Author's note: Standard disclaimer applied.

This is an alternating universe GW fan fiction and my first attempt on GW fan fiction. Some characters rolled in different attitude.

Life's Sonatine

Interlude

"Duo…."

Duo Maxwell turned to him. "What is it?"

Heero Yuy was sitting on the balcony's fence; his legs were lolling off the white marble barrier to mid air. "They said you were disappearing for three years."

"Oh, that." The American man smiled. "Yeah, I was."

"Why?"

Duo sat on the fence with his face toward the balcony door. He sighed. "I felt want to." He said after a long pause.

Heero smiled tragically. "You've changed a lot."

Duo rose an eyebrow funnily. "What gives you that idea?"

Heero didn't answer. He just observed the long-braided American next to him. The childish violet eyes seven years ago had turned into charming mature ones, wiser yet not losing their humorous touch. The long braid seemed to be kept at its usual waist length. He had grown himself ten centimeters taller but it was still no match for the American's height, not to mention the American himself had grown a few more centimeters. Genetic problems, I suppose….

Duo grinned widely. "You've also changed a lot, Heero."

"I have?"

"You became more and more… beautiful…." He winked.

Heero felt heat crept to his cheek. Konoyarou…. Can't he stop flirting? Oh my, how embarrassing….

Duo grinned satisfied. Teasing Heero about his beauty had always been something he enjoyed so much. Not that Heero wasn't pretty. Heck! Heero's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Nevertheless, seeing Heero beautifully blushed stirred his blood completely. Heero's so tasty with his slender body. Too bad he's a man. I would date him if he were a woman.

Duo's stare gave him the unease. He tried to break the tension, but the first thing trailed from his mouth was "So, Duo. You've found yourself a girlfriend?" Gaah! Why did I ask that?!

Duo gave him a funny stare. He cocked his head. "Girlfriend, huh? Well…."

Suddenly tapping sounds came from the corridor. The door slammed opened. A girl burst out. "DUO!!"

Duo looked surprised. "Hilde! What are you doing here?"

"Duo! Duo! Duo!" The girl jumped to him, hugging him fiercely. Duo almost lost his balance. He waved his hands wildly. Thankfully Heero managed to catch him before he fell off the balcony and helped him regain his balance. "Duo!" She exclaimed. "Where have you been? I was so worried!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Duo grinned, patting the girl's head.

"Don't you ever do that again!" The girl wailed.

"Awright, awright, baby. So don't cry!" Duo hugged her gently.

Heero suddenly said, "I've just remembered something. I gotta go now."

Duo looked confused. Nevertheless, he said, "Okay. Good night, Heero."

Heero left without another word. As he walked through the door he could hear the girl saying, "Now, Duo. You have a lot of things to say…."

Heero ran through the corridor. His eyes were filled with tears. Damn, Heero! Why are you crying? You knew things like this would happen.

But I don't want it to happen….

His heart ached. It hurt so much. It felt like it was ripped out from his chest with bare hand. With Duo's hand….

THUD!

He bumped into someone.

"Heero… you still haven't change a bit, have you?" It was Trowa Barton. The man groaned.

"Sorry." He managed to choke out before running off again.

Trowa was baffled. He could swear it was a sob he heard. He shrugged off the thought from his mind. Suddenly he noticed something. His turtleneck got a wet tiny spot on the chest. Funny… He remembered it hadn't been there just a minute before.

"…." Trowa frowned deeply.

Heero had bumped into him face first.

Trowa knocked on Heero's room. "Heero, are you in there?" He heard a rustling sound of fabric before the Japanese finally opened the door.

Heero Yuy's face was such a mess. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked so paled. "What is it?" His voice was huskier than ever.

"The meeting will be started in an hour. We need to make plans for rescuing your MS."

"…I'll be right there."

Trowa didn't leave. Instead he rose a hand to Heero's forehead. "Are you okay, Heero? You look ill."

I am…. "I'm alright. I'll catch up with you within minutes."

He frowned. Nevertheless, he said, "Okay…." He strode to the stairs.

Heero walked into the bathroom and undressed himself. He turned on the shower and stepped in.

The warm water hit his face softly. It felt so comfortable yet he couldn't fell it. It felt to him so numb that he couldn't feel anything. He rose his hand to the hot water tap and turned it off. The water gradually became colder and colder, finally it got very cold he could see his breath condensed as the room's temperature dropped fiercely. So cold…. But he didn't stop it.

Can't you see it? My heart is bleeding yet my mind is burning wildly. I can't stop it. My heart is numb and my body can feel it too. Hence numb it as well so I can't feel anymore. No more pain, no more hurt.

"I can't believe it." Duo moaned. "After seven years long and still he can be so stupid."

Quatre Winner replaced the cold compress on Heero's feverish forehead. "I never knew Heero had the tendency of killing himself."

"I always thought he have 1001 ways of suicide in his self-destructive mind. But freezing himself under a four Celsius degree cold shower to get a pneumonia? Now that's what I call creative." Duo said sarcastically.

Trowa said nothing. He had returned to Heero's room after Heero hadn't showed up for an hour. He had knocked the door but nobody answered. The door had been locked and he had got an awful feeling about it so he had broken it open. He had found Heero slumped naked under a terribly cold shower in a closed cold bathroom, unconscious. He had quickly grabbed a towel and carried the young man out to be saved.

