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Beyond the Looking Glass	By : shinigamiinochi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1983 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Beyond the Looking Glass

Author�s Notes: Sorry about
the long delay. The Road to Kindness is devouring my life. Not that that is a
bad thing, but it is quickly making writing anything else impossible.

Notes about this chapter:
This chapter includes the following: cannibalism, death of small furry animals
and children, gore, warped characters, and what will probably be a confusing
ending to at least a few of you, which will be later explored in Chapter 3.
Also, the name of this chapter is a shout out to my favorite line of all time,
it�s from IT by Stephen King: �Haunt, a feeding place for animals.� I thought
that such a quote was quite perfect for this fic. I
hate to say it, but a sequel for Beyond the Looking Glass is already going
through my mind. Naturally, I can�t speak of even the plot until this fic is finished since I don�t believe in spoilers. Whether
it will have to be housed in the original fiction section because I�ve killed
off all the Gundam Wing characters will be seen at the end of this story. This
chapter really got away from me, eh? Unlike The Road to Kindness, this is much
harder to write, for some reason, but I still ended up writing more than I had
intended. And now there�s unrequited 6+5, how the hell did that happen?! *grumbles* Stupid brain.

Chapter 2: The Feeding Place

�� April 3, 1992

�� Love really can conquer anything,� Chris thought to
herself as she and her lover, no, scratch that, husband walked through the small village of Nasue.
That word, �husband�, made her feel giddy, lightheaded
as though she was up someplace high. She had always been a dreamer, even after
childhood had faded into the jaded years of high school. Unlike other children
her age, Chris had never played with others. Her days had been spent on
porches, simply staring out into the sky and imagining that she was somewhere
else, some place fanciful. But, at the same time that she was a dreamer, she
had also always been very pessimistic. She had always seen her dreams as just
that, things that were beautiful and wonderful but would never happen, so she
quickly gave up on ever achieving them, but that had ended when she had met
Ralph.

�� Chris was what was popularly called an �army brat�. Her
father was General Septum, a stern man that had only ever followed the rules and
expected everyone else to do the same. She had lived in a strict household,
constantly moving from country to country, never staying at one place for more
than a few months, and when her mother had died of breast cancer,
her father had gone from simply strict to overbearing and protective. No matter
what she did, it was never good enough. She had dreamed of running away, but it
was one of those things that she knew she would never do. She had made excuses
for herself her entire life, that she had nowhere to
go, that she wasn�t strong enough, but it was simply because she didn�t have
the willpower. Then, when her father�s job had moved them to Tokyo, she had met a man named Ralph Kurt.
While her father was away at the base, which was more often than not, she would
wander the city. She knew that it was stupid, an
European girl like her walking around a crowded Japanese city where anything
could happen to her and she would have no one to turn to, but the bright lights
and exotic stores enticed her. One day, she had been out walking, like she
always did, and had come across a small caf�. Ralph had been sitting at the
outside tables, despite the fact that it was winter, bundled in a heavy coat,
drinking a steaming cup of coffee. It was such an odd thing to do when there
were warm tables inside that she had to stop and stare. He had smiled at her
and told her what a �wonderful� day it was. She had laughed at the sight of his
breath visible in the chilly air and had sat down with him. After that, every
day she had joined him for a cup of coffee outside, even when it was raining,
and they would talk about themselves. Ralph wasn�t wealthy at all, he was simple painter trying to make it by in Japan.
He loved to paint the mountains and scenic Shinto shrines of the country side
that only Japan
could provide. He was the sort of man that her father would hate, she had
thought back then, free, without any boundaries or rules, only living hand to
mouth. She wasn�t quite sure if it was the feeling of freedom in disobeying her
father or if it was Ralph�s lifestyle that had appealed to her the most, but
she had fallen hard for the man. A year had passed, the longest stretch of time
Chris had ever stayed in one place and she was glad for it, and she and Ralph
had continued to date, kissing and holding hands mostly since they both agreed
that they didn�t want to rush things and if they did have sex, it would be on
their wedding night. Three weeks ago, her father had caught them on his way
home, past that caf� and had realized what was going on between them. On the
same night that her father had forbidden her to see Ralph ever again, her lover
had proposed to her. So, three weeks later, they had eloped, running to the
remote town of Nasue.

�� Never in Chris� life had she disobeyed her father and never
had she thought that her dreams would be possible, yet both seemed so easy by
her love�s side. Her hand felt warm in his larger one as they walked. Last
night they had spent the evening the hotel making love. Chris had been a virgin
and unbelievably scared, but now she looked upon those moments fondly, glad
that she had been able to give herself to the only man she had ever loved. The
diamond ring, not expensive, but undeniably beautiful, seemed to burn on her
finger, not so much as an accusation, rather like a reminder that she had
finally escaped, that for the first time in her life, she had made a decision
because she had wanted it, not someone else. They didn�t have much money, but
that would be ok. For once, she had hopes and dreams that she could actually
see coming true and she wouldn�t let something like money change that. However,
money would help since they no longer had enough to get another hotel room.
Ralph planned on spending what they had left to paint and sell in town so they
needed to find free shelter. Something like that wasn�t easy. People seemed to
smile down at them for being young newlyweds, but as soon as they asked for a
place to stay, those smiles would disappear. However, one little girl had told
them that there was an old house up an old forest road at the edge town that
had been abandoned for years, but that the door was said to never be locked.

�� Ralph�s hand tightened on her own as they approached the
long, winding path in the deep woods. The child�s story seemed far fetched, but
Chris also had no doubt that her father would be looking for them and with his
connections, it would be easy for him to trail them. Going to a hotel was
probably dangerous. She had no idea what her father would do if he ever caught
up with them. He had been so furious when he had found out that she was dating
without his say so, and to a painter of all things� Braving a long forest road
and an old house seemed so little compared to dealing with his fury. After all
of this time, she was still terrified of her father and she felt like that
wasn�t going to change. The path was more scenic than she had thought and she
felt herself relax as they walked together, hand in hand. The pine trees that
filled the area smelled wonderful and there were several flowers growing
because of the warm, spring air. It was actually quite romantic, even as the
sun was setting and she knew that soon they would submerged
in darkness with only a battery-powered lantern to help them see.

�� It�s so beautiful,� she murmured. Ralph nodded in
agreement, smiling at her. Her heart blossomed with love at the expression and
she found that she had to kiss him. She didn�t care what her father did to them, she would never be apart from Ralph, no matter what.

�� Chris had traveled all over the world and her father was
moderately wealthy, but she had never seen a home like she the one she was
staring up at now. It was so huge and massive looking that she had a hard time
believing that it was a house and not a hotel. The gate looked like it would
take at least ten men to open, but fortunately, it was open just enough for
people to go through one by one. The beauty of the forest path was nothing
compared to the garden outside of the house, the cherry tree was in full bloom
and the rock garden was lovely, though unkempt. Still, the house looked lonely
with her knowing that there was no one to live in it. Ralph didn�t let go of
her hand as he tried the door and they both relaxed when it opened with only
slight creak.

�� It was pitch black inside and Ralph quickly worked the
crank on the lantern to light it up. Its light wasn�t sufficient to see much,
so the two of them stumbled up the steps into the main hallway and felt at the
walls until they found an open door to a guest room. The faint light of the
lantern bounced off the walls, making the long hallways and nooks and crannies
hard to discern, but the lantern was helpful in the smaller guest room. Chris
wondered if they would be able to see the house in the morning when the sun
rose. She saw with some relief that there was a futon in the corner and, when
Ralph opened the closet, there were some old, dusty, moth eaten sheets inside.
The holes in the sheets were tiny, so they were still usable, but the part of
her that was used to getting the best scoffed at them, but the logical part of
her realized that this was the best they could get right now and old sheets
were better than no sheets at all.

�� We�ll spend the night here,� Ralph told her as he helped
her lay down on the old futon, �and go back to town in the morning.�

�� Chris nodded, snuggling against her husband. The house was
old and there were sharp creaking noises going on upstairs that scared her. She
was tired from running around all day and hungry, but Ralph�s arms were strong
around her and she focused on that. She just wished that she could stop the
terrible, gnawing hunger and her irritation at Ralph for not being able to do
better than old, musty house in the woods as though they were a couple of
hermits. Ralph turned off the lantern and the room filled with oppressing
darkness. There was a loud creak above their heads and Chris tensed, but her
exhaustion allowed her to fall into a fitful sleep filled with terrible,
anxious dreams.

�� Chris woke only a few hours later to find that Ralph was no
longer in bed with her. She panicked for a minute, after all, how would she
survive on her own? But, she discovered that it was no longer pitch black,
because Ralph had turned the lantern back on. She sat up quickly and saw him
rooting around in their packs for something, muttering under his breath.

�� Where is it?� he was saying in a tight, low voice. Chris�
heart pounded as his brown eyes fell on her.

�� Where is it?� he said louder.

�� What?� she asked, confused.

�� My wallet,� he said sharply, �I can�t find it anywhere.�

�� Her heart beat increased even more. They needed that money
to live and Ralph had lost it? Some deep part of her wanted to ask what had
woken him up and why he had thought to look for his wallet.

�� I don�t know, when did you have
it last?�

�� Ralph gave her an intense look.

�� I had it when I went to bed and now it�s gone,� he
snapped. Chris narrowed her eyes at him.

�� Are you suggesting that I took it? Why on Earth would I
steal your wallet?�

�� I don�t know,� he growled and she could see the anxiety
and tension in his eyes, �Maybe you�d thought that you�d use it to by yourself
some goddamn coffee or a piece of cake! You never think ahead like I do! Fuck
it, Chris, if I�ve told you once, I�ve told you a million times, we can�t spend
that money on food or we�ll have no money afterwards. I don�t have any rich
daddies to pay the bill for me! When will you ever grow up?�

�� Chris stood up, her anger and irritation mounting.

�� Fuck you, Ralph! If you had any intelligence in that brain
of yours, we wouldn�t be in this situation! You�re married now, why don�t you
buckle down and get a real job!� she screeched. Ralph growled at her again and
she froze. What were they doing? Why did she feel so� angry, so dark inside? It
felt like the shadows around the room were choking them, hiding the feelings
they had for each other and bringing out their irritation two fold. Ralph
paused as well and he ran a shaky hand through his messy hair.

�� I�m sorry,� he said in a small voice, �I didn�t mean to
snap like that, it�s just that we do really need that money and I know I had it
before I went to bed.�

�� Maybe there�s someone else in the house with us,� she
offered, remember the creaking. She could tell by the incredulous look in his
eye that he didn�t believe that for a second, but he was too scared of yelling
at her again. The two of them sat back down on the futon and he turned off the
lantern.

�� We just need some sleep, that�s all. Everything will be
fine in the morning,� Ralph said, but when Chris realized that he was talking
to himself and not her, his words brought her no comfort.

�� Chris� watch told her that it was nine in the morning when
she woke up again, but there was no sun peaking through the window of the room.
Sometime during the night, the moon had broken through the clouds and the room
was illuminated with it, making the lantern unnecessary. She stared at her
watch again. It had to be broken. There were more shadows now, lurching and
terrible and they made her feel ill. This wasn�t fair, she thought to herself,
she should be in her warm bed with a full stomach, but because of her husband�s
foolishness, she would probably be hungry for the rest of her life. She didn�t
deserve this. She loved him, but she could easily admit that this was all his fault. He was supposed to take care of her!

�� Ralph was sleeping on his side next to her, his back to
hers and he felt like a mile away as his arms were wrapped tightly around
himself. Chris tried to figure out why it was still dark, why the moon was so
bright if it was supposed to be morning. How long had they been in this house?
Twelve hours? A day?

�� We�re trapped,� a voice told her, deep within her mind and
she tried to block it out. That wasn�t true, her watch was just broken, that was all. Sure, she had had it for ten years and it had
never failed her, but things broke.

�� We�re trapped,� Ralph echoed her thoughts.

�� What do you mean?� she asked, rolling over to look at his
strong back, but he still wouldn�t face her. Instead, he was looking at the
window, at the moonlit sky.

�� I went back to the front door while you were sleeping,� he
said and she instantly felt betrayed. Why had he left her alone in this place?
Was he trying to run away from her, from his responsibility? That seemed so
like him, not wanting to brought down by a mere woman�
She felt hate for him for the first time in their relationship. He had left her
alone, in the dark, had taken the lamp, their only source of light, to leave.

�� The door was locked,� Ralph said sharply, �we�re stuck
here unless someone finds us.�

�� Chris felt a giddy sort of pleasure knowing that his plan
had been thwarted, but also a sharp sense of fear knowing that they were
trapped in the house with no food or water.

�� That�s impossible,� she pointed out, �It wasn�t locked
when we came in.�

�� God, don�t you listen to anyone?!� he snapped, glaring at
her, �the door is locked, end of story!�

�� Chris glared back at him. How long had he been awake,
thinking about running away, she wondered? They lapsed into silence, staring
off in opposite directions, without the will to talk to one another.

��

�� How long had they been here? Chris� watch told her that it
had been two days, but it felt longer. The sun didn�t rise,
the moon was constant, along with the shadows and the darkness. She felt so
hollow, her lips dry and her stomach empty. She wanted something to fill her,
anything at all� She realized that they should walk around the house, try to
find another way out, but she found that she didn�t care. This sort of terrible
apathy had filled her and she could only care about her hunger. Ralph refused
to speak to her and she didn�t feel the urge to do so, either. She felt alone
in the house, the two of them secretly hating each other, blaming each other,
for what, she wasn�t sure. It was Ralph�s fault they were trapped. It was her
fault for the missing money. It was his fault they had no food. It was her
fault that they couldn�t talk things out. They had stopped fighting a long time
ago, simply staring at the walls of the room, at the lingering shadows and the
moon that never left the sky. She was so tired� she just wanted this all to
stop. There was some remaining spark inside of her of the love she felt for her
husband, but the hunger was consuming her, little by little, like an endless
thing. She would never get rid of it, she realized.

