Summary in previous chapters!

Disclaimer: I don't own – you probably guessed, but just in case you didn't know. . .

Thank you so much to my lovely reviewers for reading this little piece of fanfic. . .

XxXxX

CHAPTER 5

The sound of the gun barely preceded the burn Duo felt shoot through his thigh. But it wasn't the physical pain that hurt. Heero had shot at him. His Heero, his lost, empty, blank-eyed Heero had just shot him. Duo stood there, watching his Heero. It felt wrong, all wrong. Duo was supposed to get angry, and then Heero would try to explain himself. Duo would forgive him and they would all go home together. He'd had it all planned out!

Nowhere in Duo's mind did he ever imagine Heero would shoot him. He felt immobilized by reality, and somewhere through his haze he realized that Heero's face was even more horrified than Duo felt. Duo heard something clatter on the ground, he turned his head and realized Heero had dropped the gun.

"Duo?" He said, quietly, almost breathing out his name, rather than saying it. "Oh my . . . Duo!" Heero surged forward and took Duo's arms in his. "I'm so sorry, are you okay –" A tightly clenched fist connected with Heero's jaw and he staggered back.

"What happened to you?" Duo asked, his voice uncharacteristically icy.

"Duo, your leg. . ." Heero asked uncertainly.

The icy tones changed to rage. "First of all you make a decision to leave without asking, then you don't even tell me that you are leaving, you get me drunk and drop me in a hotel, and when I finally find you – you. . ." Duo let out a ragged sigh, Heero was afraid to interrupt, this sounded prepared. "Am I a burden to you? Do you think you need to protect me from yourself? I'm a big boy Heero. Tell me what is going on. I know it may be hard, but that doesn't change the fact that you need to tell me these things."

Heero looked at his spouse. Looked into his eyes and saw the betrayal Duo was feeling. Heero's insides were breaking apart. He felt his heart imploding and shriveling away, his brain yelled at him for shooting the person he loved the most. He felt himself begin to tremble. He had been so close. So close to just blowing him away. At the very last possible second he realized who it was and tried to turn the gun away. The fact that he had nearly killed Duo, terrified him.

"I tried Duo. . . I wanted to tell you. . ." Heero croaked out.

"Next time, try harder." Duo stared at Heero, and part of him wanted to comfort him and the other part wanted to kill him. He settled for walking away. Well, he tried for walking. It became more of an awkward limp.

Heero watched Duo limp around the corner. He didn't feel as if he even had the right to go after him. The blood on the pavement however made up his mind. No matter what emotions he was feeling, there was still something more important.

"Duo!" Heero said and followed him. Duo hadn't made it far. He was leaned against a wall, hissing in pain and pulling back the black fabric of his pants that was plastered to his skin.

"I really don't want your help right now Heero."

"I don't care." Heero stated matter-of-factly and without another word, he scooped Duo up. "Where are you staying?"

Through clenched teeth, Duo gave him directions to the beat-down hotel where he was residing. Heero brought Duo to a building that looked extremely run down. He told Duo to wait outside which Duo did. He was feeling tired – probably a combination of his lack of sleep, a whirlwind of emotions and possibly blood loss.

A car appeared. Heero emerged from within. He tried to pick Duo up, but Duo refused, and instead walked (or dragged) himself into the car, deliberately sitting in the backseat. Heero looked as if he wanted to argue, but Duo gave him a terrifying glare, and Heero got into the driver's seat.

Duo felt himself dozing off. The small pain in his leg didn't really bother him. There were far too many other things on his mind right now. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about them right now. Heero was torturing himself, Duo could tell. He knew Heero well enough to know when he was blaming himself for something. Duo wasn't against a little bit of guilt on Heero's part, but he didn't want Heero to suffer. He loved him too much. At the moment though, something was holding him back from comforting him – possibly the hole in his leg.

Duo awoke to the sound of the car's motor turning off. Heero opened the door and looked at him with a guarded expression. Carefully, he took Duo out of the car. When Duo saw Heero's eyes – so different from when they were in the alley, these had emotion, they were pain-filled.

