========================================
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
==========
Chapter Two
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Quatre quietly opened the door to the bedroom Heero and
Duo shared, taking in the still form of the Japanese pilot
lying stretched out on his bed. His arms were folded beneath
his head and his eyes were focussed on the ceiling, still
wide open despite the lateness of the hour.
"Heero? Daijobu desu ka?"
Heero flicked his eyes in the direction of the door and
regarded his fellow pilot silently for a moment, "Aa."
His gaze turned back to the ceiling.
Quatre watched, wondering what was going through Heero's
mind, wondering how much Duo had meant to him. All of the
pilots had been startled by the events that had led to Duo
falling off the cliff and by the act of falling itself. He'd
seen Trowa and Wufei jump towards the railings, just behind
Heero and he himself was there as well, yelling after the
falling pilot.
He let himself into the room and walked across to the
Japanese pilot, knowing he had to help if he could, but unsure
how to go about it.
If it had been daytime, all four of them would be out
looking, hoping that maybe Heero's indestructibility had rubbed
off onto Duo somehow. But it was dark and they could do nothing
but wait.
"Are you sure?"
Heero jerked upright and glared at Quatre, suddenly very
angry, "I'm fine!"
"Heero..." Quatre rocked backwards, startled.
The other boy continued to glare, then all the anger, the
fire drained out of him and he slumped back onto the bed, "I'm
fine, Quatre. I just... want to be alone." The last few words
came out almost too softly for Quatre to hear.
"O-okay. But, Heero? If you need anything, to talk..."
"Quatre."
The blonde sighed, "I know, you may not want to, but if
you _need_ to, we're here, okay? All of us, me, Trowa, Wufei.
We're here."
When no reply came, Quatre stood and made his way to the
door.
"Quatre?"
He paused and turned back to Heero.
"Thanks."
Quatre smiled gently, "Any time, Heero. I'll see you
later."
Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the
living room where Trowa and Wufei were sitting, half asleep.
He looked at them and smiled again, "I think we should all go
to bed, ne? We need some sleep."
Trowa looked at him, something soft in his visible eye
and Wufei yawned as he stood.
"Hai. Sleep," The Chinese pilot headed for his room,
pausing briefly at the door, "Is he... alright?"
Quatre nodded slowly, "I think he'll be okay for now."
"Good."
Trowa and Quatre watched, slightly surprised, as Wufei
left the room.
"Well..."
"Mmm."
Quatre smiled at his partner and shrugged, "He cares."
"Mmm."
Quatre laughed a little, "Shall we go to bed?"
Trowa stood and, motioning for the blonde to go first,
the two made their way to the room they shared.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Duo stared at the ceiling from where he lay on the couch.
He traced the borders of the panels that made it and counted each
tile. An estimated forty-two and a half in all, taking into
account the half-tiles at the edges.
Unfortunately there weren't enough to put him to sleep.
He'd counted them all a good ten times, row by row,
diagonally and in a spiral towards the centre and away again.
Shifting restlessly, he turned his head until he could see
the clok and stifled a groan. 1:42am. Barely two hours since
he'd said goodnight to the house's other occupants as they made
their way to their rooms and beds.
A lump formed in his throat at the thought of them all
sleeping comfortably, making him wonder what Heero and the others
from his world were doing right now.
Sitting up abruptly, Duo flicked his bangs out of his eyes,
ignoring the absence of the thick braid at his nape and tossed
the blanket aside. He stood and stretched, swallowing past the
lump that was still lodged in his throat before heading for the
door that led outside into the night.
Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Duo
stared at the clearly defined stars for a moment, then, a pained
grin forming on his lips he began to run.
Without direction and with his head bowed, keeping an eye
on the ground, he ran until his heart was beating to a rhythm of
excitement and his blood was rushing through his veins. His
momentum set his hair to moving and he contemplated the feeling
of freedom that came from an absence of hair.
When he had finally run himself out he stopped and bent
over, the grin on his face now elated by the freedom he had felt.
Resting his hands on his thighs, he took deep gulps of the cool
night air until his heart had slowed down enough to be comfortable.
Flopping onto the ground, he placed his hands against his
flushed cheeks enjoying the sensation of cold and hot, especially
with the blood still pumping madly throughout his body.
