Disclaimer: You certainly know the score.

Notes: I will be honest with you. In the original version of this fanfiction, it was awful. I'm not saying that this version is perfect, I'm still only running about two chapters ahead but the other version was so horribly clichéd. I'd like to think six years apart from this fanfic has helped me to mature. I know the feeling of things that I write about here, how it feels to experience loss. I hope I am doing justice to those feelings and conveying them here. Thank you for helping me with your considerate reviews.

Song: Janelle Monáe – Cold War

Extra Note: Funnily enough, I associate this song quite strongly with Wufei and Duo. It seems to cover their ideas about their reasons for fighting.


::Bring wings to the weak and bring grace to the strong::

::May all evil stumble as it flies in the world::

::All the tribes comes and the mighty will crumble::

::We must brave this night and have faith in love::

::I'm trying to find my peace::

::I was made to believe there's something wrong with me::

Fade to Black

By Doctor Megalomania

Chapter 8: The Mighty Will Crumble

::And it hurts my heart::

::Lord have mercy, ain't it plain to see? ::


"What happened?"

Heero stared at his plate, pushing the last of his food around under the pretence of gathering sauce. It was difficult to answer the question and it was difficult to speak to the others. He hadn't told anyone about the whisper Duo had given. He looked up and met Quatre's concerned look. He opted for the truth, even though it was not a truth that Quatre wanted to hear. "I don't know. I spoke to him, and his eyes were opened when I looked up."

"But you must have said something! Something to inspire him!" Quatre enthused. He had been almost giddy, out of control when he'd recovered from the initial shock. He hadn't been able to explain the wave of pain, but once it had receded they had burst into Duo's room to find the comatose man's eyes open and Heero standing away from the bed as if he were expecting the other man to stand up. The doctors were shocked and specialists had arrived in the week since Duo's apparent refusal to die. The former Deathscythe Pilot remained comatose, but his eyes were open and he was surviving off the life support. Somehow.

It was difficult for the doctors to explain, but Duo had somehow pulled himself out of the state where his body could not function by himself. Quatre tipped back the last of his drink and smiled broadly, "Whatever really happened, he might pull through! That's enough hope for me." He reached out for the bottle of wine, and Trowa deftly pulled it out of his way. He frowned at Trowa, who sighed tiredly.

"It's enough wine as well." Trowa shook his head and spoke quietly, "You've been drinking a lot."

A ripple of rage passed over Quatre's face which faded swiftly. He drew a breath, and swallowed. He nodded, "Yes. I think so too." An uneasy attempt of a smile appeared, "I suppose I'm just –"

"Reacting." Trowa nodded and returned his attention to the last of his own drink. "You don't need to explain."

Quatre licked nervous lips and shook his head. "I'm..." He swallowed and tried again, "I'm in therapy." He blinked suddenly, as if he wasn't expecting himself to say anything. He continued, babbling. "For the anger, I mean, I'm seeing someone about it and they said that strange reactions might be a part of the emotional upheaval of Duo's unexpected recovery. And, and um—"

"Quatre." Wufei reached out and touched the blonde man's arm. "It's good to hear that you are seeking help."

Quatre seemed unsteady but nodded. "I really—um, oh." He frowned, and admitted in a whisper, "I think I'm drunk. I wasn't supposed to tell you, I just wanted to get better for Nataku."

"Thank you." Wufei squeezed Quatre's arm, and smiled warmly. He daubed his napkin at his lips and signalled for the bill. "I think perhaps we should walk in the park, the cool air will freshen your mind."


"I just started getting angry." Quatre said unexpectedly. They had been walking through the park, each quiet in different ways. Quatre's hands were deep in his pockets, and he paused by a picnic table. The street light above gave it a mysterious look, a pool of light surrounded by darkness. He walked over to it, and sat down. Trowa sat facing him, Wufei beside him. Heero lingered for a moment on the path, and then sat beside Trowa. Quatre felt warm, and knew the alcohol had not yet left his body. He nodded, and continued. "I just kept getting angry over the littlest things, and I don't want to be angry around Nataku." He smiled weakly. "She um..." He paused, as if shy. His voice dropped to a whisper. "She was unexpected."

