The Claim - part 8

by KatiKat



Three days later, Heero decided to go on watch again. With a stern look, he reminded Duo of his promise and snapping out a "Stay!", and Duo didn´t know whether it was directed at him or at Shinigami. He watched as Heero left the hut.

Waiting for a moment to be sure that Heero really left, Due fell back onto the pillows and sighed out loud. "Finally! I thought he would never leave!"

Shinigami raised his head from his paws and gave the lifebearer a dog imitation of ´huh?´

Duo turned onto his side and looked at the dog, who was watching him from underneath the table. "I really like Heero. He is the kindest person I´ve ever met." Duo sighed again, his eyes misting over lightly. "I wish... I wish he had been the real father of my child. He would have protected us. He would have never allowed anything to happen to us," he whispered, his arm sneaking underneath the blanket where it rested on his lower abdomen that still ached for the child he had lost. "But..." Duo´s eyes snapped back into the present. "I swear, if he had hovered over me one more day I would have thrown a fit!" he complained to the black beast that was watching him with intelligent eyes.

Shinigami whined a little as if saying: ´Oh really?´

"Really," Duo answered the dog´s gaze with a little smile. Then he gingerly sat up, wincing as the dull ache in his stomach intensified. He threw the covers to the side, then lowered his legs over the edge of the bed. He shivered. Even though the fire was burning high in the fireplace, the hut was still cold.

Watching his new human doing something he probably shouldn´t, Shinigami stood up and padded over. He sat down in front of the human the Leader of the pack seemed to take as one of his own, and cocked his head to the side as if asking ´And what do you think you are doing?´


Duo tsk'ed as he moved closer to the edge of the bed. When he noticed the dog staring at him, he blinked with surprise. "What? You don´t like me getting up? Tough luck, Shaggy. Heero made me promise to go on. Fine. But that means that I can´t just keep laying around and being useless. Heero did so much for me already, and now it´s time for me to keep up my share in this house-" he looked around, "err... huthold." When the dog kept looking at him as if he absolutely didn´t agree with what he was doing, Duo sighed. "Look, doggie. I´ve never been one to just lie around and do nothing. If... if my baby was still alive..." he swallowed, his right hand sneaking back to his lower abdomen, an unconscious gesture that he developed in the past week, "I would be laying around as much as needed to keep my baby alive and healthy. I wouldn´t risk hurting it for anything... But now, this melding with the bed is useless." He blinked back the stinging of tears that came to him too quickly these days, and some of the strength that was such a natural part of him before the whole disaster returned. "I should start moving around a bit. Trowa said that too when he visited us yesterday."

Shinigami whined again and huffed as if saying ´Do what you want, I don´t care. But you´re still crazy.´ Then he turned around and padded back to his place under the table.

"Thank you for agreeing with me!" Duo called after him and Shinigami wagged his tail once in a ´whatever´ gesture before lying down, yawning and settling his head on his forepaws again.


Duo sighed once again. Even though he tried to put on a brave face he really wasn´t sure if his decision to get up was that wise. His stomach still hurt, painful cramps shooting through his lower abdomen from time to time. But if he kept lying around and staring at the ceiling, he would go crazy. He would have never thought that it could be so scary to be alone with his thoughts. They kept turning and turning around in a circle, coming back to one thing: his baby and the mess his life was now. And from there his mind went downhill fast, his eyes roaming over the room finding something with which he could... And that was where his promise stopped his wandering mind and moved his thoughts over to Heero. Another dangerous theme. Duo still didn´t understand why the Enforcer took him in. If it wasn´t the baby or any future babies - which he really hoped he still could have... oh, another dangerous alley - then why did he do it? He said he had promised to protect him once. Strange. Because no matter what, Duo couldn´t remember this promise. Sometimes he had the feeling it was right there, he only had to reach for it and then the memory was gone. And Heero wouldn´t tell him anything, which was frustrating. And when Duo was frustrated, he got restless. So he really had to get out of bed.

