| It�s been some time, ne? But nevertheless, this fic has managed to stay alive. It�s almost time to end it and start on the next book. This part is a VERY VERY belated B-Day present to Shi-chan. Gomen about that! I typed as fast as I could! ^_^;; Also dedicated to Amanda 02 in honor of out deal. You kept your end of the bargain a lot sooner then I did and I apologize for that. And I�m kinda late for class, so here we go! Title: A Way to Heal 8/10? 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: Minor angst and a clueless Heero Feedback: Kami-sama, YES!!! [email protected]; any and all comments are welcome like the sweet ego-sustainers they are. Heero Yuy stared in open-mouthed shock and more then a little confusion as the raven-haired boy walked away. His eyes were glued to the retreating figure as it traveled down the corridor while his mind panicked and spun its wheels. His thoughts were racing at their usual furious pace but they were going absolutely nowhere rather fast. Strange for someone so used to arriving at a conclusion so rapidly, but Heero�s mind was stuck firmly in neutral while the engine was gunning away. He could neither mentally proceed not retreat. Even after Wufei had left his line of sight and effectively vanished, Heero still kept his eyes locked in the same position, alternating between long periods of blinking and then keeping his eyes open till they hurt. Since his mind was being so spectacularly unhelpful, his eyes had focused of their own accord on the bringer of this disaster like it would solve anything. Usually his glare was more then enough to cause all irritations both external and internal to cease immediately but it wasn�t working in this case. His gaze did nothing to stop the whirlwind in his own mind. So he was stuck with a look that was halfway between his normal death glare and a flat-out befuddled gaze. It left him looking somewhat vulnerable but badly confused. Which made sense, since he was. This had never happened to him before. Never, ever. In the past, he had always had some idea on how to proceed in a mission, even if it was only a vague impression based on sketchy facts and unreliable data. Going in blind was a suicide MO, not to be done unless no other options were available. Despite popular belief and the whispers behind his back, he was not suicidal; he was just dedicated. His extensive training covered every possibility, perhaps not as thoroughly as one would like it to but all subjects were given least given a passing mention. You never knew what might happen on a mission and the Perfect Soldier is prepared for anything and everything. Even when he had been thrown for a loop by being asked to care for Duo back when this all began when it was obvious that his medical and personal experience was lacking, he at least had a vague idea of what to do and was able to go from there relatively successfully. But this�� This was uncharted territory. Terrorists as a rule don�t give a damn about feelings and how to cope with them. It�s just not done. It is detrimental to the mission, professionalism and breathing as well. They serve no purpose other then to dangerously distract you from your target, perhaps fatally. Heero had little to no experience with them, having been trained from near-birth that they would get him killed. He had never dealt with the emotional aftermath of the past and the tragic things that happen to them almost daily, so he generally tried to avoid any and all matters concerning them. But he was stuck this time; no escape was present. The mission demanded he deal with this and deal with this as soon as possible. Which translated into NOW. But he still had no clue what to do. <I have to help him.> That thought was as clear as day, rising above the muddled mess of his mental state. <Duo needs help. I�m not sure why it has to be me, though. This is an extremely bad idea. I spoke the truth; he requires someone who will actually do some good. I know nothing useful; I will only cause more damage. I don�t know what to say. I didn�t then when he told me to my face with that�... that damned *tone* of his and I sure as hell don�t now. I�m no good at these types of situations; that should be blatantly obvious by now! They require�� They require�� people skills! At the very least! I don�t have enough information to proceed correctly and I can�t afford a mission failure at this point!> Well aware of his own limitations in these matters, Heero growled out loud in frustration. <If I had even the slightest clue how to proceed, I would have acted immediately. This isn�t something I would have let go if there were any other options. I saw no�� *see* no means of correction! I simply don�t know what to *DO*!> A vision flashed quickly before his eyes. The Duo from his dreams in the hospital, trying in vain to tell him something before vanishing for failing. While it was only a figment of his admittedly-at-the-time overactive imagination, it still disturbed him; he didn�t want anything to happen to Duo, especially not through his own ignorance. The sadness in the dream Duo�s eyes was eerily similar to what he saw when his partner spoke with him earlier. Somewhere in that logical brain of his, Heero grasped the significance of the imagery presented to him in what seemed like so long ago. If Duo couldn�t get his point across, if he wasn�t understood�� he would be lost. <But what is he trying to *SAY*?!> There was only one way to be sure. It was painfully clear, both from the dream and real life, that words were not and would not be enough. He just wasn�t good enough with them, either speaking them incorrectly or misunderstanding their nuances. He missed things or misinterpreted them too often, especially when dealing with the facetious American who lived for obscure metaphors and strange turns of phrase. This was too important to risk an error in communication. So if verbal interaction was non-viable and possible counter-productive, then that left visual. He would watch and observe Duo, learn the meanings behind his wild gestures and too-often fake smiles to attempt to understand him that way. Observing and analyzing situations is one of his strong points. His eyes would reveal what his ears could not, and he would gain a clearer image of Duo Maxwell and what he wanted. But this would require modifying his own personal habits significantly. Heero would spend time with his partner, much more then he usually did. Duo often indicated that this was something he would enjoy greatly. And he wouldn�t be doing something else while he was in the violet-eyed boys� company, but would be spending it with him or doing something together with him. He would make sure that Duo was not alone if it could be avoided since the American did not like solitude and silence. That he was certain he knew since Duo never let the quiet stretch too long and always wanted someone with him, no matter what he was doing. There would be more opportunities for comprehension if he made himself more available to the braided pilot, as well. The boy frequently talked to him but Heero never really paid him much attention. That stops now. He would listen, and would make sure Duo knew he was listening. If his partner asked him a question, then he would receive an answer instead of a grunt or monosyllabic response. Requests will no longer be uniformly denied without deliberation, but will have their merits considered and judged individually based on current circumstances and not preconceived standards. Hopefully, all of this would lead to further and deepen their partnership�� friendship. Maybe Duo would trust him more because of it. Trust is necessary�� absolutely vital in order to hand over control of something, even to someone you know. And to help Duo, Heero needed him to relax the walls, barriers and restraints to grant him access to the real Duo Maxwell behind all the smiles and jokes. Heero knew that the bottom line of all this is that he needed to get him to trust in order for this to be effective. Duo needs to trust if he is to heal. Therefore, Heero would provide every opportunity he could to establish a foundation for it. This was his new mission. The particulars and details were hazy and/or non-existent. But it was a plan nonetheless and was fairly solid and plausible to boot. Certainly not as likely to succeed as some battle plans he had followed before but it was better then nothing. <Now, how to start?> At the root of the problem, of course. Attack the source to eliminate all potential distractions caused by multiple targets and prevent any increase in strength or opposition. <Ryoukai. And the source of the problem is��> Blinding mental silence made it clear that he was still clueless for the most part. As Duo would say, he was still screwed, baby. How to reach Duo? How to show�� no, prove�� that he was serious in his intentions to aid the American. <What would he perceive as a friendly overture? Especially form me?> He had to make a gesture that Duo could understand without a chance of misinterpretation. He racked his brain trying to find an appropriate indication that he could actually pull off successfully. Following his new policy of observe and apply and much deliberation, Heero finally decided that mimicking one of the braided boy�s own actions would be most correctly suited to this task. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk down the corridor towards their room. Time to commence Operation Heal Duo. He would talk about his past and how it has hurt his future. (TBC��) Hee-chan�s so cute when he doesn�t have a clue! *sighs* Now off to work and study so I will make my average��. 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 real-life hamsters named Heero Yuy (Hee-chan) and Shinigami Eagle Vision (Shini Eagle)(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 |