�� You�re going to die in this place,� that dark voice said,
it�s whispering never ceasing, just like her hunger. She dimly realized that
the cruel voice and her hunger were the same. When had things gone so bad? When
they had entered the house? When they had come to this town? When they had met
at that caf�? She couldn�t figure things out. Ralph watched her out of the
corner of his eye, her rocking back and forth as she watched the moon. He stood,
but she didn�t seem to notice until he was in front of her and suddenly
grabbing her thin, white neck.

�� What� what are you doing?� she choked out, sharp fear, the
first real emotion she had felt in days besides the hunger and anger, filled
her and she thrashed.

�� I know what you�ve been doing, he told me,� Ralph growled,
a crazy look in his eye. She realized that that look had been in his eye since
he had realized that the wallet was missing, �that boy, he told me what you�ve
been doing behind my back, you little slut! This was all a joke to you, wasn�t
it?!�

�� Ra� lph� why?� she managed to
string the words together, but they were promptly cut off as her husband
tightened his grip and her gasps contained no air. Her struggles slowed until
she fell into permanent darkness. Neither she nor Ralph saw the small child in
the blood stained kimono watching the murderous act with a blank expression on
his face.

��

�� April 7^th, 1992

�� Septum looked up at the Matsuei Mansion
with a dubious expression on his face. He had been looking for his runaway
daughter and her bastard of a lover for almost a week now and it appeared that
he was finally closing on their trail. He couldn�t believe that Chris had done
this to him. He had thought that she was a good girl, a little bit of an
airhead, yes, but she was also, usually, obedient, just like how he had raised
her. Things had been hard for him after the death of her mother, but he had
persevered and he had thought that he had succeeded in raising
a perfect daughter, but it looked like he had failed and if there was one thing
he couldn�t stand, it was failure. All he wanted was to bring his daughter back
home with him and teach her some respect, he didn�t care what happened with
that lowlife she had claimed to fallen for. Still, though a child in the small
town had told him a �pretty blonde girl with blue eyes with a scruffy looking
man� had come up to this house, he didn�t believe that
his little girl, who had always feared the dark, would go into this place. But,
the gate was open and when he tried the front door, it was unlocked, so he went
inside.

�� The second that Septum went inside of the house, he knew
that something was wrong. Besides that, he wasn�t looking forward to searching
for his wayward child. The house was huge and there didn�t seem to be any rhyme
or reason to the hallways. He saw no indication that anyone had been there in
the last two hundred years. Everything was covered with dust and the
floorboards creaked under his weight. However, as he walked up the steps and
started along the hallway, he heard whispering in one of the guest rooms. He
couldn�t make out what the person was saying, all he
knew was that someone was here. He
opened the door and went inside, but what he saw made him vomit onto the tatami.
He hastily wiped his mouth, trying to compose himself, as he took in the scene.
The sunlight streaming through the window didn�t leave a single inch to the
imagination, making bile churn in his stomach.

�� The ruffian and his daughter had been here, were still
here, in fact. Ralph, that was what his name was, was sitting cross-legged on
the floor. He looked horrible, his skin deathly pale, and thin, the bones of
his arms jutting out against the skin. He looked like he would break in half
with a single punch. There was a smear of brilliant red blood across his mouth
that was so vivid against his snowy, bloodless skin that it made Septum want to throw up all over again. The man�s eyes were hollow,
but he was still alive. His large hands stroked at Chris� dismembered head,
which he had cradled in his lap like a stuffed animal. Septum couldn�t see her
face, but he recognized her short blonde hair easily. Her body had been shoved
in the corner, the wood floor and wall stained deeply with her blood. Her body
was starting to decay, but it was badly mutilated with huge chunks of flesh
ripped out, bite marks covering her once perfect skin as tendons and flesh lay
on the floor like a rabid animal had tried to tear her apart. That smear of red
on Ralph�s mouth filled Septum with the most intense rage he had ever felt.

�� Hello, Septum,� Ralph said in a flat voice, his fingers
stroking Chris� shining blond hair, �Chris and I were just talking about you.
She tells the best stories, but I�m sure that you already know that.�

�� The rage crested, making Septum�s vision waver into a
bright, horrible red. This� thing� had killed his daughter� had eaten her� how
long had his daughter�s body been in this house, feeding this person that she
had once loved?

�� You� monster!� Septum bellowed
and flew at the other men, his fists raining down on him. Each crack and wet
sound of his fists on Ralph�s fragile body made him feel so good� he couldn�t
stop. The anger started to ebb away as he broke bones and flesh and brain
matter flew onto the ground, the man�s body lying limp. When the anger was all
gone, he looked at what he had done. Ralph was very much dead, having no
strength left to defend himself, his rip cage and arms broken, his head caved
in by the force of Septum�s blows. He felt no sorrow for what he had done. With
a heavy, sickened heart, he approached the corpse of his daughter. He grimaced
as he reached down and unlatched the delicate golden chain around her neck. Her
mother had given her the necklace before she had died and he had no intention
of leaving it in this place. He would go back into town, he decided. He would
tell the truth with only a few white lies. This bastard had murdered and eaten
his daughter and he, himself, had gone temporarily insane with grief. The boy
was half dead anyway, he probably wouldn�t have lived for long. He had killed
him out of mercy�.

�� His body shaking, Septum left the grisly scene in the guest
room and went back to the front door, but when he tried to open it, it held
fast.

�� What the hell?� he muttered and slammed at the door,
trying to wedge it open, but it was locked fast.

�� That�s impossible!� he yelled and rammed into the door
with his body, but the ancient wood, somehow, was stronger than he was. He was
trapped. He screamed in an intense fury, falling onto his knees. He shook his
head. He felt like he was going insane. There had to be another way out. A
huge, old house like this� there had to be a garden, a courtyard, atrium�
something leading outside! He stumbled back to his feet and started to run as
fast as he could, as though he thought that by doing so, he could elude his own
terrible thoughts and deeds. He found himself, somehow, in a long hallway
filled with ropes that never seemed to end. He didn�t stop, though he was
starting to feel out of breath. Would this house never end? He ran through
hallway after hallway until he found himself on a porch leading outside into a
huge courtyard. He stopped as he looked up at the sky, the wide open sky and
saw the moon. He didn�t think about how he couldn�t have been running long
enough for day to turn into night or how the moon couldn�t possibly be full
when there had been a half moon out last night, he only laughed, almost
insanely, as he saw that he was outside. Now, he just needed to get back into
town.

�� It was hard moving through the yard. The porch and most of
the ground was covered in twisting, gnarled green vines that had tiny red
flowers sprouting out of them. They were thin, but strong and he almost tripped
several times. The courtyard was huge and beautiful, even the ancient stone
well, but he had never cared much for beauty and simply tried to look for a way
out of this horrible place. As he stumbled towards the well, he cried out when
he felt something sharp graze the top of his head. He looked up and saw a large
crow flying over head. It swooped low again and he ducked, his eyes following
it as it flew over to a figure that was standing by the well, a figure that
seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The person was dressed all in white,
the space behind it seeming distorted, but Septum wrote it off as an illusion.
He saw the person�s long brown hair and assumed it was a woman at first, but as
he took a few steps forward, he realized that it was a boy. The crow landed
softly on the boy�s shoulder and the apparition stroked its head fondly. He was
beautiful, Septum realized, his skin pale and his oddly colored eyes piercing,
but when he got closer, he saw the horrible wounds on its body and any cries
for help were caught in his throat as he realized that no person could just be
standing there with such wounds so nonchalantly, but his eyes still refused to
believe what they were seeing as clear as day. Septum saw that the boy didn�t
have just one crow, but dozens, surrounding him like loyal dogs around their
master. His other hand had something clenched in it, probably food, as his
other petted the bird on his shoulder.

�� P-please, help me,� Septum heard
himself ask, even though he had no desire for the ghost�s assistance. A ghost�
that was what this thing was, he was sure, even though a stubborn part of himself refused to believe it. The boy finally seemed to
notice him, his strange eyes staring at him, and he smiled, but the expression
only sent a violent tremor down Septum�s spine.

�� Hunger is such a terrible thing,� the ghost said, his
voice echoing and distorted like through a radio and Septum realized, in fear,
that it was partially due to the strangulation mark on his throat. His voice
was so beautiful, but it was horrible, too.

�� Loneliness is the worst sort of hunger,� the boy
continued, his voice turning sad and Septum could indeed hear the loneliness in
it. He was not an affectionate person, but the tone of his voice tore through
the older man and he wanted to help him somehow.

�� They�re starving, you know, my crows,� he stroked the
bird�s ebony feathers and the other birds started to screech, as though in
agreement.

�� They�ve been surviving off of the mere scraps I give them,
but it�s not enough.�

�� Septum took a terrified step back as the distortion behind
the boy cleared into something that his eyes just couldn�t understand.
Protruding from the boy�s back, like hundreds of hungry parasites, were ghosts,
mutated, silently screaming, some laughing
hysterically, some clearly not human. The only word that came to his mind at
that moment was �evil.�

�� The boy�s slender, pale hand unfurled and he saw what he
was holding. It was his daughter�s finger. He didn�t know how he knew that, but
the nail was well manicured and a beautiful diamond ring was on it, the bone
jutting out of the mangled flesh.

�� No�� Septum cried, tears tracking down his cheeks, as the
boy fed the crow on his shoulder the finger and the black bird grasped it in
its sharp beak then swallowed it, ring and all, in one gulp. He whirled and
started to run, but one of the vines tripped him and he fell to the ground, the
vine twisting around his ankle like a live creature, and he couldn�t wrestle
his foot free. He heard the rustle of fabric by his ear and saw white cloth out
of the corner of his eye as the ghost was suddenly right next to him, kneeling
by his side.

�� But the dead are the hungriest of all,� he heard a whisper
and saw two pairs of feet directly in front of him. He looked up sharply and
saw Ralph and Chris standing there, her head somehow reattached, their bodies
mangled and limbs dangling like broken marionettes. Their jaws were gaping wide
and he could see their teeth and the hunger in their skinny, emaciated bodies.
As hundreds of crows descended onto the terrified man, the once silent air of
the courtyard was filled with Septum�s screams.

June 8^th, 2066

�� Relena, Zechs, Wufei, Trowa, Quatre, and Heero all covered
their ears as the laughter pieced through their minds in mad harmony, but
through the laughter, they all heard, and felt, the suddenly loud crashing
noise that shook the floor under the feet.

�� What was that?� Relena asked, her eyes wide with fear, not
wanting to know the answer to that question at all. This wasn�t real� it was
just an old house and she was just dreaming, that was it�
Zechs� own eyes widened in realization of what was happening.

�� Downstairs, now!� he barked as he ran out of the room, the
teenagers following him downstairs, through the long winding hallways. It
seemed to take forever to get to the front door and Relena felt like screaming
again when Zechs tried to open it, only to find it locked fast.

�� No!� she cried, but saw that it was useless when her
brother slammed his body against the old door, only to have it not budge an inch,
as though it were made of metal instead of ancient wood.

�� That�s impossible� there has to be a way out!� she shoved
against the door, which she imagined was laughing at their pathetic attempts.
Quatre walked shakily over to the window. Of course it was impossible, but he
wasn�t surprised. What was he doing here? He could feel the shadows closing
around them and knew that it had nothing to do with his sixth sense. Somehow,
he knew what he would find when he looked out the window and that they were trapped,
but the sight still terrified him.

�� We can never leave,� he murmured.

�� What is it?� Trowa asked as he stood by his lover�s side.
He paled when he saw what Quatre was seeing.

�� No�� he whispered.

�� It doesn�t matter if we find a way out of this house,�
Quatre told Relena who was looking progressively more and more
shaky and out of control, �the gate is locked.�

�� That�s impossible!� she cried out in dismay again, pushing
Quatre to the side so she could look out the small window. Her heart raced and
clenched as she saw that the huge front gate was firmly closed.

�� Even if we get outside, it would take twice as many people
just to wedge it open again,� Trowa pointed out, his voice oddly calm given the
situation.

�� But it�s impossible!� Relena protested stubbornly as
though she thought that her logic would open the gate again, �a simple gust of
wind couldn�t have pushed it closed!�

�� It�s also impossible for an unlocked door to close and
lock itself,� Zechs said in a low voice, looking at the door with an expression
of betrayal.

�� You still don�t get it, do you?� Quatre said coldly to
Relena, �The possible, the impossible, time, even life and death, none of those
things mean anything in this place. You saw that ghost, just like the rest of us, you know this house�s history. Do you honestly think it
was the wind that trapped us here?�

�� It doesn�t matter,� Zechs tried to stay positive, �Ghosts
or no ghosts, we will get out of here, we just need to keep our heads on
straight. Our parents know where we are, they�ll come looking for us by
tonight, tomorrow morning at the very latest. We just need to stay alive until
then.�

�� Why can�t we just burn the damn place down?� Relena asked,
�We have candles and lighters, let�s just burn this fucking place to the ground!�

�� Her friends stared at her, having never heard her swear
before.

