Awkward Silence, Part 1: The Incident

By Paz Enai

Disclaim: Dont own WG. Dont own it's chars. Its my plot, please tell me if you like/hate (in a nice, constructive crit way).

I pretend not to know why it happened, though I understand fully. I try to pretend it never happened, but I can't. I try to live like nothings changed, when it oh-so-clearly has. I try to think of a way I could've prevented it. The more I try, the more I realize there really wasn't anything anyone could have done about it. And that's why I can't get it out of my head, even after three years. I still think he'll call someday and ask to go do something 'exciting'. I've even caught myself waiting for the call, just to catch myself and realize that it's never going to happen. I've talked to the others. They say they understand, judging by the looks in their eyes, its no lie. I wish we could just realize it's true… He's never going to talk to us, or hang out with us, or anything, anymore.

I just wish there was something I could've done. I wish there was something anyone could've done.

I wish he …

"MAN! It's so nice out! Quatre this was a great idea! We should've done this sooner! What better way to celebrate life than to go out into it?"

Not far behind him Hiiro watched as Duo surveyed the bright blue sky and crisp, yet warm wind, the kind you could only get authentically on Earth. It was almost as if the Earth had trademarked and copyrighted such days so that it could control the demand well enough to make all things happy by such a perfectly timed, perfect day.

"It's nice."

"It's almost eighty degrees," he shouted gleefully, spinning to face the other man and eliciting chuckles from the living/sitting space beyond, "there's a GOURGEOUS breeze, there are birds chirping-that's big for a colonist- and it's actually sunny! This isn't nice, Hee-man, this is bliss!"

Smiling a little more wholly this time, Hiiro made a slight shrug before pushing past his American friend onto the deck. Duo walked back inside, on the arduous taste of convincing everyone to get outside, all except Wufei, who was cooking up something Chinese that had scent so strong and so good it was making everyone's stomachs growl. For this very reason they didn't fight too much as Duo practically pushed and shoved them to the wide paneled doors.

"I agree Duo, it is amazing out!" Quatre practically yipped in glee. True his voice was lighter than some of the rest of theirs, but it was most certainly no longer that cracking mess it was back when they all met.

Twenty-four years old and looking for an excuse to leave his god-forsaken office, Quatre had called them all up individually from their scattered places of dwelling and asked not if, but when they'd be able to take an extended vacation. Knowing the five of them as he did, Quatre knew that whatever dates he offered they were bound to take and work out the details later, after all, it had been a while, with Christmas now months past.

"Hmm, this would be a nice day for a hike, don't you all agree?" Inquired Wufei from the porch doors, with one hand in his gene pocket, other clasping a stirring spoon. "I just wanted to tell you that it's about done, if you wanted to get plates or something ready."

"Ah, thank you." Quatre replied for the rest of them and they all filed back in, except Duo.

"I'll be right in guys. It's too nice to pass up just yet," he said with a smile on his face and turned back to look over the yard of finely grown and mowed lawn that lead up to the forest beyond.

Quatre thought there was something odd in the way his smile had tilted, or perhaps in the way he turned, but assuming he had imagined it in all their excitement of being together again, he continued walking inside.

Shortly thereafter Duo came back in and helped them clear and set the table. They all ate a quick meal and decided to go for a walk, deciding a hike would make a better evening activity. Down to the lake they went and spent the most of the day. Being so far removed from other people was nice, especially when it could be just the five of them. No news, no work, no nothing but themselves.

"This isn't fair guys, I don't know how to cook!"

"Duo, we all agreed to take turns cooking meals. You agreed too," Hiiro badgered him.

"Actually, I think I was the unrepresented minority," He huffed back randomly picking up spices and reading the labels, putting some back, setting others aside. "I hope you guys don't mind being guinea pigs then…"

"I'm sure we'll live, we've fared worse," Hiiro said with a hint of a smile as he was about to leave Duo to his task. Barely audibly Hiiro though he heard something along the lines of 'You're lucky you can think that way about food.' He would've stopped to ask Duo what he meant, but he left at that moment to get dishes for cooking.

