A/N- this is a sequel to my one shot song-fic... 'Weathered.' If you haven't read the story I suggest you don't read this one because some parts will seem strange... for those who decide to plunge onward, just so you know in the song fic Duo died... I know shoot me, this sequel is my apology- to myself and the rest of you. I'm not sure yet... since I am making this up as I go, like I do with most of my fics, whether or not the late Duo Maxwell will be revived, sorry... onwards to the story...

Disclaimer- Heartache belongs to Trick Pony and Gundam Wing belongs to someone else... enough info?

:song lyrics:

It's a Heartache

:It's a heartache:

Heero stood in his newly rented apartment, box in hand. He stared around at the emptiness, swallowing harshly. Dropping the box by a white wall, he stood back up. Turning back to the door he watched his friends and fellow ex-gundam pilots follow him in, each with their respective brown box. They lined them along the walls, in neat rows.

:Nothin' but a heartache:

He waved the three men off, watching them drive away before turning to walk back inside of the bare apartment. He walked past the stacked boxes, past the empty kitchen and turned into the bedroom. Glancing around at the newly delivered furniture he let himself sink down into the mattress of his bed. Breathing deeply he tried to regulate his breathing.

:Hits you when it's too late:

The war was finally over, the pilots had won. The other three were now living comfortably together on Earth, each holding high ranking Preventor positions. Heero, however, had refused the job offer and had instead moved himself to the only place in the galaxy he truly wanted to be. After four years of mourning the loss of his one and only love, he had finally made his way to the place that had been closest to Duo's heart, the L2 colony Duo had once called home. They had always spoken about settling down there, in a small cozy apartment, just the two of them. Heero blinked back the tears, a routine that he had grown accustomed to over the years. Wufei had finally stopped calling them weak after the first day, when he had broken down at the dinner table- unable to look away from the empty spot at the dinner table, unable to stop picturing the smiling face that was no longer there. Heero closed his eyes against the memories that fought to flood in as he remembered his braided lover, his only lover.

:Hits you when you're down.:

The ghosts of memories ran over him as he laid on his empty bed, he could almost feel Duo's silken touch as they made love. The look on his lover's face as he captured him, the way their glistening bodies touched as he moved. Watching his lover fixing his precious Gundam, towering high on the beast of machinery but grinning down at Heero. Duo grinning to cover the pain, laughing to hide the tears, and yet always there for them. He thought he would die when Duo took those last shuddery breathes laying before him, leaving him and nothing he could do to stop him. Reaching out to stroke his tender skin as the warmth faded, he could feel his heart being ripped inside of him. He dreamed of his lover every night, since the day they took his body away...

:It's a fool's game,

Nothin' but a fool's game:

He stood, shaking on his feet, and moved to the window. Looking out onto the street, feeling almost drowned in his memories, a few tears leaking past his reserve. Touching the window he moved to turn away, when a head began to walk past. A head that was all too familiar to him, braided past the thighs- a bit longer than his, and a heart shaped face. Heero was out the door in an instant, his head reprimanding his rash actions but his heart pushing him on. He found his feet hitting concrete and he took off in the direction the braid had disappeared. Rain began to fall down.

:Standing in the cold rain,

Feeling like a clown:

His object came into view and still he did not slow his pace, not until only a few feet separated them. He reached out to grab the slim shoulder, turning the person around and praying for the best. He was caught by wide surprised amethyst eyes staring out of an achingly familiar face. The boy who stood before him couldn't be... but he had to be...

:It's a heartache:

"What is your name?" his voice was strangled with emotions that he struggled to hold back.

"My name? My name is Duo," the shorter boy cocked his head slightly, and Heero let out a choked sob.

"Duo? Duo Maxwell?" Heero moved the words past his swollen throat, the boy nodded timidly.

:Nothin' but a heartache:

"Do you know who I am?" Heero managed to whisper, the boy stared at him long and hard for a moment.

"Should I?" his words brought another heart wrenching sob from the usually stoic boy, the rain continued to pour around them plastering their hair and clothes to their bodies.