�� Forget it,� Wufei snorted, �What are you going to do if
this works? Say by burning the house down, we get out, with is just as stupid
as us trying to open that gate on our own, what are you going to tell the cops?
The ghosts made you do it? Arson�s a crime, Relena.�

�� We�re not setting the house on fire!� Heero snarled, the thought of them destroying the house filled him with
sickness and dull rage.

�� Heero, we�re a bit more concerned with staying alive than
the beauty of this house! I�ll admit, I was skeptical about this place, but
seeing is believing and I don�t think that we were all
imagining what just happened. If we don�t get out of here, that� thing will
never leave us alone!�

�� Burning the house down will probably never work anyway.
We�re trapped and if we set this place on fire, we still won�t be able to get
out and we�ll end up burning to death!� Zechs pointed out, amazed at his own
sister�s stupidity.

�� But what if it�s like in horror movies? People burn down the haunted house, the ghosts go away, and all of
the doors open!�

�� We�ll burn faster than the ghosts,� Trowa grumbled.

�� This isn�t the movies, Relena,� Zechs scolded, �What will
you do if the doors don�t open once we start the fire? We�ll all be trapped in
here and burn to death.�

�� Relena bit her lip, realizing just how dangerous such a
plan would be.

�� Why don�t we break the window?� she pointed the window
they had been looking out of. It was just big enough and level enough for one
of them to slip through and the only thing blocking their way were cross
shaped, thin pieces of wood.

�� Stand back,� Trowa ordered as he grabbed onto the
slender-looking wood and started to shake the bars violently. To their shock
and dismay, it was the same as with the door, the wood looked old and feeble,
but it didn�t move an inch. Quatre seemed to be the only one not surprised by
this.

�� I told you,� he murmured, �it�s not going to let us go,
especially not through something so obvious. This thing is more powerful than
nature itself. It�s evil.�

�� Trowa and Heero looked at Quatre in worry, but the others
ignored him, not wanting to believe what he was saying.

�� It�s like that movie, Rose Red,� Relena said. They stared
at her in confusion and she sighed.

�� Doesn�t anyone watch old movies anymore? This people are
trapped in a haunted house and try to get out by breaking a glass window, but
no matter what they throw at it, the glass won�t break,� she gave a seething
look at Quatre, �They discover that the house is channeling a psychic girl�s
powers and the only way to get out is to knock her out and run while she�s
unconscious. Maybe that�s why this ghost is after us! It�s because of Quatre! I
mean, he�s the one who was seeing things before the rest of us! All we have to
do is knock him out and we can go home!� she reasoned excitedly. Trowa stood in
front of his lover.

�� You�re not doing a fucking thing to him! If you want to
knock him out and leave him alone here, that�s murder and you�ll have to knock
me out, too!� Trowa growled at her.

�� We�re not knocking anyone out!� Zechs snapped, glaring at
his sister. He knew that she was afraid and she reacted badly to fear, but he
still couldn�t believe how selfish she was being.

�� I was seeing things at the same time as Quatre,� Heero
pointed out, �If you really think that our visions are causing this ghost�s
hostility, you�ll have to leave me here, too.�

�� Relena instantly deflated. She decided that she could live
without Quatre or Trowa, but there was no way she was going to leave Heero in
this place.

�� Ok, so, we can�t go out through the windows or the front
door, but what about the Courtyard? Maybe there�s a way out through there or
maybe the ghosts are only in the house? Maybe once we get outside, they won�t
bother us,� Zechs moved along, not wanting his sister�s friends to turn on her.
Wufei shrugged at this suggestion. He didn�t relish in the idea of running
around anymore as his leg was beginning to throb, but he had the sudden urge to
see the sky, even if it was too dark out. Trowa put an arm around Quatre�s
shoulders and urged him forward.

�� It sounds better than staying here.�

�� Quatre nodded, but still seemed unsure.

�� Relena scratched at the gash on her arm as they walked
deeper into the mansion. It had started to bleed a few minutes ago and refused
to stop, but the amount of blood was small for a wound so big, like that of a
paper cut. Still, it was starting to hurt and she somehow knew that all of her
friends were going through the same thing. She had never been in a survival
situation before. She had watched horror movies before and had always assumed
that in this situation, she would be the �tough girl�, the one that the hero
fell in love with because she always kept her head and knew just what to do
when the monster came, but right now, she just felt scared and tired and she
wanted very much to go home. She couldn�t understand how her brother kept his
optimism and logic and how Heero and Wufei stayed so calm. She felt like she
was going mad with each step as they walked deeper and deeper. She thought that
the huge place would never stop and that they had been walking for hours when
they finally got to the huge, sliding door leading outside to the courtyard. As
Heero opened the door, which moved smoothly, Relena was momentarily breathless
at the sight of the area. Past the oaks and cherry trees, she could see the
dark outline of the mountains in the distance, even though it was night. The
huge, fat moon in the sky made their flashlights unnecessary, so they all
switched them off. The cherry trees were in full bloom and piles of pink petals
lay under them. The well in the middle of the courtyard was large and made of
old stone, but strong and intact. There was a solid fence running around the
huge courtyard and an old wooden door that, Relena was giddy to think of,
probably led outside. The most startling thing, however, were the huge, massive
tangles of deep green vines that covered the ground and climbed up ever
structure that they could find, with the exception of the well. They looked
like snakes, like they could come alive at any moment and, in the dark, their
tiny red flowers looked like drops of blood. Wufei wanted to bend down and
pluck one of the flowers. He had always loved flowers, though he had been made
fun of by his cousins for it and he couldn�t remember having ever seen flowers
like these anywhere else, even in books, but they gave the impression of
something that was too beautiful, something poisonous, and he didn�t dare touch
them. They moved very slowly and very carefully through the mess of vines,
careful not to trip on any of them. The last thing they needed was for someone
to get a concussion. Heero lagged behind them, enthralled by the flowers. He
wasn�t as logical as Wufei was and he bent down to touch one of the petals.
They were soft against skin. He stood up and realized, in a panic, that he
could no longer see his friends. He blinked in the bright light of the sun.
What had just happened? The sun was high in the sky and when he looked around,
things were� different.

�� There weren�t as many vines now, and the old well didn�t
look quite so old. Some of the cherry trees were smaller, others weren�t there
at all.

�� Mariemeia, don�t run far!� a
deep voice rang in his ear from behind him and he whirled, a vine tangling
around his foot, making him fall on his butt. He looked up onto the face of a
very tall man with light brown hair, blue eyes, and European features. He sputtered, trying to find words, trying to figure out what
was going on, when the man walked right by him like he didn�t see him.

�� That�s because he can�t
see me,� Heero realized in shock. �I�m not really in this place� no, more
like I�m not really in this time,�
Heero thought. A vision� it had to be, just like the ones that Quatre had.
Maybe they were right, Trowa and Quatre, maybe almost dying had done something
to him, had left a permanent mark on him and now, he was able to see this�
whatever this was. But, how was he supposed to get out of it? Would he be stuck
in this time, in this vision, forever? He tried to remember everything that
Quatre had told him about his psychic visions, but nothing came to him. He
watched as the man ran after a small, red headed girl with bright blue eyes
that was running towards the well, a tall, beautiful German woman with long
brown hair and soft brown eyes walking swiftly behind him. Their names came to
him instantly, Treize, Mariemeia, and Une. He didn�t
know how he knew that, but he did. Was this the ghost�s work? If it was� what did he want him to see? Une picked up her
three year old daughter and looked back at her husband.

�� Do you really think it is a good idea to move into this
house?� she asked. Heero dimly realized that what he was looking at had
happened sometime in either the late 1800s or early 1900s, based on their
clothing.

�� What�s the matter?� Treize asked, �This is the perfect
place for my studies. It�s quiet, with lot�s of room
for Marie to play. Look at these flowers, I�ve never seen anything like them,
aren�t they beautiful?� he said excitedly. Heero snorted. The man reminded him
of Wufei, only less composed, but so enthralled by flowers. He couldn�t blame
him, though, they were very beautiful, even if by
touching one of them, he had ended up in this place�

�� But that�s the problem!� Une pointed out, �There�s so much
room. I know you didn�t have to pay a cent to be here, but what if one of us
gets lost?�

�� That won�t happen,� Treize assured her, �I have a map and
we won�t be using most of the house, anyway. I wasn�t getting anything done in
orchards and greenhouses, you know that. How can I call myself a botanist if I
don�t get out in the field?� he kissed her cheek, �Tell you what, if I�m
recognized for my work, I�ll name these flowers after you.�

�� Une rolled her eyes at him.

�� Honey, do me a favor and don�t go giving my name to
weeds.�

�� These aren�t weeds!� Treize said,
laughing as Mariemeia made a face at him.

�� Can Tilly play out here, too?�
the child asked, prepared to pout if her father refused. He smiled.

�� Sure thing, little one, your kitty can play out in the
yard, just make sure she doesn�t get out of the yard, ok?�

�� Marie nodded eagerly. Treize kneeled down among the vines,
running his fingers over them. A breeze filtered through the cherry trees and
it almost appeared as though the vines were shuddering at his touch.

�� They�re so beautiful,� he murmured, �just lovely.�

�� Heero followed his gaze to the bright red flowers and
blinked, his eyes watering, as he saw something underneath his vision, superimposed,
like double exposure. He closed his eyes, trying to clear them, only to find
that by doing so, he could see it in his entirety. A gasp escaped him as he saw
the ghost, no, Duo. He was standing in what looked like a huge a cave. All along
the ground were those vines again, but they didn�t have any flowers, they were
bare, each and every one that Heero saw. There was someone standing behind Duo,
but he couldn�t see him, he reasoned that was because the vision was what Duo
remembered, or what he wanted him to see and if Duo didn�t see the person, then
he couldn�t, either. Cuts started to appear on his arms, huge, gaping wounds
and Duo screamed, making Heero flinch.

�� No!� he cried. His heart was pounding out of control and
every muscle in his body tightened. He couldn�t breathe, but he still found
himself running towards the ghost as he crumpled to the ground, his blood
splattering onto the vines, creating bright red spots on the deep green
vegetation. He realized that if he would squint, the vines would like they had
bright red flowers�

�� Please don�t kill me!� Duo screamed in Heero�s head, his
voice somehow not in the air, but inside of himself. Heero hastily opened his
eyes and found himself back in the courtyard, but several days had passed in
the vision. Treize was sitting on the steps leading into the courtyard, a
journal balanced on his knee as he watered the vines in front of him. He wrote
in the journal as he watched the vines soak up the water like sponges. His blue
eyes were bright with energy, but Heero read it as fanaticism. Suddenly, his
finger caught on the edge of the paper and he cut himself.

�� Shit!� the man swore as several droplets of blood fell on
the vines. Then, the vines moved. At
first Heero thought he was just seeing things and he was sure that Treize had
felt the same way, all those years ago, but the vines actually coiled around
where the blood had fallen, like sea gulls around trash, as though begging for
more, and the blood disappeared. A high pitched sound filled the air, like
small children trying to mimic the sound of laughter that didn�t know how.
Treize stood and took a step away from the plants.

�� What on earth?� he murmured. He turned and grabbed a
drumstick of chicken that Une had given him for lunch and tossed it into the
air. Lightning fast, like a rattlesnake striking at its prey, a vine caught the
meat and brought it deep into the mass of vines at Treize�s feet. Heero winced
as he heard the sounds of sucking, that odd, high-pitched chirping and
giggling, and the hideous crunching of bone. Then there was nothing, the
drumstick was simply gone.

�� Shit�� Heero whispered, �They�re alive. Everything in this
house� it�s all alive��

�� Treize could no longer contain his excitement at his
discovery, flesh eating vines, and he ran inside. When he came back, Heero
realized, disturbed, that it was actually several weeks later. There were more
and more vines growing around the courtyard and they seemed more vibrant and
alive than they did in Heero�s time.

�� That�s because they feed on blood,� Heero thought in
disgust, �and they haven�t had any good food in awhile.�

�� He watched as Treize walked out in the yard with a small
calico cat in his arms.

�� There�s no need to be afraid, Tilly,�
Treize said in a soothing voice to the mewing feline. Heero�s eyes widened as
he watched Treize let go of the cat and she fell into the mess of vines. They
swarmed her as she hissed and screeched at them, twining around her svelte body
and tightening, her violent noises swiftly silenced as one vine wrapped around
her neck and twisted it until it snapped. The other vines soon joined in,
covering the cat, eating it, their
flowers looking quite beautiful in the day light.

�� Did you like that?� Treize cooed to the plants and was
rewarded with chirping laughter. Heero watched as time passed again, but he
couldn�t tell how long, he just knew that it had come and gone. Treize
disappeared from his sight and Heero became terrified when, for several
seconds, he was alone in the courtyard, alone with the plants. But, he always
came out. Heero watched in horror as, day after day, Treize would come out into
the yard with an animal to feed his beloved plants, a crow, a rabbit, dogs, and
cats� When they fed, he would sit on the steps and scribble frantically in his journal
and when they were done, they would whisper.

�� �Kill them,� the
plants chirped in a high pitched frenzy, sounding like a child as they cackled
and giggled with glee, �we�re so hungry.
Kill them��

�� Heero covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly, but the
dark, the blindness, terrified him and he opened them again. Talking, eating
plants� he wasn�t surprised that by the next time Treize made an appearance, he
and his wife looked haggard and worn thin, but what he wasn�t expecting was the
man coming through the door with his little girl in his arms, the both of them
covered in blood. Heero felt bile rise in his throat at the sight of the girl�s
slit throat. Une was at Treize�s heels, looking much like a corpse, tugging at
her husband�s arm.

