| This one up and bit me in Bio Rec. While all my friends were sleeping (and some a-snoring), I was diligently at work writing. My prof thinks I�m the best note-taker he�s ever seen. >.< The man doesn�t have a clue�� Good thing I can split my attention, listening and writing at the same time! On the plus side, grades are looking up! Little ole dyslexic me�s getting an 85 in Calculus! A 90 in Bio! Numerically undetermined but a B or higher in Chem and English! Ha, who says I�m dumb! Honors courses ain�t so tough! *AND* I got a new advisor to replace my old jerky one! She�s the Dean of my department! She specifically chose *me*! *does happy dance* Gomen but I was on a major sugar high recently. Who am I kidding, I�m still there! So here�s the fruits of my sucrose-enhanced joy. Hope ya like! Title: A Way to Heal 5/10? 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, sap Pairing(s): 3x4, 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: At this point, minor angst and sap, possible OOC for Duo in this part but I doubt it Feedback: Kami-sama, YES!!! [email protected]; any and all comments are welcome like the sweet ego-sustainers they are. Quatre knocked softly before opening the door. He didn�t wait for an answer since if any was coming, it would have been an extremely rude negative. Ever since returning to the safehouse a few days ago, the American had been sullen, withdrawn and overtly hostile. The fact that Heero had practically restrained him to keep him in bed didn�t help matters either. The blonde wouldn�t be surprised if Duo was buried under a heap of blankets, slowly being smothered to death. The baka was still not strong enough to do a lot of things but he was right when he had screamed three nights ago that the Japanese boy was babying him. Duo certainly wasn�t helpless. Yet he had been denied the ability to do *anything* by himself, least he face the stern disapproving glare of the Perfect Soldier turned Perfect Mother Hen. The violet-eyed boy was indeed sulking on the bed as predicated, encased in a giant nest of soft blankets and fluffy pillows that was not of his own making. The windows were open, spilling sunlight over his still too-pale skin and sending a soft breeze of cool fresh air to circulate around the room. It appeared to be a causal and cheery room, perfectly suited to rest and relaxation. Heero was taking this *way* too seriously. In fact, the only thing ruining the illusion was the vehement cursing coming from Duo. The boy was struggling to undo his hair that was in a severe and painful-looking braid. Heero must have done it for him again. Quatre sighed. Thoroughly convinced Duo should be doing absolutely *nothing* in order to recover properly, Heero had effectively confined the normally hyper boy to bedrest and enforced inactivity was driving him insane. Add in that something was obviously bothering the both of them and had been since the hospital and you got two people it was a very good idea to avoid. �Hey.� Duo�s eyes trailed upwards and Quatre was relieved to see a warm greeting in them instead of the fierce anger he had expected. �Need a hand there?� A soft smile lit up his face. �Yeah. Can�t seem to get this damn thing out on my own. It�s stuck!� Quatre sat down on the bed and Duo scooted over to allow him better access to the offending hair. The Sandrock pilot grasped the braid and nimbly tried to untwist it. The damn thing refused to untwist. He tried harder and pulled a little. No luck. Finally in frustration, he yanked at it, momentarily forgetting that it was attached to a person. �ITAI!!� �Oh, sorry! Didn�t mean to pull so hard!� �I know. The damn thing is hell-bent on staying in one piece. If it wasn�t so painful, I�d leave it in just to see how long it�d last.� �If Heero made it, to the grave and after.� �Tell me about it. This sucker�s already taken a beating and hasn�t lost a strand yet. Not one! No matter *what* I do to it! I probably got split ends now, thanks to him! That just ain�t normal. �s not right, man.� Between the two of them, they eventually managed to get his hair free. Silken chestnut flowed loosely and cascaded over his shoulders. Duo let loose a sigh of contentment. �Better?� �Aa. So now that we got that done, what�s on your mind?� He chuckled. �Am I so obvious? No wait, don�t answer that! I don�t think I could take it. You�d crush what�s left of my poor fragile ego and it�s been hurt enough as it is.� Duo grinned foolishly and struck a ridiculously dramatic pose. �Indeed, thou art damn right I shall! Fear me, for I am Duo Maxwell, rightwise born the true Shinigami! Crusher of pride, both false and true! Destroyer of egos that dare to cross my path! The End of your pitiful existence and the Bringer of Hell! Tremble in my shadow, mere mortal, for thy Doom is at hand and Shinigami knows no mercy! I hold thy very soul in my fist and I shalt crush it like the worthless weakling egg it is! FEAR ME!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!� �Are you done yet?� Quatre couldn�t seem to manage to stop the indulgent smile from crossing his face. It had been too long. �No. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! And for good measure, HA!!! There. *Now*, I�m done.� �Good. Gonna talk to me now?� �Not if I can possibly avoid it.� A wicked grin. �And you know I can and will.� Ok, two can play that game. �Allah, why do you plague me so?!