Laughing breathlessly to himself, Duo wriggled his bare toes
in the soft, cold grass and, flinging his arms outwards, lay back
on the grass, closing his eyes.
"Ah, Heero..." His smile remained as he finally drifted off
into oblivion.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena sat staring out the window of her limousine as
she drove away from the beach house where the Gundam pilots
had all been staying. She was a little upset.
Heero had ignored her, Wufei had glared at her, Trowa
had _looked_ at her and Quatre had been short with her. He'd
never spoken to her like that before. Relena had been on the
point of moving past Quatre to get to Heero when Trowa had
shaken his head.
She'd been told that Duo was missing and that maybe she
should leave for a while, just until things calmed down a
little.
Looking into the dead green eyes of the tall pilot,
she'd seen a flash of grief and had swallowed the comments
she'd been about to make, knowing some things were more
important than speaking with Heero.
She'd wanted to stay, even though none of the pilots
were encouraging it, to give back to Heero the strength he'd
given her after her father's death.
She'd managed to talk Heero into letting her help with
the search, managing to get across to him how sincere she was
about helping.
Two pairs of eyes were better than one, she'd said and
Heero had let her go with him. So she'd sat quietly beside
him as he'd flown patrols up and down the coast, following
the tides and watching for anything that resembled a person.
It had surprised her how dedicated Heero was to finding
his fellow pilot. She'd known they were friends but she'd
expected Heero to pretend to be cold and uncaring the way he
was with her. It was times like this when she found herself
jealous of Duo's ability to make people smile and to make
them care. Even she wasn't totally immune to his charm.
She sighed and turned to watch the sunset play on the
waves, wondering if Duo was out there somewhere. Wondering
if he knew that Heero was looking for him, that he was
important enough for Heero to want to find.
"Stop the car please, Pargan."
The chauffeur obediently stopped the car and turned to
look at her, "Relena-sama?"
"I think I'd like to go for a walk."
Pargan nodded and exited the car, circling it to open
her door. She smiled a little at his insistence on such small
things, even when they were away from any audience. But he
was loyal so she went along with it.
She smiled. And she liked being pampered.
Motioning for Pargan to stay with the car, she began
slowly down the beach, heading towards the clifftop restaurant
she knew Duo had fallen from.
It was hard to believe that this could have happened to
him. She'd seen him jump from a building before and land
lightly on the beach below, although he had had the advantage
of that helicopter-thing at that time. She'd always considered
Duo a bit of an idiot, but a competent idiot. To be a Gundam
pilot he had to be good and she was sure, if she looked hard
enough, that there'd be a soldier behind the clown.
That was what made her dislike him so much. That even
though war was supposed to be serious, he always seemed to be
having fun. And there were times when she wished she could
just stop worrying about everything, the way he did.
It was the same reason he disliked her, she supposed.
Oh, she knew there was some hostility behind that
cheerful grin of his, even if she ignored it in favour of
Heero's glare.
Relena decided that she'd try, once again, to gain some
of that light-heartedness that poured off of Duo on waves. She
sat down on the dry sand that was cooling as the sun dropped
further towards the horizon and watched it.
She contemplated the bright orange and gold of the glowing
ball, mixed with softer purples and pinks, stretching towards
indigo. It was beautiful, but she'd never fully been able to
appreciate things such as a sunset, though she had no idea why.
She proclaimed to want to save this beautiful Earth of hers, but
it wasn't so much the Earth as the people she cared about.
Watching people had always fascinated her, though she'd
been careful to hide that in case it was taken in the wrong way.
Only with Heero had she let herself sit back and enjoy, not
minding what people thought of her fascination for his perfect
face and gorgeous prussian blue eyes.
Relena giggled, at least people excused her the crush she
had on him. After all, regardless of her position in the peace
process, as ruler of the Sank kingdom, she was still a fifteen-
year-old girl.
She turned her gaze away from the sunset and looked along
the beach, hazy in the dimming golden light.
She didn't realise what she was seeing until she'd been
staring at it for long moments. Then she jumped to her feet and
ran towards the dark shape of a human stretched out on the sand at
the waterline.
As she ran she experienced a flash of deja vu, her mind
flashing back to finding Heero in a similar position. She
dismissed the feeling and attributed the slight increase in heart
rate to her running.