�� You bastard! What are you doing?!
Give her back to me!� she screeched insanely. Treize appeared nonchalant about
the dead child in his arms or his screaming wife.

�� It has to be done, Une. They need to be fed. How can I
continue my research if they starve?� he asked calmly, dropping the corpse into
the twining ball of vines. The vines slithered and cried eagerly as the warm
flesh fell into their mists.

�� No, you murderer!� the longhaired woman screeched and ran
after her daughter into the huge tangles of vegetation. Heero tried to look
away from the inevitable, but he couldn�t. It was too late as the vines swarmed
the woman and her dead child, wrapping around their legs and pulling them to
the ground like wild dogs with dead deer, wrapping around them over and over, tearing
their flesh off the bones and the meat disappearing underneath them somehow,
until there was nothing left to tear and Heero and Treize watched as the vines
seemed to dissolve anything that was left until there was absolutely nothing.
Treize�s face looked completely hollow as he watched, dark circles under his
eyes.

�� This is what this place does to people,� Heero realized,
�it drives them mad. It�s going to do the same to us.�

�� It�s not enough, is it? You need more, don�t you?� Treize
murmured, taking a large butcher knife out of his jacket, and he stabbed
himself in the abdomen with it, ripping through himself. Heero squeezed his
eyes shut, unable to take anymore, and he heard the sound of hot entrails
falling to the ground, followed by the screaming laughter of the plants as they
ate.

�� Heero�s eyes shot open and he almost screamed in relief as
he saw his friends, still not even at the well, as they walked. He jumped out
of the tangle of vines, feeling the overwhelming urge to throw up. He clutched
at his stomach. No more� he wanted out of here� but� Duo� what had happened in
that other vision? The silence of the night and the darkness was unbearable
after what he had �seen� and he ran to catch up with his friends and slowed to
a halt in front of a mirror standing a few feet from the well. He shook his
head, wanting to close his eyes as he saw the� thing� the thing that looked
like Duo, but wasn�t Duo, not the cute boy that had reached for him inside the
mirror, the horrible thing that had locked them in, the one with the demons
rooted to his back. No one else seemed to notice him as the specter simply
stood there on the other side of the mirror and watched them. Empty violet eyes
met his and he froze. That stare� he hated it so much, it made him feel like he
was going insane, like he should rip out his veins to make everything stop.

�� Why?� he whispered, �Just stop this!� he begged. The ghost
grinned as though it had a terribly funny joke to tell.

�� All
his fault,� it said in a distorted, twisted voice, �all Duo�s fault. He should have died� but
he didn�t want to sooo badly,� the thing in the
mirror jeered, on the verge of cruel laughter. Heero felt an intense rage fill
him.

�� Shut the fuck up!� he snapped. The others looked back at
him and Relena screamed when she saw what was in the mirror.

�� No one wants to die, why should he
have been any different!� Heero yelled. This was so stupid, a small voice told
him, he was arguing with a ghost. The thing just continued to smirk.

�� He should have died
long, long before� but that stupid father of his� so lenient, so sentimental�� the
ghost giggled, the sound filling all of them with fear, �He should have killed him when he was supposed to��

�� Heero�s anger surged and he picked up a rock. With a below
of rage and threw it at the mirror but, to his dismay, it only bounced off of
its surface. However, the ghost instantly disappeared, leaving Heero panting
and glaring at his own image.

�� What was that?� Relena asked in a shaky voice.

�� Nothing,� Heero snapped, walking past her, �Let�s just
find a way out of here.�

�� Zechs nodded at him and they headed towards the door at the
other end of the courtyard. Wufei took a deep breath as Heero reached for the
handle, a voice inside of his head jeering that if the front door was closed,
this one was going to be locked, too. There was a collective gasp from all of
them as the door opened with a loud creak, followed by Relena dissolving into
tears when they saw what lay beyond the courtyard door.

�� Quatre didn�t feel surprised about anything anymore. He
felt like he already knew everything that was going to happen before it
happened. He had known that the window wouldn�t break and he had known that
they were trapped for good. It was hard to be optimistic when you knew that you
were doomed. They had been doomed the second they had stepped through the gate
last morning. He had checked his watch. If it wasn�t broken, then they had
already spent a day here and it was now noon the next day, but it was dark and
the moon was shining down on them. If he thought about that for long, he would
go insane, just like if he thought about the ghosts in the mirrors. So, when he
had gotten the distinct feeling that opening the door at the end of the
courtyard would be pointless, he wasn�t exactly panicked about it. He hated
himself for it, but it felt like a large part of himself
had already given up. The other part of him kept looking over at Trowa and he
felt a strong sense of fear and love for him. He wanted to get out of here
before this place did what it did best; destroy them all.

�� Relena felt like sobbing when they opened the door and
found, not woods, but a long stretch of swamp. There were a few trees here and
there, but it was mostly water. She watched in anxiety as her brother picked up
a stick and dipped it into the water, only to lose the whole thing.

�� There�s no way we�re getting through this,� Zechs said,
�it�s too deep, too long, and too cold to swim in.�

�� What should we do, then?� Wufei asked, trying to keep his
voice calm even though he could feel the panic starting to build. This had been
too good to be true, he had known that, but he had still enjoyed that little
bit of hope when the door had been unlocked. Zechs trudged back to the well and
the others followed, wanting to hear what the older boy thought. They all sat
at the edge of the well carefully, not wanting to fall in, except for Heero who
steered clear of it. Zechs turned to Quatre.

�� Can I see your dad�s cell phone?� he asked. Quatre nodded
and handed the satellite phone to the longhaired man. That sense of knowing
came over him and he knew that the phone was useless, but he still let hope
squirm through the apathy that was eating at his emotions.

�� Shit,� Zechs swore, �there�s no service.�

�� How is that possible?� Relena whispered, feeling tears
forming in her eyes, �It�s a satellite phone, there has to be service.�

�� Zechs seemed to ignore her, handing the useless device back
to Quatre.

�� Well, we have a gate that is too heavy to close, closing
on itself, a door that locking itself, windows made of unbreakable wood, a door
that leads to a deep swamp, and now we have a phone that is supposed to always
have service fail us. I think its pretty obvious that
something, or someone, wants us to stay,� Wufei said bitterly, �so I ask again,
what now?�

�� Zechs ran a hand through his bangs, wanting to comfort the
Chinese boy but not knowing how. Relena curled her fingers around the edge of
the well and paused at small grooves that she felt there. She looked down at
her hand and saw long scratches going down into the well on the stone surface.
She shuddered as she looked down into the darkness. It felt like looking into
an abyss, like looking down into hell.

�� We�re going to wait here for our parents,� Zechs decided,
�We can go to bed and in the morning, we�ll explore some more. I know nobody
wants to do that, but it�s important to keep busy.�

�� No one had anything to say or contest about that, so they
followed the older boy back into the house and to their �bedroom.�

�� Despite the gnawing exhaustion that was eating away at them
at that point from the confusion of time and fear and adrenaline, none of them
could sleep. The knowledge that it was still not �night�, according to his
watch, Quatre couldn�t let himself doze off. The roof above their heads creaked
like someone was walking above them, which was impossible. Relena had started
to doze off when the sound of a door opening had made her wide awake again.
Sometimes in the few hours when they were all lying down, they would hear people
whispering through the walls and the crazy laughter of a small child. It was
impossible to sleep with such maddening noises. Quatre snuggled against Trowa�s
chest and Relena curled up into a miserable ball in the corner of the room. She
made a small choking noise when she caught the sight of the mutilated boy in
the mirror.

�� Ignore it,� Zechs told her, looking at the wall, his arms
wrapped around his knees, �just ignore it.� His voice was tired and resigned,
but Relena found that it was difficult to pull her eyes away from the ghost,
like watching a car wreck. There was a strong pull, like an inaudible voice
screaming at her to look into those flat, terrible violet eyes. How could she
possibly sleep with that� thing watching her? She forced herself to look away,
but shuddered feeling those eyes burning into her very soul. She looked over at
her brother and felt an intense sense of worry for him, at the weary look in
his eyes. What if their parents didn�t come for them? She hated that thought,
but she had to think it. It was ludicrous, of course, their parents were
probably already wondering why one of them hadn�t called and they would be here
in the morning. But� what if morning never came for them? What if they were
doomed to live in this night forever? But, that was impossible� right?

�� All of them jumped as a door upstairs slammed shut. In
Trowa�s strong arms, Quatre�s eyes had finally started to feel heavy and he had
been half asleep, but the shocking noise jolted him out of it and he felt wide
awake again, his heart pounding. Duo�s image was gone from the mirror, but he
could still feel him, watching all of them. His skin itched to leave the
horrible place, knowing how wrong and unnatural it was. He felt trapped, like a
rabbit in a snare, just waiting for the hunter to come along and slit his
throat.

�� We should leave this room,� Wufei suddenly said shakily.

�� It doesn�t matter,� Quatre murmured, Trowa�s comforting
hand squeezing his shoulder, �he�s just going to follow us no matter where we
go,� he pointed out, �This isn�t like running away from a serial killer. He�s a
ghost, he�s in the wood of this place, no matter where we go, he�ll be there,
if he wants to be.�

�� Zechs suddenly got to his feet.

�� He can follow us all he wants, but if I�m not going to
sleep, then I�m going outside,� he said gruffly.

�� Zechs, don�t!� Wufei begged, standing to stop him, but
paused at the blue eyed man�s intense look.

�� I need to see the sky,� Zechs murmured.

�� The moon was still fat in the black sky when they traced
their steps back to the courtyard.

�� There isn�t much of a sky to see,� Relena thought
bitterly. Heero�s eyes were plastered to the mirror as the walked past it, sure
that he would see Duo or some other specter in the flat glass, but there was
nothing there this time. As they stepped near the well, Relena gasped, feeling
something ripping open her shoulder. Her mind supplied that it was just another
trick, but she paused to push her shirt away from her shoulder and fear made
her stomach quiver. The deep slash over her shoulder was no trick or illusion,
nor was the blood that was sluggishly leaking out of it, trailing down her arm.

�� No,� she whispered in shock. Her first impulse was to
scratch at it as it started to ache and itch, but the blood scared her enough
to ignore the impulse. When she looked at the others, they were all wearing
various degrees of discomfort and Trowa�s shirt had a spot of blood on his
stomach that was slowly growing, spreading like disease. Was that what this
was? Some sort of horrible disease? Would the cuts
just keep spreading and spreading until they bled to death? Relena watched in
horror as a cut suddenly appeared over Quatre�s cheek. It was like watching an
invisible knife scrape over his skin, not deep enough to kill, but enough to
send a stream of blood down his face.

�� Trowa saw the blood and panicked, ripping off a piece of
his shirt to soak it up. Quatre smiled at him in reassurance, pressing the
cloth to his cut. Heero seemed to be the only one not in pain, truthfully, he
was terrified. All of his friends were suffering, but he didn�t feel any cuts.
The only one he had was the one on his hand from touching the mirror, but
unlike the others� wounds, his was healing rather well. It didn�t make sense.
Why wasn�t he being cut as well and why were the cuts
there to begin with? Relena noticed Heero�s strange look, but the question in
her mind was so vague, just starting to form, that she couldn�t quite find the
words to ask it. She flinched as something brushed against her leg, but when
she looked down, she only saw the vines on the ground
and shrugged it off as her own imagination.

�� Zechs ignored the urge to scratch at the newly formed cut
on the back of his neck and trudged forward to the well. Even out here, he felt
claustrophobic, as though he had never left the house. At first, he had thought
that Quatre was simply panicking with all those terrible things he had said,
but he knew it was the truth. They were never going to get out of the house. He
knew physical things like how much pressure wood could withstand before it
snapped, but things like ghosts and barriers that couldn�t be broken, no matter
the force, he just didn�t understand. How could you escape a place that had no
laws? He felt no safer outside, looking at the impossible, never ending moon,
than he had been inside, listening to the sounds and seeing Duo everywhere. He
knew that they wouldn�t be safe until they left the mansion entirely.

�� Relena walked past her brother, who was just staring up at
the moon as though he was in shock. She sat on the edge of the well, trying to
use the feel of the cold stone under his hands to curb her own shaking, and the
sudden intense need to just scream. She had never liked closed spaces, even as
a kid, and even though the house was huge, it was worse than being locked in a
closet.

�� We should have something to eat,� Trowa suggested, �we�re
all tired, but we need to keep our energy up more than anything.�

�� Wufei nodded in agreement and handed out the sandwiches,
pastrami and cheese this time. He realized that he had no idea how long they
had been trapped here for. Such a thought was strange to him and sounded
stupid, even in his own head. The moon was still out, so it was still only
night, but it seemed much longer to him. Still, the sandwiches were still good,
so it couldn�t have been too long. But� that was silly, wasn�t it? If it had
been longer than a night, their parents would have come for them already.

�� As Relena chewed on her sandwich, her eyes glanced over to
the mouth of the well and the dark abyss that seemed to go on and on. She
flinched as she felt another brush against her leg, but, predictably, there
were only the vines. However, as she kept her gaze locked on the green
vegetation, she could have sworn she saw it move. She looked back into the
tunnel-like well and a severe chill almost overwhelmed her. It was like looking
into the very heart of Hell.

