"In The Stars" Chapter 5

A rustle in the grass drew Wufei's attention, he rolled his head to see Duo approaching. "You couldn't sneak up on a blind man," Wufei commented as the man came closer.

"I know you wanted space and such but I was getting worried," Duo said seeming to ignore Wufei's observation.

"Sorry about that," Wufei mumbled turning to look back at the sky.

"I know," Duo said with a shrug in his voice. "I shouldn't have said all that, you know better how you feel than I do."

"You're probably right though," Wufei said as Duo's shadow fell over him, the braided man sitting down beside him.

"I'm just going to leave that alone," Duo's voice drifted from above him. "But your shoulder still concerns me. Can I just look at it to make sure for myself?"

Wufei turned to face him, with a sigh he pulled himself into a sitting position. "All right," he conceded as Duo raised his hands to push the sleeve of his left arm up.

Duo was careful as he exposed the shoulder, a dark blue and black mark almost covering it completely. "That looks serious maybe you should go and have it looked at." Duo's fingers gently probed the shoulder earning a heated hiss from Wufei. "It looks bad and doesn't feel much better under my fingers; you might have really hurt it."

"Are you a doctor, it is most likely just bruised, I didn't feel anything break," Wufei answered pulling the sleeve back down, biting back another hiss.

"If it doesn't look better tomorrow will you please go have it looked at?" Duo pleaded.

"All right, if you'll drop it," Wufei agreed.

"Okay then it is a deal," Duo said with a nod of his head.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Wufei started to say before pausing for a moment. "How come you haven't made any moved toward Heero?"

Duo blushed deeply at the question. "I just don't want to lose his friendship... or make a complete fool out of myself," Duo said in response.

Wufei couldn't believe what he was thinking. Thinking of helping Duo get over his fears and get with Heero. He was no matchmaker but he felt an urge to help them get together. Yet it wasn't just Duo and Heero but he also saw something between Quatre and Trowa. "Duo do you think there might be something between Trowa and Quatre?"

"Absolutely," Duo answered. "They're always together and I don't know how many times Trowa's defended the little blonde."

"Just wondered, it looked like it," Wufei replied lying back down. "If you want my opinion I say go for it. Heero may not openly act toward you like I've seen Trowa do but I still see something there."

"Huh, are you giving me advice when..." Duo said almost shocked.

"Yeah so what, I'll keep my opinions to myself from now on," Wufei snapped out starting at the darkening sky.

"No, I was just surprised," Duo said quickly. "My best friend had always made his thoughts known, and you actually repeated some advice he told me once."

"Oh, well I was just telling you what I see every single day between you two," Wufei said with a grunt.

"You have some good eyes then," Duo said with a laugh. "It's getting late we should probably head back, I'm hungry anyway."

"All right I guess," Wufei sighed slowly getting up. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his right shoulder. Wufei quietly followed after Duo lost in some strange thoughts about playing matchmaker, of course it would get his mind off his own problems with Treize.

Several days later Wufei sat beside Duo in the dinning hall, his left arm in a sling. They had wanted to keep it immobile while they had wrapped the shoulder. Heero and Trowa sat across from them when Quatre sat down beside Duo. The blonde looked at Wufei before speaking, "I heard that Professor Khushrenda checked to see if you went to the care center."

"Quat lets not talk about the Professors today," Duo said hoping to divert the conversation.

"Oh," Quatre replied unsure.

"I heard you won some tickets Trowa," Duo said starting a new conversation on a totally unrelated topic.

"Yeah to a concert but I already have tickets. Would you be interested in them?" Trowa answered holding the pair up.

"If you don't want them," Duo replied, a more or less yes. Trowa handed them over and Wufei could see the braided man in a quandary.

"Too bad I've got stuff to do, sure would have liked to have gone," Wufei said making it clear he'd turn Duo down if asked.

Wufei could see Duo swallow as it seemed there was only one other person left, Heero. "Uh, Heero would you be interested in going with me?" Duo forced himself to say without too many stumbles.

Heero didn't say anything for several minutes causing Duo to sigh. "Who is it?" He suddenly asked surprising everyone at the table.

"Oh, uh Aqua," Duo said smiling; he was going to get to see his favorite group live.

"All right," Heero said with a slight twitch to his lips, which Wufei interpreted as a hidden smile.

Duo opened his mouth to say something before Heero answered, but his lips hung open in silence at the two words. Wufei elbowed him in the side causing his mouth to snap shut. "Oh, all right great, we can all go together," he suggested looking at Trowa and his obvious date Quatre.

"Sure, sounds good," Quatre said brightly, both missing the twin looks of regret that passed over Trowa and Heero's faces.

Wufei couldn't stop himself from snickering at the display the two made. It earned him two frowns and two questioning looks. "Never mind, sounds like you guys are going to have fun," he said stabbing at the meat on the plate before him.

"Are you sure?" Duo asked.

"Positive, I've got stuff I need to get done," Wufei repeated putting on a cheeky smile.

The five left the dining hall several minutes later, laughing and joking amongst each other. They leisurely walked across campus back to their hall. The evening was falling upon the campus, casting it in shadows.

Two days later Wufei sat watching a fidgeting Duo on his bed. "It is going to be fine," Wufei assured him. "Actually I think Heero wanted to go with you alone, just be your charming self."

"That is so easy for you to say," Duo replied. "You'd understand if you were going on a date with the profess."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Now get going or you'll be late meeting them," Wufei said pushing Duo out of his room and shutting the door.

The Chinese man sighed as he heard Duo walk away; he was doing all this to forget about Treize. He sat back down to work on his homework but found himself unable to concentrate on the subject. Sliding his chair back nosily against the tile floor he decided to go for a short walk.

The cool night air seemed to do little to calm him. He forced himself to think about his four friends and just how well they were getting along. He did truly want to help them but he also wanted it to take his mind off Treize forever.

A slight noise caught his attention causing him to look around. Wufei found himself in the campus park on the south end, near the dorms. The noise came again just before he was suddenly shoved forward. The movement caught him off balance, sending him to the ground in a heap. He whipped his head around to stare into blue eyes framed by long blonde hair.

Milliardo pounced on him sending his left shoulder driving into the dirt. Before he really knew what was happening the blonde was applying a lot of pressure to that shoulder, the pain excruciating. When it stopped he wasn't sure he could even breathe. Milliardo kicked him in the ribs and stomach several times. "Not so tough by yourself, you piece of shit!"

After several more brutal kicks and Milliardo standing on his shoulder the blonde left him there, laying in a terribly pain and coughing up blood. He hadn't cried out but he thought he just might pass out. Sometime later he slowly pushed himself up and inched his way back to his room. His shoulder was probably broken along with a few ribs. He made it back to his room finally and collapsed on his bed a mass of pain.

He realized he must have finally passed out because it took Duo's banging on his door to stir him. He wasn't able to move and when the braided man charged in his mouth opened to say something, yet nothing came out. The last ting he saw that night was Duo rushing over to him with that concerned look in his eyes.

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