| Wow, apparently this series is getting popular�.. Even the great Enigma quoted one of my lines! I�m kinda sorry I have to end it soon. But never fear! The sequel shall arrive as soon as I get some down time and R&R. I *so* need a break! This is a rush job, so errors may be present. Gomen��� Ummm, Ok. There�s quite a bit of metaphors and symbolism in this part. If no one get it, please email me and I�ll be more then happy to explain. I�ve been told I can be somewhat general and obscure when I do this and I don�t want to lose anyone or have them not get it. I wouldn�t recommend flaming to take out your aggression; it�s never a good idea to give a confirmed pyro fire to play with..�.. This one will run a little long. Don�t think there will be problems there. Oh, and Heero may be mega OOC. It�s a dream though, so I�m not sure if it counts as bastardization�.. Title: A Gesture of Kindness 9/10 Author: Lady DarkAngel [email protected] Archive: Lady DarkAngel's Gundam Wing Fanfiction Library http://ladydarkangel_1.homestead.com/Main.html, Darkflame�s (if she�ll take it�.) and anywhere else is fine, just ask me first Category: Yaoi, angst Pairing(s): 1+2 eventually (I�ma getting� there, don�t rush me!) Disclaimers: Gundam Wing or Shinkidousenki Gundam Wing is copyrighted and trademarked by Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency and associated parties with all rights and privileges. The characters were used without permission for the purposes of entertainment only. This is not meant for sale of profit. Any characters not created by those listed above are mine and hereby considered the sole property and copyright of the author. Anyway, I�m just a poor college student. So can I play with them? I promise I won�t break them�..much. Rating: PG Warnings: Angst, severe illness, minor gross factor, sap? Feedback: Kami-sama, YES!!! [email protected]; any and all comments are welcome like the sweet ego-sustainers they are. Heero was dreaming. He knew it with the certainty of the heart. This wasn�t real. That didn�t happen very often. Oh, he had nightmares frequently but they were always vague; shapeless, formless, generic images of terror and blood that never stayed in the morning light and left only an uneasy feeling behind. No, this was different. The world was clear and crisp, bright and airy. Most strange to him though was the fact that there was no destruction visible. No blood. No death. No screams�� He looked around skeptically at his surroundings. He�d never been here before. This unfamiliar place was unlike any he�d ever seen. A hill covered in flowers of all colors, bursting in bloom. He glared at the explosion of various shades assaulting his eyes. The majority of them were an usual brilliant amethyst, seconded by an almost-cobalt blue. He couldn�t identify the flowers; they were something unlike anything he had ever learned about. This was most definitely a dream. A soft sound echoed around him. He glanced around and saw nothing but the ever-present flora. <Echo�s terrible. Can�t ascertain position or even message content.> Wait. How did he know the noise was a message? He had no evidence, no proof. Hell, he�d only heard it once! He couldn�t be sure. This was a dream, after all. Maybe he imagined it. He couldn�t trust it; couldn�t be sure! And yet he was. The message was there and it was important. Extremely important. The most important thing he would ever know. He listened for it and it came again. A voice. It was a voice. He didn�t understand the words; they were too faint and indistinct to make out. <It�s imperative that I hear this message. Not sure why but that�s never mattered before. Never question the mission. Very well, ninmu kanryou.> �Ohayo?� he called out, hoping to get a straight response. The air stilled. The sun seemed to grow dim and clouds appear in the formally perfect sky. Even the breeze stopped ruffling those damned flowers and not a sound could be heard at all. Not the expected response at all. He frowned and tried again. �Ohayo? Dare desu ka?� The answer came in the form of bubbling laughter. The frown became a scowl. <What the hell is this?!> He was supposed to learn the meaning of the message, not put up with this! This wasn�t funny, this was business! �Yamero! Whoever you are, just tell me the message!