Haunted Memories

Chapter 3

A/N: For those you keep coming back, thank you.

Disclaimer: I dont own them, not a single one...yet...

Warnings: None yet..

-Life is a privilige, not a right. Friends are even more so.-

The bus ride gave them both the chance to warm up, although not too much. Duo could hardly make it upstairs to his apartment. He felt so exhausted. He was surprised that Wufei even knew where it was. At the door he fumbled with his keys. He just could not find the right one.

"Come on, sheesh, it's not like I haven't ever unlocked my door before," Duo muttered feeling like an idiot and trying not to let his anger show. Giving up, he shoved the keys at Wufei. "Here, you try it." Neither said anything when Wufei was able to open the door a few moments later.

Duo peeled off his jack as he walked through the door. He tossed it onto the floor and headed towards the bathroom, flipping the light switch on his way.

"I'm getting in the shower. You can turn up the heat or even change into a pair of my clothes. I even have food at the moment, but of course nothing hard to drink. Hilde was here yesterday. Make yourself comfortable." Duo's voice started to fade and then was completely drowned out as he closed the bathroom door and turned on the water.

Wufei wasn't sure quite what he was supposed to do. He knew the braided ex-pilot was upset, rightly so. He just nodded at what seemed to be the right moments and kept his mouth shut. He was a lot like Yuy in that aspect. He wasn't quite experienced in the friend field. He was surprised he had offered Duo company. He was hoping not to regret that decision. Duo usually talked nonstop and never seemed to have a care in the world. The Duo he saw now was so different he wasn't sure what to do.

Wufei hung his jacket on the door. He walked over to the small dresser to look to see if there would be anything that he would feel comfortable. When he opened the drawer he drew in a quick breath. The second drawer down contained clothes that had belonged to Heero. He had forgotten that Heero and Duo had lived together for a while.

Wufei sighed and closed the drawer. Looking through the others, he found what he figured Duo wore as pagamas. They fit loosely and were actually quite comfortable. Both the top and bottom were overly large and airy made out of a very soft fabric, and of course, they were black. Afterwards, he raided the cupboards and the refridgerator. He decided on making some miso soup, enough for the both of them just in case he could get Duo to eat some.

Wufei was sitting on the bed that was made, figuring it wasn't Duo's. He was leafing through an old manga magazine when Duo came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a very short, very small towel. Wufei's eyes widened and he tried to swallow withut looking conspicuous. Too late.

"Sheesh Wufei, you've seen more than this before, settle," Duo said with a half wry smile. His friend's face turned pink with the tips of his ears bright red.

"I made some miso soup," Wufei said with a cough. He stood and walked to the kitchen. He made sure to keep his back to Duo. "Get a grip, will ya?" he muttered under his breath. Duo was right, he had seen more and he himself had even shown more. So what was the deal? Wufei also noticed that Duo was keeping silent which was unuasual. Normally, Duo would be teasing him relentlessly by this point.

The blush finally gone, Wufei turned off the stove and poured the soup into two bowls he had to search for. Maxwell had no organizational skills at all. He was hoping the long-haired man was decent when he went to turn around. He was, but barely. Duo had put on a pair of black boxers.

"Here is some soup," Wufei said handing a bowl over to Duo. He just nodded in response and took the bowl. "I can see that your idea of modesty hasn't changed," Wufei jabbed trying to lighten the mood.

"Eh, you know me. I've always been the one least worried about that subject." He watched Wufei roll his eyes with an almost smile. The silence stretched on, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Duo, how have you been, seriously?" Wufei asked. "I mean after we thought everything was over, we all split up. I didn't really bother keeping in touch and then everything happened. I hav not even spoken to you since the funeral and even then I don't think I said more than ten words." He said all this quickly wanting to get as much as he could out and spoken before he decided to just keep his mouth shut.

Duo set down his half empty bowl, gave Wufei a weird look, and then laughed. It wasn't faked or forced, but a real genuine laugh. Wufei was really confused and wondered if Duo had lost his mind. At the look on Wufei's face, Duo laughed even harder.

"Would you like to explain yourself, Maxwell?"

"Wu-man," Duo started, but was quickly interrupted by a set of hiccups. "That was the most I have ever heard you say at one time without you going on a tirade," he finished with another round of giggles, which infected his friend sitting across from him.

"Is the great Wufei actually giggling?" Duo was barely able to get out. Wufei tried to answer with a glare that would rival Heero's anyday. This went them into another round of laughter.

"Ok, ok. Time to breathe," Duo sputtered as they fought to get their laughing under control. "So what have you been up to my friend?"