She knelt next to the figure, knowing before she could
clearly see it's face, that it was Duo. The long, long braid gave
it away, along with the black clothing that was ripped and torn.
Turning him over, Relena gasped at the bruising and cuts
that covered all the exposed parts of his body. There was a long
gash down his arm, slowly oozing blood and exposing the white of
bone. It's angle clearly indicated that it was broken. His face
was drawn into an expression of pain and his breathing was shallow.
Somewhat nauseous, Relena laid Duo gently back on the sand
and headed back towards the car and Pargan.
==========
Quatre waited at the front door of the house that the pilots
were occupying, searching the distance for his comrades.
There had been a call while they were out and they had a new
mission. One that required all of them and was to begin immediately.
Such a thing had to happen, Quatre mused to himself, they
never seemed to have time to search for a missing pilot. They'd
been lucky that each had turned up after a prolonged absence.
This time he was not so sure that Duo would turn up, none
the worse for wear. Without someone out looking for him, it was
unlikely that Duo would survive.
Wufei appeared from the darkness of evening and glanced at
him questioningly as he drew nearer.
Quatre nodded for him to go into the house, "I'll tell you
when the others are here."
Wufei nodded and entered the house, moving around Quatre.
Minutes later, Trowa also arrived, giving his lover a tiny
smile as he passed through the door.
Heero didn't arrive till much later and Quatre's heart ached
at the weariness etched across his features. The Wing pilot had
been searching since first light, only stopping for nourishment at
midday, which had been when Relena had arrived. Then he'd spent
the afternoon in her company, searching tirelessly once more.
Now, darkness once again stopped him from searching and he
wasn't going to be able to continue the next day.
He had come back with the expectation of being able to
collapse away from everyone and everything, but with this mission
cropping up... Quatre hoped Heero would be able to concentrate on
the mission.
Heero ignored Quatre as he walked into the house, glancing
briefly at the other two pilots gathered in the living room before
heading for the kitchen.
"There's some tea here, if you want it, Heero," Wufei
commented, indicating the tea set on the table and the four cups
surrounding it.
Heero hesitated then nodded, "Aa. Arigatou."
Wufei nodded in acknowledgement and poured a cup for the
Japanese pilot who took it and looked to be heading in the direction
of his room.
"Heero! Wait, there's something I have to tell you," Quatre
managed, catching the tired blue eyes and suggesting he take a seat
without saying a word. "It involves all of us."
Quatre took a deep breath before continuing, "We have a new
mission. It's in Mogadishu and we start right away so we have to
leave tonight."
Silence.
"How many of us are needed?"
Quatre looked at his lover, noticing the anguish in his eyes
at the idea of leaving a comrade behind and shrugged, "All of us.
And without Duo..."
Heero's head dropped forwards, his bangs totally obscuring
Quatre's view of his eyes. Then he sighed and ran a hand through
those bangs. Everyone's attention turned to him, each of them
knowing they wouldn't force him to come if he chose not to. And
also knowing he would go, whether he wanted to or not.
Heero stood and made his way through the door that lead to
the bedrooms, telling the other three by the set of his shoulders
that he was going on the mission, resolving to leave without news
of Duo.
Quatre looked at Trowa and Wufei who looked back.
"Well, I guess we'd better get ready then."
==========
Relena's fingernails tapped impatiently against the desktop as
she waited for her call to go through.
There was no answer.
Allowing the com unit to beep for another few minutes, Relena
finally cut the connection, wondering where the pilots had gone.
She'd taken Duo directly to a hospital, where he had been
taken into the operating theatre immediately after x-rays. He was
bleeding on the inside, enough so that there was a danger of death,
especially after so long spent away from medical attention.
After seeing Duo into the theatre, she'd wandered around the
hospital until she'd noticed a com unit and decided that she should
call Heero and tell him that she'd found his fellow pilot. He'd be
very grateful, she was sure, and would come to visit her while she
waited for further news of the braided pilot.
But there had been no answer at the house the pilots had been
at earlier that day.
Maybe they were still searching? Or maybe they'd received a
new mission. Whatever it was, Relena couldn't get in touch and
she'd tried often enough over the past five hours.
It was drawing close to midnight and she had heard nothing
further about the status of the American pilot, who was still
being operated on.
Relena took the chair next to Pargan once more, grateful for
the mug of sweetened coffee he handed her silently.
