Xtine: I know, I know. But this time I meant my brain would be more numb than usual. Hee hee. Anyway, I'm glad you still like the airport scene. I've always been rather partial to it myself. People watching is fun!
Chase: I love you too! And you are a great writer. You just have a very interesting take on things…
Lost-Remembrance: Thank you. Here's your update.
Computer Geek Michelle: I'm on an alert list! Yay! Thank you. And sorry they're always pretty short. For some reason I really have a lot of trouble coming up with anything longer…
Yaeko: Thanks about the midterm. It really could have gone either way, but I'm not too happy with the odds… I don't think they're in my favour. My only consolation is that I know I will do much better on my French and biology ones this week.
BlackRain88: Sorry about the little cliffhanger. Something tells me you're not going to be too pleased with me at the end of this part then…
Prozacfairy: Yes, happy endings all around. I really hate writing the sad ones, but I do it occasionally. This however, is not one of those cases. Heero and Duo will both live.
And here's the next part:
Part 4: The Story
Duo felt much better. The damp braid that lay against his back and soaked his shirt reminded him of the shower he had just taken. He was wearing a fresh set of clothes, and even the practically inedible sludge the hospital cafeteria called food had worked wonders. He was a bit tired, but hearing about what had happened to Heero kept him more than awake.
Still sitting at a table in the cafeteria, Duo pushed his tray aside and looked expectantly at Quatre.
"As I told you when I first contacted you, Heero was in a crash, a shuttle crash, to be more precise. I had just gotten out of a business meeting here when I saw it on the news. It was a private shuttle, no one else was on it, and no other shuttle was involved. We have no idea what caused it – it looks like the only person who many be able to tell us is Heero." Quatre looked at him sympathetically.
"And he's really in no condition to do that, now is he?" Duo sighed. "All right, well, that explains how you were here before I was, but Tro', L3's quite a ways away. And L5's even farther, 'Fei."
"Une sent me here on Preventers' duty with Sally for a few days," Wufei replied.
"I came with Quatre." The blonde blushed furiously at Trowa's answer, quickly looking down at the table. Trowa smiled fondly at him before continuing, "I checked the shuttle data and there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, it had just been inspected the previous week, and had had a new part installed. According to its report, it was in perfect condition. There was no signed of bullet or beam marks anywhere on it, so Heero was not attacked. The last possible explanation is pilot error."
Duo snorted. "Come on, this is Heero Yuy we're talking about! He doesn't do pilot errors!"
Trowa shrugged. "I don't know, Duo. I guess we'll just have to wait until Heero can tell us."
They talked for a little while longer, Duo becoming more and more agitated. His friends seemed to notice this and all excused themselves. Wufei had to make sure his partner, the weak onna, hadn't messed anything up. Quatre had another meeting to attend and Trowa was checking on arrangements for Katherine and the circus. Duo made his way back to Heero's room, grateful for the lull in activity that meant he could just sit with his injured friend.
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Duo pulled a chair up next to the bed and flopped down into it. He stared at Heero for a while, just watching his fellow ex-pilot sleep, before he unraveled his still damp braid. Rummaging through his bag, he finally found his hairbrush and started slowly pulling it though the tresses that fell over his back and shoulders.
All tangles brushed out, Duo set his brush down. He stood up and hovered over Heero's still form, listening to the deep and even breathing. 'He looks so…peaceful.' Now that Heero was sleeping, all the hardness had disappeared from his features. He looked younger and more relaxed, almost as though his training had never happened, as though he hadn't gone through everything he had. Duo sighed contentedly and brushed a piece of Heero's hair off his face, smiling slightly as it fell right back into place as soon as he had removed his hand. The smile faded as he caught sight of a large bruise on the far side of the Japanese boy's neck. He leaned over to get a better look and a strand of damp hair slipped off his shoulder and slid across the bridge of Heero's nose.