�� Jump! A high
pitched voice that didn�t actually sound like a voice, screeched through her
mind, followed by what sounded like children laughing. She squeezed her eyes
shut. She was going mad� Her crystal blue eyes shot open again as one of the
vines wrapped around her foot.

�� Relena�s loud scream made everyone jump, even Wufei, who
glared at her as she jumped to her feet, dropping her sandwich, and tore the
vine off of her.

�� What is wrong with you?� he demanded, annoyed that she had
scared him. They had enough to be frightened about without her freaking out at
every little shadow.

�� The vines, they�re alive!� she screamed. Wufei gave Zechs
a worried look, which the silver haired man returned. The two of them had been
waiting for one of their small group to snap and it seemed somehow fitting that
it would be Relena. However, Heero only looked at her as though he had been expecting
it, not that she was crazy.

�� That�s the stupid thing I�ve ever heard!� Wufei snapped,
�The vines are not alive, are you
even listening to yourself?!�

�� Shut up, Wufei!� Heero snapped back at him. The remark
made Relena blush and she felt her heart flutter.

�� They are alive,� Heero�s voice was strong and solid, �Look
at the sandwich,� he ordered. Wufei looked down and the color drained from his
face, the expression echoed on the faces of Zechs, Trowa, and even Quatre,
though the blonde had been almost positive of what he would see, even before he
saw it. Tendrils of green vine were wrapped around the sandwich, like a snake
around a mouth, and bits of it disappeared under the vine, accompanied by
sickening, loud, wet sounds.

�� Oh my god,� Wufei whispered, taking a step back, away from
the terrible sight, but he almost screamed himself when he stepped on more
vines and he realized that they were completely surrounded by them. Quatre
watched him with flat, expressionless eyes.

�� It�s like I said,� he intoned softly, with no hint of
boasting or arrogance, �Duo will follow us no matter where we go. He�s
everywhere, in every piece wood, every leaf. He�s never going to let us go.�

�� Relena wanted to protest, but she could physically feel the
truth in his words. Even now, though she couldn�t see him, she could feel the
malicious spirit watching them. Still, the fear that she felt knowing that was
overshadowed by the fact that Heero, though subtle, had stood up for her. It
was enough to make her heart ache.

�� What does he want?� Wufei asked in crazed desperation, �If
he just wants to kill us, why not get over with? Is he just playing with us?!�

�� It doesn�t matter,� Trowa reminded them, �Our parents will
come in the morning.�

�� Relena shook her head frantically.

�� It�s never going to be morning.�

�� Trowa gave her a sharp look.

�� She�s right,� Quatre agreed, �It�s an endless night. He
won�t let it end.�

�� That�s ridiculous!� Zechs said sharply. He couldn�t take
anymore of the craziness and took off for the door back into the house. The
others followed him, but Wufei watched Heero closely. There was something wrong
with his friend, something that wasn�t entirely� earthly.
He had no cuts like they did. At first he had assumed the one on his palm was
one of them, but their cuts refused to heal and stop bleeding while Heero�s had
stopped bleeding after only an hour. Then, he had shown no shock at learning
about the vines. Something was definitely going on, but he had no idea what it
could be, something that he hated. That feeling of not knowing was what was
driving him mad, little by little.

�� Morning should have come by now, so it�s not completely
ridiculous,� Quatre tried to point out as Zechs ignored him.

�� They�ll come for us,� Zechs said stubbornly.

�� Wufei lagged behind as they moved through the mansion,
towards their room, keeping his eyes on Heero. He vowed that he would figure
out what was happening with him. In a situation like this, he needed to solve
something tangible before he lost himself to the impossibilities of the
mansion. However, as they passed by one of the many
�crossroads� of hallways, a glimmer of white caught his eye. His coal
eyes widened and he froze.

�� It can�t be,� he told himself. Pale, delicate feet made
the floorboards creak as the figure passed down the hallway. It moved slowly,
but he only had a split second to see it. Still, he saw it clear as day. The
figure was a woman with short black hair and Asian features, dressed in a
beautiful, white, billowing gown. His body moved, ready to chase after her, but
in a second, she was gone. A tear tracked down his cheek and his hand twitched,
as though it wanted to grab at something that wasn�t there.

�� Wufei!� Zechs called to him,
snapping Wufei out of his daze.

�� It can�t be,� his thoughts repeated as he followed Zechs
mindlessly, like a robot or zombie. �It can�t be.�

�� How Quatre and Trowa managed to fall asleep, Wufei didn�t
know. He was tired, himself, but sleep had never felt further from his grasp
than now. Not only was he terrified of what would happen if he closed his eyes,
just for a few minutes, he had too many thoughts whirling in his head to
attempt to rest. His eyes were fixed on Quatre and Trowa. They were sleeping in
each other�s arms, latched onto each other so tightly one of them had to be
hurting the other. Wufei smiled bitterly.

�� We used to hold each other like that, late at night when
it was so dark and lonely, all we could do was hear our hearts beating. Meiran�
what are you doing in this horrible place� You escaped, you shouldn�t be here, you don�t deserve to be here!�

�� Wufei�s hands curled into fists. This wasn�t fair. He had
only seen the ghost for a second, but he knew that it was her. He was as sure
as that as he needed to breathe to live. Chang-Long Meiran� the only woman he
had ever loved. It seemed sick that he was seeing her in this place, yet, also,
somehow appropriate.

�� He and Long Meiran had been engaged to be married since the
day they had been born. They had been born on the same day and their families
had been connected for centuries, so the marriage had been an accepted deal. He
and Meiran had grown up as good friends so neither of them had any problem with
the engagement. Wufei didn�t know who fell for whom first, but by the time they
were thirteen, they had already been dating for awhile. Meiran had been the
most beautiful girl in the world, smart and strong and just� perfect. However,
when they turned thirteen, that perfection had faded. Meiran collapsed one day
and his parents had taken her to the hospital, against her parents� wishes. The
Longs were old fashioned, believing in family medicine instead of doctors and
hospitals. In the end, Meiran had been diagnosed with heart cancer and she only
had a few months to live. He blamed her parents, but not as much as he blamed
himself. She had been tired for months before that,
had grown more and more frail, but her parents had relied too much on remedies
that were useless and he had preferred to believe that everything was fine
instead of discovering that she was sick.

�� Wufei looked down at
his fianc� as she slept, her face pinched in pain. His and her parents sat
around her futon, watching and waiting for the slight indication that she could
be leaving them. Her hair, usually done up in adorable pigtails, was loose and
mussed by sweat, the scent of sickness clinging to every strand. She was
horribly pale, her skin tight as she had lost a lot of weight in only a few
months. She still looked beautiful to him, though, her small body looking so
pretty in her white dress, the dress, he was sure, she would die in. Her
eyelids fluttered open and he stared into her ebony eyes.

�� Meiran��
he murmured. She smiled softly at him and his heart clenched when he saw the
urge to touch him in her eyes. He met her halfway, holding her thin hand.

�� Are
you in much pain?� he asked.

�� No,
not much,� she said in a small, fading voice and he knew that he was lying. He
wanted to look away. He couldn�t take watching her struggle, just to breathe.
He almost wished that she would just die already and get it all over with.

�� I love
you,� she whispered, her eyes sliding shut once more. She was no longer able to
stay awake for any longer than a few minutes at a time. Wufei composed himself,
though he wanted to let his tears fall. He waited patiently for his parents and
in laws to leave before letting go. He wanted to yell at Meiran�s mother and
father to take her to the hospital, where she could get the medicine that she
needed to prolong her life, or at least a way to dull her excruciating pain. He
watched in torture as his fianc� and best friend moaned in pain in her sleep.
He closed his eyes again, his fingers caressing the ring he had put on Meiran�s
finger. The tears refused to stop as he gripped at her hand.

�� I�m so
sorry, love,� he whispered painfully.

�� The
next morning, they all awoke to find that Meiran had died some time that night.

�� Wufei�s nails dug into his palms, drawing blood as he
watched Quatre and Trowa sleep peacefully. It was because of Meiran�s death that
he had moved to Japan,
but he didn�t blame her for his current� dilemmas. He turned away from Quatre
and Trowa, unable to handle watching the sweet lovers any longer. He could have
had that, but now, there was nothing and that goddamn ghost was using his
love�s death to torment him! He lied on his stomach, his leg aching, but he
only wished that he could feel more pain, could have more punishment for being
responsible for losing the one good thing in his life.

�� Heero opened his eyes and found himself back in the
courtyard. In the time that he had spent in the mansion, he had accepted the
fact that, in order to stay sane, he had to accept things as they were, even if
they were impossible. However, the logical part of his mind stubbornly clung to
things like time and space and physics, so when he suddenly opened his eyes and
found himself outside, he was terrified. Was he stuck back in the vision, or
was this something even more awful? He knew that the ghost, Duo, could do
whatever he pleased in this place, there didn�t have to be a reason for it, but
he still searched for one. Ignoring his original impulse to scream, Heero
looked around his surroundings. He realized that he should have become
accustomed to things like this happening the second he had seen the tortured
boy in the mirror, but he felt like he was losing his footing. He didn�t
understand anything anymore. Why were his friends being cut, but the ghost was
sparing him? It didn�t make any sense to him. What was even more confusing was
his sudden emotional connection to the spirit. He wanted to help him, even
knowing that it was Duo holding the doors closed and torturing them this way.
He couldn�t stand the accusations of the other spirit or the vision of him
being cut, his blood spilling on the vines�

�� Heero�s blue eyes widened as he suddenly realized what it
was about the courtyard that was bothering him, the thing that was different�
there were no vines. There was soft grass under his feet, but not a trace of
the sinister, carnivorous vines. That was something else all together� he could
feel the grass under his feet, could
feel the light breeze and smell the blooming cherry blossoms. The last time he
had been stuck in a vision, he had only been able to see things, not feel them.
The sudden� realness of it was shocking to him. He could hear birds singing in
the trees surrounding the mansion and he realized that everything was brand
new. The grass and flowers were freshly cut and maintained by an obvious
professional, the wood of the mansion looked perfect with not so much as a
scratch. The stone of the well was absent of algae, but his eyes widened when
he saw the large well.

�� On the edge of the well sat a young boy about six or seven
years old wearing a very familiar, sleeveless, white kimono, with an equally
familiar chestnut braid trailing down the child�s back, though it must shorter
than the ghost�s.

�� Duo�� Heero thought in shock, �but he�s alive� this isn�t
a ghost, this is when he was still alive. But� he�s just a child��

�� The sight of Duo�s bare arms as his hands lay on the flat
surface of the well, pale and smooth, absent of any of the scars he would get
later in life, was heartbreaking. Heero wanted to reach out and touch him, but
he didn�t dare. Heero walked around the well, so he could look at the child�s
face. He took a deep breath when he met deep violet eyes that looked right
through him.

�� He�s so beautiful�� Heero thought. Those eyes were
different than the ghost�s, bright, alive, filled with childish excitement for
everything around him. The bells tied to his ankle jingled as the boy swung his
legs. Suddenly, Duo stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly.
Heero�s eyes widened as he watched a large crow fly toward the boy and land on
his outstretched hand. He felt a chill crawl up his spine, but he wasn�t sure
why.

�� Chii-chan!� the boy smiled wide,
petting the crow on the head with his other hand. Heero�s breath stuck in his
throat at the sound of his voice. It was first time he had heard it,
undistorted by death or malice. It was lovely, just like the rest of him.

�� This is ridiculous, I�m falling
in love with a ghost�� Heero realized, but though the idea was silly to him,
the reality of it wasn�t. He did feel a strange sort of affection for both the
living boy before him and the older ghost that had reached out to him inside
the mirror. He wished that he could make that spirit smile, like this child was
now.

�� The crow make a deep chirping noise as the boy�s fingers
stroked its feathers. Duo reached into his obi and took out a scrap of meat,
feeding it to the bird. Heero chuckled. It was a childish thing, hiding things
in an obi. He remembered when his mother had taken him to the village summer
festivals and he had had to wear a yukata. The obi
had been much smaller, but he had hidden snacks and toys in it to keep himself
occupied (1).

�� That�s a silly name for a crow, isn�t it, teishu-san? (2)

�� Heero whirled at the somehow familiar, but equally alien
voice and felt his heart stop in his chest. Approaching the well from the porch
was a child that looked exactly like him. The boy had to be about ten or
eleven, maybe even twelve, dressed in a dark blue yukata,
the same messy chocolate hair and smoldering blue eyes as Heero�s own, only,
this boy walked differently and the way he spoke was different. Heero realized
that they were talking in an older dialect of Japanese, which made sense if
what he was seeing was centuries ago. No, this boy wasn�t him� not only was it
impossible, but there was something about him that was very different. Duo�s
face scrunched up cutely, making a strange heat and sense of protectiveness
fill Heero�s chest.

�� Don�t call me that!� he protested, �Besides, Chii�s a good name, tomodachi
(3),� the longhaired boy teased. The older boy ruffled his hair.

�� Helen-sama will be upset that
you�re feeding her bits of your dinner,� the boy scolded.

�� But, she�s hungry,� Duo pouted. The other boy rolled his
eyes and, digging into his own, smaller obi, produced a bit of fish. The crow
watched the fish with hungry eyes, making a happy screeching noise when the boy
fed it to her.

�� Hypocrite,� Duo said with a grin.

�� How did you learn that word?� the boy pressed.

�� Dorothy-chan taught me it,� Duo
said.

�� The dark haired boy sighed.

�� Don�t listen to her anymore, Duo-san,� he advised.

�� Heero blushed as Duo leaned his entire body against the
other boy�s arm.