Wufei chuckled dryly, "You have no idea." He smiled even though his eyes grew sad. "I am glad that she knew her mother, that she remembers everything that Toshiriko taught her." He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen for a few moments, before holding it out to Quatre. "This was my second wife."

Quatre couldn't help the startled laugh as he stared at the odd picture. In it, a casually dressed Wufei tried to look so serious while a woman with bright orange hair stuck her tongue out as she took the photo. He held it out to Trowa whose lips lifted in a small smile, as he shared the image with Heero. Quatre looked at Wufei. "She was ... She looks so ..." He chuckled, "Orange hair?"

"Riko liked orange." Wufei took his phone from Heero, and stared at the image lovingly. "She thought it was bombastic. She was so different from everything and in the darkness; she was my flare of light." He flicked over another picture, and stared at it. "After the war, I thought that I was nothing more. I could do nothing more than just fight for peace and to keep that peace." He held out the phone. It was a picture of the small family. Toshiriko was clearly in a hospital gown. It was Wufei holding the camera this time, and Toshiriko's right arm was filled with tiny baby while her left middle finger with a brightly blue painted nail was extended, her face scrunched up into a rocker's sneer. Wufei was swooping over the baby's head, his mouth open as if he was going to eat it. The laughter was in both of their faces. Trowa laughed at that image, while Quatre clapped a hand over his mouth. Heero frowned and looked at Wufei.

Wufei caught the look and smiled fondly, "Riko didn't want the baby to have boring baby pictures. I insisted that we get proper ones done, but somehow all these awful jokes are the ones that I like best." He swallowed, pride and sorrow battling in his face. "I can hear her laughing when I look at these."

Heero's frown dissipated and he nodded. "You should show Duo these, he would like them." He tilted his head as if thinking, then asked, "Have you shown Duo your daughter?"

Wufei looked at him with surprise, and Heero's frown returned. He looked at each of the other pilots and found them to be looking at him with surprise as well. Heero pointed to the phone, "Duo's eyes are open." He said slowly, as if pointing out something obvious. "Duo's eyes are open. Isn't it reasonable to assume that he can see?"

"The doctors said he wasn't responding to light tests." Quatre shook his head, "They said that his reactions were normal but he's not tracing the lights with his eyes. It's likely he can't see."

"He can hear." Heero blurted and then looked down at the table intensely. He ground his teeth and closed his eyes. Minutes trickled by as he gathered his thoughts. When he opened his eyes again, the others were waiting patiently. Trowa held his hand over Quatre's outstretched arm as if he had stopped the blonde man from reaching over to touch Heero.

Wufei drew a breath and let it go slowly. "How do you know that?"

"I was saying goodbye." Heero replied evenly, his eyes strayed toward Quatre. "Then he opened his eyes." He met Wufei's eyes again, seriousness in his expression. "Your daughter said she would make us live. Maybe you should take her to see Duo."

Wufei's eyes flicked down to his phone, and he stared at the picture of his wife and baby.

"Riko would have gotten on so well with him." He whispered more to himself, he raise his eyes to meet Heero's. "Thank you."


When the door opened, Heero looked up from his book. He had been reading about the care of comatose patients. Wufei entered the room, speaking in low tones to his daughter. Wufei smiled at his daughter reassuringly and Heero noticed that she looked nervous. He looked over at Duo. Duo's eyes were open today. Some days, Heero had learnt that Duo's eyes were closed and that they opened at irregular intervals. One of the nurses had described it like Duo had been blinking in very slow motion. Heero had not yet witnessed a period of time when Duo's eyes had been closed. His visits to the hospital had been frequent, but short. Today had been the first day when Heero had decided to stay for the entire day's visiting hours. He had not been expecting Wufei.

Wufei set his daughter down and gave her a hug. He opened his eyes as Heero shifted in his seat. A surprised look passed over the Chinese man's face, before a welcoming smile appeared. "Heero." Wufei stood and placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders as she turned around to see who her father was speaking to. "We were not expecting you here as well."

Heero slipped his finger into his book and closed it. He glanced at Duo, and then looked at Nataku. "I am visiting. I could leave."

"No, it's quite fine." Wufei shook his head. Today his hair was loose, a sign that he was not intending to work today. He looked down at his daughter, who looked at Duo warily. "Nataku, this is Duo, my brother."