"Someone who looked just like you was my aikouka, we were in a ren'aikankei, we made ren'ai, we were in aikou. Then I lost that person forever," he sobbed out the words, looking down at their shoes.

:Love him till your arms break:

The boy before stared at him with confusion in every feature, his eyes slightly glazed over. He looked at Heero, staring hard as he tried to remember. His face contorted for a moment in pain, a passing phase but Heero felt his hackles rise.

"You must understand, I died once... I died but I was brought back. I made it to heaven, but the man who met me at the door said it wasn't my time- there was someone down here who needed me. That there was someone who loved me more than life and that I was to return to him, I have wondered these roads and many others looking for that man," he paused to take a deep breath. "You must think I'm crazy, spouting off these things. But he said I was to search for a man named Heero, Heero Yuy. He said that the man had suffered enough without adding to his pain by taking his only link to the world, he told me to find my way home and I would find him. I found my way home, back to the place where my grave was erected. I read my name inscribed upon the tombstone, ran my fingers over the cool stone, I looked up my death certificate but it never existed- that kind man up there took care of that," Duo looked at Heero, Heero's heart healing a little.

"My name is..."

:Then he lets you down:

"of no importance," Heero spoke the words while his heart broke again, feeling the pain shoot through his whole body.

Heero turned to walk away, his feet dragging slightly in the puddles around him. He felt the tears flood in and he did nothing to stop them, letting them fall down his face to mix with the rain. His head drooped as he walked, heading in no general direction.

"No..." he stopped at the voice.

:It's a heartache:

"Your name is Heero, and it looks like I've finally found my way back," his arms were suddenly filled with a sobbing Duo, he slowly wrapped his arms around Duo and then began to truly cry looking up at the heavens as they poured down.

:Nothin' but a heartache:

"Yes, my love, I am Heero and you... you are my Duo," he spoke into the falling rain before him, hugging the one he'd thought he had lost closer to him.

A car pulled up beside of them, three people climbing out. Heero's back was to them, he slowly let the boy go, afraid he'd disappear. Turning he took in the faces of his friends, tears running down his face. Trowa stepped forward, concern in all their eyes.

"Duo..." Heero managed to ground out around his swollen throat, filled with emotions he could never display.

"Not again Heero, I thought we were past this, he's not coming back-" Quatre started, but choked on his words as Heero moved to the side to reveal the boy.

"Quatre!" the boy exclaimed moving forward and latching onto the blonde, the blonde could hardly stop the tears from falling down his angelic cheeks, turning quickly into sobs as he wrapped Duo in an embrace he'd waited four years to give his lost friend.

:Hits you when it's too late:

"How...? Oh gods... Duo, how..." Wufei whispered the words falling to his knees, and covering his tear streaked face with his hands.

Trowa just grinned, watching the episode unfold. Heero turned to look at him, and he just shrugged before turning to the suddenly unattached Duo. Duo looked up at him expectantly.

"I knew you'd be back, you would never smile when saying good-bye," Trowa grinned down at the boy, although several tears leaked out- showing that he had not been as self assured as he seemed.

"Trowa," Duo sighed, falling into his friend's arms. "I remember it all, I remember," he choked the words out, smiling as he moved back to kiss Heero tenderly on the lips.

"I thought I would never see you again, Koishii. I kept my promise to you, we even beat Oz..." he trailed off as Duo kissed him again, this time with a bit more urgency.

"I know, I was there. I didn't know you at the time, though," he confided quietly.

"You were that Gundam that dealt the killing blow," Trowa stared wide eyed at the smaller boy, the words more a statement than a question.

"I'm glad I got the final shot at the people who took my life, but I'm even more glad that I can finally remember why I wanted to live so badly and I have you all back. I thought that was the end, that I would never see your faces again. I'm just-" he couldn't express his feelings in words and they all understood.

They stood there for the better part of an hour, letting four years wash away from them with the rain- finally complete.

:Hits you when you're down:

A/N- I brought him back, yay me... I feel so much better... now Heero can live out those memories again... of course there will be another sequel to this... I just haven't made it yet but there will be one don't worry.

OWARI