It took over two hours to get Duo up into the tallest pine tree Wufei had ever seen. He didn't have any aversion to heights, but he was not comfortable with the breezy sway of the limb they were now uncomfortably hanging from. If their situation weren't so dire, it would have been laughable. However, right now he couldn't find the humor in their situation at all.
Watching Heero work in full-blown mission mode was an incredible thing to witness. He had a single-minded drive to get them up in that damnable tree before first light and managed to do it. The height was staggering and the cradle that Heero had devised to construct out of the camo netting was a remarkable piece of art. It was a tight fit, but Heero had managed to squeeze Duo in between the two of them and that's where they now where; swinging in a warm cradle made of netting in the early hours of a new day.
During the night their combined injuries had finally settled into throbbing pain and dried blood.
Wufei was glad to discover after Heero's very thorough examination of Duo, that although the shoulder wound looked bad, and despite the amount of blood he had lost, plus ignoring the massive bruising he sustained while being tossed around like a rag doll, Duo's wounds were not life threatening. He wondered what exactly Heero Yuy's idea of life threatening wounds were, then remembered how he had blown himself to Hell and back, and shivered.
Duo was now huddled along Heero's left side with his head resting comfortably on Heero's shoulder, with the injured shoulder and arm gently placed across his chest. Heero didn't seem to mind it though, because he didn't even flinch at the close contact. The head wound that Heero had received when they first hit the immovable mass of tree seemed to be of little concern to the Wing pilot now. He was dozing lightly, a part of him still aware of their surroundings and of Duo's change in breathing as he battled between coming around or staying under the protective embrace of unconsciousness.
Wufei didn't care what Heero said about Duo's injuries; the boy was going to be in a world of hurt when he woke up.
His pain was much more general. In fact, his whole body hurt so much he was beginning to wonder if he should be concerned about any part of himself that wasn't throbbing, bleeding, or bruised. He was about to close his eyes for another short catnap when he heard two very distinct things.
The first was the sound of someone walking quietly on leaves below them.
The second was Duo stirring next to him.
He wasn't sure which he should be more alarmed about. He glanced over to Heero whose eyes were open and alert as he too listened to the sounds below. Heero was assessing, processing, and digesting the information his ears were relaying, and the tension that crossed over his face for the briefest of moments made Wufei's senses sharpen a notch more.
Duo softly groaned again into Heero's shoulder causing both of them to turn and glare at him. Now was not the best time to wake up after a helacious crash to find oneself suspended from the very thing you had previously been thrown out of in the first place. Wufei held his breath as Heero very slowly and very gently covered Duo's mouth with his hand.
Duo's pain filled eyes slowly opened and he stared unblinking at Heero for a moment trying to understand why his mouth was being covered and get his bearings at the same moment he realized he was not on the ground. The stifled gasp was muffled and Duo blinked to let Heero know he was in control of himself enough not to make any more noise. With a tight nod in response from Heero, the hand was lifted. Wufei held up three fingers and then pointed down. Heero gave another nod and waited. There was nothing else they could do.
After quite some time Duo began to shake with the effort of trying to remain still and was in obvious pain. Heero slid his right hand over to the hand that Duo had draped over his chest lacing his fingers with Duo's. Duo squeezed for all he was worth, turning his knuckles white and making the tips of Heero's fingers turn purple.
When what seemed like an absolute eternity to Wufei; the kind where planets had been formed and reformed, the sound of forest birds finally continued to chirp and move about. There was no further sign of patrols below them and he let out a small sigh in relief. Which in turn triggered Duo's explosive expulsion of breath and a flurry of hushed curses from Heero.
Duo released the death grip he had on Heero's hand and tried to turn his head to see just where they were. Heero held his finger up to his mouth and glared at him while he listened for a few more moments to see if the Oz patrol had moved on far enough for them to whisper. After a solid two minutes, he smirked down at Duo. "Welcome back."
"What... the fuck... are we doing... in a god-damned-pine tree?!" Duo hissed.
"Communing with nature, Maxwell." Wufei growled out, his voice barely above a harsh whisper. "Now be quiet, those three are only about thirty feet away at best."
After an hour of trying not to move, or speak, or acknowledge any pain, Duo finally spoke again. "Are one of you gonna tell me what happened? I feel like I've been hit by a two ton truck and left in a ditch like roadkill."
"That's about what you look like." Heero stated in his most neutral voice.
"S'not funny, Heero." Duo paused and tried taking a deeper breath. "Ow."
"Well it seems Oz has found the helo before Trowa or Quatre." Wufei mentioned casually.
"We just need to sit tight for a bit longer then, right?" Duo tried to keep the whine out of his voice without success.
"Try to rest, Duo." Heero's quiet command made Wufei turn to face the other two.
Wufei almost laughed at the glare that statement earned Heero. "I'm in too much freaking agony to even think about sleeping." Duo snapped.
"I could knock you out." Heero offered.
"No thanks, my head's already throbbing."
