Smoke, Fire, and Blood

by: Kayla Fox

The explosion was so sudden, it was just so unfair.

So much smoke, and fire, fire licking up at the ceiling and devouring everything it could. It blossomed on the sides in quick little blasts that grew from a small red to a large and menacing orange that seemed to cackle at him. The enormous blast had happened in the very center of the apartment floor, making the wood fall away, dragging nearby furniture with it. It had been a bomb. A small, but extremely powerful one, he judged. Wood splintered under the intense heat, feeding a temperature that would kill a normal man.

Heero Yuy was many things, but normal was not one of them.

Ramming his whole weight into the wardrobe to force it out of his way, he crouched down and focused his entire vision capabilities to search the debris for--

"Duo!" he shouted, nearly coughing on all the smoke that gathered in his lungs after saying it. The black and gray screen of smoke that practically blinded him gave no heed, billowing in a cycle that something unholy created.

"Please be out already, please be out already..."

This was too real a situation to stay in his shell of distance and non-emotion. The chance of death was too great to not give it his all. "Duo!!" he shouted louder, and this time he coughed, his lungs rejecting the polluted air. This was stupid, screaming and yelling wasn't going to find Duo. Perfect Soldier mode slipping into play once again, he strategically switched to plan B. Down on his hands and knees, where the air was better, he searched almost blindly for the Deathscythe pilot, keeping his emotions in check, because if he didn't, they would both be dead.

Someone coughed, then moaned. A brief movement through the thick smoke. Heero rushed forward, hand outstretched, and his palm landed in something warm and wet, flowing like a river from some unknown source. As if on cue, the familiar metallic smell of blood invaded his senses. He looked down at his palm, having to bring it up to his nose to be able to see it. Blood, warm and wet and hauntingly crimson, smeared completely over his dark hand. His hands were shaking, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. Summoning all the willpower he possessed, he reached forward again and he felt someone wrap their hand about his wrist and pull. Duo's face immerged out of the smoke, violet eyes dazed, but the fact was that in this smoke clogged mind he too was thinking about death as a real possibility.

"Not now, dammit, not now that everything is finally over..."

Heero was about to pull Duo along towards the window when he saw the prevention of Duo's escape. The entire wall had toppled onto the black-clad pilot, burying him in sheetrock and wood up to the small of his back. A trail of blood trickled down Duo's temple, accompanying the steady flow from under the debris. Heero didn't want to think about what injury had caused it.

His first instinct was to leave Duo for dead. Which was the easiest way out of this situation, seeing it would be much more difficult carrying an injured body. Then he remembered that the wars were over, and his Perfect Soldier persona slipped. This was Duo, it was pointless to die now. He was not leaving him here.

The flames were getting closer now, and the floor was ready to give way, taking them both down with it. The foundation creaked, then dropped a good foot. Duo's face was absolutely terrified, clutching to Heero's hand like a lifeline. That was exactly what it was. Even though they had evaded death so many times before. Even though he openly called himself that.

"H-Heero..." he stammered, and immediately regretted it. Evil, poisonous smoke invaded him, making him cough and gasp for air. His head hurt like hell, his vision was black around the edges, his left leg was numb, and he was scared shitless.

"Shut up for once, Duo." Heero commanded, crawling around past him. For a fleeting second, Duo thought that Heero was leaving him. Alone, to die all alone. That was the worst possible thing he could ever imagine. Then he heard the sheetrock atop him shift, the other boy's superhuman strength lifting the wall and frame. Heero's face contorted, struggling to breathe under the weight and smoke. Duo squirmed out from under it, dragging his leg, his vision swimming until all he saw was grey. Jesus, his head hurt so much, and he felt nausea creeping over him. His lungs were screaming, his blood dark, and he knew if they didn't get out of there soon they would die.

Something snapped overhead, and he flung his head up, praying to God Almighty that it wasn't a rafter.

It was.

Duo couldn’t scream, his traumatized brain cells to dazed. He couldn’t even believe what was happening as he watched the wooden beam descend upon him. His vision went black around the edges again, and he felt consciousness slipping. He only realized what had happened after the three seconds it occurred.

Heero, grabbing him around his waist.

The rafter crushing the flaming floorboards.

Blood, so very much blood...

Heero shouted his name as the world faded away.

"Not now, dammit, not now that everything is finally over..."

Heero's voice faded so fast, as did his face, streaked with his own horrid blood.