444 Fic
Unseen
By Misanagi
Rating: PG13
Pairing/Characters: Gen. Hints of 1x2. Quatre and Heero.
Warnings: AU. Fantasy. Angst
Summary: In a dark cell a strange boy brings hope to Heero's life.
Notes: Written for the sdqb 444, prompt 24: Monster
Thanks to Anne for the quick beta.
_______
"You are not a monster," said a voice from the corner of the cell. It was so dark that Heero could hardly see. The figure moved, and a boy, around his age, crawled out of the corner and approached him.
"The Seer disagrees." Heero sat against the cold brick wall and brought his knees to his chest.
"She doesn't see everything," the boy said. "She can be wrong."
Heero didn't dare to hope. Everyone knew the Seer was never wrong. "If you are here," Heero said, "then you are a monster too."
The boy was quiet for a moment. "She was right about me." His eyes, that had been hesitant a moment ago, bored into Heero with a certainty he didn't believe possible. "She isn't right about you."
"What's your name?" Heero wasn't sure why he asked that. He usually didn't bother with other people, but seeing as this boy was going to be his cellmate for many years to come, maybe it was important to know how to address him.
"Quatre, and yours?"
"Heero." He used his fingers to draw patterns on the dust of the dirty floor. "The Seer said I was going to be a killer. If I stay here, I won't hurt anyone, even if I am a monster."
Quatre moved closer, not close enough to touch Heero, but close enough to be impossible to ignore. "She said my sister was going to kill me, so they put her here. My family helped her escape, and she raised me. She died protecting me."
Heero stopped moving his finger. "That's not possible."
"But it is. Iria used her body to shield me from an arrow. She died instantly." Quatre sighed. "The Seer's guards went looking for us, for going against her wishes and rescuing my sister. They killed my father and my three sisters. I was the only survivor."
"How did you end up here?" There was a small spark of hope in Heero's heart, a small voice that told him that maybe Quatre was right, that maybe he wasn't a killer.
"I was arrested and brought before the Seer. She did a reading and…" He lowered his eyes. "And here I am."
Here.
Heero looked around the dark dungeon, seeing the price of peace. Before the Seer, crime and death assailed the land, making the citizens live in fear, but the Seer brought them a new way of life. By being able to see the monsters inside people, she could tell who would commit a crime, long before they would. She summoned people randomly for readings, and even though there was still some crime, the people felt better.
The monsters were locked away, and the world was calm.
Heero was willing to stay in the dungeon, to be locked away and forgotten, if it meant that he wouldn't hurt his friends, hurt Duo. More than the captivity, the thought of being away from Duo was what was killing him.
He wouldn't hurt Duo, he would stay here to protect him, but if Quatre was right, then maybe…
"Did the Seer say you were a monster?" Heero asked.
Quatre nodded.
Heero frowned. "You said you didn't believe her."
Quatre shook his head. "I said she could be wrong. She wasn't with me."
"How can you be so sure?" Heero asked. He hadn't believed it when the Seer said he was a monster. He was ready to accept it but it didn't mean that he was sure, himself, that he was capable of the things the Seer said he could be. How could Quatre be so certain? Quatre didn't even believe that the Seer was infallible.
"The same way I can be sure you are not." Quatre lowered his eyes. "I can feel people's souls, and yours is pure. You are not a monster."
"You are like the Seer?" Heero couldn't help the instinct to pull back, away from Quatre.
"No." Quatre replied. "The Seer has a sense of possible future paths but they don't always come true. I can't see the future. I feel the essence of people." He moved all the way back to the other wall. "I'm sorry. I'll stay away from you."
"No." Heero moved towards Quatre but didn't sit as close as they had been before. "I'm sorry I reacted that way."
Quatre shrugged. "I deserve it. I'm not normal. I would have left you alone but I wanted you to know that you are not a monster." There was a lot of sadness in Quatre's eyes.
"Why do you have so much faith in me but not in yourself?" Heero asked. He couldn't believe a boy who cared so much about a stranger could really be a monster.
"I knew the guards' souls were black, I felt them coming. I told my family and that's why they fought, and died. I killed them."
Heero took a good look of Quatre, noticing the clothes, the length of his hair and the dirt on his face. "How long have you been here?"
"Five years." Quatre paused. "If the guards told me the truth."
"You were just a child," Heero whispered. "What could you have done?"
He didn't reply.
"It's not your fault," Heero continued. "It can't be." He closed the distance between him and Quatre. "If I am to believe you, to believe that I'm not a monster, then I need to believe you aren't one either."
"Of course you're not, Heero. Now stop the yapping and let's get the hell out of here."
Heero turned to the door, surprised to find it open, and Duo standing on the threshold, grinning at him.
"How did…"
"We don't have time for this now. Trowa and Wufei are covering for us but we need to move, now!" Duo walked into the cell and grabbed Heero's hand. That was when he noticed Quatre. "You too. We need to go."
Heero stood up but didn't move to the door, his eyes on Quatre. "Well?"
"Come on!" Duo pulled Heero's hand again.
Heero, in turn, grabbed Quatre's wrist and followed Duo outside. He didn't know Quatre very well, but he did know the other boy didn't belong in that dungeon any more than he himself did. The rest, they would figure out on the way.