Sipping carefully at the steaming liquid, she looked across
at her chauffeur and all-round assistant.
"They're still not there."
"Will you be staying here, Relena-sama? Or do you want me to
bring the car around?"
Relena thought longingly of her bed and a nice warm shower
then reluctantly dismissed the idea. "I'll stay. Heero will want
to know how he is and since there's no one else he knows here at
the moment, it would be right for me to stay."
Pargan nodded, smiling at her in approval, "Very well,
Relena-sama. Shall I go and inquire how things are going, once
more?"
"Nn. Yes, thank you, Pargan."
"It is no trouble."
Relena watched Pargan approach the nurses station and talk
quietly to the matron on duty. Then she noticed a familiar-looking
doctor approach from down the hallway. She stood and faced him,
full-on.
"We have finished operating on your friend, Relena-sama,
but we are still not sure what will happen. We have transferred
him to Intensive Care."
"Thank you, Rossini-sensei. May I see him?"
"If you will come this way."
Relena followed the doctor towards a different section of
the hospital, shadowed by Pargan and stepped into dimly lit room
where Duo lay, surrounded by blinking monitors.
Crossing to his bedside, she gazed down at his pale, bandaged
face. His left arm, the broken one, lay outside of the white
hospital sheets, covered by a pristine cast.
Turning back to the doctor she spoke, "What are the odds that
he will survive?"
Rossini took his glasses off and sighed, "Most of it depends
on Mr. Maxwell himself. It's up to him to fight now, we've done
what we can."
"I see. May I come again and visit him?"
The doctor looked surprised at the question, "Of course,
Relena-sama. I shall inform the nurse you have permission to visit
anytime you wish."
Relena smiled at the doctor, "Arigatou, Rossini-sensei. You
have my gratitude."
"It's my job, I would do the same for anyone. Now, perhaps
you should go home and get some rest. You can come back tomorrow."
"Hai."
So Relena went home and dropped into her bed without bath or
shower, falling asleep immediately and dreaming of Heero coming to
kill her and Duo falling forever down a cliff that never ended.
==Owari, Chapter Two==
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/
sefilin@yahoo.com
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
==========
Chapter Two
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Quatre quietly opened the door to the bedroom Heero and
Duo shared, taking in the still form of the Japanese pilot
lying stretched out on his bed. His arms were folded beneath
his head and his eyes were focussed on the ceiling, still
wide open despite the lateness of the hour.
"Heero? Daijobu desu ka?"
Heero flicked his eyes in the direction of the door and
regarded his fellow pilot silently for a moment, "Aa."
His gaze turned back to the ceiling.
Quatre watched, wondering what was going through Heero's
mind, wondering how much Duo had meant to him. All of the
pilots had been startled by the events that had led to Duo
falling off the cliff and by the act of falling itself. He'd
seen Trowa and Wufei jump towards the railings, just behind
Heero and he himself was there as well, yelling after the
falling pilot.
He let himself into the room and walked across to the
Japanese pilot, knowing he had to help if he could, but unsure
how to go about it.
If it had been daytime, all four of them would be out
looking, hoping that maybe Heero's indestructibility had rubbed
off onto Duo somehow. But it was dark and they could do nothing
but wait.
"Are you sure?"
Heero jerked upright and glared at Quatre, suddenly very
angry, "I'm fine!"
"Heero..." Quatre rocked backwards, startled.
The other boy continued to glare, then all the anger, the
fire drained out of him and he slumped back onto the bed, "I'm
fine, Quatre. I just... want to be alone." The last few words
came out almost too softly for Quatre to hear.
"O-okay. But, Heero? If you need anything, to talk..."
"Quatre."
The blonde sighed, "I know, you may not want to, but if
you _need_ to, we're here, okay? All of us, me, Trowa, Wufei.
We're here."
When no reply came, Quatre stood and made his way to the
door.
"Quatre?"
He paused and turned back to Heero.
"Thanks."
Quatre smiled gently, "Any time, Heero. I'll see you
later."
Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the
living room where Trowa and Wufei were sitting, half asleep.
He looked at them and smiled again, "I think we should all go
to bed, ne? We need some sleep."
Trowa looked at him, something soft in his visible eye
and Wufei yawned as he stood.
