| I have been writing so much lately! Fics and homework are conspiring to kill me! My muses have the absolute worst timing and I swear they don�t know how to shut up! 12 pages in a day is excessive, don�t you think? And on three stories to boot! A little note here. I�m gonna assume that in the future of AC195, medicine has considerably advanced. To the point where the flu is curable with a simple small pill and there are treatments and immunizations for practically everything. Earth is a healthy and whole place, where disease is nearly unheard of. Can�t say the same for the colonies, though�� Title: A Way to Heal 6/10? 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. Duo sat on the bed, taking deep breaths to calm himself and wearily eyeing Heero. He was still upset from his talk with Quatre and he needed to relax if this one was going to be any better. If he could piss the blonde off and cause him to fly into a rage like that, how would Heero react? Yep, he definitely needed to have it all together before this little discussion started. Cause it was gonna go downhill *real* fast�� <Breath, Duo, breath�� You can do this.> Heero stood and observed his partner trying to regain normal respiration while he tried to rein in his fury. What the hell was Quatre *thinking*, aggravating him like that?! He preformed a quick mental calculation. At the current rate of recovery, stress levels and amount of recommend rest received, Quatre had most likely just set Duo�s healing back by at least three days! How dare he interfere in Heero�s mission like that?! Compromising its integrity and damaging the objective?! And he was the one who assigned it to him in the first place! The Japanese boy stole another glance at Duo�s miserable and tear-streaked face and felt the renewed urge to beat the Arabian black and blue. <He�s supposed to be the most sensitive among us! Why did he do that? Even *I* can see that something is�� wrong here. But it appears to be much worse then I thought. I assumed he was just being his usual troublesome patient self. Perhaps I was wrong?> His lips tightened. <Kitto I was. This must be rectified. It is detrimental to his health. Ryoukai. Demo�� how to fix it?> �Heero?� Duo was nowhere near ready to have this chat. If he had his way, it�d never happen. But after watching Heero�s face turn ever so slightly cloudy while staring at the door Quatre just vacated sealed the deal. He knew what was going on in that little Soldierly head of his. The Arabian was a dead man if this kept up. This little speech would appease Heero somewhat. He had to do this or Q-man was a goner. <Sometimes it sucks to have friends��.> �Heero?� �Aa?� �I�m�� sorry. I�m sorry for being such a jerk to you. You�re not the bastard here; I am. I�ve done nothing but give you hell for no reason. Gomen nasai, Heero. Forgive me.� �No.� Duo flushed. �Thought as much.� �No, baka. I mean there�s nothing to forgive. You were acting cold because of something. It wasn�t intended and therefore does not need to be forgiven. Misunderstandings caused by circumstances need only be corrected, not apologized for. Besides, I wasn�t offended.� <I hope that was enough.> �Really?� The American blinked at him, stupefied. �You�re not pissed?� �No. Well, yes I am but not at you.� �Don�t kill Quatre, man. That was a misunderstanding too. He�s the one who told me that I shouldn�t be giving ya trouble.� �He yelled at you. He made you cry.� �He didn�t make me cry. You did.� �Come again?� Heero was very confused by that. He wasn�t even there when it happened! How was this his fault? �I got upset �cause I found out you were the one who took care of me. Real good care of me. And I�ve been screwing you over. I�m really sorry, Heero. Here you are, being a good friend, my *best* friend and I�m the absolute piss pot. You�ve been so nice and��� The Japanese boy shrugged lightly. �It�s nothing. I do what is needed. You need to be taken care of right now. So I�ll make sure you�re fine till you can look after yourself again. I will do my job and ensure you get better.� He cocked an eyebrow. �And right now, you need to talk to do that.� �Ahhhhh, why?� �Because something is bothering you. You always tell me I can�t keep things inside; I need to speak up when I�m upset. Follow your own advice. Talk.� �Damn. Trapped by my own words. Hoist by my own petard. Stepped in my own bear trap. Pulled the pin on the grenade. Snagged the tripwire. Drank the wrong glass. Shot myself square in the foot.� �Duo?� �Hai?� �Shut up and talk.