Sorry everyone for the long wait. This chapter is longer than the last two, so hopefully that will make up for it. As always, thanks to everyone who commented, your kinds words mean the world to me!

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

Question! - Part 3

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.
Ghosts are now waiting for you.
Are you...
Dreaming! Dreaming the night! Dreaming all right!
- Question! - System of a Down

Duo

"I surrender. But I will not hand over the Gundams. I repeat, I surrender, but I will not hand over the Gundams," the voice insisted.

Oh no... Siberia.

Duo found himself in the cockpit of Deathscythe, looking desperately over to where Wing Gundam and the Tallgeese had been engaged in battle. The two suits stood motionless amidst the fight, and then Wing's cockpit began to open. A young boy stepped out, holding a small device out in front of him. It was too far for Duo to see, but he knew the words the boy must have uttered.

"Mission accepted."

With a blinding flash, the Gundam exploded, sending the boy's body flying through the air, hitting the ground so hard it was impossible he could have survived.

"Noooo!" Duo screamed, and suddenly found himself sitting up in a bed. Immediately, he was immersed in pain. Pain in his chest where there were surely broken ribs, pain all over his abdomen, pain in his arms and legs, pain everywhere. Panting, he tried to rein in his racing thoughts. Siberia was over. Against all odds, Heero had survived, and had come for Duo at the OZ base.

Still catching his breath, Duo looking up to see Heero rushing into the small room.

"Duo? What happened? Are you okay?" Heero asked frantically. The alarm and concern in his voice surprised Duo, who simply stared, unable at first to reply. Heero came and knelt next to him, concern still etched on his face. "Duo?"

"I'm... fine. Just a nightmare..." Duo looked around at the small room, and assumed he was on some sort of shuttle. "So where are we headed?"

Heero looked at him strangely before replying. "L3. Don't you remember?"

At Heero's words, Duo began to recall the earlier moments in the shuttle. He'd woken at Heero's insistence to take some pain pills and eat, and Heero had explained their situation.

"Right... I was kind of out of it, sorry," Duo replied sheepishly. "Any chance of some more pain pills?"

Nodding, Heero reached into the first aid kit and retrieved a bottle, handing it to Duo.

"How much longer until we get to L3?"

"About two and a half hours," Heero replied, taking the bottle back and stashing it in the first aid kit again. "I've located an apartment we can use while you recover, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Duo frowned. "I left my Gundam back there. I'm gonna have to destroy it."

"The Gundams are worthless," Heero replied with a shake of his head.

"What?!" Duo almost yelled, incredulous.

"Dr. J and the other scientists who originally designed the Gundams have all been captured by OZ," Heero said by way of explanation. Then, so quietly Duo almost didn't hear him, he continued. "I'll kill them all. I'll eliminate all obstacles."

"Oh, Heero..." Duo felt a new pain, but this one wasn't physical. His heart ached for the other boy. If Heero hadn't been able to kill Duo, how would he bring himself to kill the scientists, one of whom was his own mentor?

Heero seemed not to have heard him, and the concerned look returned to his face. "Do you need anything else? More food? Water?"

"Got any morphine?" Duo joked, knowing Heero would already have given it to him if he had.

"No," Heero responded, missing the joking tone. "I'll be able to get some once we get to L3, though. I can acquire all the necessary items to treat you there. For now, all we have are basic first aid supplies, so you'll have to make do with tylenol and bandages."

"Yah, I figured," Duo sighed, then yawned.

"You need more rest," Heero observed.

"I guess so..." Duo was hesitant to go back to sleep. He felt sure he'd have another nightmare, probably worrying Heero needlessly. The other boy's presence was soothing, though.

"Heero...?" Duo asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Could you... stay with me? After one nightmare, I'm sure I'll have others..." Duo trailed off, looking away from the other boy. It was silly to ask, but he couldn't take the words back now.

"Let me go check the cockpit, I'll be right back," Heero answered.

Duo looked up in surprise as the other boy turned and left the room. He hadn't expected Heero to agree. He quickly lay back down and closed his eyes, determined not to do anything that might bother the other boy. A few moments later, he heard Heero's returning footsteps.

"I'll stay here while you sleep. I'll need to check the cockpit from time to time to make sure we're on course, but I can stay."

"Thanks, Heero," Duo said through another yawn. Smiling, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

"Duo? We'll be landing soon. Duo?" Heero shook Duo gently, who blinked his eyes sleepily.

"Wha...?" Duo asked, still half asleep.

"You need to get up. We're about to land and you'll need to be strapped in."

"Oh, right." Duo started to stretch, then winced in pain. "Damn ribs..." he muttered.

"Do you need any help?" Heero asked.

"Umm... probably. I don't know how steady I'll be on my feet. How about some more tylenol before we try that, though?" Duo asked hopefully.