She leant back against her father's legs, her usual fearlessness leaving her. "He looks sick, is he dying?" Her voice was tiny, and she was uncomfortable. Heero tilted his head and put his book aside. He got up and then knelt in front of her.

"Duo is not dying." He explained clearly, "He is in between the First and Second level of the RLA scale of comas. This means that sometimes he has no response, or has extremely delayed responses to stimuli."

She blinked, looking at him in confusion. Heero frowned for a moment.

"He can hear us, but he cannot respond." He spoke slowly, gathering and simplifying his thoughts. "Sometimes it will take a long time for him to do something; he might not do anything at all." Heero tilted his head, "It is a bit like he is sleeping, but he is not asleep."

"Does he dream?" Nataku sat down at her father's feet, and looked up at Heero. The man mirrored her, and sat on the floor before her as well.

"I do not know, he has not been able to tell us if he dreams or not." Heero blinked for a long moment. "What made you ask that?"

"You said it was a bit like he was sleeping, but he isn't asleep. If he can't do anything, can't tell you anything, what happens when he gets bored? Does he dream?"

Heero looked up at Wufei who knelt down beside his daughter. "That is a good question." Wufei commented, and brushed his hand over his daughter's head. Perhaps we can try to find out today. He smiled softly. "Duo did not enjoy being bored and I doubt that he has changed. I thought that today we could keep him company. Are you still afraid?"

"No." Nataku was thoughtful, "But I didn't bring any toys with me. What if he wants to play?"

"Then we must use...?" Wufei trailed off expectantly.

"Our mind and our hands." Nataku nodded firmly. "Mummy said so." She got to her feet and turned toward Duo, squaring her shoulders bravely. "What does he like to play?"

Heero thought for a moment and was surprised when Wufei chuckled. The other man patted his daughter's shoulder and smiled warmly. "He likes to talk. He has not met you before, so you should introduce yourself and let him know who you are." He brushed a lock of her hair over her ear. "Be courageous, daughter, as he was during the war."

Nataku dipped an informal bow to her father and turned toward Duo's bed. She struggled to pull a chair over toward his bedside. Heero almost got up to help her, but was stopped by Wufei. "Let her do it herself, she knows to be careful. We discussed the tubes and the equipment before we arrived."

"She seems a little small to—"

"Heero, she must learn her own limitations and she must learn to overcome them." Wufei folded his legs underneath himself, and looked at the other man calmly. "This is my daughter; she must learn to be strong." He looked over at her, pride warmed his voice. "She is the first of the generation untouched by war, her generation must be strong."

"I did not realise that you were training her." Heero looked at her and then to Wufei. "What are you training her for?"

"She will be a person living in a time of peace, that peace must be protected by people who know what they can do and what they can do to overcome those limitations." Wufei said, watching his daughter. "Riko always said that Nataku must be the best of both of us."

They fell into a companionable silence for a while, both watching as Nataku carefully manipulated the chair into place, taking her time to understand which of the few tubes connected to which drip. She settled on the chair and stared thoughtfully at Duo. Heero was amazed by her, amazed that Wufei had been the father of something so wonderful. Heero could barely understand the life he was in now, let alone contemplate adding a new life to it. He looked at Wufei, and then finally down at the floor.

"Have you been researching Duo's condition?" Wufei asked quietly. "You seem to know more now."

"Yes, I want to have the particulars of his case. Many websites suggest that Duo can hear us, and will remember the interactions we have." Heero paused and then raised his head, "Since I have nothing else to do, I have decided that I will be responsible for ensuring that interactions around Duo are consistent and familiar."

"That sounds like a good plan." Wufei nodded slowly, "Thank you."

"I will co-ordinate with Quatre, Trowa and you. We need to ensure that Duo knows that he is not going to be alone during this period. He is between levels, and needs help to ensure that he begins to wake from his coma." Heero glanced over his shoulder at the book he had been reading. "It is imperative that we work together." He paused, and looked at Wufei. "You call Duo brother."

"As you are to me," Wufei answered easily. "In the last nine, ten years now, I came to realise that despite my anger, I should have stood by you. We may not have been born of the same parents, but we were born of the same fight. The name Gundam binds us together."