� The oxymoron got a genuine laugh from the braided boy before he settled down with a scowl. �You sure you wanna hear this?� �Yes.� �It�s a sucky story. One that I�m gonna have a hard time getting through. Just stay quiet and lemme talk this thing through, ne? No interruptions. Think you can do that?� At Heero�s nod, he took a deep breath and began in a halting voice. �Ok, I guess I�ll start with the immediate reason why. I�� oh hell, you know I don�t like being sick. Can barely stand bein� injured as is but to be actually ill�� I�� really never have been. Sick, I mean. I had coughs and a few mild fevers, but never anything worse. I DON�T get sick. It�s a fact of life, I guess. And you know that when I get upset or nervous and stuff, I have to *do* something! I feel helpless if I don�t. So when I started coughing, I went to work on Deathscythe. I musta spent all day in that damn cave, tweaking� all the systems just right. But when I woke up the next morning, I felt even worse. BOOM, back to work. Kept me busy, right? I did that for maybe three, four days before I started having trouble getting back and forth between places. The safehouse seemed to get farther and farther away each time. I started getting scared. That wasn�t right. I mean, I�ve been drop-dead tired before but not like that. It was like something was stealing my energy and kicking in the chest afterwards. And I was so warm��. But the cave was covered in water and niter. The walls were way too cold so it wasn�t the cave. I didn�t understand. I *don�t* get sick. So what in the hell was goin� on? But you guys didn�t seem to notice. I didn�t know what to do but if it wasn�t a big enough deal for even Quatre to sense, then why bother, ne? So I was like, �Screw it.� Maybe I�m outta shape or something. By the last day, I was breathing hard the whole day long and standin� was a chore. Forget walking. So I grabbed my blanket and pillow from ole� Shini and settled down to take a nap. Just a short one, gimme my energy back and all. I guess�� I didn�t wake up when I shoulda.� Heero was frowning deeply. Everything he had heard had really disturbed him. Why hadn�t he or one of the others caught that? Three, four days he said��. Would it have gone on longer if they hadn�t noticed it when they did? Could he have died and they wouldn�t have known? This all could have been avoided if they�d paid better attention to Duo. <Or if the baka had spoken up.> �Duo?� �Yea, Hee-chan?� Eyes fixed on the floor, Duo refused to meet his partner�s gaze. �Why didn�t you say something?� Duo let out a sharp, bitter laugh. �Don�t have to be rude, Heero. I�m bein� nice here for a change.� Puzzled, he replied, �I�m not being rude. I want to know why you didn�t tell us anything.� Violet eyes went wide. �You freakin� kidding me? I mean, are you serious?� �Why wouldn�t I be?� Duo stared incredulously at him and then spoke in a slow voice, like someone speaking to a person of lesser intellect unsure of why the explanation was necessary. �Heero�� I�m from L2.� �I know that. What bearing does that have on this?� �Let�s try this again. For the moronic and mentally impaired, I�m�� from�� L�� 2. I�m from L2. Got it? Know what I mean?� Heero sighed exasperatedly. �Obviously not if you keep implying I don�t. Why don�t you tell me then?� �I don�t believe this��� Duo muttered under his breath. The eyes went back to the floor again. Heero had had it. Assuming a commanding tone of voice that hopefully didn�t sound *too* cold, he snapped out, �Duo.� When the face in question jerked up towards him, he continued. �You *will* tell me. You have been acting completely irrational lately. You are slowing your recovery down. You claim I don�t understand. You will rectify that situation. *Now*.� �I��� Hesitant amethyst met steely cobalt. �I�ll try. But if you don�t know�� How can you *not * know? You supposed to be the Perfect Soldier. Aware of everything. Especially common knowledge.� �Perhaps I�m not so perfect then��� The near whisper was enough to harden Duo�s resolve. If Heero could doubt himself enough to say that aloud, then he could surely say this�� �Ok�� Ok�� Ok. Like I said, I�m from L2. Ahhhhh, well�� it ain't the best of the colonies. Sucky workmanship, no water, cheap environmentals, no one really in charge�� It�s a terrible place to live. Especially for us street rats. It�s a daily struggle to survive, one you�re fated to lose just cause you�re you. Starving, freezing, running for your life��� He stopped to take a shaking breath. �Well, as if that wasn�t enough to deal with, there were the plagues. Yes, plural. They were everywhere. Things that were wiped out centuries ago on Earth and are easily treatable or even curable ran rampant there. Still do. You name it and I�ve seen it. I�ve lost friends to it. Nobody ever goes to L2 unless they really *have* to. It�s a deathtrap. Didja know that more then 80% of the deaths recorded there are from curable illnesses? Like influenza and its bastard cousins. And those are just the deaths they know and/or care about. Nobody on the streets dies of natural causes. Either yer murdered, the cold gets ya or the plagues do.