Chapter Eight, dundundun! Everybody clap and applaud...oh, and review !

Disclaimer: I, Sutoomu(Storm), do NOT own Gundam Wing in any way. None at all. This fanfiction was made purely for fun and does not get me money in any way. Besides, it's not as though I have any money to be sued for...

Hiryonin Ichimei

Slave Life

Storm

Heero had repressed the urge to yell in fury and throw one of his knives at Duo. He had constantly chattered Heero's ears off ever since lunch, and Heero, who was normally a quiet, unsocial boy, had thought he was being driven mad. He had told the baka to shut up numerous times, but Duo simply ignored him. Finally, Heero had stormed off, leaving Duo alone in the middle of a bare hallway, hoping beyond hope that the Draeid would get lost. He had relocated to the target court, practicing his throwing knives. After a few hours he realized he kept missing his mark, his mind filled with new worry about his slave, and abandoned any thoughts of completing his original target objective. He threw his knives down carelessly and fell to a sitting position on the ground, thinking. How could a slave, who was noisy, annoying, rebellious, disobedient, and constantly happy, cause him to have so much anxiety in his mind? No one had ever ruined Heero's knife practice before, but this new slave, this Draeid…Duo was different.

Heero called a household slave into the room and asked that someone locate Duo and bring him to his room. The slave slipped out, relaying the message through the lines. Heero never understood how the slaves managed to communicate so fast, and he didn't truly care how. He was just glad of their speed as the slave returned a few minutes later. What he said surprised Heero.

"The personal Draeid slave, Duo Maxwell, is already in master's room," he said, and Heero waved him away.

Duo went back. He could have easily run away, but he went back. And to Heero's room no less. Heero stood up and left, muttering in his mind as he strode to his quarters. He pushed the door open, steeling himself to endure Duo's mind numbing talk, and looked around the empty room in confusion, then noticed the open window.

Panic and sorrow swept through Heero's mind. Duo was gone. He had left, run away. He bolted, then stopped himself. Why was he thinking that? Why was he sad about a simple slave running away? No, he should check and then send out the slave-hunters to go retrieve him. But that thought filled him with dread as he imagined Duo in shackles again, being beaten by the slave-guards for running away. How in the bloody stars had a slave like Duo turned him into a softie in one day? Heero swallowed, pondering as he walked calmly towards the window, his cold, soldier face on the outside, a deep hope to see the braided baka on the inside.

Heero stuck his head out the window, then jumped and knocked it on the window. "Hey, Heero."

"Duo?" Heero swallowed as he looked to the side. Duo had shimmied out onto the thick window ledge and sat, his legs dangling over, staring up at the night sky. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking," Duo replied, his voice soft and lacking the hyper tone it usually held. "And looking at the stars."

"Oh."

"Want to join me?" Duo looked at him. Heero stared into Duo's soft shadowed eyes, then relented and shimmied out as well, sitting beside the Draeid. His hand brushed Duo's braid, but he left it beside him. They sat in silence, Duo gazing at the twinkling dots of light in the black night sky. Heero looked up as well.

"I've never looked at the stars before," he whispered.

"Never? Never before?" Duo asked.

"Well, I've seen them and I know they're there, but I've never sat and just looked at them," Heero replied.

"Oh," Duo seemed sad for him, and he looked up again. It was silent between them as they looked, Heero for the first real time. Duo finally breathed in deeply. "I've always love the night sky," he said softly, voice full of memories. "I figure, no matter what happens to me here, the sky never changes. It's a solid picture, the same stars shining each night, over and over again. No matter what I go through, I'll always get through it and I'll get to see the solid night sky again, an unwavering thing. No matter how many things happen on this earth, the night sky will always be there, a place for me to go. It gives me peace inside. And I know that all the people I love can see the sky just like I can…"

Heero was wracked by an incredible sense of guilt, then utter peace and curiousity as Duo's voice lilted over him. He looked up at the stars, trying to understand how Duo saw it. Duo suddenly smiled. Heero knew, because when Duo smiled, everything seemed to brighten up. "I used to take all the stars and draw pictures or make words by connecting them when I was younger. And see the moon?" Heero looked as Duo continued. "The moon always looks like a graveyard to me."

"A graveyard?" Heero repeated, staring up at the shining silver orb. Duo nodded and they fell into silence again, Heero wondering about the stars and the moon and the night sky and why Duo loved it for the reasons he did. It finally slipped into his mind. Slaves had lives, just like he did. He wondered what Duo's life had been before he was captured.

There was a small sound of a clatter of trays, and Duo pricked up. "Hey, dinner, Heero!" he grinned. "Get inside, let me through. I'm famished!" Heero complied as soon as he knew the serving slave was gone and slipped back inside the room. He closed the window behind them as Duo ran to inspect the evening's meal. Heero sat down, staring in wonder as the unique boy who affected him bit into a chicken leg.

This is Chapter eight. You know the drill. Review, pleasey please, and help me out here, peoples Please don't flame...I'm sensitive, heheh.

Storm