� The laughter increased and drew nearer. The flowers and the wind seemed to react to the sound. The sunlight grew brighter, the wind softer and sweet-smelling and everything took on a faint glow. The whole dream world shimmered and swayed as the laughter danced in his ears. Something about that was vaguely familiar�.. Hell, this whole dream reeked of faint familiarity. Heero grew furious. He had a mission to complete. There was no time for this foolishness. �Answer me! Why do I need to know what you�re trying to tell me? Will it help my missions? What is it? And why don�t you just come out and say it?!� Nothing but the light-hearted laughter. �K�so! Who are you, anyway?! I demand you show yourself! Come out here now!!� He was really pissed now. No one screws with his missions and lives. A vision in black appeared on the horizon as if by magic. Heero raced up the hill towards it. Finally! He could get to the bottom of this and get this stupid dream over with. But the shadow danced away and out of his line of sight. �Come back!� He howled and sped up to catch the lithe figure. The shadow ducked and weaved out of his reach, almost teasingly. He growled and resolved to do better. It was fast but he was faster. He took a flying leap, tackled it and they went rolling. Tumbling down, he never released his hard-won grip. It was somehow very important not to let go, just like it was vital to hear and understand. <But WHY?!> Heero was getting extremely mad with this knowing-without-knowing-how-he-knew thing. They finally rolled to a stop with Heero pinning the figure beneath him. Opening his eyes, he was shocked at what graced them. The person under him grinned a memorable cocky grin and flashed brilliant violet eyes at him that were brimming with mischief. <*DUO*?!?> The Wing Zero pilot was dumbfounded. *Duo* was the one who had the message of utmost importance for him?! What could the braided baka tell have to say that could have any relevance to his life? The boy in question was just lying there, blinking innocently like he was waiting for something. Heero snarled at his imaginary partner. <Fine. I get it. Dreams are all about symbolism, right. Duo represents work, the mission. Why he was chosen, I�ll never know but�� Enough. A symbol�s a symbol. Let�s get this over with.> �Well?� Duo opened his mouth and began to speak. But no sound came out. He was in no mood for the nefarious prankster�s tricks with now. �Quit joking around, Duo. Tell me what you have to say.� The American continued to voicelessly. Heero couldn�t even read his lips. The look on Duo�s face clearly indicated he expected to be understood and for the life of him couldn�t fathom why he wasn�t getting through to the Japanese boy. �Damnit, bakayaro!� Heero shoved Duo hard into the grass. �Tell me!!!� The look in those eyes was near heartbreaking. It almost screamed �I *AM* trying!� but Heero didn�t see it. He got up and glared at the boy. Duo stood as well and tried once more. Still the lips were soundless and indistinguishable words can from them. The Wing Zero pilot couldn�t take it anymore. Sure he was being made a fool of by a figment of his imagination, he lashed out. His fist struck Duo�s right cheek and color bloomed instantly. The results were immediate. The air suddenly became frigid and the winds turned into bitter wintry gales. The sky above became a forbidding gray and the flowers� colors lost their brightness. A heavy sense of oppression settled over the hill and clung to the figures standing on it. Heero froze and stared at his handiwork. The bruise was darker then his partners� eyes and covered the whole side of his face. Guilt started to creep in. Dream or not, he had no right to hit Duo like that. He hadn�t really done anything wrong; he was trying to help, even. He watched as a saddened resignation settled over that familiar face as Duo turned and began to walk up the hill again. �Wait! Where are you going?� The Deathscythe pilot didn�t hear him. �Yamero! Stop and get back here!� Still, no answer. �You can�t leave; I don�t have an answer yet! What you think you�re doing, aggravating me like this? You�re just like the real Duo! Only he wouldn�t walk out like this! My partner wouldn�t do this to me; he�d tell me what I needed to know.� Heero stopped to take a breath. �Onegai?