As Wufei was still trying to breathe half way normal, Duo got a chance to actually look at his friend. Wufe still kept his black hair pulled back into a short ponytail. His face showed a maturity that was not there before and his eyes were looked older than they should be in such a young man. His skin seemed so pale against the the black fabric he was wearing. He hadd stayed thin, but muscular. His voice had deepened to a low baritone timbre. Duo allowed himself a small smile.

"I have actually been working on Earth, for a high-tech company creating defense technology. I needed a break. That is why I am here now," Wufei said quietly. What he said was mostly the truth. Hopefully Duo would leave it at that.

"And what about you Duo? You have not answered that."

Wufei looked at his friend and saw the sparkle fade from his once bright purple eyes. The smile left his face, turning it grim and making Duo look much older than his 19 years.

"You see this," Duo gestured to the room surrounding them. "This is it. I have been here since we split up. I just do odd-jobs and what not to get by."

"When, when did, Heero show up?" Wufei asked slightly uncomfortable.

"Eh, about a month later after I settled here," Duo said with a shrug, not offereing any more information. Sadness settled upon Duo's thin frame.

"So, has anybody said anything about Trowa and Quatre being buried here?" Duo asked as he took the two empty bowls to the sink, trying to change the subject.

"Quatre's family was not too happy about it."

"Yeah, I figured. You want some tea? I have some that I brewed earlier in the fridge." Wufei nodded in answer.

"Why here though?"

"I didn't see why not. Who else would put out flowers for them?" He walked back to the two beds. He handed the black haired man a chipped blue cup full of sweetened tea.

"Do any of your things match?" Wufei asked rolling his eyes. He took a sip of the tea and tried not to cringe at how sweet it was. Duo just shook his head.

"I expected more of a fuss actually," Duo said as he sat down beside Wufei.

"Be glad their wasn't. Why do you still live here Duo? Why do you still have Heero's clothes and this second bed?" Duo took a long time to answer, sipping on his tea.

"Where else would I go? I have nothing. As for all his stuff, I don't want to get rid of it. He's out there Wufei."

"You dont know that."

"I have to believe that. Heero is too hard to kill. There was no body," he said anxiously. He had set his cup down on the bare floor and now he clenched his fists. His long brown hair, which he hadn't braided yet, was inhis face and he had to keep flipping back over his shoulder.

"Duo, the place was destroyed - "

"I know, but there was no body. I did not see him dead with my own two eyes. Until I do, or until somebody can prove otherwise, I will not believe that he is dead!" Duo pratically yelled.

"He was my friend, Wufei. I didn't and still don't have many of those. He came here, lived here in this tiny dump, without me ever asking."

"I don't understand Wufei. Why, why did this have to happen?" Duo pleaded. Tears threatened to spill fromhis large violet eyes. Wufei had no answer for his friend. He didn't understand why either. Why anythng.

Wufei finished hsi tea in a long swallow. Duo stood, almost knocking over his cup, and walked to the bathroom. Wufei craned his neck to see what his friend was doing. Duo was trying to comb out his tangled hair. Wufei could hear sniffling from the from the bathroom. He wondered how close Duo and Heero actually were.

"I guess it doesn't really matter," Wufei muttered.

"What was that, Wu?" Duo asked, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Nothing, just mumbling," Wufei answered.

"You don't just mumble," he said searchng for a rubberband in a drawer. Finding a small black band, he tied the end of his braid.

"I was wondering about Heero. You and Heero actually."

"What about us?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, you know..." Wufe had trouble trying to bring himself to say it and the look from Duo wasn't helping much. His ears were tipped with pink from a blush that crept its way across his face. Duo let out a short forced laugh.

"No, Wufei, we were not screwing each others brains out. Friends, Wufei. Nothing more. But I guess you wouldn't understand that, now would you?" Duo forced the words out between teeth. He grabbed Wufei's wet clothe's off the overstuffed chair and dumped them onto the other man's lap.

"Get out," Duo told him.

"Duo - "

"Out Wufei. Don't piss me off more." Duo turned his back to him. Wufe sighed as he stood. At the door he turned to face Duo.

"I'm sorry, Duo. I don't understand any of this any more than you do." With that, Wufei walked out the door and shut it quietly behind him.

"With Wufei gone, the anger rushed out of Duo, quickly making him feel so empty. He sunk to the floor, the tears finally spilling over. He couldn't stop them and couldn't stop the sobs that wanted to be heard. But they weren't heard by anyone, just the empty apartment walls.