� Clutching his chest dramatically, Quatre pretended to fall to his knees in despair. �I face the demon Shinigami and thou doest leave me all alone! Do not forsake me, Great One, but come to my aid to help me do battle with him and emerge victorious! I shall not loose to the One of Braided Hair! I, a lowly mortal, must face him alone and do beseech divine aid so that I may live to see yet another day and also to crush my enemy beneath my booted heel! My sacred quest shall succeed!� Duo clapped his hands and laughed softly. �Not bad for a beginner. But you haven�t got a chance in Hell. I should know. Insider information.� Quatre stood and offered a small bow. �A pleasure to see you so alight with laughter again, Dread Lord. Many days have passed since I have heard its echo. Still, I must fight the good fight till its bitter end regardless. Tis in my nature.� His face lost some of its amusement and grew guarded. �I came to get some answers. Any answers. At this point, I�ll even expect lies. I don�t care. Talk to me.� Duo offered him a nasty glare. �I don�t lie.� �True enough. Come on, Duo. We used to talk all the time. Say anything.� �Iie. You�re here for specifics. Ones I don�t want to talk about.� �Duo�� You�re right. I do want specifics. But they can wait. I need to know how you are.� �I�m bored out of my mind and am cranky as all hell.� �No duh. Even Heero can see that��� As if it were a magic word, Duo�s face responded immediately to Heero�s name. His face clouded over and eyes turned to amaryllis ice. Fists clenched until their knuckles turned white. His posture stiffened and shifted subconsciously into a defensive posture. �So then. He sent you, didn�t he?� he hissed. �Nani?� �Don�t play dumb with me, Blondie! Heero sent you as a pity party!� �No he didn�t!� The smaller boy was shocked that his friend could think that about him. Think that he really didn�t care�� �Uso!� Duo nearly spat the word out. �Duo, yamero! What�s gotten into you?!� Quatre demanded. �You hate being called a liar and you have the nerve to call me one?! I�m one of your best friends, damnit! What�s wrong with you?!� �Saaaaa��..� Duo let out an explosive breath. �It�s just�� I don�t like this, Ok?! I�m not an invalid; I can take care of myself! I can braid my own hair! Don�t need *Him* to take care of it. But noooooooo��. Duo can�t do jack on his own. He is incompetent. Let�s stick him in a bed and watch his brains liquefy from boredom and dibble out his ears. It�ll be fun!� �Duo, Heero�s only doing what he thinks is best for you!� A snide snort echoed through the room. �Like hell. Since when is putting Mr. People Skills in charge of someone else�s welfare a good idea? He�s not doing this for my benefit; he�s protecting the thrice-damned mission.� �That�s not fair. You don�t know that for certain.� �Oh *really*? Am I dripping enough sarcasm for you or do I need to up the dose? *Everything* he does is for the good of the mission. We�re not even in the top ten on his priorities list.� �That�s mean!� �That�s true. Run, hide, never lie. Should know that by now.� Duo looked at the floor. �Besides, he told me so himself.� Quatre started. �What? When?� �At the hospital. He said it was just another mission. *I* was just another mission. � The hurt in his voice was painful to hear. �No offense, Duo, but you were kinda messed up then. Still groggy and not really with it, ya know? Maybe you misunderstood. Took it out of context or something.� �Possible but I highly doubt it. Look at the way he�s acting.� �He�s acting like he normally would.� �Hai. All business. He�s on a mission.� The finality of that statement hung in the air. Quatre winced. <Can�t argue with that one.> �Well�� you�re the one who pointed out his lack of social skills. Maybe this is the only way he knows how to act.� �That would majorly suck, Quatre.� Duo sighed. �And you�re most likely right. Shimatta, looks like I�m screwed.� Looking at him curiously, the Sandrock pilot asked, �What do you mean by that?� Duo flushed. �Well�� ano, you see�� I�� ah hell, I�m doomed! I�m the Perfect Soldier�s *mission*!� Quatre shrugged. �At lest he�s paying attention to you.� �No, not good. It�s not good attention. This is torture.� The braided boy growled. �Can�t be that bad.� �He restricts my movement.� �Saaaa��� �He brings me meals in bed.� �That�s not bad.� �He *feeds* it to me like a two year old after he�s done cutting it into small chewable pieces and mushing the hell out of it.� �Oh.� �He won�t let me have a TV, radio, computer or even a book!� �Ouch.� �He follows me into the bathroom to make sure I don�t have an accident and split my skull open or something.� �That�s a little obsessive��.� �He *bathes* me! Sponge bath! And washes my hair. Wrongly, I might add! He�s absolutely ruining it!� �Ok, I see your point.� �He took away all my lockpicks and stuff! All my toys are GONE!� �Duo��� �He insists on fluffing my pillows and arraigning the blankets for maximum heat retention and comfort!� �Duo, stop. I�ve heard enough.� �He tucks me in at night! Like a baby!� �I feel your pain but you have to realize��.� �I�m not even allowed to talk!� �Are you even listening to me?� �He won�t let me do *anything*!� �That�s because��� �He�s treating me like I�m *weak* or something!� �You *are*! Despite your insistence, you were and remain sick. You�ll still be recovering for some time. At least another week! Face it, bitching won�t make it go away and ignoring it will only make it worse.� He paused and then offered snidely, �Besides, with the way you�ve been acting lately, you deserve house arrest!� �What�s that supposed to mean?� �Duo, you�ve been a complete bastard to Heero ever since you woke up!