Heero opened the door into the tiny, grimy hotel room and looked around. "This place is not sanitary."

Duo, despite himself, smiled, "Does it have to be?"

Heero looked down at Duo. "It would be nice. I need to . . . That is your leg. . . it's still bleeding. I need to bandage it up."

"It's okay, ya know. I don't mind that you shot me." Duo said.

"I mind." Heero set Duo down and turned on the sink, letting the water heat up. "I almost killed you, Duo. I was ready to kill whoever was following me." He let out a deep shuddering breath.

"Ah-ha. You see there is the difference. You didn't kill me." Duo was a little worried by Heero's tone. Heero stood over Duo and carefully cut away at his pants. He held a washcloth under Duo's leg and poured some antiseptic from a first aid kit he had over Duo's leg. It burned. Duo drew in his breath and held it.

"It looks like the bullet went right through your leg."

"That's good is it?"

"Yes." After being silent for a minute, Heero's face tightened, his expression darkened. Duo watched in concern. Still he preferred Heero's anger to his. . . nothingness.

"Why did you come, Duo?"

"What?"

"Why did you follow me? You knew it could be dangerous. What if something had happened?" Heero's eyes flashed. "It could have been someone else you were following down the street. Someone who wouldn't have thought twice about shooting you!"

"Excuse me? I don't think you have any right to be angry at me, buster! You left me in a hotel room with a note! Like some. . . some whore!"

"I was trying to protect you! I'm sorry I couldn't tell you! You had no reason to come after me! What did you hope to accomplish? Other than getting hurt?" Still trying to clean out the wound, he accidentally squeezed Duo's thigh, making him groan.

"You know something Heero Yuy? You're an ass." Duo said, glaring at his husband, completely dumbfounded at his lack of understanding. Heero was silent in response, but Duo could see the anger radiating out of him. In truth, Duo knew under his own anger, he was relieved that Heero was at least showing emotion of some sort.

It didn't take all that long for Heero to finish cleaning and bandaging the wound. He admitted it would probably need stitches, but he didn't have the equipment with him. Heero stood and began cleaning things as well as he could. Duo watched, but his eyes kept drooping.

"I'm feeling really tired, Heero." Heero looked at him, concern temporarily replacing the anger. "I'm fine, I just didn't get very much sleep last night or the night before. . ." Duo looked at him sternly. "I want you to be here when I wake up though."

"Duo, I have to go back. There are some very important things that –"

"Don't try to explain. Just go and come back. And get my bike why don't you? I left it between the brick realty place and the old Pizza Shack, it was on Sycamore Avenue I think. . ." Duo then closed his eyes and gave every indication that the matter had been settled.

As much as Heero wanted to argue, he didn't. He kissed Duo's forehead and frowned at how pale he looked. It was his fault of course causing him two sleepless nights in a row. And while he hadn't lost a dangerous amount of blood yet, a few days of rest would definitely be to Duo's advantage.

Heero returned to the car and drove back to the base. It didn't take him long to pass on the information he had gleaned the night before. He suggested that they attack first. The officers in charge promised to consider this, and asked him to stay. He declined. When asked why, he told him he had familial obligations that must be considered and taken care of.

Next he found Duo's bike. He had done a good job of hiding it. If Heero hadn't been looking for it, he probably wouldn't have found it. Riding the bike back to the motel Duo was resting at, he called Trowa.

"Yes?"

"Trowa, it's Heero."

"I know." He didn't sound terribly pleased with him.

"Are you with Camille?" Stupid question.

"Yes."

"Trowa, I need your help."

"Last time we helped you, you lied to Duo. Which then led him to chase you, Quatre can't stop fretting and your daughter is only sleeping because she has worn herself out from crying."

Heero was taken aback. Usually Trowa didn't lay so much guilt and anger on Heero; Heero deserved it. It was all true.

"All right. I don't need your help then. Duo does."

Trowa sounded suspicious, "Why?"

"He's – he's injured and can't ride his bike back."

There was a pause. "How injured?"

