Part 7... *falls over*  I didn't really expect this to be finished
tonight.  I need sleep now.  And I think Duo's mad at me 'cuz I offed
his parents again.  Sowwy! 

Title: Afterimage 7/?
Author: Caroline (chibirei @ hotmail.com)
Rating: this part - PG-13, NC-17 overall (Big surprise)
Pairing: eventual 1x2
Warnings: AU, OOC, murder, angst, bastardization of some characters,
death of some characters (but not Heero or Duo :), maybe
rape/torture... don't know how squicky I can get til I write it...
Spoilers: none
Comments: please
Archive: email please.
Disclaimers: don't own 'em.  never will.  'nuff said.


-+Seven+-

Duo sipped his club soda, his mind racing a mile a minute. He
couldn't believe his luck. The gorgeous detective sitting beside him,
the one that made his heart flutter like a giddy schoolgirl, had just
admitted he liked guys as well.

'Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I can't believe this is happening. He's so
cute and I think he likes me and I *know* I like him. This can't be
happening. I must be dreaming…'

"Earth to Duo." Heero's voice broke through his rambling train of
thought. Duo blushed prettily.

"Sorry. So… this is a pretty neat place."

Heero shrugged. "I suppose. It's more Trowa's kind of place than
mine. Still, the atmosphere isn't too oppressive and the food is
pretty good. You hungry?"

"Starving," Duo replied, though he wasn't entirely sure if he meant
for food. "What would you, um, recommend?"

"Just about anything." Heero gestured for a waitress. A tall redhead
sauntered over and took their order, Duo deciding on the chicken
fingers. Heero placed his order and told the woman they'd be at one
of the nearby tables rather than at the bar. The waitress left, and
Heero stood up.

"Let's move to a table, shall we?"

"All right."

Heero led them to a small round table in a darkened corner. He pulled
out one of the chairs and gestured for Duo to sit.

"Thank you," the braided teen said, smiling shyly. He waited for
Heero to sit before continuing. "And thank you for asking me out - I
mean, here, tonight. It's a really nice place. But I realize that you
didn't ask me here for, ah, personal reasons. What did you want to
talk about?"

"I wanted to ask you about your visions."

Duo squirmed in his seat. "I… I've never been… comfortable
talking
about them."

"I understand." Heero reached across the table and took a hold of one
of Duo's hands. "We have a murderer running free on the streets. So
far, you're the only one to have seen anything at all, even if it was
only in your mind. The others think I'm crazy for believing you, but
I do. After all, you *did* find Relena's body. Perhaps there's
something else you saw in your visions that can help us catch this
guy."

Duo swallowed hard as he stared at their joined hands, barely hearing
what Heero was saying. "Uh, well, I don't know if I can help," he
said, looking up to make eye contact with the detective, "but I'll
try."

"That's all I can ask," Heero replied, withdrawing his hand. Duo
sighed with the loss. "How do they work, your visions? Is it like
watching a movie in your mind?"

"No, not quite. I'm not sure if I can explain it. It's not like
watching a movie, it's more like - afterimages in my mind. Disjointed
pictures. Sometimes there's sound, sometimes a smell, sometimes just
a feeling. It's never really been strong and usually I don't even
know I'm having them. People ask me afterwards how I knew something
and I usually just give them a blank look. I can't really explain how
I know these things… I just do."

Their food arrived before Heero could reply. Duo sniffed
appreciatively and took a bite. Heero had been right - the food here
was excellent.

"How long have you had these visions?" Heero asked between bites.

Duo took a long sip of his freshly refilled club soda before
answering. "All my life, or nearly so. I was five when I had my first
one. Or at least, the first one I was aware of having."

"What happened?"

Duo put his fork down and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I was
at my babysitter's," he began hesitantly, not quite believing that he
was actually going to tell Heero *this* story. "My parents had gone
out to a party or to dinner. I don't remember exactly what. It was
getting late. I was tired, but I wanted to stay up and wait for them
to pick me up. The babysitter had taught me a new joke and I wanted
to tell it to Daddy." He looked down, his plate blurring as his eyes
grew misty.

"What happened?" Heero asked again gently.

"I had fallen asleep on the couch. Th…there was a knock at the
door.
I awoke instantly, and in that moment, before the babysitter opened
the door, I knew. I knew my parents were dead. They'd been hit by a
drunk driver on their way to pick me up. I knew all that before she
opened the door to let the police officers and my hysterical aunt
inside."

"I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't kill them. It wasn't your fault that they died. It
wasn't your fault that my aunt decided she didn't want to keep me and
sent me to an orphanage to live. It wasn't your fault that I'd spend
the rest of my life wondering if I had just managed to stay awake,
maybe I'd have had the vision sooner and could've had the babysitter
call the restaurant and tell them not to leave. It wasn't your fault,
so don't feel sorry for me." He wiped the moisture from his eyes
forcefully. He looked up to see Heero staring at him with a concerned
look on his face. "I apologize. It's just… I've never told that
story
to anyone, not even Quatre."

