Secrets Untold

By: Cryn

Disclaimer: Gundam Guys belong to MEEEE!! They are my own, my loves... my preciouses.... Huddles away in a corner with the little figures... (Please note the falsity of that previous statement.)

Take note of the flashback, I tried to separate it as much as possible.

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Quatre had a difficult time driving the car at first, he hadn't driven in ages, but it was like riding a bike and after the first few narrow escapes, he had the hang of it. He had no idea where he was going or why he was leaving anymore for that matter. Thoughts raced through his head of the last day and a half. Duo finding him on the couch, then again in the closet, beaten and broken, though his wounds hadn't healed completely, he was feeling a bit better since then. Finding Hope, then Trowa's rude awakening... it all seemed like a horrible dream that he really needed to wake up from. Then he went back to how it all started and realized it was real...

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Quatre had noticed Trowa behaving strangely for a while. He had returned from a mission with a bruise over his right eye and his hair was ragged, not his usual bangs. Deep emerald eyes seemed to ache with pain and hurt as he lay on the couch and sighed deeply. Quatre made to sit next to him when Trowa got up suddenly and glared at the blonde, gaze piercing into his eyes and striking a note of fear in his heart. He trembled as Trowa left, shoving past his lover roughly. Another glare of pure needles was tossed back at Quatre as he made to follow Trowa.

"Stay here, I'll be home later."

"... But Trowa?" Quatre whimpered and let him leave, the biggest mistake of his life.

---

Trowa returned late that night, almost three in the morning. He smelled as if he was doused in whisky and any number of other hard liquors served at the pubs he had gone to. Quatre was asleep when he pulled him out of bed and onto the floor, nearly dislocating the smaller man's shoulder.

"Trowa... wha..?" Quatre was in a sleepy daze when the fist hit landed over his cheek.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" He screamed in the blonde's face, rank breath washing over him.

Quatre coughed and looked at Trowa's glazed eyes, "Trowa, you're drunk, put me down."

He had tried to put up a good fight against Trowa's brute force, resorting to his survival combat skills, but all he managed was to put a few scratches on him. All the while, Trowa had been screaming about something Quatre couldn't understand.

"Why did you do that to me?!" Another harsh scream as he threw Quatre into the bedpost.

His head spun with the impact and he looked back at Trowa, only to find him gone again. Trowa had left the room, for that matter, he had left the house.

Shocked, Quatre sunk to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest and sobbed. Bruises were forming over his ribs and his face. A distinct hand mark left itself wrapped around his wrist like an ugly tattoo.

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That was so long ago though... the night that had changed things. That was about a year ago now and Quatre had tried to leave before, only to be hunted down by Trowa. Without a logical place to stay, he remained at home with his abusive partner, afraid to see anything wrong in his behavior. Almost on a daily basis Trowa would come home drunk from the bars and continue the cycle. Even in his right sober mind, he was angry and violent. Quatre had asked for a glass for a drink and just barely ducked before the glass shattered against the wall where his face had been.

A tear worked its way down his pale cheek as he looked to Duo. Sure he had gotten him out of the house, but he still felt bad for leaving Trowa behind, alone. Though Duo hadn't mentioned that Trowa had hit him, Quatre knew that the bruises over his eye and the one forming around his neck were from Trowa's fists.

"Q... why are you crying?" Duo asked sleepily from the passenger seat.

"I..." He started and rethought his phrase, "I was thinking about everything that's happened..."

His voice was soft with hurt and guilt and Duo understood.

"It'll be alright Quatre... It really will." He reached over and ruffled the blonde's hair.

-----

"I want to find Duo..." Heero spoke softly, "I want to make things up with him... I love him, Trowa."

"I know... and I love Quatre." His words weren't as soft and it startled Heero to hear a declaration of love in such a harsh tone.

"I think I have an idea of where Duo will go..."

-----

Duo had taken the wheel after they stopped at a fast food joint for burgers. The man at the window had given Quatre a strange look, before giving them their food. Quatre had looked away quickly, only raising the man's suspicions. Duo cursed and paid, then raced out of the drive through incase he decided to take the license plate numbers.

"Duo, where are we going?" Quatre asked when Duo started backtracking a little.

"I'm going to see if Hilde will let us crash at her place tonight." Duo stated and chewed on another french fry.

"Oh..." Quatre went quiet and looked out the window again.

"I've got connections downtown, I'll see if I can get use some cheap tickets up to L3 where

Wufei is stationed with Sally. If I can't get them, we might have to ride cargo if you know what I mean, but I'd rather not create a commotion if we're caught as stowaways."

"What do you mean connections?" Quatre asked and Duo just winked.