"Hai. Sleep," The Chinese pilot headed for his room,
pausing briefly at the door, "Is he... alright?"
Quatre nodded slowly, "I think he'll be okay for now."
"Good."
Trowa and Quatre watched, slightly surprised, as Wufei
left the room.
"Well..."
"Mmm."
Quatre smiled at his partner and shrugged, "He cares."
"Mmm."
Quatre laughed a little, "Shall we go to bed?"
Trowa stood and, motioning for the blonde to go first,
the two made their way to the room they shared.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Duo stared at the ceiling from where he lay on the couch.
He traced the borders of the panels that made it and counted each
tile. An estimated forty-two and a half in all, taking into
account the half-tiles at the edges.
Unfortunately there weren't enough to put him to sleep.
He'd counted them all a good ten times, row by row,
diagonally and in a spiral towards the centre and away again.
Shifting restlessly, he turned his head until he could see
the clok and stifled a groan. 1:42am. Barely two hours since
he'd said goodnight to the house's other occupants as they made
their way to their rooms and beds.
A lump formed in his throat at the thought of them all
sleeping comfortably, making him wonder what Heero and the others
from his world were doing right now.
Sitting up abruptly, Duo flicked his bangs out of his eyes,
ignoring the absence of the thick braid at his nape and tossed
the blanket aside. He stood and stretched, swallowing past the
lump that was still lodged in his throat before heading for the
door that led outside into the night.
Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Duo
stared at the clearly defined stars for a moment, then, a pained
grin forming on his lips he began to run.
Without direction and with his head bowed, keeping an eye
on the ground, he ran until his heart was beating to a rhythm of
excitement and his blood was rushing through his veins. His
momentum set his hair to moving and he contemplated the feeling
of freedom that came from an absence of hair.
When he had finally run himself out he stopped and bent
over, the grin on his face now elated by the freedom he had felt.
Resting his hands on his thighs, he took deep gulps of the cool
night air until his heart had slowed down enough to be comfortable.
Flopping onto the ground, he placed his hands against his
flushed cheeks enjoying the sensation of cold and hot, especially
with the blood still pumping madly throughout his body.
Laughing breathlessly to himself, Duo wriggled his bare toes
in the soft, cold grass and, flinging his arms outwards, lay back
on the grass, closing his eyes.
"Ah, Heero..." His smile remained as he finally drifted off
into oblivion.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena sat staring out the window of her limousine as
she drove away from the beach house where the Gundam pilots
had all been staying. She was a little upset.
Heero had ignored her, Wufei had glared at her, Trowa
had _looked_ at her and Quatre had been short with her. He'd
never spoken to her like that before. Relena had been on the
point of moving past Quatre to get to Heero when Trowa had
shaken his head.
She'd been told that Duo was missing and that maybe she
should leave for a while, just until things calmed down a
little.
Looking into the dead green eyes of the tall pilot,
she'd seen a flash of grief and had swallowed the comments
she'd been about to make, knowing some things were more
important than speaking with Heero.
She'd wanted to stay, even though none of the pilots
were encouraging it, to give back to Heero the strength he'd
given her after her father's death.
She'd managed to talk Heero into letting her help with
the search, managing to get across to him how sincere she was
about helping.
Two pairs of eyes were better than one, she'd said and
Heero had let her go with him. So she'd sat quietly beside
him as he'd flown patrols up and down the coast, following
the tides and watching for anything that resembled a person.
It had surprised her how dedicated Heero was to finding
his fellow pilot. She'd known they were friends but she'd
expected Heero to pretend to be cold and uncaring the way he
was with her. It was times like this when she found herself
jealous of Duo's ability to make people smile and to make
them care. Even she wasn't totally immune to his charm.
She sighed and turned to watch the sunset play on the
waves, wondering if Duo was out there somewhere. Wondering
if he knew that Heero was looking for him, that he was
important enough for Heero to want to find.
"Stop the car please, Pargan."
The chauffeur obediently stopped the car and turned to
look at her, "Relena-sama?"
"I think I'd like to go for a walk."
Pargan nodded and exited the car, circling it to open
her door. She smiled a little at his insistence on such small
things, even when they were away from any audience. But he
was loyal so she went along with it.
She smiled. And she liked being pampered.