Heero looked so depressed this morning and I think he was crying yesterday when he bumped into me. He mused. I wonder what's going on….

Heero suddenly stirred. "Heero!" Quatre exclaimed. Heero opened his eyes idly recognizing his surrounding.

Duo waited until Heero was aware enough of his surrounding before he fulminated. "What kind of stupid idea was inside your little pea brain? Why did you have to try killing yourself again?"

Heero stared blankly at the ceiling. He answered silently. "I felt like to."

Duo went ballistic. "You just FELT LIKE TO?!!" Quatre could swear he could see steams came out from his ears. "You stupid self-destructive minded idiot!!! You can't self-destruct whenever you want to! What's wrong with you? Hey, are you listening to me?"

Heero closed his eyes.

"GAAAARGH!!!" Duo slammed a wall with his fist, leaving a small crack on the wall and a bruised fist. He walked to the door angrily and went out slamming the door behind him.

"I've never seen Duo so angry before." Quatre commented after recovered from his shock. Trowa said nothing. Heero stayed silent.

"Damn!" Duo slammed his right fist to the tree. He pulled back and slammed the other one. He did it again, again, and again until his fist was soaking with blood. He stopped with both hands leaning at the poor wrecked tree, panting exhaustedly.

Damn Heero! Damn him and his self-destructive brain!

He turned hastily, slumping his back against the tree.

Heero…. Damn it! Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?

"How are you today, Mother?" Quatre greeted his mother as he popped his head into her room.

Mochlesena Asr Winner looked up to her youngest son and gave him a smile. "I am feeling slightly worried, my dear Quatre."

The son rose his eyebrow. "Something worries you, Mother?"

"Come inside, Quatre." She gestured him to enter. "And bring your friend as well."

Quatre blushed slightly and smiled. He entered the room pulling a tall slender man with him. Mochlesena smiled gently as his son introduced his friend as Trowa Barton. The seemingly polite man bowed at her and she bowed her head a little. "Please, sit down."

After seating himself on the edge of her bed, Quatre asked. "What does worry you, Mother?"

Mochlesena grimaced. "I can feel a tension in this house. Something is happening. Is that true, Quatre?"

"It's nothing, Mother. It's just… a little fight." Quatre cocked his head uneasily.

His mother sighed and gazed to the ceiling. "It is more than that, Quatre. Something bad is happening and it's going to get worse within some days…."

Quatre blinked. "Mother," he asked. "Are you foretelling again?" Trowa looked at him rising an eyebrow.

Mochlesena smiled warily.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Winner." Suddenly Trowa said much to Quatre's surprise. "Is something bad going to happen to Heero and Duo?"

"…Heero?"

"Mr. Lowe's son." Quatre told her.

"Oh…. Odin's son…." Mochlesena mumbled. "And Zack's son…. The red thread seems to have not been cut off yet."

Trowa and Quatre looked at each other, confused.

Mochlesena smiled bitterly.

"Why did you ask that?" Quatre walked beside his friend.

"Ask what?"

"About Heero and Duo." He said. "Why are you so sure that Heero's late action has something to do with Duo?"

Trowa thought for a while before answering. "Because Duo is the only one to be able to scatter Heero inside out."

Quatre was slightly taken aback. He frowned curiously. "And how would you know that?"

Trowa just smiled.

Trowa leaned against the soft cover of his bed. His mind trailed, thinking about Quatre's mother's words.

The red thread…. He remembered his sister Katherine had told him about it, but he just couldn't figure out what it had been. He closed his eyes and let his mind wandered to his past, remembering the times when he had been a little five years old boy who had been afraid of the dark and refused to sleep alone. His sister would have came to his side and told him a story. The story about the red thread…. A story of love….

Trowa's eyes snapped open. Story of what?! He sat up in a bolt.

He remembered the night when Heero had bumped into him. He had continued walking and found Duo on one of the balconies together with Hilde Schbeiker. Holy shit! Could it be that Heero is in love with Duo? If that was true, then that suicide attempt was for….

Trowa jumped out of the bed and strode to the door.

Duo was shocked. It was obviously written on his face. "That… can't be…." He managed to gasp.

Trowa stared at him solemnly.

"Heero… can't be in love with me." The American stuttered. "Not me…."

"I think he does." Trowa stated calmly.

"You think." Duo said mockingly. "And why would I believe that?"

"Listen, Duo." Trowa snapped much to the man's astonishment. "I'm already risking my head being blown up by him just by telling you this. I want you think about it. Don't try to act anything more stupid, it'll just make everything worse."

"Trowa…." Duo called weakly. "What would happen if I didn't love him back?"

Trowa paused. "I don't know." He eventually said. "But if I were you… I would."

Duo's eyebrows puckered. The man kept silent. "Trowa." The American asked carefully. "Do you love him?"

Trowa's answer made Duo felt like shit. "Yes."

"Since when?" He managed to shriek.

"I don't know. Perhaps when he suddenly just left without saying everything. It might have been a consequences for walking with him every morning to school and actually share a good relationship with him albeit I admit that sometimes I was jealous of his affinity for you. I never thought that affinity was actually love before tonight."

"Trowa…."

Trowa glanced at him before walking out the American's room. "Just try not to make him cry again, alright?"