Snow was falling all around me. My body felt heavy. I was falling like the snow. I could feel the wind on my skin as I fell backwards. I could see Heero on the roof, screaming and reaching out for me but I couldn't hear his voice. Wufei was there too. I was happy. I was finally free.
I woke with a start. I gasped in air and rubbed my eyes. That dream again. I'd been having that same dream for several days now. I calmed my racing heart and looked out the window. It was snowing today. Did that mean today I was going to die?
I went downstairs into the kitchen. The others were there. Wufei was reading a novel in Chinese. Heero was typing away on his laptop. Trowa was staring off into space and Quatre was talking about something. I wasn't really paying attention. That dream just kept replaying in my mind. The snow falling and my body falling. Wufei and Heero screaming at me from the roof top-
"Duo?" Quatre's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked over at him. "Duo, are you alright? You were just staring off into space."
"Yeah Quat, I'm good, just thinking." I didn't think telling them about my dream would be a very good thing. They would think I was a loony. When I was little I dreamed that a lot of people would get sick. And then the plague hit L2. I couldn't do anything to save them. Then I dreamed about the Maxwell Church and Father Maxwell and Sister Helen dying. But when I tried to save them, they died anyway. I saw Heero self destruct the night before he actually did and there hadn't been a damn thing I could do about it. So I stopped listening to them.
And now this, my own death. I would welcome it.
"Maxwell," Wufei greeted me, coming into the living room later that morning. "You seem…distracted." He finished, finding it hard to find the words.
"I'm fine, Wufei."
"If you need to talk-"he started and I could see his genuine concern. After being caught together in the Lunar base and fighting side by side a few times, Wufei and I were becoming good friends. He was like a brother to me and I hated seeing anything bad happen to him. He had witnessed his whole colony blow up and I didn't want him to hurt anymore than he had already been.
"I'll let you know," I finished for him. He nodded and gave me a sad smile then stood up to leave. "Wufei, what do you think about people who can see the future?" I blurted out before I could bite my tongue. I needed to find out if I could tell them.
Wufei turned and regarded me for a moment before speaking. He spoke softly. "On my colony, there was an old woman who claimed she could see the future. She saw my future as a baby and foretold that I would be the saviour of my clan. How can I be my clan's saviour when there is no clan left to save?"
There was sadness in his voice and I didn't want to press further. It hurt enough for him to remember the tragic events.
"My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny."(1)
He looked up at me surprised. I smiled for him. It was all I could do to help. I stood up and left the room, heading up stairs. I heard him call to me but I didn't look back. I would keep my dream to myself.
The dream came again. Only there was more this time.
The snow was falling all around me. Pain laced my body and I could feel the blood seeping through my shirt and into my jacket. My body felt heavy and then I was falling. I could feel the wind on my skin as I fell backwards. I could see Heero on the roof, screaming and reaching out for me but I couldn't hear his voice. Wufei was there too. I could see Heero's tears falling as he continued to scream and tried to jump after me. Wufei held him back, knowing that Heero would only die if he came after me. I felt tears of my own falling as I thought about leaving them behind.
And as I fell, images of my past came back to me; Solo, Sister Helen, Father Maxwell and a black figure. It grabbed me and I felt an instant chill through my body. I closed my eyes.
I opened them again and I was on the roof, watching Heero screaming for me and Wufei holding him back from jumping. I walked over to the edge, they hadn't noticed me and I doubted they would. I looked down to see my body broken on the snow. The snow was red with my blood and I saw Quatre and Trowa running towards my body.
A hand grabbed my neck and I gasped. I was turned around and looked death straight in the eyes. I tried to struggle but couldn't. I noticed another man lying dead on the roof. He was wearing an Oz uniform.
I snapped my eyes open and tried to control my breathing. I was on the couch in the living room, propped up against the arm rest. Wufei was reading in the sofa chair and Heero was typing away on his laptop next to me. Something didn't feel right. The house felt like it was closing in on me and I couldn't breathe. I got up and went into the kitchen, heading out into the back yard to get a breath of fresh cold air. The wind stung my face. It was snowing again and I looked up at the sky to watch them fall. I must have lost track of time somewhere. Because the next thing I knew the porch door slid open and a coat was placed on my shoulders. "You're going to catch a cold," Quatre lectured me. I snorted. A cold was the least of my problems. "Duo, why don't you take care of yourself?" Quatre asked, sighing.
I shrugged. I didn't feel like talking much.
"It's beautiful isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is."
We had a mission. Infiltrate an Oz base, steal some information and destroy it. Sounds simple; but it wasn't. They were waiting for us.
I ran down the corridor, alarms blaring and heart pounding. I had several soldiers on my trail and all my exits were blocked. The only way out was the roof. I turned and shot and took one man down. A bullet pierced my side as I turned the corner. I ignored the pain and kept my pace. I saw the door to the stairs that would lead me to freedom. I heard gun fire coming from behind but had no time to stop and think. I kept running. I took the stairs two at a time. There was still a soldier following me. I burst out onto the roof and closed the door, leaning against it and hoping I could hold it.
It was snowing. And the wind was bitter.
There was a bang against the door and I knew I couldn't hold it for long. Another bang pushed me forward and I scrambled to get up as the door opened. The Oz soldier stood there gun pointed at me. I backed up towards the edge. This was how I was going to die; shot down by some random Oz soldier.
I felt the lip of the building behind me and stopped. I saw the door bang open and Heero and Wufei run out. I heard the gun shot that took out the Oz soldier. I felt my body give out. Then I saw Heero screaming and running towards me as I felt myself falling backwards. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave them.
A hand grabbed my ankle and my body slammed against the building, jarring my wound. I screamed and opened my eyes, trying to find out what had happened. Was I dead? Had I hit the ground?
But I hadn't. I was hanging from the roof and Wufei had a hold of my leg. Heero was reaching down, yelling at me to grab his hand as Wufei struggled to keep a grip on me. I reached my hand out but couldn't touch his hand. I was dizzy and nauseous.
Heero abandoned the plan of grabbing my arm and grabbed my other leg instead and they awkwardly hauled me up. My body protested and pain shot through me as my wound was jarred. Then hands were on me ripping my jacket off to check for wounds. Hands pressed down, attempting to stop the bleeding, but I had already lost too much. Wufei was talking to me but I didn't hear him. My brain couldn't formulate the words to respond either.
I surrendered to the darkness.
"Don't leave us."
(1) Quote from Elaine Maxwell - My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. Yay, first chapter complete! Let me know what you think. Next chapter coming soon!