Motioning for Pargan to stay with the car, she began
slowly down the beach, heading towards the clifftop restaurant
she knew Duo had fallen from.
It was hard to believe that this could have happened to
him. She'd seen him jump from a building before and land
lightly on the beach below, although he had had the advantage
of that helicopter-thing at that time. She'd always considered
Duo a bit of an idiot, but a competent idiot. To be a Gundam
pilot he had to be good and she was sure, if she looked hard
enough, that there'd be a soldier behind the clown.
That was what made her dislike him so much. That even
though war was supposed to be serious, he always seemed to be
having fun. And there were times when she wished she could
just stop worrying about everything, the way he did.
It was the same reason he disliked her, she supposed.
Oh, she knew there was some hostility behind that
cheerful grin of his, even if she ignored it in favour of
Heero's glare.
Relena decided that she'd try, once again, to gain some
of that light-heartedness that poured off of Duo on waves. She
sat down on the dry sand that was cooling as the sun dropped
further towards the horizon and watched it.
She contemplated the bright orange and gold of the glowing
ball, mixed with softer purples and pinks, stretching towards
indigo. It was beautiful, but she'd never fully been able to
appreciate things such as a sunset, though she had no idea why.
She proclaimed to want to save this beautiful Earth of hers, but
it wasn't so much the Earth as the people she cared about.
Watching people had always fascinated her, though she'd
been careful to hide that in case it was taken in the wrong way.
Only with Heero had she let herself sit back and enjoy, not
minding what people thought of her fascination for his perfect
face and gorgeous prussian blue eyes.
Relena giggled, at least people excused her the crush she
had on him. After all, regardless of her position in the peace
process, as ruler of the Sank kingdom, she was still a fifteen-
year-old girl.
She turned her gaze away from the sunset and looked along
the beach, hazy in the dimming golden light.
She didn't realise what she was seeing until she'd been
staring at it for long moments. Then she jumped to her feet and
ran towards the dark shape of a human stretched out on the sand at
the waterline.
As she ran she experienced a flash of deja vu, her mind
flashing back to finding Heero in a similar position. She
dismissed the feeling and attributed the slight increase in heart
rate to her running.
She knelt next to the figure, knowing before she could
clearly see it's face, that it was Duo. The long, long braid gave
it away, along with the black clothing that was ripped and torn.
Turning him over, Relena gasped at the bruising and cuts
that covered all the exposed parts of his body. There was a long
gash down his arm, slowly oozing blood and exposing the white of
bone. It's angle clearly indicated that it was broken. His face
was drawn into an expression of pain and his breathing was shallow.
Somewhat nauseous, Relena laid Duo gently back on the sand
and headed back towards the car and Pargan.
==========
Quatre waited at the front door of the house that the pilots
were occupying, searching the distance for his comrades.
There had been a call while they were out and they had a new
mission. One that required all of them and was to begin immediately.
Such a thing had to happen, Quatre mused to himself, they
never seemed to have time to search for a missing pilot. They'd
been lucky that each had turned up after a prolonged absence.
This time he was not so sure that Duo would turn up, none
the worse for wear. Without someone out looking for him, it was
unlikely that Duo would survive.
Wufei appeared from the darkness of evening and glanced at
him questioningly as he drew nearer.
Quatre nodded for him to go into the house, "I'll tell you
when the others are here."
Wufei nodded and entered the house, moving around Quatre.
Minutes later, Trowa also arrived, giving his lover a tiny
smile as he passed through the door.
Heero didn't arrive till much later and Quatre's heart ached
at the weariness etched across his features. The Wing pilot had
been searching since first light, only stopping for nourishment at
midday, which had been when Relena had arrived. Then he'd spent
the afternoon in her company, searching tirelessly once more.
Now, darkness once again stopped him from searching and he
wasn't going to be able to continue the next day.
He had come back with the expectation of being able to
collapse away from everyone and everything, but with this mission
cropping up... Quatre hoped Heero would be able to concentrate on
the mission.
Heero ignored Quatre as he walked into the house, glancing
briefly at the other two pilots gathered in the living room before
heading for the kitchen.
"There's some tea here, if you want it, Heero," Wufei
commented, indicating the tea set on the table and the four cups
surrounding it.
Heero hesitated then nodded, "Aa. Arigatou."