"His leg. . . was shot."

"What?" Trowa asked in disbelief, "What was he doing? I didn't think the fighting had reached Preen yet."

"I can't tell you the details right now. But he's staying at an unsanitary motel and I can't stay with him. . . I have . . . obligations."

"I don't think so, Yuy." Trowa said frigidly, "Your obligation is to the man who chased after you when you left." There was another long pause. "Take care of what is yours, Heero. You should be the one to take him home."

Heero paused, knowing that Trowa was correct, "I'll try to find someone else then. If you think of anyone else let me know." The click on the other line told him that Trowa had hung up.

XxXxX

Duo woke up. He stiffened. Something felt wrong. He sat up and groaned. His leg pulsed dully in pain. His hair was sweaty and sticking to the back of his neck. He stood, and limped towards the bathroom, where he carefully removed what was left of his pants and took care of business. He felt lightheaded, and realized his leg's bandage was sticky with blood. He laughed. He had come to rescue Heero, and instead he was now trapped in a hotel room and needed some rescuing himself. He slid down the wall, far to tired to get back on the bed.

Heero was gone again. Duo had told him to come back and he hadn't. He would come eventually, he had too. Duo was stranded. He could barely walk around the motel room – let alone far enough to pick up his bike. Duo knew Heero would return. It was just a matter of how long it would take him to get back.

As if he could hear Duo's thoughts, someone knocked on the door. "Duo? It's Heero. Open the door."

Duo looked at the door and the distance to it in disbelief. He laughed and called out. "Open it yourself."

"Really, Duo. . . I don't feel like picking the lock."

"You shot me in the leg! I am not getting up. You should have taken the key."

Duo could hear Heero sigh through the door. It didn't take him long to get the door open. Duo smiled at him from the floor. "See? I knew you could do it." His eyes crossed as he focused on the man striding towards him.

"What happened to your pants?"

"They were in the way."

"Duo." Heero began in annoyance.

"Relax, there is another pair in my bag. You'll have to cut the leg off one though. I don't think I can wear them right now."

Heero didn't seem to be listening to him. Instead he was inspecting Duo's leg. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Duo knew that it really needed to be seen by a doctor. Gun shot wounds didn't just heal themselves.

"Duo, I found another hotel – a cleaner one, not to far way. Do you think you can make it? You'll have to ride the bike with me."

Duo grinned. "What makes you think I am incapable of riding the bike?"

"The fact that you can't walk?"

"Ah, but a bike – that's different. I could get there all by myself."

Usually Duo's impish smile would make Heero laugh, but right now he had to many other things on his mind. He just nodded in reply as Duo spoke – though babbled may have been a better term for what Duo was doing right now. While Duo sat on the floor, Heero cleaned up what he could and left some money on the night stand.

"Alright Duo, out the door. Can you walk?"

Duo used his good leg to pull himself up. As much as he wanted to be macho right now, he couldn't. "No, it appears not."

"Hn," Heero grunted as he swung down and picked Duo up. Duo just sighed, and took advantage of the situation and curled into Heero's shoulder. He was still angry at Heero, but there was no reason to keep himself from being comfortable.

It didn't take all that long for them to get to the new hotel. It was a bit outside of Preen – more of a rest stop for travelers. It was much nicer than where Duo had been staying though, and Duo felt worse for getting blood on these people's sheets. When he told Heero, he promised to make sure the hotel was compensated.

Duo was tired again, and this time he didn't even bother to ask Heero to come back. As he was falling asleep, he heard Heero calling people, trying to find someone to pick him up. Duo was by nature an optimist, but to hear the person he cared most for trying to get rid of him so . . . urgently. It hurt.

His head hurt. Maybe he was getting sick. He didn't care though. Somehow all his physical pains were masked by the pain he was feeling from Heero's rejection.

Tsutsuku

. . . XxXxX . . .

Okay, I agonized over this chapter – perhaps unnecessarily – I don't think I've every spent this much time on one chapter. So let me know what you think! Was it really worth all the effort. . . :falls over: probably not... hehehe

Annie