- The End -
By Misanagi
Rating: PG13
Pairing/Characters: Gen. Hints of 1x2. Quatre and Heero.
Warnings: AU. Fantasy. Angst
Summary: In a dark cell a strange boy brings hope to Heero's life.
Notes: Written for the sdqb 444, prompt 24: Monster
Thanks to Anne for the quick beta.
_______
"You are not a monster," said a voice from the corner of the cell. It was so dark that Heero could hardly see. The figure moved, and a boy, around his age, crawled out of the corner and approached him.
"The Seer disagrees." Heero sat against the cold brick wall and brought his knees to his chest.
"She doesn't see everything," the boy said. "She can be wrong."
Heero didn't dare to hope. Everyone knew the Seer was never wrong. "If you are here," Heero said, "then you are a monster too."
The boy was quiet for a moment. "She was right about me." His eyes, that had been hesitant a moment ago, bored into Heero with a certainty he didn't believe possible. "She isn't right about you."
"What's your name?" Heero wasn't sure why he asked that. He usually didn't bother with other people, but seeing as this boy was going to be his cellmate for many years to come, maybe it was important to know how to address him.
"Quatre, and yours?"
"Heero." He used his fingers to draw patterns on the dust of the dirty floor. "The Seer said I was going to be a killer. If I stay here, I won't hurt anyone, even if I am a monster."
Quatre moved closer, not close enough to touch Heero, but close enough to be impossible to ignore. "She said my sister was going to kill me, so they put her here. My family helped her escape, and she raised me. She died protecting me."
Heero stopped moving his finger. "That's not possible."
"But it is. Iria used her body to shield me from an arrow. She died instantly." Quatre sighed. "The Seer's guards went looking for us, for going against her wishes and rescuing my sister. They killed my father and my three sisters. I was the only survivor."
"How did you end up here?" There was a small spark of hope in Heero's heart, a small voice that told him that maybe Quatre was right, that maybe he wasn't a killer.
"I was arrested and brought before the Seer. She did a reading and…" He lowered his eyes. "And here I am."
Here.
Heero looked around the dark dungeon, seeing the price of peace. Before the Seer, crime and death assailed the land, making the citizens live in fear, but the Seer brought them a new way of life. By being able to see the monsters inside people, she could tell who would commit a crime, long before they would. She summoned people randomly for readings, and even though there was still some crime, the people felt better.
The monsters were locked away, and the world was calm.
Heero was willing to stay in the dungeon, to be locked away and forgotten, if it meant that he wouldn't hurt his friends, hurt Duo. More than the captivity, the thought of being away from Duo was what was killing him.
He wouldn't hurt Duo, he would stay here to protect him, but if Quatre was right, then maybe…
"Did the Seer say you were a monster?" Heero asked.
Quatre nodded.
Heero frowned. "You said you didn't believe her."
Quatre shook his head. "I said she could be wrong. She wasn't with me."
"How can you be so sure?" Heero asked. He hadn't believed it when the Seer said he was a monster. He was ready to accept it but it didn't mean that he was sure, himself, that he was capable of the things the Seer said he could be. How could Quatre be so certain? Quatre didn't even believe that the Seer was infallible.
"The same way I can be sure you are not." Quatre lowered his eyes. "I can feel people's souls, and yours is pure. You are not a monster."
"You are like the Seer?" Heero couldn't help the instinct to pull back, away from Quatre.
"No." Quatre replied. "The Seer has a sense of possible future paths but they don't always come true. I can't see the future. I feel the essence of people." He moved all the way back to the other wall. "I'm sorry. I'll stay away from you."
"No." Heero moved towards Quatre but didn't sit as close as they had been before. "I'm sorry I reacted that way."
Quatre shrugged. "I deserve it. I'm not normal. I would have left you alone but I wanted you to know that you are not a monster." There was a lot of sadness in Quatre's eyes.
"Why do you have so much faith in me but not in yourself?" Heero asked. He couldn't believe a boy who cared so much about a stranger could really be a monster.
"I knew the guards' souls were black, I felt them coming. I told my family and that's why they fought, and died. I killed them."
Heero took a good look of Quatre, noticing the clothes, the length of his hair and the dirt on his face. "How long have you been here?"
"Five years." Quatre paused. "If the guards told me the truth."
"You were just a child," Heero whispered. "What could you have done?"
He didn't reply.
"It's not your fault," Heero continued. "It can't be." He closed the distance between him and Quatre. "If I am to believe you, to believe that I'm not a monster, then I need to believe you aren't one either."
"Of course you're not, Heero. Now stop the yapping and let's get the hell out of here."
Heero turned to the door, surprised to find it open, and Duo standing on the threshold, grinning at him.
"How did…"
"We don't have time for this now. Trowa and Wufei are covering for us but we need to move, now!" Duo walked into the cell and grabbed Heero's hand. That was when he noticed Quatre. "You too. We need to go."
Heero stood up but didn't move to the door, his eyes on Quatre. "Well?"
"Come on!" Duo pulled Heero's hand again.
Heero, in turn, grabbed Quatre's wrist and followed Duo outside. He didn't know Quatre very well, but he did know the other boy didn't belong in that dungeon any more than he himself did. The rest, they would figure out on the way.
- The End -