Title: Rivals
Author: Lanjelin
Notes: Well, here's the third part, late as usual.^^; I guess I'll just have to face the fact that I'm a slow writer... *yawn* Oh, sorry about that, I only slept about four hours last night, and then I watched anime all day... Have you ever noticed how similar Zelgadis and Xellos in Slayers are to Duo and Heero? I'm pretty sure that Heero and Zelgadis have the same seiyuu. When Zelgadis said "Omae wo korosu" to copy Rezo I started giggling, and nobody could understand why...^^; Yes I'm writing a crossover. Just don't expect it anytime soon!^^
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me, it belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I'm just using the characters to amuse myself, and don't make any money on it. So don't sue me please!
Warnings: Shounen ai. Perhaps minor angst in this part? But it's hardly worth mentioning, really.
And just send any comments to lanjelin__@hotmail.com, I love to get them!

Rivals by Lanjelin

Part Three

They had been avoiding each other for days. Since Duo had left, Heero and Wufei had used their surveillance skills to the utmost, just to completely eliminate the possibility of running into each other. Unfortunately the safehouse was small, and sooner or later they would have to run into each other.

Some things can almost make you believe in fate...

This particular day Wufei was relaxing in the small living room reading a book, calm in the knowledge that Heero was out and wouldn't be back for several hours.

He was wrong, of course.

Heero /had/ been out, but he had finished his errands sooner than he had planned. When he came back he went straight to the living room to check the news. And found himself face to face with his rival.

"Yuy"

"Hn"

Wufei sighed. This was inevitable he supposed. Might as well try to do something about the situation.

Heero had turned around to leave when Wufei's voice stopped him.

"Hold on Yuy, we've got to talk."

Heero froze for a moment, deciding what to do, but finally turned and walked over to the chair facing the sofa Wufei occupied and gave him a hard stare.

"All right. But let me make one thing clear to you; he's mine."

WuFei flushed with anger, but managed to stay calm.

"How can you say such a thing? He's not a possession! If he had been in a relationship with you, and happy in it, I might have stayed away. But he doesn't even know how you feel, does he? As things are, he will choose the one most worthy of him. Someone who can treat him the way he deserves!"

"You don't think I can do that, do you?" Heero growled. "Well, I've known him longer than you have. I've spent time with him. I'll have a better chance than you no matter what you say!"

"Oh, Please," Wufei said with a snort, "You can't even keep a civil conversation with him. All you do is complain. How are you supposed to make him feel special?"

"You should talk. He hasn't gotten many kind words from you either!"

Wufei closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm well aware of that. However," he continued, looking up, "I /do/ know how to make someone feel special. And I won't hold anything back when it comes to Duo."

"So you think he'll fall for a bunch of pretty words do you?" Heero asked, practically snarling.

"Oh, I believe that actions speak louder than words", Wufei answered with a smirk.

Heero stood up, pale with anger.

"You're not touching him!"

Wufei also stood.

"Do you think you can stop me?"

This time it was Heero's turn to smirk.

"I won't have to. He'll never let you touch him!"

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" Wufei answered, suggesting with his tone of voice that he had no doubts as to how Duo would react. "I'm not worried."

"Well, you should be!" Heero answered angrily.

They had gradually been closing the space between them until they were only a few inches apart. The time for words had passed, and the two pilots now prepared to do some very violent and painful things to each other.

Then the door opened.

The would be fighters quickly stepped apart and tried to look as if nothing had happened, turning their eyes to the person entering instead. Frozen in the doorway stood Duo, with something akin to shock written all over his face.

Duo's mission had been an easy one. He had gotten in unnoticed, gathered the data, and had escaped without being noticed. He hadn't even had to use his Gundam.

"No souls called to Shinigami tonight, ne?" he said with a grim smile as he left his partner and headed for the safehouse. "They'll live a bit longer."

