| Part 4 As the darkness closed in overhead, Heero couldn't help but feel fleeting regret that he had not stayed in the relative safety of the hotel room, confining though it may have been. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a shadow looming above him, the outline illuminated from behind by pinpoints of light. Mom...I...I'm sorry... * * * * * Duo walked slowly along the street, his head bowed because for once he was not trying to attract attention. He did not feel like...working...tonight, and returning to his lonely cold apartment seemed just as unappealing. He frowned and bit his lower lip. He tried to avoid thinking about the future as much as possible, but quite often when he was alone he couldn't help it and the thoughts came unbidden. What am I gonna do...? I can't do this forever... The future was one of his greatest fears - after all, who would want him once he was older? He was already finding it more difficult than when he was fourteen, and he couldn't help but imagine that he'd just end up starving to death. He took a deep breath and shook his head, forcing a smile onto his face. No...don't think about it, Duo. Live for the day! It'll be...it'll be fine... Well, so he always told himself. The cheerful facade was his ever-present mask, and helped him cope with his day to day life. Only sometimes did cracks appear in the mask, but it had been cracking all too often of late. He would occasionally fall into a deep depression, but somehow always managed to pull himself out. He glanced around uninterestedly, trying to distract himself, when suddenly a slumped figure on the ground caught his attention. The body was half hidden in shadow and Duo approached it cautiously, wondering if the unfortunate person was dead or alive. He crouched down beside it, and slowly put out his hand, turning the body so he could see the face. It's... it's him! That guy from yesterday.... He stayed crouched next to him for a few moments, lost in thought. He came to the conclusion that the body must be alive, as it was still warm and he thought he could make out faint signs of breathing. He's in bad shape....what should I do...? I can't just leave him here... Duo abruptly came to a decision, and attempted to lift the unconscious body into his arms. "It's not that far to my place..." He muttered under his breath, "I can do this..." As he moved slowly back out into the brighter light, struggling slightly under his load, he noticed the cuts and dark bruises that littered the boy's face, and probably his torso too. Duo winced in sympathy, and started walking back along the street to his apartment. * * * * * "There." Duo placed the unconscious stranger on the small bed and sat down beside him. He wasn't sure why he had done this, and he wasn't sure what exactly he could do to try and make him heal faster. But...he was sure of one thing, and that was that there was something about the other boy, something different... He sighed and gently reached out a hand to brush lightly along the bruised jawbone. It looked painful...he was certainly not going to be happy when he woke up... As if sensing that thought, the dark haired stranger suddenly flinched under the contact, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. |