�� It�s alright,� Duo murmured, putting his arm down, making Chii fly off, �You�re the only friend I need. We�ll always
be together, right?�

�� Baka,� the other boy said with an affectionate smirk.

�� Quatre awoke slowly, in the same dark place that he had
fallen asleep in. He groaned softly. Not this� not again� was it always going
to be the same, up until the moment of his death? It was getting colder and
colder in the mansion and that lack of heat made his eyes widen and he sat up
straight. He searched around the room for any sign of life. The moon was still
fully, its light illuminating the room, showing him that he was utterly,
completely alone. He realized that it was not the cold that had awoken him, but
the absence of his lover. Not only that, but all of his friends had vanished,
too. All of their things, back packs, water bottles, even their sleeping bags,
had all vanished. He got to his feet quickly. How could they have left him
behind? Had Relena finally gone through with her insane plan of leaving him
behind? No, that couldn�t be true. Even if what she had suggested, that it was
because of his abilities that the house was� coming alive, even if he had
fallen asleep and all of the doors and windows had opened again, Trowa would
never leave him behind. Something else, something terrible, had happened.

�� Quatre abandoned his things and ran out of the room.

�� Trowa!� he screamed. The long hallway echoed the sound,
almost as though it was mocking him, but there were no other sounds. No creaks,
no chatting of familiar, or unwanted, voices, just an
endless silence, ending and beginning once again at the sound of his own voice.
He shivered in the darkness of the hallway.

�� Heero, Wufei, Zechs!� he
continued to yell, �Relena!�

�� There was nothing, just more echoes of his voice as he
walked towards the staircase. It couldn�t be� he couldn�t be alone, not in this
horrible place� Quatre shuddered as fear gripped his heart, but he tried to
deny it as the cold. For all of his psychic abilities, he was horribly
vulnerable in this place. The ghosts could invade his dreams, his mind, and
destroy his sanity so easily. So, what was it waiting for? And what had
happened to his friends? Had they been swept away while they had all been
dreaming?

��

�� Zechs couldn�t remember what he had been dreaming about, but
it was something terrible, so he was glad when he finally woke up. It was a
relief to just open his eyes and know that, against all the odds, he was still
alive. That was how he had fallen asleep in the first place, by just giving up
his fear and replacing it with apathy. Whether he lived or died, he would awake
in the same hell until those doors downstairs opened. He didn�t know when it
had happened, but he had given up on any optimism regarding being rescued
during a morning that would never come. However, though the act of opening his
eyes was a huge relief, what he saw made him get to his feet as swiftly as he
could. He was somewhere else, somewhere new. It was clearly one of the guest
rooms, but which one, or how he had gotten there, he couldn�t figure out.

�� Shit!� he swore. The only comfort for him in the strange
room was the blanket that had been thrown over both mirrors in the room. If he
had to rationalize something that seemed completely illogical, he would say
that the ghost was, somehow, linked to the mirrors. It didn�t make him feel
completely safe, but it was better than staring at his own reflection,
wondering if the longhaired spirit would come out of there at any second to
choke the life out of him. The things was, like his little sister, he, too, had
a strange affinity for horror movies and he was well versed in spirits and
vampires and such, or at least, until coming here, he had thought he was.
However, this ghost, their ghost, did not act as ghosts �should�, or at least
as Hollywood
saw them. He wasn�t picking them off one by one. He wasn�t making things fly
around the room or possessing any of them. Really, he hadn�t threatened any of
them. And yet, there was some horribleness about him that made them sense that their lives were in danger.
The movies rarely touched on those bits, the part about the mere feeling of the
supernatural that wormed its way into your brain like both a hungry parasite
and a raging fire, turning you inside out until you were no longer you anymore. He had never been this
scared, this displaced before, and that feeling made him want to scream.

�� Zechs went to the sliding door and opened it, breathing in
relief when he recognized the upstairs hallway. The last thing he wanted was to
be lost. Really, he had only been moved a few rooms away from theirs, though
whether he had been actually taken or had somehow sleep walked, he didn�t know.
Right now, he didn�t particularly care. He might have been scared and feeling
lost, but in the end, Relena and her friends were his responsibility as the
oldest, so his one and only priority was to find them and see that they were
safe. Even in the dark of the mansion, it was fairly easy to find the room that
he had disappeared from.

�� Relena!� he called as he entered, but the moonlight showed
him that the room was empty of everything, especially his sister.

�� Fuck!� he nearly screamed, his words echoing through the
wood of the room and hallway. The one thing he could not afford to do was lose
his little sister! He ran a shaking hand through his bangs. This wasn�t
happening� didn�t they know to stay put?! But, maybe they had awoken to find
him gone and had left to look for him or, even worse, perhaps they had been
spirited away in their sleep as well. All he knew was that he needed to find
Relena. And what about Wufei? The boy�s leg wouldn�t
let him to get far. Zechs� pale skin blushed darkly at the thought of the
Chinese boy. It wasn�t fair, in fact, it was pretty disgusting, he realized, to
prioritize the safety of a boy he had a crush on over his own sister, but he
did. It made him feel so guilty, he actually felt sick over it, but he was more
worried about Wufei than Relena, and it had little to do with his handicap. He
had fallen for the dark haired boy years ago, but Wufei had never seemed the
type to be interested in someone like him. Now, trapped in this mansion,
waiting to die or go insane from the feeling of being trapped, he deeply
regretted his decision to never ask Wufei out, even for a simply coffee. He
should have.

�� I will,� Zechs vowed as he left the room and started to go
to another room, systematically checking each guest room on the upstairs for
any trace of the others, �If we survive this, I�m asking him out!�

�� However, with an insane spirit keeping the doors locked and
watching them from the mirrors, shrouded and trapped by impenetrable wood and
an endless night, such a promise seemed small, stupid, and utterly impossible.

�� Trowa!� Quatre screamed, running
through the maze of downstairs hallways. He had no idea where he was going, his
flashlight bouncing wildly as he ran. He was so lost, he wasn�t sure where he
was and he didn�t have the map. No matter how loudly he screamed his lover�s
name, nothing ever answered him. He knew that he was panicking, that he should
slow down and plan out his searching, but he was too scared. He didn�t want to
slow down, didn�t want to stop by any mirrors or hear any sweet chimes of small
bells. All he wanted was to find his lover, if he could do that, it didn�t
matter to him if the ghost found him or not. He came to an abrupt stop when he
reached a maze of tatami rooms that were open, their doors broken, some
completely missing. He looked back the way he had come, but he realized that he
didn�t remember which way he had come. He stumbled into one of the rooms and
sat heavily on the floor, his back against the wall. Sobs bubbled out of his
tight chest and he curled into a ball.

�� Trowa� why did you leave?� he cried. He was alone, so
utterly alone� it was dark and cold and there was no one� He didn�t want to die
this way! He didn�t want to die alone!

�� �How does it feel?� a
distorted, terrible voice filled his head, making him want to scream, �How does it feel to be left behind by the
one you love most?�

�� Shut up!� Quatre screamed, �Just shut the fuck up! Bring
him back!�

�� Cruel laughter filled the room and Quatre�s back stiffened
when he heard heavy creaking approaching the room, accompanied by the bitter
sweet sound of a bell.

�� You�re all going to die
here.�

�� It wasn�t long before Zechs� patient search became
frantic. He wished that they had cell phone service, just so he could figure
out where the hell all of his friends and his sister had gone. He entertained
the idea that they were outside, but after the scare they had had with the
vines outside, he had no desire to go there. After almost tripping over his own
feet, desperately exploring each upstairs room, he had to slow down out of fear
that he would end up breaking his neck. As scared as he had been before, the
house seemed even more terrible when he was by himself. The only consolation he
had was that no one was around to see him panicking. His steps faltered as the
light from his flashlight fell on some red spots on the floor. Using his
flashlight, he tracked the spots until they became a huge smear, leading around
the corner of the hallway.

�� What the hell?� he wondered out loud, his stomach becoming
heavy with fear and disgust. Was this just another trick of the ghost, or had
it finally stopped playing such games and had killed one of them? What if he
was the last one alive?

�� With shaking legs, he followed the thick smear of blood, at least, he was almost positive it was blood, until
it led into an open room. He realized, simultaneously, that the room was one of
the libraries and that they had visited it earlier, though they had closed the
door when they had left. Every instinct he had told him to stop following the
blood, that he really didn�t want to know what was at the end of it, but he
found himself putting one foot in front of the other, getting closer and closer
inside the room. He let his flashlight guide him, following the trail of blood
and not focusing on anything else. Suddenly, the small ray of light fell on
something solid and Zechs took a stumbling step towards it.

�� No�� his voice wavered in shock. His stomach clenched and
bile rose in his throat. It was Wufei, or at least, it had been not too long
ago. His body was twisted around and around like rope or a piece of licorice,
the bones snapped like feeble wood, his black eyes staring up at Zechs, wide
and blind, glassed over in obvious death.

�� Oh, God!� the silver haired man gasped out, feeling the
urge to vomit at the sight of a boy he had seen only a few hours ago, if that.

�� Why?!� he took a step away from the horrible, twisted
corpse, his legs becoming weak and he fell on his butt on the hard wood floor.
His flashlight fell from his shaking fingers, crashing onto the floor and
rolling away from him, illuminating another figure in the room. Zechs� wide
eyes stared at the figure, taking in a small boy, looking very familiar except
for its age. The longhaired boy just stood there, watching him and his friend�s
corpse with amusement. He couldn�t have been older than seven, his clothes
stained a brilliant red, just like the teenaged version of himself, but he
watched them like it was a wonderful game.

�� You,� Zechs snarled, terror and rage building up inside of
him, �you did this, you killed him, why?!�

�� The little ghost grinned at him and started to laugh.

�� Elizabeth Victoria Peacecraft leaned her forehead against
the cool glass of the black Mercedes her husband was driving, her crystal blue
eyes looking out, into the deep woods they were driving towards, a thick fog
making it difficult to see the road ahead of them, but her husband had always
been a careful driver.

�� Are you sure that this is where they went?� she questioned
as she looked towards the mansion looming in the distance. Her husband,
Richard, took one of his hands off the wheel to hold her smaller, slenderer one
and gave it a comforting squeeze.

�� Zechs� note said that they would be in the mansion,
working on their paper,� he reminded her, �They probably got caught up. They�re
still kids, after all, and the summer�s almost over. They just decided to stay
a little longer, make a sleepover out of it,� he tried to assure her, but she
could hear the anxiety in his voice and she bit her lip. Both of her children
should have come home last night, according to her son�s note, but they hadn�t.
Zechs� car was missing and there phones were either turned off or there was no
service where they were. They had called the police, but they were of no help,
simply telling them to wait until tomorrow and if their children still weren�t
home, they would search for them. Elizabeth
didn�t see the point in that. She knew where her children were and for all she
knew, they could be in danger.

�� What if they�re hurt?� she worried, �Relena always gets a
little carried away and that house is so old. What if the roof collapsed? Mr.
Chang, Yuy, Winner, and Barton also told us that they�re children were missing,
something terrible must have happened.�

�� Relax,� her husband soothed, �We�re going there now, we�re
going to find them!�

�� Elizabeth
continued to chew on her lip as the car turned onto the forest path and they
got closer and closer to the huge house.

�� I hate that place,� she murmured.

�� Ever since she and her family had moved to Nasue, she had
looked to the mansion, constantly looming in the town�s horizon like some
terrible, guardian angel, with hate and revulsion. The sight of the place creeped her out, but when she had heard about the stories
of the place, the ritual sacrifices and various murders and disappearances, she
had begun to despise it, like a whore house near a playground. As far as she
was concerned, such a place should have been bulldozed years ago, yet here she
was, going to that very same place to look for her daughter and son. The fog
did not abate as they finally reached the entrance to the mansion, but the
sight of Zechs� car parked outside was like a beacon to the both of them.

�� They�re still here!� Elizabeth
cried, flinging open her door and running through the gate, which was open just
a little bit.

�� Wait!� Richard called, running after her, grabbing the
first aid kit they had put in the car, just in case. He followed her to the
door and she flung it open. The old wood door was a little bit stubborn, but
gave way with a loud creak as she ran inside.

�� Relena! Zechs!� she yelled.
Richard shivered as he went inside. Even though it was the afternoon, and even
with the fog the sun was shining brightly enough outside, it was dark in the
house, like a tomb that no light could ever reach. His wife�s words seemed to
echo in a vast amount of endless space, but in the end, were swallowed up by
the darkness. It was amazing to think that such a place existed in their own town. Elizabeth
didn�t seem to be so overwhelmed as she darted
forward, screaming their children�s names. He continued to run after her,
feeling useless without a flashlight, following the wavy gold of her hair. He
watched helplessly as she flung open door after door, only long enough to
scream for Zechs and Relena before she was off to another door.

�� Lizzie, stop it!� Richard made a grab for her, but she
dove erratically down another hallway, evading him. He followed her, step for
step, a part of him wanting her to stop, but another was just as desperate to
find his children and if her random searching could find them�

�� The mansion was like a maze and, even though Richard had
had a secret love of puzzles when he had been a child, he found himself getting
easily frustrated. There were so many steps and rooms and hallways, it wasn�t
hard to see how people could get lost. Suddenly, through the darkness, he saw
that his wife had reached the very end of one of the hallways and stood in
front of a large door.

�� Elizabeth,�
he breathed. His heart was pounding at the sight of the door, though he
couldn�t figure out why, and he didn�t want her to open that door.

