Follow Your Heart rewrite:
chapter three
by YamiHikari

Disclaimer- I already stated that I do not own Gundam Wing nor its characters, but the original character Tajima Ryuka is original, but inspired by many others. Still, if no one was inspired by anyone else, nothing would happen. ^_^;;

Author's Note- Good grief, I have about... 5 stories that I'm working on, two of them fanfics, and more ideas for fanfics that I should really start, and an idea or two more for original. And my brother just interrupted me to ask where the walkie-talkies are... -_-;; Brothers...

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Duo was trying to pry the armor open. He'd tried multiple screwdrivers, a crowbar, a fairly low-tech rock, a lock pick, and –desperate and slightly loony by that point- was now seeing if it really was possible to get a real laser beam from a laser pointer with enough mirrors so he could just cut through it.

He swore. A mirror had just fallen and cracked. The girl's back had already been disinfected and wrapped, but everything else was just impossible to do. They had left the arm alone, since any tampering with it might just make it worse, and they didn't even want to think of what would happen if they did something to the rib cage, which was why she was on her back rather than the front, even if the back was torn up and most likely sore. (Actually, 100% likely that it was sore.) The blizzard still hadn't died down, quite the contrary in fact. It had gotten worse.

"You could help, you know," the braided ex-pilot grumbled reproachfully to the Japanese sitting near her, making sure she still breathed.

"Then move. I can't help if you're in the way."

Still mumbling something, Duo moved. As his blue-eyed companion thoughtfully ran his fingers over the armor, he frowned slightly. "There's no dents or scratches..."

"Yah. Really strong metal. I think I tried the can opener at one point, but that didn't work either."

The half-joke didn't elicit a laugh from Heero. As he felt underneath them, one fingertip brushed against something in the metal. He nudged it, then swung the small latch on the inside of the armor out. It separated with a faint 'click'.

"Maybe you should have looked underneath first instead of trying to bash it open."

After gently feeling her arm for the edges of the bone, he placed both hands on the two sides of the break, pulled them away from each other, then twisted. When he had let go, it didn't look so horribly wrong.

Wordlessly, Duo offered him the materials for the splint. After they had wrapped it tightly with small wooden rods and strips of cloth, the American sighed. "Nothing we can do but sit this storm out. Of all the times..."

He found he was talking to the air. "Hey, Heero? This isn't funny, c'mon, where'd you go?"

After calling and searching as far as he dared –getting lost in the Winner's mansion was _not_ as fun as it may have seemed and he couldn't just leave the girl alone- he sulked while sitting on the carpet next to their charge.

Five minutes later, his former companion reappeared carrying something he still couldn't quite make out. A couple steps closer, and it was soon apparent that it was a blanket. When he had drawn close enough, he unfolded his burden and spread it over the still form on the floor.

"She was out there for a long time, so..." He shrugged.

"Hmph. And nothing for me, I notice." The violet-eyed pilot stood and stretched. "I'm going to get something to eat. You?"

"Doesn't matter."

After Duo had left, Heero watched the snowflakes whirl past, driven by the vicious winds. He wondered how long it would last, and how much longer she could hold on.

~

Tajima was warm and safe, and felt it even deep within unconsciousness. She dreamed no dreams, and felt the long process of healing begin.

~

The self-proclaimed "God of Death" paused when he entered the room again, a sandwich in either hand. Knees drawn up to just a foot away from his chest, arms circled around them, hands loosely clasped and head bowed, Heero Yuy's breaths came evenly, but not quite as slowly as they would have had he been asleep.

Duo approached him quietly and waited until the Prussian blue eyes opened and the hands separated and the legs unbent and the head came back up until offering him the turkey sandwich in his right hand. "Hungry?"

Heero stared at the combination of bread, turkey, lettuce, and –knowing Maxwell- Lord knew what else that was currently filling his field of vision, slightly disoriented. Then his eyes cleared, and he took the proffered foodstuff.

After he'd taken a cautious bite out of it –no explosions... that particular event was still rather memorable...- chewed, swallowed, taken another bite, Duo was checking his watch. "Whoops, our shift ends in ten minutes. Probably shouldn't've gotten these, eh?"

He waved his partially eaten snack for emphasis.

"Yours."

"Wha?"

"Your shift ends in ten minutes. I'm not tired."

"Uh-uh," Duo admonished, now brandishing the half-consumed sandwich accusingly. "Even _you_ have to sleep. If I have to drug you to do it, I will."

The word "drug" made the former pilot of Wing Zero pause right before taking a third bite and stare at the sandwich suspiciously. Without another word, he laid it down, and resumed his unceasing vigilante.

Duo crammed the last bite into his mouth, chewed furiously for a moment and swallowed. There was an audible 'gulp' as he did so. With a hand, he beckoned. "If you're not gonna eat that, give it to me. I swear it's clean."

When the barely touched edible was pressed into his hand, he shrugged. "Whatever. Starve yourself to death, then."

Without further ado, he started from the other side of the sandwich and devoured it ravenously.

Nine more minutes passed in silence, then Duo yawned, got up, and shambled off to wake either Trowa or Wufei and go to sleep.

~

When the European of the emerald eyes[1] arrived quietly in the room just inside the entryway, a ghost of a smile passed over his features. He opened the closet, took out a spare jacket, and draped it over the sleeping form of pilot-01.

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[1]- I dunno, doesn't that remind you of the "Lost Years of Merlin" quintet by T.A. Barron, like Elen of the Sapphire eyes? I just suddenly thought of that when I was typing...

YamiHikari's Note- Now I'm listening to Dido... short chapter, eh? Just felt like it. Hm... have an overwhelming urge to draw now... either that, or sleep, I'm _really_ tired... too much schoolwork! All our projects are in March! It's not faaaaaiiir! I swear they're doing it deliberately, to laugh at our pain... okay, enough of me whining. In an act of shameless advertising, I think I shall try yammer about this in Assassin's Silver... daaang, g2g out to dinner... parents... Ja!