"Duo said the same. That he was Gundam, that we were the only ones who had the right to chose his fate." Heero frowned and looked down, "I don't think I understand." He paused, struggling to put words to his ideas. "He does not seem to want to die."

"Duo?" Wufei nodded and reached out to grasp Heero's hand. "I can understand that, he fought in the same war. We fought to survive."

"But he was always prepared to die. He told me in his tape that if this was his time, that he was ready to die."

"There is a difference between being ready to die, and wanting to die." Wufei said slowly, meeting Heero's eyes when he looked up. "Perhaps, as he realised we were saying good bye, he found the strength to carry on."

Heero looked at Wufei, confusion in his eyes. "What could be so important?"

Wufei was going to answer, when his daughter came up to him and started patting through his bag. "What is it, Nataku?"

"I need a tissue." She said absently, "He's crying."

It took a long moment for Wufei to realise what she was saying, and Heero stood. Nataku gave a small cry of triumph as she found a tissue and returned to her position beside Duo's bed. She clambered up the chair and leant carefully over the bed. Heero and Wufei watched as she dabbed gently at Duo's open, blank eyes. Tears welled up and ran down his face. Heero turned his head when Wufei made a small noise. Wufei's jaw was tight, and his eyes were wet as he stared with shock. Heero watched him as the Chinese man stepped forward to join his daughter. He looked over her shoulder and stared into Duo's blank eyes. His daughter looked up, "Do you think he is sad? I was telling him about you and mummy."

Wufei struggled visibly for a long moment to answer. Finally, he sat carefully on Duo's bed, mindful of the other former pilot's hand and reached out to touch his daughter's crown. He sat there for a while, his throat working and his eyes emotional. Heero was confused by the sight and moved to sit in the chair opposite. Wufei's daughter looked at him, still in her contemplation. She looked from Duo to her father and frowned. "Are you sad now?"

Wufei couldn't answer, but shook his head sharply. "No," he finally managed, "Not at all. I am happy." He looked down at Duo. "I think perhaps he is happy as well."

Nataku looked between them again. "Is he happy because of us?"

Nodding, Wufei answer; "Yes, daughter. He is pleased to meet you."

"How do you know?" He didn't say anything, she challenged, frowning doubtfully. Wufei smiled helplessly, reached out to take her hand and raised her hand to rest it lightly on Duo's heart.

"Because he is my brother, daughter, he is your uncle. We know these things."

She looked at Heero for a long moment, tilting her head in her thought. Heero looked back at her, meeting her challenging dark eyes calmly. "Do you think so?" She asked finally, and Heero surprised himself by nodding once firmly. She looked down into the blank eyes of Duo. She raised the tissue again and dabbed gently at his eyes again. Heero looked at Duo and then at the little girl. "I think perhaps that he is also a little sad."

She looked up at Heero, puzzled. "Why?"

"Because he cannot say hello to you." Heero answered, "He is very vocal. More so than myself and your father. He spoke a lot during the war. I imagine that it is sad that he cannot say hello to you."

She looked down at Duo and put on a brave smile. "I think so too." She nodded firmly, "I know that you would say hello to me as well, so we should talk more about my mummy. You won't get to meet her but papa has lots of photos on his phone." She held out a hand behind herself blindly, and Wufei gave over his phone. His daughter seemed so comfortable with using the piece of technology that Heero was surprised.

Wufei leant closer to watch over her shoulder. "You should show him my wedding photo."

Heero sat back and watched them as the pair began going through the photos on Wufei's phone. He was amazed to watch how Wufei was so proud of his daughter and so keen to show Duo what a life he had built. Nataku was a perceptive young girl, and she would show Heero the photos as well before moving on to the next one. Like the night in the park, Heero had some difficulty connecting this image of Wufei with the quiet, furious young Shenlong pilot. Wufei laughed freely as his daughter began to recount her mother's teachings on how to make Wufei laugh. Heero felt strange, he felt warmth and gratitude toward the girl and her dead mother. He felt honoured to see this part of Wufei's life, and felt the protective nature that made him want to make sure that Wufei stay this way with his little girl.

Heero thought about what he was feeling, and analysed it carefully. It was a feeling of brotherhood he concluded. He enjoyed the feeling. He even felt himself smiling once or twice when the girl called him Uncle as well.