Wordlessly, Heero dug out the bottle and handed it to Duo again. Swigging the pills down with a gulp of water, Duo looked up at the other boy.

"Alright, let's do this thing." Duo scooted to the edge of the bed, bracing himself, and began to stand up. Heero put an arm behind him to steady him and grabbed his arm to help lift him up. Once on his feet, Heero put his arm under Duo's and pulled one of Duo's over his shoulders.

"Ready?" Heero asked.

"As I'll ever be," Duo replied with a grimace.

They made their way to the cockpit slowly, Duo leaning heavily on Heero for support. He was almost surprised that the only broken bones were in his ribcage. Of course, one of his ankles felt like it had been badly sprained, and there were bruises everywhere. He supposed it could have been worse, but it sure as Hell didn't feel like it could.

Reaching the chair, Heero gently eased Duo down, then secured the straps for him.

"Sorry buddy, don't think I'll be able to help with any of the piloting," Duo said wryly.

Heero snorted in reply, and Duo thought he saw the ghost of a smile as the other boy settled into the pilot's chair.

Fiddling with some of the controls, Heero turned on the comm unit.

"This is 0113, requesting permission to land. I repeat, this is 0113 requesting permission to land."

"This is air traffic control. Permission granted. Proceed to Dock E for landing."

"Roger that," Heero replied, then began initiating the landing sequence.

Duo watched as the colony came into view, growing larger quickly as they approached. He'd never been to L3 before. In fact, beside his imprisonment with OZ, the only colony he'd ever been to was L2. He was curious to see if the other colony really was in such better condition than L2, as everyone seemed to think. Not that it would be difficult. Compared to the cities he'd seen on Earth, L2 was in shambles.

Docking went smoothly, and soon Heero was gathering up what little he'd brought with him, then coming to help Duo up and out of the shuttle. Despite all the pain pills, Duo was hard put to concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, they reached the outside of the shuttle port. Heero hailed a cab and gave the driver their destination. Duo settled gratefully into the seat. He still hurt, but it was much better than standing up. Looking out the window, he saw that L3 was indeed in much better shape than L2. The area was nice, reminding him of cities on Earth.

After about twenty minutes, the cab pulled over and Heero came round to help Duo out. Tossing the driver some bills, Heero returned his attention to Duo and walked him to the front of an apartment complex. Reaching the elevator, he pressed the call button and waited. Soon, the elevator arrived and they were on their way to the fifth floor and room 510.

Once inside, Heero helped Duo over to the couch.

"Let me look around and see what we have available, I'll be back in a minute."

Duo just nodded, leaning back and sighing as the pain eased from the short walk that had nonetheless left him panting. Heero returned soon, as promised, looking Duo up and down.

"Do you feel up to going to the bedroom, or do you want to rest a minute?"

Duo thought about it for a minute, wanting desperately to lie down but just as desperately not to move. Then another need made itself known.

"Actually... could you help me to the bathroom?" Duo asked, blushing. He was pretty sure he could take care of his business on his own, but he'd need help getting there.

Heero just nodded and leaned down to help Duo back up. Reaching the bathroom, he gave Duo a questioning look. "No, I'll be fine," Duo said. "I'll let you know when I'm done." Nodding again, Heero stepped back and closed the door, giving Duo some privacy.

Once he was done, Duo washed his hands and called for Heero.

"Okay, now I'm ready for bed." Heero put his arm under Duo's shoulders once again and helped Duo into the bedroom. Luckily, it was right next to the bathroom, so later trips would be nice and short.

Reaching the bed, Heero turned down the covers and helped Duo get in.

"You'll need a shower at some point, but I think rest is more important right now. Will you be okay for a couple hours while I acquire supplies?"

"Yah, think so," Duo said with a yawn, surprised at how tired such little effort had made him.

Heero reached down and pulled the covers over the braided pilot. Duo couldn't decipher the look on the other boy's face, but it seemed... comforting.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Duo." With that, Heero turned and left the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

Heero

It had taken Heero a few hours to obtain the necessary supplies for treating Duo, and though he had expected as much, he was anxious to get back to the braided pilot. For all he knew, Duo was having more nightmares and could hurt himself even more by thrashing around in his sleep.

Climbing into the elevator, Heero pressed the button for level 5 and waited impatiently as the elevator slowly rose to the correct floor. He hurried to room 510, digging the key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. Closing it and relocking it behind himself, Heero went straight to the bedroom. Setting the supplies down at the door, he went in to see how Duo was doing.

Thankfully, the braided boy was sleeping soundly. Judging by the sheets, he hadn't budged an inch since Heero had left. Letting out a sigh of relief, Heero turned and retrieved the bag of supplies, bringing them to Duo's bedside. Bringing up a chair, Heero sat and gently shook Duo's shoulder, trying to rouse him.