"Don't you worry your pretty blonde head, I know what I'm doing."

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Nightfall was darkening the sky outside when he pulled into Hilde's driveway. He pulled his old spare key from his pocket and let himself and Quatre in the little house. It wasn't fantastic, simple hallway back that split into a living room and kitchen, bathroom on the right and stairs up to the loft on the left side. Pictures hung on the walls and on the table near the door were some freshly picked roses. Duo kicked off his shoes and motioned Quatre to do the same.

"Hilde?" Duo called into the dark home, not a single light was on in the usually well-lit house.

A small noise came from the loft, hushed whispers and the rustle of clothes. A small voice squeaked and giggled.

"Just a minute Duo!"

"Who's Duo...?" The other voice said a bit too loudly.

"I'm her boyfriend, who the hell are you?!" Duo laughed as Hilde bitched at him.

"Damn it Duo, shut up." She shouted and then her whispers were heard again, "No, he's not, he's a really old friend..."

More whispers...

"Don't worry, he's not into chicks."

Hilde flipped on the stairway light and appeared, a bright red flushed her cheeks and her breath was ragged.

"Hilde, we didn't interrupt anything did we?"

"What do you want, Duo?" she asked, looking up at her boyfriend leaning over the loft rail to look at them.

"Is that... one of your commanders?" Duo's jaw dropped; Hilde was under this man's command during the wars!

"Duo, what do you need?" She asked again, ignoring the accusation.

"A place to crash for the night, but if you're busy, don't worry about it."

"No, no, it's fine. I'll actually rent the basement to you if you want. I finished it recently, there's a couch and an entertainment center down there." She pointed to a door in the far end of the kitchen.

"Oh great. Thanks Hilde, you're a life saver." Duo gave her a quick hug and smiled.

"Hi Quatre," She smiled happily at his sight, then her smile faded at seeing his bruises. "Duo, were you and him in a fight?"

"You could say that." Flashing a lopsided grin, he moved off to the basement door.

Quatre was halfway down the steps when Duo stopped.

"Hey Q, I need to go before my guys leave. If you get settled here, I'll be home later tonight. I need to do this ASAP, so I hope you'll be ok. Make yourself at home, Hilde won't mind if you eat her food."

In a flash, Duo was gone; the car revved and the music pounded out of the driveway and down the road.

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"Hey Duo! Long time, no see, ya bastard, where da hell ya been?" The bulky black man standing outside the club embraced Duo and looked at him and frowned at the bruises on him, "Who hit ya bro?"

"Ah, a scuffle with a friend." He muttered, "Is Solo in tonight?"

"Yah, he in da back wit da boys, playin hold 'em."

"Hang tough, Felix."

Duo's eyes lit up as he cut through the line into the club and entered into the pounding bass and the flashing neon lights. The club was almost filled to its limit. The bottom floor swarmed with people grinding and dancing to the thumping techno music. The upper floor had dancers as well, but mostly drug dealers and hookers looking for a rich man to take them home. Half the women were diseased, but they still pawned themselves off to anyone who would take them. Like the women, the pimps also worked the upper floors, they were however, a bit more careful about diseases. Solo stayed in the back rooms behind the stripper's windows. He was the owner of Conversions and usually played cards with his buddies in the back. Sometimes though, you could see him dancing on the floor with the guests, one of the most fluid and graceful dancers there. Duo had danced with him before and had ended up in the back room in a predicament with the dancer because he was so entranced by Solo's form.

Duo decided to be funny and burst into the door and screamed. Cards flew and temporarily blinded Duo's vision of the green felt table littered with poker chips and cash. As the cards cleared, four guns were pointed in his direction as he doubled over in laughter in the doorway.

"God Duo, you should know better than to do that!" Solo shouted and got up from the table and embraced his old friend. "Holy shit man, who kicked your ass?"

Solo was quite handsome and Duo was quite attracted to the man. Solo's hair was almost identical to Duo's, except that he wore his loose more often than Duo did. His eyes were deep amber and his face was thin and perfect. Duo knew that Solo loved him, but Duo couldn't live the life of a clubber all the time, though the occasional fling with Solo had occurred. He had co-founded Conversions after the war, but he left when drugs had almost killed him on a mission a few years back.

Solo traced the bruise lightly over Duo's eye and then the one around his neck became clear to Solo as well. Frowning he looked again at Duo, who's face was no longer smiling. Duo returned the stern look from the amber brown eyes that examined him.

"Who do you need killed?"

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AN:
1: Hee Hee... Yes, I threw in Solo I never said I'd stick to the rules completely. That and I needed a name for Duo's good friend with the connections...

2: As always, please Read and Review. -