Soon, the afternoon wore on and the girl began to tire. Wufei gathered his sleepy daughter into his arms and cradled her. She was beginning to get too big for him to carry easily. Heero tilted his head. "You have been on L2 for a long time; it should be time for her to begin schooling."

Wufei nodded, his voice was low, "I have started to look into her schooling." He glanced at Heero, "I've managed to secure an apartment, but I had not thought to enquire about you. Where are you living now?"

"I am currently living in the same hotel as Quatre. He offered to pay for a room."

"That's okay." Wufei smiled lightly, "If you are going to spend more time around Duo, you may want to think about a closer place. There is a few spare apartments in the block I am living in, and it is not far from here. Should I enquire about them?"

Heero tilted his head, "I do not currently have a stable job. I would not be able—"

"Brother. Quatre is not the only one with money." Wufei raised an eyebrow. "If you are going to sacrifice a stable job for the honour of taking care of our brother, then let me get you a place to live and have the honour of helping you to care for him."

Heero blinked, surprised and then nodded. "That is acceptable." He paused, and then said, "Thank you." He looked at Wufei's daughter. "She has good eyes. I would like to help to take care of her."

Wufei's smile was brilliant, "Thank you. I would be honoured." He turned and walked over toward Duo. Leaning over, Wufei looked down and stared into Duo's blank eyes. "This is the end of my visit today, Duo. Nataku is sleepy, and I must get her to bed. We will come to visit in a few days' time. Thank you for letting us visit with you."


"He's gone now." Heero said after a few moments, he looked down at Duo's expressionless face. "Did you enjoy this?" Heero watched the face, looking for any of the signs that Duo was attempting to respond. He glanced up at the monitors that surrounded Duo. After a long moment, Heero sighed and went to retrieve his book and pulled the chair close to sit down next to Duo's bed. He glanced over Duo again, and then resumed reading.

He read for a few moments before realising how quiet the room was. He blinked and glanced at Duo again. "I'm sorry. I suppose that I do not make as much conversation as Wufei and his daughter did." He carefully folded a bookmark into the pages and closed the book. He sat for a moment, looking at the cover. "My book recommends that we should converse with you and give you stimulation as much as possible. I would like to move you from Level 1 into Level 2. You have demonstrated that you have the capability to respond somewhat. We need to discover how to open Level 2 Coma status to you." Heero tilted his head and stared at Duo's blank expression. "I suppose you mean to make this my new mission." Heero looked away and settled back into his chair. "Very well." He looked up and looked out the window. "The colony sun is setting, it is becoming night. I have approximately 4 hours left with you before I will be asked to leave."

Heero sighed.

"Wufei considers you a brother. He explained his feelings to me as a sense that we were one family, that we are all brothers. The name Gundam binds us and I can feel that. Certainly about Wufei and the others." Heero nodded to himself. "I have observed family connections with others, and I agree that I feel as if you are all my brothers. From my research, I have found that we have acted like family even over the last ten years. It is not unusual to have conflict that drives family apart. Nor is it unusual for conflict to bring the family back and to become closer."

He rose from his seat and began packing his things into his back pack. His fingers brushed over his gun and he looked at Duo. "I have thought carefully about my feelings. I have struggled with this conflict and I believe that my struggle is based in my feelings of loss. During the war, it was easy to set such feelings aside because it was expected in a war time situation. I did not expect to feel loss during peace time. It was difficult to understand that loss could happen in a time when we were supposed to be happy."

He walked back toward Duo and looked down. Duo's vacant eyes stared beyond him. Heero shook his head tiredly. "I don't expect that you want to listen to my reports." He frowned and sat down again. He reached out to touch Duo's hand. "I want to understand, Duo."


Trowa was staring absently into space; hands cupped around a cup of tea. He'd finished work for the day, and was now thinking about how much money he had to live on and what he could afford to save. He had a few communications from L3, some messages from Catherine, some from his previous jobs. The most troubling one was from a minister in the governing body of L3. It spoke of his 'duty' as a Gundam Pilot to the people of L3. Even after ten years, no-one could forget his contribution to the wars and L3 were still looking to capitalise his sudden fame from the so-called Gundam Reunion.

