Kodoku no Kokoro

By:

o.O?

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. *grins*

Warning: yaoi, shonen-ai, 1+2, 3+4+5

A/N: The warning's up, so if any parents decide to email me, complaining about the corruption of their children, there's only one thing I'd say to them: *pulls down eyelid* Nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah!!! *snickers*

Oh, also, there's been some confusion about my ficcie. There's no yaoi....yet. Right now, Heero and Duo are only friends......NOT LOVERS!!! That's gonna take a couple of chapters, k? Oh, another thing: Neko-chan can translate to either 'cat girl' or 'cute cat'. *sighs* I have my work cut out for me....*pout pout*

Chapter Two

The bright rays of the early morning sun filtered through the dirty window, revealing a sleeping figure on an unmade bed. His lashes were dark crescent moons on his pale cheeks; his chestnut hair had come undone from his braid, and now formed a sparkling halo around his head. But.....the beautiful image was destroyed when Duo opened his mouth and a loud snore sounded throughout the room.

On the floor, burrowed deep within a nest of blankets, Heero growled in frustration. He gritted his teeth and tried to burrow even deeper, throwing several pillows on top of his head. But his actions were all in vain, for Duo could still be heard. I'm gonna kill him..... Heero thought as he stuck his head out of the blankets. Once out, he wasn't prepared for the strong ray of sunshine that struck him right in the eyes. Uttering a string of curses, Heero squinted and looked around the tacky hotel room.

He glared darkly when he surveyed his friend. Duo was still asleep. He was sprawled all over the bed, the blankets twisted in his long legs. One arm dangled over the edge of the bed, while the other was thrown over his eyes. Heero snorted in disdain and continued his inspection of the room. A stealthy movement by the foot of the bed caught his attention before he remembered that it was only Duo's pet cat.

Neko-chan walked up to Heero and sat in front of him, looking at him expectantly. Heero looked back, baffled. "What do you want me to do?" he asked her, puzzled by the way she looked at him.

Looking exasperated, Neko-chan walked closer to the Perfect Soldier and nudged him hand. She again looked at him expectantly and meowed. Finally getting it, Heero sighed and began to pet her. Neko-chan's purr soon began to fill the room, almost drowning out Duo's snores.

Heero smiled softly down at her. "Even though I don't like you much, I still prefer your purr to Duo's snores any day." Neko-chan seemed to smirk and looked up at the bed. Duo was awake and glaring down at Heero.

"Whatcha doin' with my cat?" Duo asked, pouting, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Once he was done with that, he reached down and wiggled his fingers at the small black cat. Again, like last night, Neko-chan ignored him and continued to sit next to Heero. If it was possible, her purrs grew louder. Duo scowled and mumbled something that sounded like, "Traitor...."

Heero ducked his head, grinning, as he began to scratch Neko-chan under her chin. Her eyes closed in pleasure and a look of ecstacy flickered across her face.

After five minutes of paying attention to Neko-chan, and to no one else (namely Duo), Duo became upset and leaned forward, snatching Neko-chan from Heero's grasp. Scowling down at her, he said, "What are you doin', consorting with the enemy? I was the one who rescued you, not Heero. Heero wanted to get rid of you. But I convinced him to let you stay. You're supposed to be my cat, Neko-chan. Not Heero's!"

Neko-chan looked up at him, her tail twitching. She seemed to raise a black eyebrow at him; then she smirked. Wiggling out of Duo's hold, she returned to Heero. She stared up at him, her head cocked. Heero grinned down at her. Then, reaching forward, he picked her up. Heero stood and looked down at Duo, who was still in his black boxers.

"Hurry up, baka," he said, amusement lacing his voice. "We have to check out at a certain hour, and then we have to find somewhere else to go. Also, I promised Quatre that we'd check in before lunch. So go put your clothes on so we can leave."

And, with that, Heero tossed a pile of clothes to Duo. Duo scowled, then picked up a shirt. His eyes widened when he saw something unexpected.

"Heero!" he yelped. "These aren't my clothes!!"

Nodding, Heero made his way into the bathroom, Neko-chan sitting on his shoulder. The sound of running water was heard, then teeth being brushed. "I know," Heero managed to say around a mouthful of toothpaste foam. "Your clothes are too conspicuous. They'll draw attention. So....you need to wear different clothes. At least for a while."

Duo pouted, then glared down at the pile on his lap. Heero had given him a pair of black jeans and a baggy red shirt. Duo poked it, not liking the....redness...of the shirt. At least Heero's letting me keep my boxers, Duo thought with a sigh.

No sooner had he thought that, a pair of light blue boxers sailed through the air and landed on Duo's head. Picking them up, Duo glared into the bathroom. He thought he heard Heero snicker, but he couldn't be sure, for the water seemed to have gotten louder.

"Hurry up, Duo! We don't have all day!" Heero said as he came out of the bathroom several minutes later. All Duo could do was stare. He blinked, the opened his mouth.

"Wow.....you look different," was Duo's shocked comment. Heero smiled slightly at him, his grin mocking. Then he looked down at himself. Heero was wearing a pair of nice fitting blue jeans and a black shirt; a jean jacket completed the look.

Heero shrugged. "While you're getting dressed, I'll go check us out." And, with that, he headed down the stairs, Neko-chan still sitting on his shoulder. Duo watched them go, shaking his head in amusement.

The same girl from last night was still watching over the front desk. She had switched the lavender shirt for a dark blue tank top. Also, she was reading a different magazine. Heero watched her for several moments, until she looked up.

"Have a nice night?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She grinned at Heero, her brown eyes twinkling with humor. She tapped her chin as she looked him over, her gaze assessing.

Heero looked away, letting his bangs hide his eyes. "Not in particular," was his answer to her question. She nodded in an absent sort of way, returning her gaze to the magazine. Heero sighed and put the room key next to her elbow.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her attention engrossed by an article. Looking closer, Heero saw that the title read 'How To Tell He Loves You.' Rolling his eyes, Heero walked away and decided to wait for Duo outside.

As he waited, several people gave him side-long looks; many were searching his pocket area for the tell-tale bulge of a wallet. Heero scared them off with a well placed Death Glare. Terrified, they scurried off.

Ten minutes later, Duo walked through the doors, Crystal following him with a dazed look. She was staring at him, drool slowly dripping from her mouth. Heero watched her, and for some reason, an image of Relena popped into his mind. He shuddered and returned his attention to the braided pilot.

Duo looked completely different. But, then again, that was what Heero had been hoping for. Now, it was harder to recognize the two of them. Duo's black jeans were form-fitting and looked good with the red shirt. And, for the first time, Duo had let his hair down. It flowed in soft waves past his butt, catching the light as he walked up to Heero.

Grinning, Duo spun. "So, Heero, how do I look?"

Heero glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He shrugged, then said, "You'll do."

Duo looked insulted. "'You'll do'? That's all? No 'I think you look really good Duo, and all of the females will love you and your sexy body'?"

Giving a long suffering sigh, Heero shook his head in defeat. "What's with the hair?" he finally asked.

"My rubber band broke," was the pouting reply.

Nodding, Heero continued, "Well, leave it down, it's harder to recognize you." That said, he started to walk away. Over his shoulder, he said, "C'mon, we have to register before it gets too late to."

Looking puzzled, Duo followed Heero, Neko-chan still on his shoulder, a little black shadow. "Register where?" he asked when he caught up to the duo.

"At the local private high school," Heero stated calmly, his eyes never flickering away from the sidewalk in front of him.

"NANI?!"