"Then I feel honored that you would trust me with it," the dark-
haired detective said.

Duo gave him a small half-smile. "I don't know why, but I feel that I
*can* trust you, Heero." He sniffed, then shrugged his shoulders and
looked away. "Anyway, that was the first one I remember having. It
was also the strongest one I'd ever had… until the other day."

Heero speared a French fry with his fork and nibbled on it. "Do you
have any idea why you had such a strong vision about Rel - Miss
Peacecraft?"

Duo shook his head. "No. Not at all. I wish I did. Then maybe I could
help you more."

"Well, what sets your visions off? Do you have to touch something?"
Heero asked. "If it's touch, we have some of Relena's effects…"

"No," Duo interrupted. "I doubt that would work. It seems to be
completely random. Sometimes I'll touch something, sometimes it's a
word or phrase, sometimes it's a smell… and I can't control it
either. I've tried to induce the visions before, but I've never been
able to. Sorry."

Duo could tell Heero was becoming frustrated. The man desperately
wanted to catch this killer, and Duo desperately wanted to help him.
He just wished he knew how to do that.

"Do you think you could tell me *exactly* what you saw when you had
your vision about Relena?"

Duo frowned. "That's the second time you've called that girl by her
first name. Did you know her?"

This time it was Heero's turn to look away.

"I didn't know her very well, but yes, I knew her. I met her at one
of those police charity functions. Her grandfather always made a
large contribution, so she would come with him. For some strange,
inexplicable reason, she took a liking to me. Even after I told her
that I wasn't interested in her, or any woman for that matter, she
persisted. I think she thought if she pursued me long enough, I'd
give in and turn straight. When she disappeared, I thought someone
new had captured her attention and she'd run off with him. She'd done
that before - disappear for days on end with men she'd met. And quite
frankly, I was glad she was gone. Her infatuation with me was
becoming annoying." He swirled the straw around in his drink,
watching the ice clink together. "But I never wished her dead."

"And now you're feeling guilty about it," Duo replied, feeling a
sudden kinship with the cobalt-eyed man sitting across from
him. "You're asking yourself if there's anything you could have done
differently, if you hadn't been so annoyed with her - maybe you could
have found her and she'd still be alive."

Haunted eyes looked up at him. "We each carry a burden of guilt, you
and I. You with your parents, me with Relena. And you can understand
why I want to help catch this guy… why I've asked you here
tonight."

Duo nodded. "And I want to help. Just tell me what you want me to do
and I'll do it."

"Thank you, Duo," Heero replied sincerely. He pushed his now empty
plate away and leaned back in his chair. "What I'd like for you to do
is try and tell me exactly what you saw in your vision. Don't leave
anything out. The smallest detail may be important."

"I…I'll try," Duo said, closing his eyes. He tried to block out
the
cacophony of sounds around him, concentrating on Relena's face and
his desire to help Heero. He took three deep, cleansing breaths…
and
opened his mind.



<< FLASH >>



fear…



<< FLASH >>



His forehead creased as he attempted to latch on to the memory of the
vision.



<< FLASH >>



struggle…



knife…



<< FLASH >>



A loud burst of laughter from the other side of the room broke his
concentration. He opened his eyes and looked apologetically at Heero.

"I'm sorry. I can't concentrate here. I need some place quieter."

"Some place quieter, hm?" The detective stared at him for a moment
before pushing back his chair and standing up. "Let's go."

Duo scrambled up as well. "Go? Go where?"

"You said you needed some place quieter," he answered, pulling some
money out of his pocket and throwing it down on the table. "My place
is around the corner. It should be quiet enough for you there."

Duo's eyes opened wide, but he followed Heero out of the bar without
a word. He felt giddy, like a thousand butterflies were fluttering
around in his stomach. He couldn't believe Heero had just asked him
to his place. Granted, it was so Duo could have some peace and quiet
to remember his visions, but still… he'd get to see where Heero
lived. And that thought made him warm all over.





The autumn night was cooler than usual. Duo wrapped his arms around
his body for warmth, wishing he'd thought to bring a jacket with him.
It wasn't the temperature that was biting, it was the wind. The
chilly breeze whipped down the street, playing with Duo's hair and
causing the young man to shiver.

"Cold?" the man beside him asked.

Duo shrugged. "A little. I'll be all right."

Heero looked at him for a moment before shrugging out of his jacket.
He wrapped the coat around Duo's shoulders, pulling it snug.