�� Don�t,� he begged, but his wife seemed to be in a
different time, opening the door without even hearing his words. The two of them
walked into what appeared to be total darkness, yet they could see a few feet
ahead of them. Richard reasoned that it had to be total darkness, since there
were no windows in the new hallway and no lamps, either, yet, somehow, they
could see where no visible light was shining. They stumbled together into the
hallway. Richard squinted into the blackness and barely saw the shadows of
ropes dangling from the ceiling that got clearer and clearer the closer they
walked. He dived and dodged, trying to keep any of the ropes from touching him,
though he wasn�t sure if it was the chill in the achingly long corridor or the
dark stains on the ropes, but they scared him enough to keep clear of them. The
two of them walked and walked and walked until he was sure that the hallway had
no end when his wife, only a few feet ahead of him, started to scream.

�� Richard�s last thought before his entire mind was filled
with white noise was that they had finally found at least one of their children
and some of their friends. Four bodies hung by the ropes around their necks in
front of Elizabeth
and they recognized each of them. Quatre was the most recognizable out of the
other two of Relena and Zechs� friends, his blonde hair clean and shimmering
and his body whole except for the deep bruises around his neck, his blue eyes
staring open. All of their eyes were staring open. Wufei�s body was horribly
mangled, twisted around and around in a terrible spiral. Trowa�s body was
slashed almost to ribbons, covered in huge cuts. Richard�s wide eyes looked at
his son, hanging there like all the others, only� he was untouched. It was
obvious that it was the hanging that had killed him. It was also obvious to him
that, that no one but Zechs himself could have hung him like that. His son had
committed suicide� had he killed and hung his friends as well? But, the
question that started to break through the white noise, little by little, was
where were Heero and Relena?

�� Elizabeth
kept screaming. (4)

�� Heero, Relena, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Zechs all awoke at
exactly the same moment, all of them, except for Heero, choking on their
screams. Quatre and Trowa grabbed at each other�s hands, their nerves tingling
at the feeling of contact when their minds had believed they would never get
that privilege again. Zechs sought Wufei out in the same way, but only with his
eyes, feeling some deep rooted tension release him when he saw that he was
alive and well, but the image of his twisted body stayed with him, like an
overlapping image he couldn�t shake. Relena, herself, couldn�t stop shaking
with what she just saw. She wished it was like all of her other dreams, once
she had woken, it would start to fade, but it was just as clear, just as vivid,
as when she had been asleep. She wondered if she was still asleep, if she had
been sleeping all along.

�� What the hell was that?!� Wufei demanded, struggling out
of his sleeping bag to stand and look over his friends, his leg feeling like a
solid weight. Sure enough, all of them were accounted for and mostly ok, except
they each had new slashes on some parts of their bodies, a little deeper,
bleeding a little bit more, along with the older scratches.

�� I was dreaming,� Trowa murmured as he wrapped his arms
around Quatre and his lover melted in his embrace, �we had all gotten
separated.�

�� I woke in this room,� Quatre said, �all alone. I ran all
over the place looking for all of you, but we were lost, disappeared. Then, Duo
came to me��

�� I was in a different room,� Zechs continued where Quatre
had left off, �I searched and searched-,�

�� But you found me dead,� Wufei said in a spooked voice, �I
don�t remember what happened, one minute I was looking for all of you and the
next� I don�t know.�

�� I dreamt that our parents came looking for us,� Relena
said, looking at her brother, �they came here, but when they found us� we were
all dead, except for Heero and I. It was like� we had disappeared into
nothingness.�

�� All seven of them felt a chill go down their spines at her
words.

�� It felt so real,� she whispered. Wufei shook his head.

�� They�re just dreams,� he said stubbornly, �I mean, it�s
still dark out,� he gestured to the small window in the room which showed them
a black world outside of the mansion.

�� My watch says we�ve been asleep for ten hours,� Quatre
announced.

�� Your watch is broken,� Zechs said gruffly.

�� It�s insane, isn�t it? Quatre mused, �According to my
watch, two days have passed, but it�s still dark, like an endless night��

�� Like I said, your watch is broken,� Zechs insisted, but
deep down, he didn�t believe that at all. He knew exactly what Quatre was
talking about, the feeling that they were stuck in the same hour, over and over
and over again, in an unending loop. It was impossible, insane, and terrifying.
It felt like they had never slept at all, like he had spent the last ten hours
wide awake, running, always running. He watched in concern as Wufei limped to
the door.

�� Where are you going?� Quatre asked, �We shouldn�t
separate.�

�� For the record,� Wufei said in a sharp voice, �I don�t
think it matters how many of us there are. Whether we�re alone or together,
this thing can kill us and there�s nothing any of us can do about that. The
reason for that is that we know next to nothing about this ghost. Rule number
one of combat: know you�re enemy. We�re at war and something in this mansion
has to tell us who and what this thing really is.�

�� None of them could deny that Wufei was right, but Zechs
seemed to be the only one who wanted to follow him out of the room.

�� So, where are we going?� Zechs asked as he helped Wufei
down the hallway, his limp getting worse and worse.

�� The Master Bedroom,� Wufei responded, sounding like his
mind was a mile off.

�� We can�t open it, we tried once,� Relena reminded him.
Wufei shook his head.

�� We have to keep trying. There has to be something in
there. The Master of this house probably kept something, some clue we can use. If it still won�t open, we�ll keep
looking. I�m not going to sit around until this thing decides to stop playing
games and tear us all to shreds.�

�� Heero watched his friends walk off towards the Master
Bedroom, but hung back in the hallway. He didn�t know why he didn�t call out to
them or tell them what he was going to do, but he hung back and kept silent as
they disappeared into the darkness. He didn�t need a map to find the red door
of Duo�s bedroom since it was so close to the Master Bedroom. He reasoned that
his friends probably wouldn�t even realize he was missing before he caught up
with them again. Still, he felt guilty leaving them behind. Wufei was right, it
was useless sticking together, but what little comfort they could get out of
their situation couldn�t be worthless. However, he felt no fear navigating
through the house in the dark and he couldn�t figure out why. It was as though
some deep part of himself knew that the ghost wouldn�t
attack them, not now anyway. He was equally confused about how heavy his heart
felt, opening that red door again.

��

��

�� The bedroom was exactly the same as they had left it and it
was something of a relief to Heero that nothing had changed. Just like before,
he felt sick when he entered, like a strange sort of vertigo or nausea. A
strange painful pressure attacked his chest as he took in the room with the
light of his flashlight. He leaned down near the dresser to pick up one of the
strewn, violet obis. It looked like the same one the little boy in his vision
had worn and the ghost wore. He wondered if the reason why the room was such a
mess was because the last time Duo had been here, there had been a struggle.
His mind wandered to the cell hidden behind the walls and wondered if the
little boy he had seen in his dream had ever been up there. The thought sent a
shiver through him. That child had been so bright, so beautiful,
he couldn�t bear the thought of the child or the older boy being chained up in
that horrible place. He stood up, letting the obi fall through his fingers, and
went through each drawer, collecting the journals as he went. He didn�t know
exactly why he was doing it when he couldn�t read the old words, but it made
him feel good to have a mission, no matter how useless. He had heard that the
key to beating stress was keeping busy and it seemed right somehow. When he had
all the old journals collected and stored in his back pack, he looked over at
the lattice nervously. There was one more that he should get, the most
important one, really. It was the only one where he could read any of Duo�s
words, in a place that might have been where the boy had died, yet he really
didn�t want to go back up there, especially alone. Wasn�t there some unwritten
rule that the place where someone died was also where their ghost was the
strongest? After everything that had happened, he was a bit afraid of the ghost
getting any stronger. But, it felt like that journal, and those words he had
read, were calling him. He shouldered his back pack, opened the lattice, and
crawled through.

�� The cell seemed even more horrible when he was by himself,
absent from the warmth of his friends, cold and distant from the rest of the house.
He crouched to enter the cell, taking a deep breath. He kneeled down to inspect
the shackles he had only glanced at early in the day, though it seemed like
weeks ago. They were indeed chained to the floor with not enough chain to do
more than stand up and walk two feet. The inside of the shackles were stained
dark with old blood. He shuddered and let it drop to the floor with a clang. He
turned to retrieve the book and froze. Duo was sitting on the floor in front of
him, his pale ankles chained in the shackles. He looked up at Heero with violet
eyes brimming with tears. A lone tear trailed down Heero�s cheek. The oddest
thing was that the kimono he was wearing was pure white, not a single drop of
blood staining it.

�� Duo�� he murmured, �You have to help us.�

�� He didn�t know why he asked the ghost for help when it was
responsible for all of their problems, but he couldn�t believe that the crying
boy before them would hurt them.

�� Please, help me. I
don�t want to kill. Don�t make me kill. Please�� the boy�s voice was
distorted, like the other ghost they had seen, but unlike that one, this voice
was only filled with sorrow, not evil or malice. Suddenly, the spirit vanished
as though it had never been there.

�� Please help me�,� Heero
thought, �But what can I possibly do?�

�� Wufei, Relena, and Quatre watched as Zechs and Trowa wailed
on the Master Bedroom door, uselessly as it didn�t budge an inch. Quatre looked
back down the hallway, nervously. Heero had disappeared and what scared him the
most was the possibility that spirits hadn�t whisked him away, like in his
dream, but that his friend had chosen to walk off on his own. Something was
going on with Heero, something that, even with his abilities, he couldn�t
possibly begin to understand. He wanted to hate Heero for it, for endangering
himself and keeping secrets during a time when none of them could afford any.
Still, he didn�t tell the others that the Japanese boy was missing, didn�t want
any of them to know that there was something wrong. They were all like violin
strings, ready to snap if things got any tighter and putting any suspicious
light on one of their own would probably be the breaking point. At the very
least, they would end up screaming at Heero about putting himself
in harm�s way, but Wufei was right. It didn�t really matter if they were by
themselves or together.

�� You�re all going to
die here.�

�� Quatre shuddered. When had he started to worry about
Heero? If he had to make a guess, it was when his parents had told him that
Heero had been admitted to the hospital because of the car crash, but that
still wasn�t quite it. He had been worried about his friend�s injuries, but it
wasn�t until later that he had started to think that there was some darkness in
Heero that was begging to break out. Maybe that was why the ghost was singling
Duo out, because he had wished for death after his parents had died. Heero had
never outright acted suicidal, it was just a feeling that Quatre had, that
Heero�s mind was close to death. He had always been a little bit distant, as
though he was in a high place that none of them could hope to reach, but after
the accident, it was as though their friend was spread thin, nearly transparent
to the rest of them. Heero, drunk at the time, had once told him that he felt
more alive, more real, when he was dreaming than when he was awake. At the
time, Quatre had thought it was just drunken nonsense, but he wasn�t so sure
anymore. They were all so stressed, on the urge of breaking, but with Heero, it
was hard to tell. It could be that he was just hiding his fear inside,
silently, or� it could be that he wasn�t afraid at all. It could be that he was
glad that his death was finally coming for him, or he was just so apathetic
that he didn�t care. Quatre didn�t think that was true, or rather, he didn�t
want to believe it. There were times when Heero seemed like the friend they had
always known, and others where he was just so distant, it was actually
terrifying to watch. He saw Trowa stop pushing at the door with a defeated
stance and knew that they were all giving up. He hadn�t expected anything else,
though it did pique his curiosity in wondering what was in that room.

�� So, you still can�t get it open?� Quatre jumped as Heero
spoke from behind him. He whirled, feeling elated that his friend was alright,
but still annoyed at what he had done.

�� Not without a battering ram, and even then�� Zechs said
with a shake of his head. Wufei gave out a frustrated little snort and walked
back down the hall, towards the stairs, Zechs following him like a lost puppy
as the rest of them ran to catch up.

�� Somewhere in between the stairs and stumbling into the
workshop, Wufei�s leg had turned into a solid mass of stone. He could no longer
limp with it, the pain and stiffness becoming unbearable, and he sagged to the
floor, fortunately having enough grace left to make the move less shameful. It
seemed like his body was constantly betraying him, just because of his
mistakes. He was worthless in that respect. He kept making the same mistake
over and over again, hoping that things would get better, that time would heal
all of his wounds, but that was just a lie, he easily overestimated himself,
thinking that he could turn his heart, his emotions, to stone, but they kept
bubbling up and overwhelming him. He had no doubt that that was why he was
seeing Meiran now, after so many years. His own guilt ridden, turbulent soul
was going over her echo, her spirit, like some obsessed voyeur. He had known,
for a very long time now, that he could never let her
go. She was his world, just like she had been when she was alive and he was
sure that she would be his death, as well.

