8-10-01

Mair: Rembrant!!! You're mean!!! Quit giving me inspiration on this!!!

Rembrant: *evil grins* No.

Title: ? I dunno... hints anyone?
Author: Mair (AIM: MairWS)
Pairings: 1+2
Archive: Hell yes!!! Just let me know where so I may praise your many virtues!!!
Warnings: Hm. Angst... and the more I look at it... AU... sort of...
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all done for fandom!

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I stole a boat out of Newport; a 30 foot, AC 193 Bayliner. I reached the island in an acceptable amount of time and headed into the main harbor. It made me uneasy to see the ghost ships in the harbor. One transport that used to run between here and the mainland, a hand full of power boats and a couple sailboats.

As I steered my stolen craft toward the pier dock, I noticed that the small craft tied up was in working condition, unlike the other dilapidated floating wrecks in the harbor. It must be Duo's. He could probably hear the engine of the boat so I backed away from the right side of the pier and pulled up and docked on the port side.

He had to be here. The equipment on board the bayliner didn't register any trace of contaminants in the area and this, according to the records on the mainland, was the right island. I finished tying off the boat and checked the position of the sun. Five thirty seven. I looked back at the boat. I reached inside and flipped on the lights. Atleast I'd have a warm place to come back to. I grabbed the scanner off of the deck and walked up the creaking ramp toward town.

The town looked dead. Empty. Soulless. I could feel the loneliness nibbling at my mind. How could he stand it here? How could he live here and still be alive. Unease rose in me.

I flipped on the scanner. Starting at the end of the old casino, I aimed it at the town. Slowly I traced the buildings hoping for a trace of heat to show up large enough to be a human. Nothing. Great. House to house search then.

I kept the scanner on and started walking the streets. I traced the old shops and apartments searching for any sign of him. He was the key to stopping my loneliness and he was not getting away. I passed a victorian looking house to do the other side. Twilight was firmly setting in and soon I wouldn't have any light.

That didn't bother me but it would make things more difficult and I'd have to get my nightvision goggles from the boat. I swept the side of the building, starting at the roof. No one could have been more surprised than I to see him walk out the front door just as my scanner reached him. I quit looking down at the display in front of me and looked at him.

He looked like shit in the waning light. His pale skin had a translucent quality to it that made him look sick. His eyes looked darker than usual and his hair, usually so neatly braided, stuck out in odd spots. He looked like he'd just had a massive fit or not bathed in a bit. Considering the options at the moment, I figured on both.

He walked down toward the beach and I followed, unsure. I know he didn't see me but that didn't mean a thing. I didn't know what to say. Duo had always been the one to talk and looking at him, now, I knew that it would be me making him talk.

He reached the beach and sat down to remove his boots. He looked up and over the water, then tensed. I followed his line of sight. He can see my boat. I look back at him in time to see his shoulders sag. I blink. I expected that he might be upset but this posture change confuses me. Why would he be sad?

"Duo?" I ask uncertainly.

He tenses again. He is completely still. Then, Duo turned toward me. He looked up at me from where he sat on the sand. I can tell he wasn't expecting me.

"Heero..." His voice sounds raspy, like he'd been crying. "How... What are you doing here?"

That wasn't the question I was expecting. I took the last couple steps over to him and sat down next to him. "I came to find you. You left."

He blinks blearily at me. "I left?" His face changes. He's angry now. "You left. You left and went away to that fancy school you picked out and left me behind."

"I came back. You didn't." I paused. "Why did you leave?"

Duo can't seem to process the fact that I'm asking these questions. "You want to know why I left? What in the hell was I supposed to do Heero? You all fuckin' left me like you couldn't care in the least what happened to me! Why should I have stayed?"

Duo's different. He never acted like this in the war. I am unsure as to how to respond.

"Jesus H. Christ, Heero! You all left me, none of you even cared to find out if I wanted to go along with anything you all did. Quatre went back to his business, Trowa went off to his circus, Wufei took off and you left for school! Never once did anyone ask me what I was going to do! Never once did anyone ask me if I wanted to do anything. No one ever even said goodbye!"

I felt like he just punched me. "I said goodbye."

"You didn't say goodbye Heero, you waved and walked out. If I hadn't done a little creative research I wouldn't have even known where you went. How could you? Wufei I expected it from, I annoyed him alot durring the war and the rest just put up with me. But you! You shared a room with me when we got thrown together on missions. You broke me out of the cell OZ had me in. We guarded each others backs!"

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