were no windows adorning the wall to allow light to enter, giving it a very foreboding air.

For the next hour, they explored the inner castle, starting on the dark and dreary first floor, where they discovered small rooms that had been used as servant's quarters during the castles earlier days as well as a large kitchen toward the back that had a hearth bigger than most bathrooms they had ever seen. As they progressed, the guides kept up a running commentary, explaining the history related to the castle and the region surrounding it, including the final battle that had led to the third floor's demise.

Following their tour of the first floor, the group climbed a narrow stairway leading from the back of the kitchen to the second floor, where much larger bedchambers awaited their eager eye. These, the guides explained, had been used for visiting guests while the residence of the castle used the third floor for their chambers. They also explained that, during its excavation nearly three years prior, it had been on the second floor where the majority of the artifacts had been found. And while this meant that nothing exciting would be found during their exploration, it was also reassuring that they would be less likely to become lost in the winding hallways since it had been mapped thoroughly.

But of all the sights that greeted them on the relatively intact floor, it was the huge room that ran the length of the castle's entire back wall that awed them the most. It was enormous, with high ceilings and large stone pillars that ran in two rows along either side of the room. There was also woodwork and other stonework along the walls, speaking of the room's former majesty. And while the guides claimed it to be the throne room of the castle, Duo guessed it was more than likely a ballroom or something else along whose lines. It just did not fit the description in his mind of what a true throne room would look like.

With its open expanse, Professor Mann decided it would be the best place for a brief rest, thereby giving them the chance to explore on their own. Duo, deciding that he needed a little space from the others, immediately headed across the room away from the large, stone statue the other students had gathered around. For a time, he simply wondered aimlessly around the room, stopping to take in the carved scrollwork on the massive pillars. While most of them had been broken and the pieced lay scattered across the floor, a few remained relatively intact and he relished in the craftsmanship that had gone into their making. It was as he was circling one of the more intact pillars that he found the small alcove.

Hidden directly behind the vertical piece of stone, the entrance to the room was small, almost invisible and only someone walking in from the direction he had come would be able to find it. With the excitement of discovery burning in his veins, he peered quickly over his shoulder toward where the Professor was speaking with a small group of the students. He could tell from the look of things that they would be there for a little while longer and so he turned, a wide smile splitting his face as he crossed the distance separating him from the room and slipped inside.

Immediately upon crossing the threshold, he paused, allowing his eyes to adjust to the little light that was filtering in from the larger room, only stepping further in once his eyes had adjusted enough. It was a small room, in comparison to the one he had just exited, but it was still big enough to hold nearly twenty people comfortably. The intricate stone and woodwork that had been present in the outer room was present upon the walls here as well, indicating that it had been used fairly often in its past, perhaps holding chairs and lounges for the guests to relax on away from the activity and noise of the larger room. Now however, it was completely bare. But even that fact could not curb his enthusiasm concerning the find and he eagerly pulled out his notebook, flipping to a clean page as he set about exploring the small room.

Only once he had thoroughly investigated the alcove, jotting down his notes and descriptions, did he replace the book in his bag. Then, giving the room one last look, a smile firmly etched on his lips, did he head for the door. Unfortunately, the smile that still lit his face immediately fell upon re-crossing the threshold into the bigger room. The sound of quiet and emptiness was just too strong to miss and with a skipping heartbeat, he hurried around the stone pillar and surveyed the room only to find himself completely alone.

"Fuck." he exclaimed as he headed toward the door at the far end of the room, opposite from the one they had used to enter the room. He knew they would have had to go that way to continue the tour.

Moving as fast as he could down the hall he found on the far side of the doorway, Duo tried to keep his movements as quiet as possible as he listened for the sound of the other students, only stopping when he came to the juncture of another hallway. It was then that he finally allowed himself to think about his predicament. Not only did he not know what direction the group had taken from that point, but he had also been so engrossed with examining the walls and other odds and ends on the way in that he was not sure of how to make it back to the entrance on his own either. The thought of being lost in the ancient ruins had him leaning against the wall to his left in dejection.

A few minutes later though, he roughly shrugged it off; standing there doing nothing was not getting him anywhere. And unless he wanted to deal with the snide remark from the other students about him having to be rescued from the ruined castle, he would have to find his own way out. So, with that in mind, he straightened from the wall and turned back the way he had come. There was just no way he would be able to find the rest of the group, no on his own, but if he kept his head straight he just might be able to find his way back to the beginning.