He sighed and took a long sip from his cup. It was not easy to push away the returning thoughts of helplessness. He was so used to being in simple exchanges – labour for food. Being this Gundam Pilot poster boy was difficult because there were so many demands, so many expectations. He just wanted a quiet life and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep what quiet he had obtained for himself. Trowa could see clearly what he wanted, and Duo's request had changed the balance of things. It was difficult to hide when so many people were reminded of what he was again.

A knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts and he looked over toward the door. His apartment had been picked, not only for its cheap rent, but also because it was fairly hidden away. He raised an eyebrow as the knock came again. Trowa sighed and rose slowly. He opened the door and was surprised to find Quatre standing there.

Quatre stood and stared at him for a long moment, before breaking the look. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and he looked uncertain. Trowa tilted his head as he looked at Quatre. "Hi." Trowa said finally, "I wasn't expecting company."

Quatre nodded and then raised a hand to pinch his nose as if realising something. "I'm sorry; you must have just finished work. Sorry."

"I wasn't expecting company." Trowa repeated himself, "But you're welcome to come in." He stepped aside carefully, as if surprised by his own words. Quatre looked at him, nervousness in his features, before pacing into the apartment. He looked around quickly, and spotted the cooling tea on the table. Quatre sat at the table.

"Did you want to sit on the couch?" Trowa asked, quietly.

"No, you were sitting here." Quatre answered. He bit a lip for a moment, and clenched his fists on the table. He seemed to come to a conclusion. "I wanted to apologise to you."

Trowa stared at him thoughtfully for a long moment. "Would you like tea?"

"Tea?" Quatre blinked as if startled, and then nodded after a thought. "Yes, I think tea would be nice."

"Did you come here after seeing your therapist?" Trowa asked as he moved around the kitchenette, folding his arms as he waited for the kettle to boil. He lent against the counter and observed Quatre. The blonde man's fist clenched tighter.

"No." Quatre seemed to catch himself and stared hard at his clenched fists. He slowly released them and tapped his thumb against one of his nails. He drew a breath, and slowly looked up. "Yes. How do you know?"

Trowa met his eyes calmly. "You act swiftly when you realise something. You think it through but when that decision has been made, you have always acted on it immediately."

"I think I would be saving a fortune if I paid you instead of my therapist." Quatre's tone was cool, "You seem to cut straight through, when it's taken many sessions for me to hear her say that."

"We act like we're still driving Gundams." Trowa's smile was brittle, "Only Wufei and Duo seem to have gotten out of their machines."

Quatre let a deep breath out. "Yes. It does, doesn't it?" He raised a hand to scratch his head for a moment. "It's difficult to get out."

The kettle boiled, and Trowa made tea. He came to sit at the table, and placed Quatre's cup on the table. He gave it a little push toward the blonde, and picked up his own to sip. They drank in silence for a long moment, Trowa trying not to react to the nervous glances Quatre was giving him. It took a while for Quatre to relax, but eventually he did. It was only then that Trowa decided to speak.

"So what happened during today's session to set your mind?"

"I suppose it was the realisation that I am still feeling guilty that did it." Quatre answered, staring into his tea. "One of my triggers for my anger is my guilt, my self-knowledge that I am wrong but I haven't atoned for that wrong yet."

"You apologised."

"To everyone, to what we perceive to be Gundam. I apologised to our little family, but I didn't apologise to you." Quatre lifted his eyes briefly to meet Trowa's and then looked down again. He swirled his tea in the mug. "I didn't apologise to what I did to you, for what I said."

"Water under the bridge." Trowa said.

"You haven't forgiven me." Quatre's voice was accusing, a flare of anger in his face. Trowa raised a hand.

"It is something that has happened a long time ago. No, I haven't forgiven your words but it's hard to get angry about it anymore." Trowa cupped his hand around his tea. "I'm tired of it."

"Ah." Quatre dipped his head, "That must be what she means."

"Hmm?"

Quatre licked his lips and cleared his throat. "I'm quick to interrupt, and I don't listen anymore." He sipped his tea and shook his head. "This was maybe a mistake."

"Look." Trowa frowned slightly, "It isn't easy." He fell silent for a long moment, and shook his head. "I can't see the boy I loved, and I hate the man I've heard of. You are trying so hard, but you have to realise that time has moved us both."