"Duo?"

"Hmmm?" Duo replied, blinking up at Heero. "Back already?"

"It's been two hours," Heero said, a small smile ghosting his lips. Duo was quite endearing when he was half asleep.

"I have some stronger pain medication, and I wanted to bind your ankle and ribs. You want the morphine first?"

"Yah," Duo replied.

Heero fished out a bottle of pills and then went to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. Returning, he handed it to Duo, who gulped down the pills immediately. Taking the bottle back, he put it on the bedside table, then delved back into his bag of supplies. Bringing out an ace bandage and a splint, he pulled the covers back so he could look at Duo's ankle.

Duo winced as Heero probed it. It seemed all the bones were intact, but it was heavily bruised and very swollen. Putting the splint in place, Heero began wrapping the ace bandage gently but firmly around the ankle. Duo clenched his teeth as Heero worked, clearly not feeling the effects of the morphine yet.

Heero frowned, pulling out a small package. Twisting it until he heard a crack, he placed it carefully on Duo's ankle and finished wrapping the ace bandage. "The cold pack should help keep the swelling down. Hopefully the morphine kicks in soon."

Duo nodded, clenching his teeth.

"I'll need you to sit up so I can wrap your ribs. Here," Heero said, leaning forward to help Duo sit up. "Sorry," he said as Duo winced.

"Eh, no worries. It's been worse," Duo replied.

Reaching for another ace bandage, he began to wrap it around Duo's chest, then noticed all the lacerations on his back that he'd bandaged on the shuttle. Gently removing the soiled bandages, he looked at the angry red skin surrounding the cuts.

"I'm going to have to clean these cuts, they look like they're getting infected," Heero said, frowning.

"Do what you've gotta do," Duo sighed.

Heero pursed his lips, wishing there was a way to do this without causing Duo any more pain.

"Do you want to wait till the morphine kicks in?" Heero asked.

"Uhh, yah actually. That'd be good," Duo replied.

Heero nodded.

"So, did you pick up any food while you were out?" Duo asked hopefully.

"Yes actually. If you want something right away I have stuff for turkey sandwiches," Heero said, smirking at the hungry look Duo was giving him.

"Turkey sandwich sounds perfect," Duo said with a grin.

"You want an apple while you're waiting?"

"Sure," Duo replied, grinning widely now.

"Let me go grab you one," Heero said as he turned, smiling to himself. It seemed it was very easy to please Duo, a fact that Heero had to admit he liked... immensely. Proud of himself for avoiding causing Duo more pain and bringing such a big smile to the braided boy's lips, Heero returned promptly with the apple, then went to the kitchen to make the sandwich.

"Mmm, this apple's delicious! I could probably count on my hands the number of times I had fresh fruit before I ever met Quatre."

Heero frowned. He knew that Duo had grown up on L2, but had it really been that bad? Finishing with the sandwich, he vowed to get more types of fruit for Duo to enjoy while they were here.

Bringing the sandwich back to the bedroom, Heero smiled as Duo's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"Is that lettuce and tomato? And a pickle on the side?!" Duo asked, astounded.

"How else do you eat a sandwich?" Heero responded, handing Duo the plate.

Duo just gaped at him. Heero fought the urge to blush. Was it really that big a deal? He felt at once elated that he could provide these simple pleasures for Duo, and heartbroken that such simple things seemed unimaginably luxurious to the braided boy.

"You are still hungry, aren't you?" Heero queried.

"Oh... of course," Duo's gaping mouth shut with a click and he took the plate from Heero's hand. "Sorry, it's just... anything other than stale bread or canned food was kinda hard to come by growing up. Fresh fruit, meat, vegetables were all kinda beyond our means." Duo shrugged, then began to eat, savoring each bite of the delicious sandwich. Heero thought he could watch it endlessly. If this was the reaction he'd get, he'd make Duo a hundred turkey sandwiches.

"So... aren't you hungry too?" Duo asked around a mouthful of turkey.

Heero blinked, realizing he'd been staring at the braided pilot. "I guess so. I'll go make something for myself."

He caught Duo frowning as he stood to go. "What? Are you in pain?"

"Oh, no, it's not that. I just don't want you neglecting yourself to take care of me."

Heero shook his head. "Don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. Besides, I ate on the shuttle while you were sleeping."

"Alright," Duo conceded, obviously reluctant to let anything delay him from finishing his meal.

Heero shook his head as he put together his own sandwich. Duo was gravely injured and in pain, and he still managed to worry about him? Only Duo. Granted, had the roles been reversed, Heero might have refused Duo's help outright... at least Duo was willing to accept the aid. Heero wouldn't want to do anything drastic just to help the other boy.

