Disclaimer: Believe me when I tell you that I am making no money off of this! I so do not own Gundam Wing! This is a fanfiction.

Ok, this is going to be short, but kind of sad.

If u r confused as to whom martin is plz visit myspace for a complete explanation.

Raylie Knight on myspace or, if it's easier, look for I'm posting info about upcoming chapters, new stories, 1X2 art I find poking around the net (maybe one day, fanart!) and I even post corrections I can't fix here.

Scars

Part Seventeen: Departing

Heero came at a run when he heard Duo's voice, his heart pounding madly at the sound of desperation in Duo's cry. He ran down the stairs, skipping the last two and found Duo just inside the front door on his hands and knees, breathing hard and shaking, sweat trailing down his body where it was visible, and his coat discarded at the doorframe.

"Duo!? DUO!?!" Heero fell to his knees in front of Duo and forced his face up to look at him, Duo's eyes registered who was holding him and his hands came up to clamp around Heero's arms in a painful grip, biting into Heero's skin, his shaking as bad as ever.

"Heero!" Duo was wide eyed and frantic and Heero pulled him close, pressing Duo's ear to his chest before Duo sent himself into seizure. What the hell could have done this to him, surely this wasn't simply from walking around town! Heero had seen Duo weave in and out of the crowd back at the beach just fine, he'd taken his coat with him today, if he'd felt anxious at all, he had that for cover.

"Breathe, just breathe." Heero coaxed him; he could hear Quatre ordering Gill to get water and Wu Fei and Trowa near him, asking for an explanation. Heero realized he hadn't heard them join him. "Duo, tell me what's wrong, what happened?"

"Oh Gods Heero!" Duo suddenly buried his face into Heero's neck and his arms flew around his neck and he held on as if Heero were the last solid thing in his world.

"What is it!? Please tell me what's wrong!" Heero begged, holding onto Duo just as tightly, fear making his heart frantic to escape his chest and his back tighten painfully.

"He found me! Heero, he found me!!! They know I'm here! I'm so sorry! I told you they'd find me!" Duo said fiercely, voice muffled in Heero's neck.

"Who Duo?" Wu Fei asked from behind them. A glass of water was offered and Heero took it and pulled Duo away from him, reluctantly, and made him drink it.

"Carigan." Duo said breathlessly as he handed the empty glass back to Gill. He wouldn't let go of Heero's hand, and Heero was perfectly content to let it stay there.

"Who is Carigan?" Trowa asked, kneeling so he was at eye level for Duo and he wouldn't have to look up at all of them.

"Someone who is not happy I left without saying goodbye…or giving him his data disk." Duo looked sheepish as well as worried and fearful.

"What disk?" Wu Fei asked for all of them.

"The one he paid two grand for." Duo looked like he might be sick soon. Heero got him to stand up and start walking towards the living room while everyone else recovered.

"You saw him in town?" Wu Fei caught up with them and continued questioning Duo.

"I saw Martin." Duo confirmed, clinging to Heero who sat down with him on the sofa.

"Who?" Quatre asked, sitting next to Duo on his other side, Trowa and Wu Fei standing over them.

"You remember, Heero kicked his ass in that alley right before we got on that plane." Duo almost started laughed but felt that it would be one of those high, hysterical laughs and figured that wouldn't be the best thing to do right now.

"The asshole who was kicking you!?" Quatre demanded.

"WHAT!?" Trowa and Wu Fei coursed in parallel outrage.

"Yeah, that one." Duo confirmed as Heero's grip on his hand tightened, "He had Melinda with him." He turned to stare at Heero, making sure their eyes meet for understanding, "I know she's a drug dealer, and I know there's not much else to her, but no one deserves that Heero."

"Deserves what?" Heero was almost afraid to ask.

"Forced addiction, I don't even know what, but she's begging for it and the track marks go all up both arms. Being beaten too." Duo winced; he remembered Martin's abuse all too well.

Heero nodded, "Did he see you?"

"I don't think so, but I didn't look back to check, just ran." Duo would have been ashamed of himself if he wasn't scared shitless.

Heero looked to Wu Fei who nodded and left the room at a trot. "If he hasn't seen you then we have a head start." Heero said fiercely, Duo was in awe over the look of anger on his face, anger on his behalf. It spurred a warm feeling in his chest and some of his anxiety melted away.

Heero was dressed and armed along with Wu Fei in less than five minutes, Trowa was putting in a call to the local authorities and Quatre was making a call to the Preventor's for Wu Fei.

Duo had just started an argument with Heero about going with them, Heero was obstinately against it, when Heero's cell phone went off with a shrill urgency that made them all jump.

Heero answered it curtly and then his face fell in shock, he staggered and Duo reached out automatically to catch him by the elbow, fear making him forget all the steam he'd been building up just seconds ago.

"I'll be there, right away!" Heero yelled at the phone and hung it up to look at Duo with a strained expression.

"Ember. Rivee's been shot." He moaned, Duo couldn't see anything around them, his vision gone tunnel.

"What?" Duo couldn't think of anything to say, his mouth going on auto pilot.

"He's been shot, three times." Heero pulled at Duo and they were running for the car with Wu Fei yelling after them and following closely.