"Heero, you don't have to…"

"Don't worry about it. You're shivering. I don't really feel the
cold. Besides, my place is just down the street."

"Well, if you're sure," Duo murmured, snuggling back into Heero's
jacket. The garment smelled like the dark-haired detective. Duo
smiled softly to himself, rubbing his cheek along the material.

True to his word, Heero's building wasn't very far away. The
detective held the door for him, then ushered him into the lift. He
reached up to pull the door down, locking it into place, then pushed
the number for the top floor.

The two stood in silence as they went up. Duo watched Heero out of
the corner of his eye and blushed. He shifted restlessly on his feet,
suddenly feeling very self-conscious and nervous. He had no idea what
to say.

The lift came to a halt with a sudden jolt. Duo reached out and
grabbed Heero's arm reflexively in order to steady himself. He raised
his head to see Heero looking down at him with mirth in his cobalt
blue eyes. Duo snatched his hand away.

"S…sorry," he mumbled, face burning.

"It's okay. I should have warned you. This lift can take some getting
used to."

Heero slid the door to the lift upwards and motioned for Duo to step
out into a little vestibule-type area. There was only one door
opposite the lift. Duo turned to Heero, one eyebrow raised.

"Are you the only one on the top floor?" he asked.

Heero nodded. "It's not as big as it might look from the outside.
It's a loft apartment. It's really just one big open space."

"Heh, sounds homey."

Heero unlocked his door and walked into his apartment. Duo followed,
shimmying out of Heero's jacket and handing it to the older man.
Heero was right, the room was very open. To his left was the kitchen.
Straight ahead was the living area. The apartment was sparsely
furnished, leaving plenty room to move around in. In the far-left
section was an area cornered off by Japanese screens. Presumably that
was the bedroom. Duo blushed again as his mind wondered what kind of
bed Heero had. Near the screens was a door that Duo assumed led to
the bathroom.

Heero walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. "Are you
thirsty?"

Duo bounced over to peer over the man's shoulder. "What have you
got?"

"Hm, water, grape soda…"

Duo snaked by him and grabbed a bottle of beer off the top shelf.
Before Heero could stop him, he twisted off the cap and took a long
swig.

Heero watched him for a moment with a disapproving glare before he
shrugged and grabbed one for himself.

Duo stared at him incredulously. "You're not going to give me a
lecture on under aged drinking?"

Heero shook his head and took a drink of his own. "I figure if you're
going to recall a murder, you may need one. Besides, I'll walk you
home later to make sure nothing happens."

Duo felt giddy. "I guess we should get started then. I just hope
there's something you can use to help you catch this 'Teardrop
Killer.'" He made a face. "What a lame name. Who came up with that
one?"

Heero shrugged. "The media, who else?"

Duo snorted. "Figures the press would come up with something that
stupid. So, uh, where do you want to do this?"

Heero gestured to his right. They moved to the living area where the
detective told Duo to make himself comfortable on the couch. Duo
plopped down, setting his beer on one of the end tables before
stretching out on the sofa.

"Okay Duo, tell me what you saw," Heero said from his position on the
other chair.

Duo closed his eyes and tried to call up the memory of his vision. He
blanked his mind and pictured Relena's face again. He allowed himself
to drift a moment before the first image came.



<< FLASH >>



fearpainknifescreamingbloodterrorhelp…



<< FLASH >>



Duo sat up, gasping. His body was trembling violently. He wasn't
aware of the tears streaming down his face until he tasted them on
his lips. The memory had been so intense he hadn't been prepared for
it. He rocked back and forth, trying to push it from his mind.

Heero had moved from the chair to sit next to him on the couch. He
gently pulled Duo into his arms and rubbed his back. Duo clutched at
Heero's shirt, sniffling.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the young man babbled, hiding his face from
Heero's. He hadn't expected to break down like this. He hadn't
expected the memories to be so vivid. He was ashamed and he was
getting Heero's shirt all gooey.

"It's okay, Duo. I'm here." He eased Duo back down onto the couch. He
tenderly brushed the boy's chestnut bangs out of his face. "Don't try
so hard. Take a deep breath. Clear your mind. Try to think of one
image at a time, but don't force it. And remember, you're safe here.
I won't let anything hurt you."

Duo looked up and felt his breath catch in his throat. Heero's face
was inches from his own. He could smell the sticky sweet scent of the
beer on Heero's breath. If he raised his head only a couple of
inches, their lips would touch. The violet-eyed boy suppressed a
groan and licked his lips nervously. He could see Heero's eyes widen
as he watched his tongue dart out to moisten his lips. Smirking a
little, Duo closed his eyes and let Heero's voice put him in an
almost trance-like state. He didn't want to relive Relena's murder,
but to help Heero catch a killer, he'd do it.