� The figure paused and turned back. Duo made a beckoning gesture with his hand that seemed almost pleading. <Pleading��. For what? Why does he want me to come to him? With him? And why do I want to go? What�s wrong with me?> Duo must have mistaken his confusion for rejection. He hung his head and, much to Heero�s horror, began to fade away. �Iie! Duo, wait! Come back! What do you want? Why are you here? Why are you leaving? What are you trying to tell me?!� He ran up the hill as fast as his legs would carry him but those damnable flowers got tangled in his feet and tripped him. He was mere few from his goal�. his friend�. and he couldn�t close the distance. The dream Duo was only a pale shadow now and was barley visible. Heero reached out in blind panic. <He can�t leave! He mustn�t leave! Duo! Come back to me!> �What do you WANT?!�, he hollered to anyone, everyone. �What do you want from me?!� He watched Duo�s face as it disappeared. He was able to make out the final words as everything around him dissolved into darkness. �No, Heero, what do *you* want?� ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Heero woke sweating to silence. He sat there with his eyes closed as he pondered the silence in the wake of what just happened. It seemed almost unnatural; not at all like the hill from the dream. That was an illusion and the only things included would be what his subconscious deemed important. But this was reality and it was never this damn quiet unless something bad was going down. The hush before hell breaks loose��. Speaking of hell and dreams, what the hell was that damn dream about?! He was aware that dreams were almost always allegorical and symbolic in ways that may be difficult to understand. Such were normal ones, anyway. But he *never* had normal dreams. This was new and disturbing. Why these particular images? He knew he was subconsciously trying to understand something and the dream was in terms that he should be able to grasp. Yet he didn�t, not really. He got that he was searching for something, trying to figure it out. No brainer there. But what? Why odd-colored flowers on a hill? A question he couldn�t hear or make out? A disappearing messenger? But most of all, why did he pick Duo? <Duo��..> Suddenly, his eyes burst open. <Iie! Kami-sama, iie!!> He darted his gaze about the room, rapidly trying to determine his location. The peaceful blank whiteness and utter starkness indicated that he was in a hospital room. But the braided pilot was nowhere to be seen. In fact, it took a few seconds to realize why the view was so strange. Then it hit him. *He* was the one in the bed! He was the patient here! <What the hell?!> he leapt out of bed, relived to discover that he still had all of his original clothing. One less problem to deal with, at least. He swiftly checked the room and was fairly certain that he was not a prisoner. Then why��.? He vaguely remembered passing out but surely that was not reason to admit him!! A glance up and down the hall confirmed that there were no guards or nurses observing his location. As a matter of fact, no one was looking or even around, period. Silently slipping out, he hugged the wall as he crept away. Cursing the overly-bright corridor that banished any convenient shadow for him to duck into, he went in search of his query. <Where is Duo?!> Soon realizing he was in a back hallway far from the main area, he began stealthy peeking in doors at random. <This must be Quatre�s doing��> remembering the diminutive blonde had accompanied him. <But why? He would have made sure to put him near me, if not in the same room! What could possibly cause him to separate�.. unless�.. oh, no. Iie, Quatre wouldn�t do that. If�.. if he�d died, he would have been here to tell me. He would have! Quatre wouldn�t leave me alone if�.. would he? Is he afraid of how I�d react? Did he think I�d snap and become a danger to everyone?> As the twentieth door he tried yielded nothing, he thought ruefully, <Good call.> Coming to a cross-corridor, he paused for a second to get his bearings. A quiet voice then called out, �To the right. Sixth door on the left. Knock first.� Whirling around to confront the speaker, he saw Trowa leaning easily up against the wall. A thousand questions raced through his mind. <When did you get here? Is Duo Ok? Where are the others? Why was he in a bed in back-end corridor room? Is Duo alive? Why aren�t you concerned? Where the hell is everyone? Will he be alright? Did OZ detect us? Do we need to leave soon? Are you sure? Can I see him for myself?