Nearly an hour later, he finally slumped against yet another wall in defeat and exhaustion. Not only had he not been able to find the entrance, but he had managed to lose himself even further in the ruined castle's winding and twisting hallways. In the short time since leaving the large room, he had gone up two flights of stairs and down three, meaning he was now below the floor with the room. But he now could not find the stairs he had gone down nor could he find another set to take him back up. For small ruins, this one was proving to be very complicated. So, sliding down the wall, he allowed himself to sit heavily on the floor as he stared up at the high ceilings.

"Now what the fuck am I going to do?" he whispered into the dusty air before allowing his eyes to drop shut.

He had no idea how long he sat there, contemplating his situation, before he became aware of a new sound in the air. The sound of footsteps to be exact and if he was not mistaken, they were coming closer to where he was. With a nearly silent sigh of relief, he pushed himself back to his feet as he took a few steps forward. However, when the person to whom the footsteps belonged to walked around the corner, he found himself frozen in a mix of fear and anticipation.

"Heero." he breathed.

"You shouldn't be here; not alone." the dark-haired man said in a soft voice even as he continued in his slow pace toward the braided young man. If he was surprised to see Duo there, he did not let it show.

"I... I didn't mean...." Duo stammered as he continued to watch him approach, his eyes searching for an escape that his mind told him was not there.

Heero stopped when he was only a foot away from the braided teen, his cold, blue eyes boring into the violet ones before him. "This place is not safe." he said and reached for Duo, but when the violet-eyed teen flinched and stepped backwards, he stopped. "I would never hurt you."

"I don't know..." Duo said as he took another step backward, trying to press himself into the cold, stone wall behind him. "I heard you and that other man... Wufei?... talking about me that night. The things you said--"

In the next instant, his words were cut off when Heero suddenly lurched forward, pressing him further against the stones and holding him firmly in place with his hands to either side of his shoulders.

"What did you hear?" he growled into Duo's ear and the teen paled even further at the sound of barely controlled violence in the man's voice.

"I don't...." Duo started only to have his throat lock up before he could finish, allowing only a small whimpering sound to escape, a sound that Heero found very enticing. With slow and controlled movements, he lowered his head until he was nuzzling at the braided teen's neck, drawing yet another whimper from that dulcet throat.

By now, Duo's heart was racing hard and fast, and his breathing had increased to match. To the dark-haired man these were the sound of pure bliss, adding to the smell of the braided teen that seemed to surround him and he was quickly loosing what little restraint he had left.

"Just a little taste." he whispered against the soft skin, feeling the nearly frantic pulse under his lips jump at his words. "Just a little."

Meanwhile, Duo found himself frozen in a mix of terror and anticipation as Heero continued to ghost kisses along his neck, stopping here and there when his actions managed to draw a gasp or other sound from him. And all the while he tried desperately to sort out his thoughts. He knew what Heero was, or at least he thought he did, and yet he just could not truly accept it. No one in their right mind would; and yet...

He was drawn from his thoughts only a moment later as the dark-haired man's hands slid down his arms before slipping behind his back and curling around his round bottom, squeezing softly and drawing a soft, uncontrolled moan from his lips. Heero immediately drew back at the sound and gave him a knowing smile to which he found himself blushing hotly. He opened his mouth to protest but Heero did not give him a chance and instead caught his lips in a searing kiss, the man's hot, moist tongue slipping inside before he could react.

Lost in the sensations, Duo could do nothing but ride the feeling as it threatened to wash him completely away. The way Heero caressed him, both inside and out was electrifying and while his mind tried to tell him he should be afraid, his body was too busy enjoying the feel of strong hands and a hot mouth to obey. Unfortunately, not long after it started, Heero broke the kiss before returning to his exploration of the teen's throat, stopping at the pulse point just behind Duo left ear. Only a second later, before he could voice his protest of the loss of those warm lips, he felt a pinprick of pain followed almost immediately by an intense rush of pleasure. So intense was the feeling, his knees buckled and his consciousness begin to slide away. Within seconds, Heero's strong arms were the only things keeping him up even as his vision began to gray around the edges.

