Alright, you know the disclaimer and warning by now....
Dedication: WWS and Utsubame! You guys rock baby!
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CHAPTER 30
Heero rushed towards his burning house. Fire was visible through windows, out some doors, and in some places small flames were sprouting up in the grass. He got right up to the door before realizing with frustration that he couldn't go in that way. Just looking through the front pane showed that the front hall was ablaze.
Duo was in there.
The mere thought made Heero's breath quicken and his adrenaline spiked. He had to get to him, to save him. What if he was trapped? Stuck in a room, surrounded by fire. Bunching his muscles, Heero took off for the back door, sprinting like a gazelle. Heero leaped at the door and wrenched it open. The assailing cloud of smoke, made him turn his head and cough, his eyes bleary with tears. Heero pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose and headed in. The fire wasn't as strong back here, but the smoke made the entire area look hazy. Heero's only thought was that Duo could be anywhere, and Heero had to find him. Opening doors as he went down the hallway, the heat got stronger and the smoke thicker. Crouching down, to get away from the heaviest of smoke, Heero continued his search. He was nearly to the front of the house now, where the fire seemed to be strongest. If he went to much further, he would walk into a wall of fire. Heero made a sharp turn and headed towards the stairs, his breath coming in painful rasps. There. On the stairs. Something was lying there.
Unable to prevent it, with a loud cry he called out Duo's name. Heero ran straight to Duo's side and turned him over. For the first time in his life he was panicked and not in complete control of his emotions. Instead of checking him over though, Heero cradled Duo in his arms and headed as swiftly as possible towards the nearest exit.
The fire roared and spread. As the smoke thickened, Heero lost sight of the nearest front door, and found his head growing hazy. Shaking, he got on his knees, and dragged Duo along under him, securing Duo's braid on top of him. Slowly he turned into the nearest room and headed for the window. The smoke seemed to be flowing towards it, and upon further investigation, he realized the window was broken. Hoisting Duo into his arms, he kicked out the broken glass and pulled him and Duo out, onto the lawn and ran out onto the lawn, safely away from the burning structure behind him.
~*~*~
Quatre took the tea kettle off of the stove as the tell-tale whistle announced the waters temperature to be right. He poured the water into a blue spode cup and waited for the tea bag to seep its taste throughout the water. Quatre sat down, enjoying the little time to himself he had. Often he was swamped with business matters, world politics, or national crises. But in his kitchen, with his tea, everyone knew he was to be left alone. He didn't take advantage of it, never spending too long in there.
Quatre rested his head in his hands, staring absently out the window. It was beautiful out, the sun still set early, so the sun made the clouds gleam warm peaches and pinks. The coniferous trees surrounding his property lent a great silhouette, perfect for some romantic postcard, or something. (A/n: are there such a thing as romantic postcards?) The pale grey smoke trailing to the right was a lovely touch as well, you could almost imagine the small log cabin with a bright fire burning. Quatre let his eyes slide over to the smoke, curious as to what was its cause, and noticed it growing thicker and darker, broiling like angry waves upon the sea.
Becoming alarmed, Quatre stood and moved to the window. Thick vicious smoke leaped over the tree line, while small tips of flame would occasionally rise. Setting down his cup, Quatre calmly walked to the ranch style doors and stepped into the hallway. Taking in a deep breath, Quatre screamed. "FIRE!!!"
~*~*~
Heero lay Duo down, and then crouched on his hands and knees, taking in small breaths of fresh air, trying to keep himself from coughing. When his breathing was under control, and he was no longer shaking from lack of O2. Heero examined Duo. He seemed to breathing, thankfully, but they were short raspy breaths. His skin was covered in sooty sweat, his lips were parched looking and his skin bright red. Duo's arms had some minor burns on them, but nothing appeared to serious. Holes were burned through parts of Duo's clothes, and in one spot, the elbow was completely burned through, and there on Duo's elbow was probably the worst burn. In fact, Heero was a little curious as to why Duo's hair wasn't burning as well. If his clothes had set on fire so easily, you would think that his hair would have too, but instead it felt almost moist, perhaps he had been in the shower recently?
Deciding that wasn't important, Heero began talking lowly to Duo, slapping his cheek, and fanning him as best he could. "Duo? Come on love, wake up, nows not the time for sleeping." Duo's head lolled to the side a little and his eyebrows crinkled up a tad. "Duo, please wake up, you need to be awake!" Duo lips opened and a small raspy cough emanated forth. Water, Duo needed some water
"Heero!" A voice called out, from across the lawn. "Heero! Whats going on!? Are you guys alright?" Quatre and Trowa ran across the lawn to where the two figures were laying. Heero spared them a short glance, just long enough to notice Quatre was soaking wet. Quatre reached them first and knelt down next to him. "What happened?" He put a calloused hand on Duo's forehead.