Duo could see it in his mind, the cup of coffee, the plastic bag with the Fast Fix logo on it, he didn't have them with him anymore, couldn't remember where he'd dropped them. No, he did. He'd dropped them right before he'd started running, left them right there on the street for Martin to find, no way the thug hadn't heard him take off.

Duo tried to swallow, his mouth too dry and his shakes coming back with vengeance. He sat in the car next to Heero who was driving, vaguely aware of Wu Fei in the back seat. None of them were wearing seat belts and wouldn't it just be ironic if they got into a crash on the way to the hospital? Duo couldn't make his mind stop; he just started counting seconds as a way to get his heart rate to slow down.

Heero pulled them up next to the curb outside the ER and vaulted form his seat, Duo right behind them as they ran through the sliding glass doors.

Ember was screaming at a nurse who was trying to hold onto her outside double doors that lead further into the hospital. She was disheveled, covered in blood that wasn't hers, crying, hair a mess hanging down her back, she looked like some demon standing there, nose to nose with the nurse, hands fisted at her sides.

"EMBER!" Heero yelled, getting her attention, she turned to them, rage screwing up her face into something unrecognizable. But when she realized who they were, she suddenly collapsed, anger leaving her as quick as anything, and Heero raced to meet her halfway, catching her as her knees hit the tiled floor.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…" Duo realized she had started crying into Heero's shoulder, repeating those words over and over. Duo lurched and went down with them, clinging to Ember's back, he'd done this, this was his…his fault…

"They won't let me in!" Ember wailed, stopping her mantra just long enough to take in huge breaths around deep sobs that wracked her body. Duo clutched at her harder, willing this to stop, willing time to go back, willing Rivee into her arms. Anything to bring back the strong, laughing woman who vaulted over counters with a shot gun.

"I know, I'm sorry, he's strong! Just wait, they'll let you in soon." Duo became aware that Heero was softly talking to Ember, trying to calm her down. She was reduced to dry sobs and just clutching to them. Duo heard Wu Fei talking to someone, heard Heero talk to Ember, and heard Ember's heart beat through her back, but he couldn't hear his own. It felt as if his had stopped.

"Mrs. Easton?" Someone asked and that was all it took. She was up and running past the doctor and through the doubled doors which were no longer guarded from her.

Heero raced after her and Duo found himself being helped numbly to his feet by Wu Fei. The doctor looked at them, at a loss and then gave chase.

"The car?" Duo suddenly asked, the first thing that came to mind.

"I parked it." Wu Fei offered, knowing Duo's train of thought for once.

"Good." Duo whispered, he let Wu Fei lead him after his lover and their friend. They found them in a room in ICU and Ember was holding onto Rivee's hand, kneeling next to the bed and Heero was arguing with the doctor. Rivee was hooked up to a respirator and one lone IV as well as a heart monitor, Duo found that odd, shouldn't there be more machines, more IV's for three gun shot wounds?

Duo came up to the foot of the bed, Rivee's eyes were open, half lidded, but staring back at Ember who wasn't sobbing anymore, but scolding him about scaring her.

"…Stomach is ripped to shreds…not enough left to sew up…bowls torn…morphine…nothing we can do…" The words drifted through the room around Heero's anger, Duo put his hand on the bed to keep from falling, Wu Fei there to steady him as he had been for Heero…what…minutes ago? Surly no longer than an hour, but it seemed like years ago!

"Please…please don't leave me…" Ember's voice made everything else fade away, and the doctor simply left, Heero turned back, placing a solid hand on Ember's shoulder. "PLEASE!" Her voice broke, her face screwing up in pain and her voice wining in desperation.

"Sorry…love…" Rivee was breathing between words, his hand hanging on to his wife's but the grip didn't look that strong. "Gotta…go on…ahead."

"NO!" Ember wailed, she shook, gasping for air along with him, "No." The word was stretched out with sobs in the middle making it disjointed.

"Live…for us…love." Rivee was saying, smiling at her, "Don't…burn out…" Duo watched Heero clutch at Ember, as if willing her to hear Rivee's words, though she was hanging on every one.

"I LOVE YOU!" She cried, as if that would be enough.

"Love…you." Rivee spared Heero a smile and then only had eyes for his wife as he breathed in…out…in…out…

Duo was holding his breath, waiting for Rivee to take in air again, choked and his head fell to the bed frame and Ember simply screamed.

Her screams brought nurses and doctors to the open door, staring at her in panic until Heero knelt down and turned her into his arms. Cradling her, even as she hung on to Rivee's hand.

Duo felt Wu Fei's hand at his back, offering comfort, Heero was there, just beyond Wu Fei, and Ember. Pain radiated off them, waves that were palpable and Duo could do naught but try and breathe.

"Time of death…1:23." That undid him, he heard Ember scream into Heero's chest again and he had to be out of there, had to be gone from that room!!!

Duo broke away and ran, he ran past nurses, doctors, patients, pushing off of a body that got in his way and found those double doors again. He shoved at them, static rushing in his ears and tears making his vision blurry and making him stumble as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

"Duo!" Someone called after him, but Duo didn't hear, just ran till he was in the parking lot, under that constant rain.

His fault, all his fault. The coffee cup…the bag…led him right to them.

Heero's friend, his friend. Ember…alone in the world…

Dead.

Rivee was dead.

All his fault.

Duo turned his face up to the rain and screamed.