Duo took a deep breath, and propping himself up on his arms, he slowly stood up. He groaned as a cramp in the small of his back took him by surprise. He swayed and almost fell back on the bed. He reached back with his left hand and tried to massage the cramp away. Slowly, it seemed to be working. When the muscles finally relaxed, Duo breathed out in relief. He really, really hated to be incapacitated and sick.

So, he was out of bed. What now? In that very moment, Duo shivered again. First things first: clothes. One step at a time, Duo moved to the chest that sat at the foot of the bed where Heero kept his clothes. They would be a little big for him, since he wasn´t as muscled and his shoulders weren´t as broad, but it would have to do. He would have to ask Heero for some clothes as soon as possible. He still didn´t know how, though. Heero had done so much for him already that Duo felt awkward about asking for something more.

When he finally shuffled over, he bent down groaning a little again as he strained the muscles in his back. He opened the heavy lid of the chest and pulled out a plain beige smock, similar to the one he came here in. The material was rougher than he was used to, but many things around here were rougher than at the village. And if it would keep him warm... He pulled the smock over his head.


Shinigami raised his head as his new human burst into laughter. The sound was unusual for the black dog, and so his ears twitched. It was a pleasant sound too. He liked it, he decided and thumped his tail against the floor a couple of times.

Duo looked at his shaggy audience and spread his arms. "Nice, huh?" he smiled. He looked like a kid wearing his parents´ clothes. He had always been thin, but the last couple of days without a proper meal that he would be able to keep down made him skinny, almost emaciated. The smock was hanging off him, one bony shoulder peeking out of the neck opening. "There could be two of me hidden here and nobody would notice." He smiled again. "Maybe there is some rope I could bind around my waist," he muttered to himself and dug into the chest again. After a couple of minutes he gave up. "Okay, no rope. So... pants next."

Shinigami watched the whole process as his new human slowly dressed in the oversized clothes. He still didn´t understand why people had to put so many things on them. If they had fur like he did, they wouldn´t have to look so ridiculous all the time.

"So?" Duo turned to the dog. "What do I look like?" he asked when he was finally dressed. He had the linen smock on together with woolen pants, that really itched, but were the only ones that didn´t fall to his ankles every time he let go of them, and Heero´s leather boots, that were thankfully at least near his size. "Nothing special, huh?" Duo asked the dog again and sighed. He could fairly see Shinigami raise his eyebrows. "Well, it will have to do. And now? My hair." He took one section and lifted it to his eyes. It was kind of filthy, and tangled as hell. He couldn´t do anything about the washing, but he could at least untangle the knots and braid it.

"Where does Heero hide his comb, Shini?" Duo asked the dog as he looked around the hut.

Shinigami yawned again and turned his back to him as if saying ´Why should I care?´

Duo sighed, setting his hands on his hips. He really hoped that Heero had a comb. Although with the way his hair was sticking in every possible direction... He groaned. He *really* hoped Heero had a comb.

He was just about to go and search for the damn thing, when Shinigami suddenly sprung to his feet and shot to the door. Duo turned to see the black dog sniff the air. The deep rumble that came from the dog´s throat startled him. In a matter of seconds, Shinigami turned from a big shaggy pet to a dangerous beast.

Slowly, Duo approached the snarling dog. "Shini? What is it, boy?" he asked quietly.

He wanted to say more, but his mouth snapped shut. Now even he could hear the steps coming closer to the hut. Duo held his breath. He was sure it wasn´t Heero. He had never heard Heero come and go, for the Enforcer moved silently, with a cat-like grace. These were the steps of someone in a hurry. What should he do?

The knock on the door startled him as much as Shinigami´s loud bark. The dog was snarling, his teeth bare.

Duo swallowed, and laid his hand on Shini´s head, patting it lightly. "Who... who is it?" he asked finally.

"Duo? It´s me."

The voice was quiet and a little breathless, but Duo would recognize it everywhere.

Wufei...


TBC