"I don't know yet, I wasn't home. . . ." Heero raised Duo in his arms. "We need some water. . . . something, he so hot . . . ." Quatre looked around. Then nodding grimly. He ordered Trowa to go get some from a nearby gardening shack. While he waited for Trowa, Quatre stood over Duo and wrung water from his soaking shirt onto Duo's neck and face.
Duo coughed a dry raspy hack, his eyes opened and he looked around. Obviously disorientated, he looked around and captured Heero's glance. "Heero?" He croaked and pulled himself up a bit. "What are we. . . . what are. . . . we," His eyes had shifted to the fire, the fire that was ravaging his newly-found home. The flames reflected in his eyes, that and his soot covered face and burned and tattered clothes made him look like a soul condemned to Hell. "No!!!" He cried out in an anguished sigh and stood, almost leaping off towards the house.
"Duo! Love, you can't go back there! Its okay! Houses can be rebuilt, don't risk your health over something you can't change!" Heero pulled him back and put a supporting arm around him.
Duo looked at him, wide-eyed. "NO! THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THERE, HEERO!" They all looked at Duo, perplexed. "Four! They were four of them. . . . upstairs. . . . the paint," He tried to push away from Heero but wasn't able to get away.
"What do you mean people, Duo? What are you talking about?" Heero turned Duo to him and made him look straight in his eyes. Unfortunately, Duo couldn't answer because he was coughing again. As soon as he regained his breath, a loud siren wailed nearby. Duo's eyes widened.
"They can't see me, Heero!" His voice cracked. "I'm not supposed to be seen like this, its supposed to be confidential." Duo looked over at the gardener's hut Trowa was emerging from with a bucket of water. "I'll be in there. . . . Tell them there are four people in there, I mean it!" With that Duo pulled away from Heero and waddled over to the hut, pausing and speaking briefly with Trowa, before disappearing inside.
Quatre and Heero looked at each other. Four people? Inside? What could that possibly mean, and more importantly why were they there. Shrugging, Heero went followed the truck and hailed a firemen. . . .
~*~*~
Three hours later, Heero was able to wave off the last fireman. He rubbed a weary hand over his eyes and face, blinking owlishly at the truck as it pulled out. As soon as it was out of his driveway, he ran to the gardeners hut to check on Duo. He was leaned against a wall, his eyes closed and his breathing deep.
Heero laughed, despite the seriousness of the day. Duo could sleep anywhere it seemed, Heero's face sobered. Not to mention today had probably been particularly stressful on him. With a contemplative frown, he opened the door to where Quatre was hovering anxiously. "Quatre? Can you get us a car?" The blond Arabian (a/n: I swear that has to be an oxymoron) nodded. "Do it then, we need to get him to Dr. Croats."
~*~*~
Duo slept through most of the car ride, he woke occasionally, babbling, asking about the people in the house and coughing. It worried Heero, but Quatre assured him it was probably exhaustion. When they got there, Duo woke up enough to walk himself inside.
Duo shivered. He remembered now why he was avoiding this place, he was tired of being coddled and told what to do. Now he was back. He knew he would have had to return eventually. With a resolute sigh, he leaned against Heero, hoping to look too ill for a reprimand, but the way the doctor was scowling, he wasn't sure it would work.
"DUO MAXWELL!?! Just where have you been this last month!" Dr. Croats glared down at Duo, "If it wasn't for you calling in to rudely tell our secretary you wouldn't make your appointment, I'd have feared you dead!" The old doctor's nostrils were flaring like a soon to spew volcano.
With a pathetic glance, Duo looked up and Heero for support, and saw him about to have an apoplectic fit. Moving away from Heero's shoulder, he sighed. "This is why I don't want to come here."
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Über much thanks to Utsubame for helping me with the ending!
I can't thank you beautiful people enough for helping me. I felt so obligated to get a chapter out. So I did. Even tho this week was exam week. ^____^ I was bound to fail either way so its okay. SO! Doumo Arigatou Gozaimashita bows and lays self prostrate on floor (ya know, I find it hilarious when people write prostate instead of prostrate.... laughs maybe its just me)
Ja ne!
~Annie Maxwell