�� Meiran had been dead
for three years and so much had changed in Wufei�s life. He and his father had
moved to a different country, a different town, a different house. He had made
new friends, gone to a new school. To the outward observer, it would appear his
life had become fresh and new, but inside, the darkness still lurked. To him,
everything was exactly the same. As long as Meiran was dead and far from him,
it would always be the same. He wanted to be with her, wanted to see her more
than anything he had ever felt before. Moving on, becoming whole again, seemed
so completely impossible. He had known her for so long, seeing her beautiful face
every day had become as natural as breathing, but now� there was this huge,
horrible void inside of him that was eating away, always eating. It wasn�t just
that it was too hard to pick up the pieces, he just didn�t want to. He couldn�t
see the point in going on. Still, for three years, he suffered in silence,
completely alone as father continued to think that he was doing fine. He
wondered if he would ever forgive him for stealing him away from the only home
he had ever known, his and Meiran�s home. He loved him, but deep down inside,
he also secretly hated him. He supposed that if he couldn�t forgive himself, he
wouldn�t forgive his father. How did people cope with this sort of thing,
anyway? He felt like he was walking around without a soul. He couldn�t taste
anything, couldn�t feel anything but loneliness and ache, and every time he
felt his heart beat in his chest, it shocked him. He thought that this must be
what hell was like, just standing still while the world passed you by, waiting
for something that would never happen. Waiting for the one you loved to come
back to you, knowing full well that you are so very, very alone, screaming and
raving in the dark until you lost every drop of yourself. You become jaded,
bitter, and so very angry. How could you not hate the rest of the world for
coveting what you have lost? (5)

�� Wufei,
you haven�t told me anything about your classes yet,� his mother�s chipper
voice gained his attention again. His coal black eyes met hers and for a
moment, he hoped that she couldn�t see the darkness in them that he couldn�t
quite hide. At the pretty smile on her familiar face, he felt a deep rage fill
him. He didn�t want her to be happy, especially not to see him. He didn�t want
to see anyone smiling ever again. How could she possibly be happy to visit him
of all people? He, who had destroyed his future and happiness so swiftly,
without a thought. He wanted to wipe that smile off
her face with a swift slap. He ignored her, stirring his rice around in the
bowl with his chopsticks as he and his parents ate their dinner. His mother was
only visiting for a few days since she and his father were still in
disagreement over his relocating Wufei to Japan, but he wished that she had
never come. All she did was remind him of everything he wanted to forget, but
was too scared to. Every time she opened her mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his
chest. He wanted to go home, even if he couldn�t bear it.

�� Fei,� his mother began and he couldn�t take anymore. He
slammed his hands on the table and stood, vivid anger creating the first real
life in his eyes for a very long time.

�� Why
are you here, Mother?� he demanded. She looked at him with wide, shocked eyes.

�� Why
didn�t you just stay away?!� he snarled, �What�s the point of you being here?!
Do you think that I want you visiting me like this?! Why don�t you just stay in
China
and leave me in peace! You�re not making this any easier for anyone except
yourself! And don�t call me �Fei�,
don�t ever call me that again!�

�� The
color drained from his mother�s face as he screamed at her. There was a part of
him that knew he should feel badly about hurting her, but it was small and
fading. He greatly preferred the feeling of rage to the ones of grief and
emptiness. Anger he could release, little by little, but he realized now that
his grief was something he would have to live with for the rest of his life. What
scared him the most wasn�t his lack of guilt at venting his rage at his mother,
but that one day, the anger would no longer come to home and he would only feel
loneliness. But, until then, he reveled in the only strong emotion he had felt
since Meiran�s death, taking the still warm porcelain bowl that held his rice
from the table and throwing it against the wall. Seeing it shatter made him
feel oddly better and he wished to do the same to the table they were sitting,
but the sudden urge to just leave, to get out of the stifling house with his
stifling parents was more overwhelming than his need for destruction. He rose
quickly from his seat and stormed out of the kitchen, grabbing the keys to his
father�s car on his way out, leaving without a single word to his parents.

�� Wufei,
stop!� his father called after him, but he was only responded by the sound of
the front door slamming shut in a brutal force.

�� It had been a rainy night and visibility had been
poor, so when Wufei had turned up in the hospital the next day in critical
condition, his parents had assumed the obvious, in his anger, he had lost
control of the car. At the time, he had realized just how pathetic he was as
his mother sobbed at his bedside. He realized that, if he died, he would make
his parents suffer, just like how Meiran had made him suffer. Knowing that sort
of terrible pain first hand, how could he possibly give that pain to his family,
the only family he had left? So, he had told them that it was just a horrible
accident, that the rain had obscured his vision, only for a second. He told
them that he was sorry, he didn�t want to argue
anymore, he was just glad he was still alive. But� it had all been a lie. He
had gone out that night with the intent of joining his love in the only way he
knew how. He had left the house because he had needed to escape from memories
and pretending to be just fine in front of his parents, but as soon as he had
started the engine to his father�s car, he had known exactly what he was going
to do. Yes, visibility had been poor, but he had seen the tree with perfect
clarity. What he hadn�t seen was his own body�s desperate need to survive.
Instead of dying, he had awoken in a white, sterile room with his mother�s
tears soaking his bed sheets. In that moment, he had seen things better than he
had for a very long time. Meiran would have hated him for what he had become
and he had clung to that belief ever since the accident to try to make the most
out of his life. The world was still dull and tasteless compared to what it had
been like when she was alive and every day was painful, the need to just end
the hollowness in his chest almost like a compulsion, or an addiction, but he
had fought and fought and for the first time, he felt like he was finally
moving forward from his betrothed�s death.

�� Are you alright?� Zechs asked as he watched Wufei sit down
heavily and stiffly, his leg making the move awkward. Wufei looked up at him
with hollow black eyes, still partially caught in his memories and Zechs
struggled to find his breath at the haunting look. But, like it had never been
there, the Chinese boy schooled his expression quickly.

�� I�m fine,� he murmured. He looked down at his hands,
suddenly feeling a stinging pain. It was another cut, worse than the others,
starting to drip blood down his arm. He saw that the others were sitting down
in the room, looking distant and forlorn, but he didn�t blame them. Zechs sat
down next to him and brushed his long, silvery hair away from his neck, showing
a long cut trailing from the back of his neck to the side, blood streaming down
his shirt.

�� They�re getting worse,� the taller man said in a low
voice, so the others couldn�t hear, �If they keep getting deeper like this� we
might bleed to death. All we have is a very basic first aid kit.�

�� And all of us have them, all of us except Heero?� Wufei
asked, looking over at his Japanese friend briefly, who was sitting near
Quatre, looking through what looked like an old leather book. Zechs followed
his stare, also looking away quickly.

�� Yes,� he said cautiously. The thought had occurred to him,
too, how Heero had only gotten one cut and that was from shattered glass. He
didn�t want to dwell on that for very long, though. That was how these things
started, the doubt, the paranoia� but it was still so odd, he just didn�t want
to start doubting a friend when they were all they had to rely on.

�� What do you think it means?� he asked Wufei, but the
younger boy just shook his head.

�� I don�t know,� he admitted, but he couldn�t shake the
feeling of suspicion as he thought about the cuts, and Heero�s immunity to
them.

��

�� Quatre watched Heero flipping through Duo�s old journals as
he leaned heavily against Trowa�s arm. He wanted to ask how Heero had gotten
the journals, but he already knew. That was what Heero had been doing when he
had left their side for only a few minutes. It made him feel slightly better
knowing what Heero had been doing, even if he still couldn�t understand it. There
was a lot that he didn�t understand in this place and he was starting to accept
those things as what they were. At least he hadn�t risked his life just for the
sheer thrill of it, though he never would have believed Heero to be the type.
Trowa was asleep, sitting against the wall. Quatre couldn�t understand how he
could just fall asleep like that, but he knew how tired he was. They were all
tired, more so than they should be. They had slept well, but human beings
weren�t meant to live like this, in constant fear and darkness, time eroding
away into nothing. Sleep was useless, it only brought terrible dreams. Dreams that could be something more� something worse.

�� What did you dream about?� Quatre�s question came out
harsher than he had intended, but Heero seemed undaunted, only briefly looking
up at him, slightly annoyed to be interrupted from his reading.

�� Nothing,� he lied, �I didn�t dream at all.�

�� It was a selfish reason, but Heero didn�t want to tell Quatre
or any of his friends about his dream of a younger, happier Duo. He felt
jealous of the thought of anyone else knowing, like a petulant child that was
unwilling to share his toys. It didn�t matter anyway. Dreams weren�t going to
save them.

�� Quatre gave his friend a piercing look. They had known each
other for too long to not realize when the other was lying. He thought that he
should press it, demand to know what Heero had dreamed about, but he knew how
stupid and useless that would be. It would cause a rift between them, verbally
calling Heero a liar and trying to force him to say something he obviously
didn�t want to tell. Instead, he let the issue drop, keeping silent as he felt
Trowa�s warmth against his arm. Heero quickly returned to flipping through the
pages of the old journal. Quatre carefully watched the pages, but saw little
difference from when they had last looked through them, the pages stiff and
yellow, the old ink faded and obscured, impossible to read. He watched as Heero
opened the last of the journals, and remembered the last page, the only message
they could read, with a heavy heart.

��

�� It is so lonely
here. I can hear the wind moving downstairs. It will not even reach me. I am
truly alone�

�� I
know that it is inevitable, but I am afraid to die.�

�� Sitting on the cold tatami, not knowing when his life would
end, in a few seconds or a few days, Quatre could feel the boy�s fear strongly
and it made his heart feel like it was being ripped apart. To know that you
were going to die and that there was absolutely nothing you could do about it�
even they had some tiny spark of hope that they would be rescued, however
fleeting, but this boy, Duo, he had accepted his death as something� �inevitable�. How horrible was that? To die
so young, probably all alone. What Quatre couldn�t let go of was why, if
there had been any reason, that Duo had lost his life. From his words, it had
sounded like premeditated murder, or, considering how old the journals looked,
even ritualistic murder. He knew it was a different country, with different
beliefs, but the thought of anyone killing someone so young, for whatever
reason, sickened him.

�� Heero stilled on the last page of the journal, where the
message had been and Quatre caught his wide eyed, shocked expression easily.
The message was still there, written in careful script, but much clearer, as
though it had only been written a few years ago. What was even more incredible
than that was the rest of the page, which had, somehow, become more legible since
they had last seen it.

�� I recall being here
when I was much younger. Father brought me up here, just like he did this
morning, and locked me in this dismal cage, only, this time, you can�t stop it.
Not anymore. It has not been so long since Father and the other priests woke me
and chained me up here, but I already miss the sun. I miss walking with you in
the courtyard, though it has only been a few days since our last stroll. It is
so lonely here. I can hear the wind moving downstairs. It will not even reach
me. I am truly alone

�� Are you
waiting for them to come for you, too? Or, have they lied to me and have denied
me the last good thing in my life? There is a dark part of me that wishes that
Father and Mother are crying for what they are about to do. I hate this part of
myself. I do not wish for them to hurt. I understand, this must be done, but I
am so afraid. I just want to see you one last time,
can I not have that one, small thing? But, truthfully, is it so small? If I die
soon, keeping your face close to my heart, knowing I said goodbye properly, I
think I could be happy. Even in darkness, and my own palpable fear, as long as
you can live, I will be happy. I can tell myself these things, and yet, there
is that dark part in me that threatens to turn that fear into hate. But, I will
never hate you, or Mother and Father, if that were to happen� I would no longer
be myself.

�� I know
that it is inevitable, but I am afraid to die. I miss the smell of the cherry
blossoms and the sight of your beautiful eyes. That scares me the most, knowing
I will spend my eternity without those things, in the dark, in a place so
lonely and cold, it will surely drive me mad. The thought that I will be saving
all of you is no longer such a comfort to me in this fear. It should be, it was
when I was a child, but now� I am so selfish and I hate myself for that.

�� Heero,
I know it is difficult, believe me, I do know, but� if I must die, and we can
no longer be together, please, promise me this�

�� Live.
Live and have a wonderful life. Do not blame yourself, or my parents. No matter
what happens� I will always love you. If such a thing is possible, I will be
waiting for you. I�ll wait all eternities, even to the end of this existence. I
love you.

End Chapter 2

Man, that took forever to write. I know the end of this chapter
probably raised a few eyebrows, and I will be exploring it later in the next
chapter. For now, and I�m sure a few of you will be surprised/excited to hear this, I�m (finally!) going to start working on the next
chapter of Change of Heart. Black Heart is temporarily going to be scrapped
because I want to rework it. As it right now, I don�t like it enough, but I�m
not abandoning it. Like Tears of the Wolf and A Stagnation of Love, it�s going
to come back as a remake, since it was something I made long before I had
refined my writing style.

��

(1) My cousin�s daughter does
this -_- when they go to these festivals and she wears her kimono, she hides
her mice in the obi so she can play with them. I might be a little bit biased,
but I think it�s adorable. For those of you who don�t know what an obi is, it�s
the colorful, wide tie around the waist of the kimono. I don�t know if you can
use the same word for the tie of the yukata, which is
a lighter kimono with less layers, used during the
summer, but in this case, I�m going to use it for both. To clarify, Duo�s Heero
wears a male yukata, but Duo�s kimono is a mix
between the female kimono and the male one, not as tight and heavy as the
female�s, but more elegant than the male�s.

(2) Means �Master�, this will
make sense when more of Duo�s back story is revealed. It is sufficient to say
that this particular �Heero�, Duo�s best friend, sees Duo as higher status than
him and addresses him as such.

(3) Means �beloved friend� or
�best friend�. Duo means it partially in teasing because Heero used a formal
title for him.

(4) If I was a lazy bitch,
I�d end the entire story here. Heero and Relena go missing and everyone else
dies, THE END! But, that wouldn�t make much sense and would leave too many
questions, and I�m enjoying myself just a little bit too much, so on with the
story!

(5) This was meant to be
pretty ironic because it shows, a little bit, of what made Duo into the evil
spirit. I had hoped that many people would get that instinctually, but I
realize now that some would have to read the entire fic
twice to get it. Hint: there are in fact many, many ironic things like this in
the fic that you might not pick up on unless you know
exactly what Duo�s past is. Yeah, I know it�s annoying, but I love seeing it in
horror.

��

��

��
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Beyond the Looking Glass