� �And he�s been a bastard right back! Has been one ever since I�ve known him! Why are you yelling at me for giving him his just desserts?! It�s not like he�s ever given me a reason to be grateful for anything!� Quatre paused and stared at his friend. �You don�t know, do you?� �Know what?� The blonde sighed deeply. �Kitto he wouldn�t have said anything. Duo, Heero�s the one who took care of you.� �I know that, I understand that but��� �No, I don�t think you do. Duo, you nearly *died*! Repeatedly! Your fever was incredible. You were severely delirious and had major breathing problems. The doctors think that you�re the luckiest jerk to pass though the ER in some time! Hell, you nearly drowned in the bathtub when Heero tired to give you an ice bath! Isn�t that enough? Every step of the way, he was there to watch you and take care of you. He neglected himself in your favor. Didn�t eat, didn�t sleep and he got himself hurt to boot. We had to admit him along with you! Bet you didn�t know that!� �Iie, I��� �He spent his every waking moment and quite a few of his sleeping ones near you to make sure you were Ok! Goddamnit, Duo, he hasn�t even touched the laptop in over a week!� Mouth hanging open, Duo spluttered and tried to formulate an answer as his shocked mind raced to absorb all this. His shock and distress were palpable but the Arabian didn�t notice it as he worked himself up into a fine rage. He continued ranting, oblivious to the effect it was having on Duo�s expression. �I don�t believe you! I really don�t! After the hell he went through for you! And for no good reason at all, you rip his head off and hand it to him! You *know* how emotionally closed off he is! He finally shows a little bit of feeling and concern and you jump all over him for it! Honestly Duo, how could you?! You�re the one who constantly gives him hell for not giving a damn! Always whining that he�s so damn cold! Now look what you�ve done! He�s trying to help you, damnit! We all are! But you�re too busy being a cold-hearted and self-absorbed bastard to even notice!!!� �Go�� go�� gomen�� gomen nasai��� Quatre halted and watched in horror as Duo�s shoulders shook and tears fell from his eyes. The American was sobbing freely and the pillow he held clutched in his hands was well on its way towards being soaked. Quatre felt absolutely terrible. He�d just wanted to get some sense into Duo�s head, make him see what a jerk he was being. He certainly didn�t want to make him cry! �I�m sorry�� I�m sorry��.� The braided boy stuttered in between deep gapping breaths. The utterly dejected and remorseful image before him shuddered and shook with the force of his cries. Quatre stepped forward, intending to give his friend a hug to repair the damage he had inadvertently done. �Oh, Duo. Duo, I didn�t mean��� He reached out his arms to envelope the sobbing boy in a soothing embrace when the door burst open with an extremely loud bang, scaring them both silly. Startled, the blonde turned to face the door and cursed himself for being so loud earlier. He had brought this one on himself. <Oh here it comes. I am so dead.> Heero stood in the doorway, death in his eyes. Fury was clearly written all over his face, barely covering the concern beneath it. If he hadn�t been about to die, Quatre would have thought it was cute. Said death-bringer stormed into the room and took in the situation with one cold, calculating and angry glare. He asked in a low silky and most assuredly fatal voice, �What�s going on in here? Why is he crying?� �Ahhhhhhh, well Heero you see��� The Japanese boy stalked forward, causing the Arabian to cringe back. �I asked you a question. Did you do something to him? Is that why he�s crying?� �I�� I didn�t mean to Heero but I��� Theory confirmed, the Wing Zero pilot moved in for the kill and Quatre braced himself for the beating of a lifetime. He was inches away form his prey when he was stopped in his tracks by a sniffling voice. �Hee-chan��.� �Hai, Duo?� Cobalt eyes only left their target in order to assess Duo�s condition. The American took a deep breath and looked at Quatre. Offering a tentative smile, he murmured, �Thanks, Q-man. I know you meant well. I�m not mad at �cha. But you need to take a powder now. Heero and I have things to discuss.� Grateful for the reprieve, he was out the door in a flash. This earned him a snort of disgust form Heero and a watery chuckle from Duo. The cobalt-eyes boy turned to his partner. The death glare faded from his face, softening the features and leaving him with the impression of being almost friendly. �Daijoubu?� �That�s still up in the air.� Violet eyes slowly lifted and reluctantly locked with cobalt. �Heero, we need to talk��.� (TBC��) Coming up next time on A Way to Heal: the much anticipated and demanded apology and Duo�s explanation. Why he hates hospitals! Why he was sleeping in the cave wand this whole mess started! Why�s he�s been so damn cranky! And will Heero be able to forgive him? Does he even care or did he not notice? Join us next time: same ML, same sugar-hopped up author! *snickers to self* Doughnuts for me, doughnut for you, I�ll have a doughnut, you�ll have one too! Kids, don�t have more then 5 in an hour; you�ll end up like me! 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 Proud Owner of two sets of chibis: Chibi Angel Duo and Heero in leather (twins of Tomanaiya's) and Chibi Angel Duo and Heero in black flight gear with stripes from the final GW episodes 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 |