Sometimes he wondered why it was so easy for him to talk to the Gundam. His partner... Well, it wasn't as if the other pilots were easier to talk to. With the exception of Quatre, of course. Duo smiled at the thought of the gentle pilot of Sandrock. He enjoyed listening to the other boy's thoughts and dreams... And this story with Trowa! It helped take Duo's mind off of his own love life. He shook his head. Best not to go there, if he wanted to stay in a reasonable mood. He sighed. At least Quatre and Trowa seemed to be on the right track. They deserved to be happy together, and they'd better take what they could get. This was war, after all, and you could never know what would happen the next day. No point in waiting for better times, when you could be dead tomorrow.

He yawned as he reached the front door. He'd just tell the others he was back, and then go straight to bed. When he heard something sounding like voices coming from the living room he decided to just tell whomever was there, and let them tell the others. He'd write the report tomorrow, he thought as he opened the door.

He was not prepared for the sight that greeted him. In front of his incredulous stare, the Wing and Shenlong pilots quickly moved away from each other, faces flushed. There was really only one assumption he could make.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt! Just wanted to let you know that I'm back and the mission was successful. You can go back to... eh, what you were doing!" he said, replacing his shocked expression with one of his trademark grins. Then he gave them a wink, closed the door and calmly walked back the way he came. He rounded the corner, went down the stairs, and out the front door. Then he started to run.

In the living room Heero and Wufei were left frozen in shock. Wufei was the first to recover.

"He thinks that... We have to let him know that he's wrong! Heero, we must... "

He started telling the other pilot that they had to do something, but fell silent at the look on the Japanese boy's face. It was the first time Wufei had seen him display such an amount of feelings. When he though about it he realised that the only feeling he had seen there before was anger. But now... He had the look of someone who had just lost everything he lived for. Wufei shuddered at the agony in those usually so cold eyes... and it stirred something inside of him. Something that almost felt like... Tenderness? Protectiveness? Towards Heero? He was the last person Wufei would have thought to bring out these feelings in him. But he started to realise that he didn't really know the other pilot at all. What surprised him though, was that he actually /wanted/ to...

Finally Heero woke up from the shock. He turned to Wufei with eyes filled with pain.

"He thought that we... And he didn't care. He didn't /care/!"

"I'm not so sure about that", Wufei said, looking Heero squarely in the eyes. "He might be better at hiding his feelings than any of us. And... I really think that we should talk to him."

Heero seemed to collect himself and gave Wufei a suspicious glare.

"What makes you so understanding all of a sudden?"

In answer he got a crooked smile. "Let's just say that I got an insight... things aren't always what they seem, obvious as it may sound. And I think that not straightening things out would be a mistake. /I/ will speak to him at least. You do as you like of course."

"You don't think I will let you do that without interfering, do you?"

"Well... You will actually have a head start. I have a few things to think about, and I'll need to sort it out before I talk to Duo"

Heero gave Wufei an uncertain glance at the mild tone of voice, but decided to forget it for the moment and instead go and look for Duo. As he walked out the door Wufei followed him with his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Duo ran without thinking. All he knew was that he had to get away from the pain... Suddenly he found himself at the site where he had hidden his Gundam. Looking up at his black silent partner he said:

"I guess it really is just you and me now, ne?" in a soft voice.

Then he climbed into the cockpit and curled up at the floor beneath the pilots seat. He felt so alone... He hugged his knees to his chest, trying to ease the feeling of emptiness that ate him from within.

He should have known that this would happen. And those two being together is just as it should be... He wasn't supposed to have lived anyway, and his feelings was just more evidence of that fact. He should have realised what they would bring as soon as he had started to become aware of them. Why else would he have fallen in love... with them both?

He drew in breath harshly, almost like a sob, at the surge of pain he felt at that thought. How could he ever have thought that even one of them would want him? The pain, to great for tears, made him whimper. The only thing he could do now was forgetting his feelings... but that would be impossible. No, he couldn't do that, but he could prevent them from showing. He would be his normal, cheerful self tomorrow. Yes tomorrow everything would seem easier.

Slowly he dozed off, lulled by the soft humming of Deathscythe.

End Part 3

(:./lanjelin/rivals3)