"Hey, I know what will cheer ya up!" Duo said cheerfully to his female comrade for the umpteenth time that day. "I'll cook ya something!"
"Duo, if you take one step into that kitchen I will be forced to shoot you. Again," Heero said from the corner, his gaze never leaving his laptop's screen in front of him.
The pilots, who now included Quatre and Trowa, were sprawled in various positions around the sitting room adjacent to the kitchen. Most were minding their own business, save for Duo, who was still, after hours of no success, trying to get that newfound smile back on his friend's face.
"Nah, you wouldn't do THAT, He-man! It's not like I'm gonna blow anything up!" Duo said, slowly advancing towards the kitchen. Heero avoided him until he got near the stove, at which point he removed the safety from his gun and walked casually to the doorway.
"Maxwell, let's not forget what happened the LAST time you decided to 'cook' for us," he said simply, glaring at the braided pilot.
"Yeah! Now THAT'S what I call Flambé!" Duo said cheerfully, opening a cabinet. "Whooee! That was some show, huh Heero!"
"Okay, Maxwell. You've had your fun. I don't really think burning her Gundam down will cheer Andraya up any. Now GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!" Wufei said, joining Heero in the doorway.
"Well, if 2 out of 3 members of Stoic Gundam Pilots Anonymous wish it so, then I guess it will be so!" Duo said grumpily, pushing past his comrades into the sitting room once again. Seeing Andraya still sitting on the couch staring into space, he sighed heavily. "C'mon Andraya…"
Andraya looked up at him, her eyes empty and void of any emotion whatsoever. This was not the girl he remembered from just 2 days ago…
"What if I took you somewhere," he finally suggested, after a few moments of silence. He sat down beside her, and looked into her dead eyes. "Someplace fun," he continued, still not knowing exactly where he had in mind.
"Like where." She didn't ask it, as a matter of fact, her voice was complete monotone.
"Umm, good question, babe! I have no idea!" He rose, and grabbed Andraya's hand. "So let's find out!" he said, dragging his comrade to a standing position and eventually out the door. He continued to drag her down the hallway until they reached the hangar.
"Ya know, this would be a LOT easier if you would go on your own free will," he said, turning to face her. He started slightly with the action. She looked so…dead, like she had seen a ghost and was never able to lose that image. Which, I guess, she has… he thought, squeezing her hand slightly. She looked up, but her eyes remained emotionless. She was gone to him, at least for now.
He sighed again. What can I possibly do to cheer her up… He dropped her hand, which proceeded to fall limply at her side. "Ya know," he said gently, looking deep into Andraya's blank eyes. "Before the Maxwell Tragedy, a nun there once gave me something very special that made me feel better about things in general. Now, I've tried this before on you, but I think it just might be the thing to cheer you up now," he finished, resting his hands on her shoulders. To his surprise, he found her to be shaking ever so slightly. Though he knew all too well what deep internal pain felt like, he didn't think that he had ever experienced anything like this before.
He sighed, then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her gently. He didn't expect a response, causing him to start with surprise when he felt the embrace returned. He heard the sounds of her weeping against his shoulder, the now familiar and one of the only sounds that he had heard from her lately. He rubbed her back gently, whispering to her that it would be okay, even though he knew that it never really would be. This was Andraya's own Maxwell Tragedy, which is perhaps why she earned such strong sympathy from him. Even if he could not directly relate to her personal situation, he knew enough about losing loved ones to feel a strong connection with the girl in his embrace. A connection that could, and would, he was sure, only get stronger over time, bringing him closer to her than anyone had ever gotten before.
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The simple hug had been enough to snap Andraya back to reality, proving to her that people really cared that she was hurting, and wouldn't just shun her, as she was accustomed to in the past. Just as she had the night before, Andraya felt safe in Duo's arms, with him comforting her gently. No one had ever done that for her, no one had ever cared. The memories of Zia doing such things were memories Andraya was trying to push out of her mind, and even she had not made Andraya feel so safe. Ever since her first home was destroyed, she had never felt in the slightest sense secure. But now she had someone who could provide safety for her with a simple hug. She considered herself one of the luckiest people in the world for being able to find something so rare in this age of war and fighting. Such a strong comrade, such a sense of safety…very precious things to a lost wandering soldier such as Andraya. Her heart was almost hardened to the point of never feeling emotion at all…and then she had met Duo.
Still in his arms, though she had ceased crying long ago, she sighed in content, which only made Duo hug her tighter. But now she was back to her old self again, and knew she had to prove it to her obviously very worried friend.
Gently pulling away, she looked at Duo mock-accusingly. "Hey, didn't you say you were gonna take me somewhere?" she asked, amusement sparkling in her eyes once more.
"Oh, right! Well, come on…I think I know just the place," Duo said, once again grabbing her hand, smiling from ear to ear as he did so. She's back to her old self, he thought happily, causing his grin to continue widening as they entered the hangar. Telling her to fire up Arcticblaze, Duo headed for his own Gundam, thinking about the recent events as he did so. Was I really the one to cheer her up? he thought, happy that the answer seemed to be "yes". With another big smile in Andraya's direction, he leaped into his Gundam's cockpit and brought Deathscythe to life. Maybe…maybe I can get close to her and not lose her, he thought hopefully, after all, she seems to have had the same problem, and I'm still here.
Sorry it took so long, guyz!! I'm really trying here, its just a bad combo of lack of ideas and too much to do that's getting me behind on this. And I know that's not the greatest place to end the chapter, but I promised I'd get something up by Wednesday, so here's something to hold you to probably next week. Thanks for sticking with this story, and remember, REVIEWS MAKE HAPPY PEOPLE!!! J