� He offered a mirthless chuckle. �Lab coats, ya know like the doctors wear? Most of us kids thought they were the robes of Shinigami�s helpers. Sickness is one of Death�s best allies. That�s why I call the Docs Pestilence. Fitting, ne? When Sally learned I was from L2, she ditched the coat and scrubs so damn fast��� He stopped again. �Hospitals are where sick people go, Heero. And where I�m from, if you�re sick, you�re dead. Hospitals are for the rich and those the Federation favored. Medicine is for those who were born with money or know how to get their way. It was too precious to just give away to worthless nobodies who�ll never do anything to benefit society and the rich. The rest of us just got to die out on the streets.� He shivered. �Nobody on L2 gets sick and gets better, not even now that OZ is in charge. Especially us kids. I got lucky with the killer immune system I have. My one and only blessing-in-a-curse. Survived every plague and godforsaken sickness to go around. Nothing�s touched me so far. But my friends weren�t so lucky. Hell, nobody�s supposed to be that lucky; it ain�t normal. That�s how I first got the nickname Shinigami; I outlived everyone so people were convinced I�d made a deal with Death.� He stared ancient eyes at his partner. �Death is one thing, Heero. I don�t fear the Reaper, never did and never will. I live with him every day. But being sick�� It scares the hell outta me.� �And�� when I was little, I sold my blood. Ain�t no such thing as a voluntary donor there. Blood and the like are a valuable commodity. Since I had a good immune system, I made good money off it. More then enough for me and the gang to live offa for a while. They�d just drain me till I was a hairsbreadth away from death, shove the credits in my hand and push me out the door into the alley where I belonged. Solo was always there waiting for me or I�da never made it back. Blood loss bites the big one but I guess you�d know something about that, ne? leaves ya weak and open to attack. I lost count of the number of times the others had to cover for me �cause I was too weak to move��� �So why did you do it, then? If it meant risking your life like that?� Heero tired to hold Duo�s gaze evenly and not reveal how much this was upsetting him. So Duo had a hard life. They all did. They were soldiers, damnit. So why did this bother him so much? Flint entered violet orbs. �Cause I refused to sell anything else. On the street, all ya�s got is yourself. Wasn�t gonna whore myself if there was any alternative at all. This was much better and a hell of a lot less demeaning.� �I�� I don�t know what to say.� �Don�t say anything then. Didn�t expect ya to anyway. You wanted answers. There ya go. The whole sordid story. Pity the rat, for his filth is not all his own.� �Don�t talk like that. You�re not a street rat. Not anymore.� �Was one though. Can�t change that. In ma blood.� �I think that�s a discussion for another day.� Heero stalled. He didn�t like having to leave that kind of attitude in Duo�s mind but further conversation along those lines would only serve to upset him and worsen his condition. Unacceptable. �Thank you for telling me. I know that was difficult for you. Arigato Duo Maxwell. I understand now.� �S�ok man. You were right too. Talkin� made me feel better. Need to do that again sometime.� �Maybe we will.� Heero gently pushed Duo down onto the bed. Drawing the covers up to his chin, he made sure his partner was comfortable. Fluffing a pillow, he said softly, �Now get some rest. You�ve had a hard day.� �Yeah, yeah��� Duo waited until Heero�s hand was on the doorknob before speaking up again. �Ne, Heero?� �Hai?� Duo batted his eyelashes and smiled innocently. �Stop babying me now?� he asked hopefully. ��� No.� �Damn.� (TBC��) My fingers are getting raw from all this typing and writing! I need a break! I need a hand-soak! I need C&C! But most of all, I NEED CHOCOLATE!!!!!! 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 |