True to his own words, Heero was very careful to only take a small taste, just enough to wet his appetite and no more before pulling back once again; with any luck it would not be much longer before the young man would be his completely. Duo had been just as delicious as he had imagined he would be, fortifying his desire to own the beautiful boy more than ever. But for now, it was time to return the teen to his classmates who had by now realized the longhaired boy was missing. So, with one last look into those violet eyes that had haunted him for so many years, Heero used his powers to send the teen into a deep sleep. Then lifting him into his arms, he carried him toward the front of the castle and the nearly frantic professor that waited.

********************

For the second time in three days, Duo woke once again to find a strange man leaning over his prone form. Only this time, memories of his flight through the castle ruins as well as his meeting with Heero were still fresh in his mind and with a gasp and half-strangled scream, he shot straight up in the bed as he tried to throw the man off him. Almost immediately, hands appeared on his shoulders once again, pushing him back down to the bed while a gentle voice tried to break through his panicked thoughts even as he fought the hold with what little strength he had.

"Duo!" a voice, one quite familiar, yelled in his ear. "You have to calm down. You're perfectly safe. It was only a nightmare."

Finally, the words began to register in his fogged mind and he stopped his struggles. Once he was calm, he turned his head to find Professor Mann staring at him with what could only be called intense worry.

"What... what happened?" he managed to croak through his parched throat. Before answering, the grey-haired man turned to the bedside table and poured him a glass of water that he helped Duo to sip. Then setting the glass back down, he settled himself on the edge of the bed and looked down at his student with a grave expression.

"We're still not sure how you managed to get yourself lost in the ruins, but by the time we found you, it was quite late." the professor explained. "You must have been wandering around the entire time and given the heat of the day, it was little wonder that you were severely dehydrated not to mention malnourished since the village doctor seems to think you still haven't been eating very well."

This last was said with a stern look on the old man's face and Duo had the decency to blush. "Yeah, I haven't been feeling very well since that first night, when I went with Alex and Mueller into town."

"You should've told me you weren't up to the expedition, Duo." Professor Mann scolded. "You could've stayed here and rested."

"But I was ok, even after I got lost, I was fine until...." the braided teen protested, stopping as his thoughts returned to Heero and what had happened between them. Almost immediately, his hand rose to his throat, fingers ghosting over the patch of skin just behind his ear but finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Until what Duo?" the man coaxed, not liking the way the young man face had paled once again.

Knowing he could not even begin to explain what was going though his mind at that moment, Duo lowered his hand and simply shook his head before easing himself down onto the bed. He was feeling even more confused and frightened than he had the night Heero had brought him home from the cemetery.

"The doctor said that, with the heat exhaustion and malnutrition, you'd be extremely tired for a few days and that you should stay in bed." Professor Mann said with a sigh, knowing he would not be able to convince the teen to say anything further until he was ready. "I've called off the remainder of the expeditions for this area so you have four days to recover before we move on to the next. I want you to use these four days to rest and eat as much as possible. Hopefully you'll have better luck with our next stop over."

"What about Alex and Mueller?" he had to ask.

"I'm afraid there's been no word." the professor said with another sigh. "The local constable is still looking into the matter, but I can't just stop the trip because of them. I've already wired a letter to their parents, telling them about what has happened. If they choose to continue the search, that will be their business. Personally, I think those two decided to take off on their own and were planning it from the beginning. I'm just glad you managed to escape their scheme unscathed."

"Not completely." Duo muttered.

"It could've been a lot worse my dear boy." the old man said with a sad smile before standing and heading toward the door. "Now get some rest."

Once the professor was gone and Duo was sure he was not coming back, he slipped from the bed, pausing to catch his balance as he swayed slightly once he was standing up straight. Then walking across the room, he entered the bathroom and flipped on the light. With only a little trepidation, he pulled back his hair, which was hanging half in and half out of its traditional braid, and peered close into the mirror at the spot just behind his left ear. His head spun and mind swirled when only unblemished skin met his eyes.

'Was it only a dream?' he wondered as he continued to stare at the spot for a long moment before returning to the bed and much needed sleep.

TBC...

 

To The Next Chapter

To The Previous Chapter

Back to Gypsie1201's Fanfictions Page

Back to Guests Fanfictions Page

Back to Main Page