"Duo wake up, you've been asleep for almost fourteen hours already!" Wufei called for about the eleventh time that morning. He was standing on the outside of Duo's door in the cabin and had a posture of growing annoyance at the Americans lack of response.

Then he heard a groan and a stir and sighed. "Duo!"

"Lemme sleep. I don't ever seem to get enough sleep at home… It's vacation isn't it?"

"You can't honestly be this tired after that hike yesterday. Do you want breakfast or not? Quatre's cooking, you know?"

There was an assortment of sounds following that and then faint footsteps were heard. The door creaked open and Duo's head popped out. From what Wufei could tell he was just in his boxers.

"What do Arabians eat?"

"You'll have to see. I really couldn't tell you." Wufei shrugged lightly, smiling lightly at Duo's appearance.

"Hey, don't make fun of my bed hair you!" Duo called back, catching on. "You got long hair too!" and with that he reached forward and roughed up Wufei's hair.

"HEY!"

And with that they were off. Duo took off down the hall, Wufei close on his heals, both with hair down and utterly messed up.

"HIIRO! Open the door quick!" Duo yelled to the confused Japanese, who, seeing the two rushing for the back door, complied quickly.

"HEY, be careful guys! Do you want us to have to call damage control!" He called after them.

"Aww man! Now I'm tired again!" Duo said loudly as they finally sat for breakfast-if that's what a noon meal could be called.

"Tch, you've gotten lazy, Maxwell." Retorted Wufei, who was still slightly flushed from the excitement.

"Yeah well, if I have, " Duo started, lifting his head from its resting place on the table, "it's cause there's no need not to be anymore."

Wufei merely shrugged, true as it was.

"Here you go guys. I'm not sure if you'll like it or not, But it's the best I could come up with. I'm not all that great a cook," Quatre apologized before plates even made it to the table.

"Q-man, I'm sure it's fine," Duo said, taking a small plateful as soon as Quatre joined them at the table.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Once plates were filled up they each tried their pieces, Quatre watching curiously for their reactions. Duo seemed to be the most picky about it at first, but seemed to enjoy it most afterwards.

"I think I want the recipe Quat!" Duo said with a smile when he finished.

"I think it's a little bland of flavor, but I also think that's how it's supposed to taste, am I right?" Trowa asked, taking a smaller second helping.

"Thanks Duo. Yeah, it's not bland, well not to me. You just have to learn to taste the different parts. You're supposed to dip that bread in the custard, like Duo is, though you're not supposed to eat it off the serving plate, like he is…"

"Really, I was eating it right? Here I thought I was being creative!"

"I don't know Duo, I don't think it was that bad overall," Wufei stated leaning back heavily on his chair.

"You sure. I don't think my body liked it…"

"You're just saying that because you don't like my cooking," Hiiro teased.

"Oh you're just being silly, Duo!" Quatre replied, "But I guess if you didn't like it you didn't like it, right? Not a soup fan?"

"Not really, no."

Wufei, who was sitting across from them leaned forward, a look of surprise on his face, was that a look of pain he'd just see upon Duo's face. Looking over to Quatre with his eyes he was sure that he'd seen it as well.

"Duo, are you alright?"

"Fine."

"Duo are you sure," Quatre tried to worm some information out of him.

The other two, who had been taking about something mechanical, were oblivious to the sudden ordeal and looked over suddenly with confused faces.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Are you sure Duo?" Wufei asked at the same time that Hiiro spoke up: "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Yeah, I'm cool. I just need a nap…" he said and started to get up.

Wufei and Quatre exchanged worried looks, but the others remained silent.

"No really guys, I'm fine. It just happens sometimes, is all. I'll sleep and be better."

"Duo," Wufei started, "You've been sleeping a lot."

Quatre moved then to try to get Duo to sit, but instead caused him to flinch away. Now there were worried looks on all their faces.