Duo jumped back, holding his breath and staying perfectly still, as though that would stop Heero from waking up if he already had. When Heero still hadn't shown any sign of being awake, his even breathing not altering at all, Duo closed his eyes, quietly lowered himself back into his chair, and sighed softly. He really confused himself. First he couldn't wait for Heero to wake up, then he found himself trying to make sure Heero stayed asleep. He wanted to talk to Heero – after all, he hadn't since the end of the war just over a year ago – but he didn't want to. He wanted to know how – not to mention what – the Japanese pilot had been doing for that single long year they were apart. He wanted to know what had happened to land him in the hospital, but he didn't want to. What if, despite what Trowa said, Heero had been attacked? That could mean another war could be gearing up, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know about that at the moment…
Duo sighed again and opened his eyes. He glanced towards the bed, only to find wide prussian eyes staring back at him. His heart fluttered in his chest and before he could lose himself in Heero's deep blue eyes Duo launched himself into talking to the other boy.
"Hey Buddy! How're ya doin'? What have you been up to? It's hard to believe it's been over a year already, isn't it? What happened? Does your head hurt? How 'bout your ribs? We've been worried sick about – " Heero's lips moved. "What's that Heero?"
"I'm alive," came the familiar monotone, harsher and more gravelly than he remembered due to a day of not being used.
"Of course you're alive! Would I be talking to a corpse? But just barely, man. That must have been one hell of a crash! What happened?"
But Heero wasn't listening to Duo. He had pushed the blankets off and was throwing a leg over the side of the bed. Duo hopped out of his chair to push Heero back down onto the bed. Being so close to Heero, Duo heard the whispered, "Mission failed."
Duo froze in the middle of tucking the freed leg back under the white sheets. "What did you say? What mission?" he demanded sharply.
Heero suddenly became more coherent, more like a soldier reporting than someone who had just woken up after being in an accident. "When something is no longer required, it is disposed of. There is peace now. Soldiers are not needed anymore. I am not needed anymore."
Duo stared dumbly at Heero, not wanting to believe what had just been implied. "Why?" The word was a barely audible whisper, a harsh and broken exhalation of air, but Heero heard it.
"I know nothing but how to be a soldier, and fighting is not necessary in this time of peace."
Duo broke in then, interrupting Heero's excuse. "But you could learn! You could learn to live a normal life, one not filled with pain and suffering and war. You could be happy."
Heero didn't seem to hear him. He kept on with his own train of thought, not stopping to listen to Duo. "No one would care if I killed myself. The world would probably be better off if I did."
A resounding slap filled the air. Heero didn't flinch, but his eyes widened in surprise.. Duo watched the skin of Heero's cheek redden and, ignoring his stinging palm and the matching colour forming on it, bit out "You selfish, inconsiderate little prick! Did you not think of the people you would be leaving behind? What your death would do to them?" His voice had risen by now, but he didn't notice, nor would he have cared even if he had.
"Not good enough." Heero shook his head. "That's just not good enough. Besides, no one would care," he repeated dully.
Duo's fists clenched, his nails making crescent-moon shapes on his palms. "Damn it, Heero, I would care," he said, his voice dropping. "I love you, you insensitive, suicidal jerk. Isn't that enough?"
Heero rocked back, shocked more by those three little words leaving Duo's mouth than he had been when Deathscythe's pilot had hit him.
Duo bit his tongue lightly, wondering what the hell had possessed him to blurt those words out. 'I can't believe I just told him that.' He smirked at the stricken look on Heero's face. 'Well, well, it seems Mr. Perfect Soldier can be caught unawares after all…'
And before Heero could even think of something to say, Duo turned and left the room, his loose hair fanning out in a wide arc behind him.
End Part 4
Okay, well there it is. This is another busy week for me, so I'm not promising anything regarding the last little part of this fic. I have two (French and bio) midterms, a chem lab, physics homework, and a French paper that I have to get done, so I'm sorry if it takes a little bit for me to get it out. Next week should be much better though. Not. I only have a chem quarterly, physics homework, a calc quiz, a physics lab, and another French paper due… Blah. I will get it to you as soon as I can though.