Wufei nodded in acknowledgement and poured a cup for the
Japanese pilot who took it and looked to be heading in the direction
of his room.
"Heero! Wait, there's something I have to tell you," Quatre
managed, catching the tired blue eyes and suggesting he take a seat
without saying a word. "It involves all of us."
Quatre took a deep breath before continuing, "We have a new
mission. It's in Mogadishu and we start right away so we have to
leave tonight."
Silence.
"How many of us are needed?"
Quatre looked at his lover, noticing the anguish in his eyes
at the idea of leaving a comrade behind and shrugged, "All of us.
And without Duo..."
Heero's head dropped forwards, his bangs totally obscuring
Quatre's view of his eyes. Then he sighed and ran a hand through
those bangs. Everyone's attention turned to him, each of them
knowing they wouldn't force him to come if he chose not to. And
also knowing he would go, whether he wanted to or not.
Heero stood and made his way through the door that lead to
the bedrooms, telling the other three by the set of his shoulders
that he was going on the mission, resolving to leave without news
of Duo.
Quatre looked at Trowa and Wufei who looked back.
"Well, I guess we'd better get ready then."
==========
Relena's fingernails tapped impatiently against the desktop as
she waited for her call to go through.
There was no answer.
Allowing the com unit to beep for another few minutes, Relena
finally cut the connection, wondering where the pilots had gone.
She'd taken Duo directly to a hospital, where he had been
taken into the operating theatre immediately after x-rays. He was
bleeding on the inside, enough so that there was a danger of death,
especially after so long spent away from medical attention.
After seeing Duo into the theatre, she'd wandered around the
hospital until she'd noticed a com unit and decided that she should
call Heero and tell him that she'd found his fellow pilot. He'd be
very grateful, she was sure, and would come to visit her while she
waited for further news of the braided pilot.
But there had been no answer at the house the pilots had been
at earlier that day.
Maybe they were still searching? Or maybe they'd received a
new mission. Whatever it was, Relena couldn't get in touch and
she'd tried often enough over the past five hours.
It was drawing close to midnight and she had heard nothing
further about the status of the American pilot, who was still
being operated on.
Relena took the chair next to Pargan once more, grateful for
the mug of sweetened coffee he handed her silently.
Sipping carefully at the steaming liquid, she looked across
at her chauffeur and all-round assistant.
"They're still not there."
"Will you be staying here, Relena-sama? Or do you want me to
bring the car around?"
Relena thought longingly of her bed and a nice warm shower
then reluctantly dismissed the idea. "I'll stay. Heero will want
to know how he is and since there's no one else he knows here at
the moment, it would be right for me to stay."
Pargan nodded, smiling at her in approval, "Very well,
Relena-sama. Shall I go and inquire how things are going, once
more?"
"Nn. Yes, thank you, Pargan."
"It is no trouble."
Relena watched Pargan approach the nurses station and talk
quietly to the matron on duty. Then she noticed a familiar-looking
doctor approach from down the hallway. She stood and faced him,
full-on.
"We have finished operating on your friend, Relena-sama,
but we are still not sure what will happen. We have transferred
him to Intensive Care."
"Thank you, Rossini-sensei. May I see him?"
"If you will come this way."
Relena followed the doctor towards a different section of
the hospital, shadowed by Pargan and stepped into dimly lit room
where Duo lay, surrounded by blinking monitors.
Crossing to his bedside, she gazed down at his pale, bandaged
face. His left arm, the broken one, lay outside of the white
hospital sheets, covered by a pristine cast.
Turning back to the doctor she spoke, "What are the odds that
he will survive?"
Rossini took his glasses off and sighed, "Most of it depends
on Mr. Maxwell himself. It's up to him to fight now, we've done
what we can."
"I see. May I come again and visit him?"
The doctor looked surprised at the question, "Of course,
Relena-sama. I shall inform the nurse you have permission to visit
anytime you wish."
Relena smiled at the doctor, "Arigatou, Rossini-sensei. You
have my gratitude."
"It's my job, I would do the same for anyone. Now, perhaps
you should go home and get some rest. You can come back tomorrow."
"Hai."
So Relena went home and dropped into her bed without bath or
shower, falling asleep immediately and dreaming of Heero coming to
kill her and Duo falling forever down a cliff that never ended.
==Owari, Chapter Two==
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