Trowa opened the door slowly and quietly, and then shut it behind him quickly so that the light from the other room wouldn't disturb the sleeper on the bed. He approached the slumbering form with quiet steps, his eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light. He could make out the shape of the body on the bed, his eyes adjusting quickly so that he could study Duo's features easily.
Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or of wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…
Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment of moving forward, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.
A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given off by a nearby lamppost. He looked up at the light and followed the pole to the figure standing at the base. Green eyes stared back at him, their depths as unreadable as the face they were set in.
"Nanashi?" Duo asked incredulously.
Trowa looked at him blankly from one eye. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his head tilted toward the pole that he leaned on; his legs were crossed at the ankles. "Duo."
"Trowa?"
The green eyes sparkled for a moment, thin lips curling up in a small smile before the expression was lost. "That would be my name."
"What's going on? Where are we?"
He sat down gently beside the sleeping form and smiled slightly when Duo mumbled in his sleep and shifted closer.
"We're in your apartment," Trowa said, and suddenly they were. Duo found himself in the middle of his living room, looking around at blank walls and an empty floor.
"Where's all my stuff?"
"It wasn't yours to begin with." Trowa answered simply.
Duo raised an eyebrow. "That still doesn't tell me where all that stuff went to."
"Objects are the first things lost in a war. Your home is next. And then those you care about."
"What are you talking about?" Duo asked, taking a step toward the green-eyed man.
"You can't protect your family if you don't fight in the war."
Duo felt the ground begin to shake under him. He reached out for something to support himself against, but only found Trowa's arm. He looked up at the assassin.
"I can't protect you, Duo. Cathy…"
"She's your first priority."
He smoothed back dark bags from the heart-shaped face and smiled when Duo mumbled again, turning his head into the touch. "So innocent."
Trowa brought his hand up and cupped Duo's face gently, tilting his head back just a little more. "You're nothing more than a child."
"I can defend myself, Trowa, if that's what you're getting after. I'm not helpless."
"Or weak. I can see that in you. You're strong."
Trowa frowned, his eyes narrowing in the darkness as he studied the man in front of him. "The innocent should be the survivors."
Duo leaned against Trowa, stepping onto his toes so that the distance between them lessened. He could feel Trowa's breath against his lips and cheeks, could almost feel the pressure of their lips pressed together in a kiss.
Duo jerked into a sitting position, his heart beating hard in his chest, his eyes wide in the dark. He reached a hand out blindly, and met with air for several seconds before he found the switch for the light beside his bed. He turned it on and light revealed the room to his eyes. He was alone. The door was shut, the windows still keeping out the light of day. He drew in a shuddery breath, closing his eyes as he remember the anticipation of his dream.
"I don't feel very childish," he muttered to the empty air, filling the silence with his ragged breathing. He looked down at his lap and grimaced. He had more problems to deal with than odd dreams; the after effects of said dream being one of them.
Go to Chapter 17 to resume reading the story, or return to 11 and choose another couple.