> But all that he could hear come out from his trembling lips was a faint and unsure, �Daijoubu?� �Hai, Heero Yuy, daijoubu. Kitto daijoubu. No worries.� �Positive? Absolutely positive?� �Nothing in life is absolute and you know it. To the best of out knowledge and based on the current situation, Duo will live. No one understands why but no one really understood him to begin with. He will continue to be ill for a time but the worst is over. You will not lose him in the foreseeable future. Daijoubu, Heero.� The unusually long speech finished, he glanced at his friend. �Want to see him now or wait till later? You�re still not well yourself.� �Forget it. I�m fine; Quatre worries too much. Where is he again?� �Follow me�..� Relief greater then any he had ever thought possible flooded his system as they proceeded down the hall. Daijoubu. That one word did much to reassure him. However, the distrust that had defined his whole life manifested. He wouldn�t truly believe until he saw with his own discerning cobalt eyes that Duo was and would be fine. By his definition. Which meant being the smiling baka that had somehow bewitched him into being different then his training had dictated. Perfectly normal and absolutely healthy. Kami-sama save them if not. He had no more patience for this. Duo was in the hands of professionals now. He would hear no excuse, except no stalls. He wanted his Duo back NOW, damnit, or else�� They stopped and Trowa knocked on a door. It opened a crack and one aqua eye cautiously peered out. It widened and the door slammed shut, only to be quickly opened again. The joyous smile on the Arabian�s face further calmed him and lent more credence to the rosy picture Trowa had been trying to give him. Wufei�s face was relaxed and not worried at all. The two stood there in the doorway and blocked his view of the inside. He nearly pushed them aside to see when the Shenlong pilot�s voice stopped him. �He�s comatose, Yuy. Don�t be expecting him to leap up and glomp you like always.� �Comatose?� Quatre smacked Wufei lightly upside the head. �That�s right. Give him the wrong idea and watch him go Zero on us. Jerk.� He turned to face Heero. �Aa but not dangerously so. It�s more healing then hurtful, letting him recuperate faster. He�ll wake up on his own in good time. He�s better but not out of the woods yet. Be nice.� Heero scowled. What did that mean? The blonde seemed to sense the unspoken question. �He may be able to hear you; we�re not sure. So no insults or death threats, kudasai. No mention of mission or calling him baka. Try to talk encouragingly. It might help. Try to get him to wake up. He always did listened to you��..� �Why do you assume I�m going to say anything?� Heero was truly puzzled. �We�re not stupid. Nor are we oblivious. Honestly, Yuy, the only one here without a clue is you. Now go.� With that, Wufei shoved the Wing Zero pilot in and shut the door tight. They then took up positions outside to insure nothing and no one would interrupt. (TBC��.) One more part to go. I�ma typing, I�ma typing����.. Lady DarkAngel ---------- Chibi Duo's Babysitter Moderator of Duo's Sugar Intake Keeper of Duo's Nice Rear-end Co-Keeper of Shinigami's Wings (with Meela) Keeper of Heero's Homicidal Intentions Keeper of Quatre's Teacup Keeper of Trowa's Mask Keeper of Wufei's Sense of Honor Co-Keeper of Duo's Chatter (with Tomanaiya) Co-Keeper of Heero's "Hn" (with Tomanaiya) Co-Writer of Wufei's Rants (with Tomanaiya) Leader of the Inspirationally-challenged Muses: Alisande, Rynvi, and Kiagara Co-Keeper of a real-life hamster named Heero Yuy (Hee-chan)(with Tomanaiya) Keeper of the Hit List Acting GOD in Charge of The Anime Muse Adopiton Center and WSCT of the AMAC Proud member of SDDI, the Society of Defending Duo's Intelligence Member of the Society Against the Complete Bastardization of Heero Yuy Occupant of the Happy Hentai House Master Hacker of the Shinigami Organization Assistant Mob Psychologist for the Shinigami Organization Founding Member of Saa-EEP!!! Happy to be a member of the DuoML Member of 1x2, 2x1 Fan Club and ML Many more MLs but you don't want to know... Lady DarkAngel's Gundam Wing Fanfiction Library http://ladydarkangel_1.homestead.com/Main.html |