"I get jumpy when I don't feel good. Really, I'll be fine, guys," he said and started to walk to the hall, slowly. In fact he walked so slowly that Hiiro, on impulse, got up and grabbed him by the elbow so he wouldn't collapse.

Duo didn't react to the touch, almost as if he expected it, or didn't notice it.

"I'm fine… Just a little icky feeling, and maybe a little dizzy."

"Duo, that is not fine!" Wufei yelled, not to be mean, just worriedly, as he stood up and went to help Hiiro. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital?"

"NO!" Duo shouted turning with an uneven movement to face Wufei. "That's not for now. I'll be fine. It happens all the time, I just never can predict it. There just must've been too much salt in the food. Let me sleep and drink my water and I'll be just fine again when I wake up. I promise."

"Duo…How long have you been-" Trowa started, but was cut of by Duo's waving hand.

"Doesn't matter. Hiiro, can you help me to my room?"

Hiiro nodded and obliged. Water was brought and Duo fell, most promptly, asleep.

"What does he mean 'too much salt'? It anything the soup was salt-less."

"I don't know Wufei. I'm glad we noticed his reaction though… As I think back on it, I have this bad feeling that he's been trying to hide this from us all along."

"I agree. When he was making dinner he said something about me not having to worry about what I eat, or something…"

"We've been here for four days together, how could we not have noticed?" Wufei added.

"Now what I think about it, he hasn't been eating much…" Trowa admitted, sounding defeated.

"And sleeping a lot" Wufei added.

"Do you guys think there's something clinically wrong with him?"

"Maybe. He seemed really against going to the hospital. Maybe he's trying to hide from the hospital, or maybe he ran away?" Quatre thought out loud.

"Do you really think he'd do that?" Trowa asked, looking up.

"He was a thief at one point, wasn't he? I think I remember him alluding to that at some point before."

Hiiro's comment was the last one followed by almost twenty minutes of silence. There was a muffled noise down the hall and they looked up.

"Did Duo get up?"

Before anyone could answer the question the door creaked open and way-too-pale Duo peeked through leaning against the doorframe. In something that hardly resembled any form of human voice he croaked out, "Okay… You were right… Hospital."

As if broken out of a trance at the conclusion of his broken sentence, they all leapt up and got to action. Hiiro and Wufei walked over to him and helped him down the hall into a chair while Trowa and Quatre searched for car keys, anyone's.

"Duo, what-"

"Hurry. It wasn't bad. Mild paralysis stroke…Alergy…"

"You had a stroke! DUO-"

"Shh my allergy… Too much salt." He cut Hiiro off.

"You're allergic to salt?!" Wufei said too loudly, as it caused Duo to flinch in pain.

"We have keys. My car" Quatre called out, and they all moved.

"Allergic… Hypersensitive…"

"Duo, be quiet, if you're hypersensitive to salt talking is going to dry you out." Hiiro stated as he, almost single-handedly lifted Duo to his feet. "Christ, you're light!"

It sounded as though he was about to apologize so Wufei called to the others that they were coming, and he fell silent again. Trowa grabbed a bunch of water bottles and met the rest of them at the car. It was only a five passenger, but Wufei and Hiiro had come to silent agreement that Duo would lay across them so he could sleep, water bottles handy for when he woke up in dry coughing fits.

"How much further Quatre, he's getting worse."

" I know, I know! The towns there, you can see it from here, on that hill. Five minutes tops."

"Punch it then!" Wufei yelled at him, startling Quatre into doing just that, not that they weren't going fast enough as it was.

Trowa, who had apparently been on his cell phone, mentioned now, "I called ahead. If we didn't we'd probably have to wait a good while, even this far in the middle of nowhere."

No one said anything, but they were all thankful.

"Hiiro. Hold him firm-"

"Wha-"

"DO IT!" Wufei yelled. No sooner as Hiiro obliged awful chills- seizures, almost- racked Duo's body. Hiiro would've asked Wufei how he noticed, but he was trying his hardest to not hurt Duo more than he already was.

Let me know what you think about it or what you think'll happen. I wanna know if it's turning out how you think it will and if that's how it really is.