"I do." Quatre replied, his voice quiet. Trowa watched as a range of emotion played over the other man's face. Eventually, Quatre looked away. "It's so hard. Trowa, I... I am sorry, I hurt you and I'm sorry." His voice became faint as his eyes welled with tears. Quatre turned his head in a futile attempt to hide his tears. "I... I-I um, I ..." He swallowed hard and closed his eyes; his voice was almost a whisper. "I love you."

Trowa looked at him, and then looked down at the man's pale hands. He looked at his tea for a long moment, and tried to find enough anger and hate in his heart to immune him against the soft sobs. He sighed and reached out with a hand to lay it over Quatre's smaller hand. Quatre gave a quiet gasp, and Trowa found the strength to look up. Quatre was tearful, but tried to meet his eyes steadily. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Trowa sighed deeply and looked away. "This won't work again."

He looked back and was surprised by the brittle sad smile on Quatre's face. The man's blue eyes were sad but filled with acceptance. "Then we can at least say: we tried to brave the night."


"What did you fight for?"

Wufei blinked and looked down at his daughter. She was lying on her back, fingers laced together over her stomach. He shifted in his chair and closed the book. She blinked and looked over at him. He nodded thoughtfully. "I fought for justice."

"Do you still fight for justice?"

"Yes." Wufei moved to kneel by her bedside and leant over the covers to meet her eyes. "Justice is the peace that I hold dear. That all wrong actions are held accountable. That everyone takes their responsibility for what they do in life."

"Uncle Heero takes a lot of responsibility." She said, her thoughtful eyes returning to stare at the ceiling. A dark thought passed over her expression. Wufei lifted his hand to brush her forehead, and she looked at him for the unusually gentle gesture.

"I am pleased that you name him Uncle." He smiled gently. "I am glad that I have had the chance to share you with my brothers, and that I have the honour of naming you my daughter." He glanced at his watch and then his expression turned fondly stern. "Now, it is late. You must sleep."

She closed her eyes and smiled warmly. Wufei got up and switched off all the lights but for her night light. He was just leaving the room, when he heard her speak again.

"Does Uncle Duo know what he is fighting for?"


"Excuse me, Mr Yuy."

Heero looked up at the quiet voice. The nurse stood at the doorway, her smile politely warm. "It's past visiting hours sir, I must insist you leave for this evening."

Heero nodded, and rose from his seat. He folded his book mark into his book and walked over to stand by Duo. He looked down into Duo's blank eyes, and nodded firmly. "It is time for me to leave. I will return in the morning. I have read that coma patients respond to some forms of music and will return with samples of different music. If you can respond, I will select other samples of music from a similar vein." He paused for a moment, thinking. "You should aim to think about a specific response. Something that will definitively show us that you are aware." He paused for a long moment and leant in closer. He looked over the face and finally stared directly into Duo's eyes.

"You should sleep now Duo, it is late. I will see you tomorrow."

He straightened and went to pick up his bag. He returned to Duo's bedside to pick up a final book that had been left there. He looked down at Duo's blank eyes and frowned. Heero tilted his head. "Duo, you should sleep now. You should close your eyes."

Duo's right eyelid flickered.

Heero reached out to hover his hand over Duo's, his fingers ghosting over the back of Duo's hand. "Close your eyes." He whispered, and in the same breath, sighed, "I will come back tomorrow. I promise."

Duo's right eyelid flickered again.

Heero stared at him for a long moment, before slowly pulling back his hand. Without another look, he turned and walked out of the room. He passed the nurse as she walked towards Duo's room. She entered to check on her patient and note his current vitals. She made a small notation on his chart and turned to leave the room. She paused and turned back to check his face, and smiled softly.

"You have a kind friend, Mr Basilica." She murmured, straightening the blanket. "I've served on this ward for six years. Not many coma patients have people who are brave enough to shut their eyes for them at the end of a long day of staring."

She turned away, switching off the lights as she left.


::So you think I'm alone? ::

::But being alone's the only way to be::

::When you step outside::

::You spend life fighting for your sanity::

::This is a cold war::

::You better know what you're fighting for! ::

::This is a cold war::

::Do you know what you're fighting for? ::


A/N: Again, I thank you in advance for your kind words. Your reviews are an inspiration. I am overwhelmed by the favourites, story alerts and most of all, the kind, kind reviews. Thank you.