Finishing, Heero brought the plate with him back into the bedroom. Duo had finished and was leaning back against the wall.

"How does your back feel?" Heero asked.

"Hmm?" Duo replied, looking at Heero somewhat hazily.

"Your back. Is it still hurting?" Leaning up against it should be causing pain, unless the morphine had kicked in.

"Oh... no, I guess not. Yay, morphine," Duo said with a lazy grin.

"I'll clean your cuts after I finish eating then."

"Oookay," Duo replied.

"Have you ever had morphine before?" Heero asked, taking his last bite.

"Yessiree! It makes me loopy!" Duo declared, exhibiting said loopiness clearly.

"Right... well, I guess we should get started, then."

Duo just nodded enthusiastically, his grin growing to crazy proportions. Heero couldn't help but smiling a bit himself at the braided boy's antics.

Digging into the supplies, Heero pulled out some hydrogen peroxide, then went to the bathroom for a towel.

"I'll need you to sit forward," he instructed as he reentered the room. "This may still hurt despite the morphine, so be prepared."

"I don't think so, Hee-man, I feel great!" Duo insisted.

Heero shook his head in disbelief. Duo sure wasn't kidding about the loopiness.

Opening up the disinfectant, he wet the small towel and reached forward to help Duo sit up.

"Are you ready?" Heero asked.

"Ready freddy!" Duo replied, and though Heero couldn't see his face, he was certain the crazy grin was still plastered across it.

Shaking his head once again, Heero began applying the disinfectant. Sure enough, Duo sucked in his breath at the first dab.

"Hey, that stings!"

"I told you it might still hurt. Now stay still so I can do this faster," Heero replied.

"But it hurts!"

"And it will hurt more if we wait for the morphine to wear off." Of course, the morphine would be good for another couple of hours, but Heero figured Duo might be out of it enough to loose track of the time.

"Well fine. Shoulda just stayed with OZ if I wanted to be tortured, though..." Duo grumbled.

Heero ignored him, gently cleaning out the cuts that covered Duo's back. Finishing, he pulled out some gauze and medical tape to put on the wounds.

"Okay, now I need to wrap your ribs to give them some support. It's probably going to hurt because of all those cuts, but it's necessary."

"Whatever you say," Duo said grumpily.

Heero just rolled his eyes and grabbed an ace bandage to wrap around Duo's torso. Holding the end in place with one hand, he began unwinding the bandage around Duo's chest, trying not to wrap Duo's braid in the process. Finishing up, Heero secured the end of the bandage.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, hoping he'd get a serious answer.

"Not bad, I guess. My back hurts, but not as bad as when you were cleaning it. Much better than before the morphine, though."

Heero nodded. "You'll be ready for another does in a few hours. Until then, you should probably get some rest."

"Yah, I guess I am pretty tired." Duo looked around the room, pursing his lips. "Where are you gonna sleep? You've gotta be pretty bushed after busting me out of that base and carrying my sorry ass all over the place."

"There's a couch in the living room I can sleep on," Heero replied.

"Oh no you don't. Besides, what if I get more nightmares? This bed is plenty big enough for the both of us," Duo insisted, gesturing to the other half.

The braided boy did have a point. Somehow, the idea of sharing the bed with Duo and being able to comfort the other boy if necessary was intensely pleasing to Heero. Much more appealing than sleeping on the couch.

"Alright. I need to take care of a few things first, but I'll share the bed when I'm ready to sleep."

"Good," Duo said with a yawn, then laid himself back down on the bed. "I guess I'll see you then." His eyes fell closed, and within minutes Heero could hear a soft snoring coming from the braided pilot.

Heero found himself smiling as he went to the other room to check his laptop. How on earth had he ever imagined he could kill the other boy? It would be impossible.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, he booted up the computer and checked his message ticker. For once, he was relieved it was empty. Shutting it back down, he returned to the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into bed, careful not to disturb Duo.

Although he was tired, he found himself watching the other boy as he slept. Unlike on the shuttle, Duo's face was entirely relaxed. The morphine was clearly providing some much needed relief from the pain. Looking at Duo like this, Heero was hard put to imagine Duo as the deadly Gundam pilot that he was. He seemed so harmless... so defenseless. Heero felt a strange warmth spreading through his chest as he gazed at Duo's face, and an intense desire to protect. He knew Duo could take care of himself, but while he was injured, Heero would be there to take care of him.

Reaching up, Heero gently brushed aside a hair that had caught in Duo's slightly opened mouth. Satisfied, he laid down on his side, facing Duo, and gently put an arm across the other boy's waist. With any luck, his presence would chase away the night terrors that seemed to plague the braided boy whenever he slept alone.

tbc

As always, comments and criticism are greatly welcomed! Please let me know what you think!