"Mine is as well Maxwell, so try being quiet and lay still. This isn't a hammock, it's the damn camo net hanging fifty feet up in a tree." Wufei reached up and massaged his temple. He could only hope that Trowa and Quatre would get there soon.
A snap of wood below them made them all freeze. Wufei sucked in his breath and let it out in a long slow hiss as he turned his head ever so slightly to look at Heero and Duo. Heero was calm enough but all the color Duo had recovered in the last hour had bleached from his face. His wide, panicked eyes welled with tears and Wufei had to bite his lip at the openly vulnerable way it made Duo look in the shifting shadows of the swaying limbs.
The thought of falling from yet another tree made him forget his stiff joints and muscles or the lancing pain in his back and head. If they fell this time he was sure they weren't going to survive.
Wufei Chang wasn't afraid to die. He embraced the idea of being reunited with his ancestors in another plane of existence. His thoughts drifted to the faces of those he had left behind. He had never once taken their sacrifice for granted.
He remembered the way Meiran's hair had shone like polished ebony in the dimly lit candlelit on the day of their wedding. He remembered how his colony looked like a glimmering diamond in the darkness of space when he had first seen it from his Gundam. His mind raced with moments of his life that he cherished. He did however regret that he still had unfinished business. He heard another small crack and Duo take a shuttering breath against his side.
At least he could let Heero and Duo know how he... felt. Not his strong suit. But to know one's weaknesses is to know one's own strengths. Taking another deep breath, and savoring the burn in his lungs it produced, he began to speak in the most neutral and even tone he could muster given what he was about to say... out loud. "I am honored to have known you both and I want to tell you... I never had brothers. You are the closest thing I could ever hope to have. I... respect you both and am proud to have fought with you."
Duo maneuvered so he could see Wufei's face and then brought his hand up to let his fingers brush over his cheek. "You've always been there to save my ass, Wu. The honor has been all mine. But if you start with your farewell bullshit I'm gonna punch you in your good eye." Tears began to slip unbidden from Duo's eyes as they all felt the slight give from the branch above them. He dropped his hand back across Heero's chest and watched as Wufei tightened his own grasp on the netting.
Heero looked intensely at Duo's shaking hands before glancing to Wufei. He then took Duo's right hand in his own and kissed his knuckles tenderly. "Brothers to the end." He said in a very quiet voice.
"'Til the end." Duo echoed smiling despite the tears rolling down his face.
"To the end." Wufei answered as he placed his hand over their interlaced ones. "May Nataku watch... "
"What are you guys doing up here? Are you all right?"
Wufei turned to look at the bright aqua eyes of Quatre Winner and stopped mid sentence. Quatre was hanging from a limb not more than a foot above them, in a harness that reminded him of what mountain climbers wore to repel down cliff-faces. "We've been looking all over for you. How on earth and the stars did you manage this?"
Duo burst out in laughter bordering on hysterical. "Jesus jumping on a pogo stick, Quatre! How the fuck did you find us?!" Duo asked between bursts of breath and while quickly scrubbing away any trace of tears.
"Trowa noticed the dried blood at the base of the tree." Quatre answered with a small smile as he pulled the airplane cable over the branch the net was suspended from and laced it through the knot.
Heero gave a dismissive snort. "It couldn't be prevented."
"This was pretty... inventive." Quatre said with a note of admiration. "We'll have you down in a few minutes. Trowa and I were worried when we saw the condition the helo was in. We had to double back twice because of all the Oz activity in the area. So, hang on tight and we'll get you down."
The only sound Quatre made as he slid down past them was the soft hiss of rope as it raced through the eye of the metal loops of his repel equipment. As soon as he was out of earshot, Wufei turned to the two pilots next to him and blushed hotly.
"I apologize for getting... emotional."
Duo laughed again and then winced from his aches and pains. "You meant what you said though? About being brothers? You meant that, right?"
Wufei frowned and quirked an eyebrow. "I don't see what you're getting at, Maxwell."
Duo turned suddenly shy and glanced to Heero who shrugged as much as he could in the swinging mass of netting. "I was just thinking that... "
"Ready?!" Quatre's voice came lilting up from below them.
"Ready for what?" Wufei asked no one in particular.
"For me." Trowa asked as he swung up side down from his ankles in front of them.
"And just what in the holy hell are you doing up here?" Wufei hissed between clenched teeth.
"Quatre and I will take turns getting you down. I have more experience with this type of thing so I will start. Give me your hand, Heero."
"Why him?" Duo asked as he released his hold on Heero.
"Because he has the most muscle density and therefore is the heaviest. Quatre will take Duo, and I will return for Wufei."
"Fine, let's move. This branch is not stable, Trowa." Heero grumbled as he moved carefully over Duo and Wufei and stretched out his hand. Once he was close enough, he clasped onto Trowa's wrist and wrapped his legs around his waist. The branch shimmied and swayed and Wufei found himself holding his breath as the acrobatic pilot of Heavyarms maneuvered Heero against him. Heero was quickly situated for his decent as Quatre maneuvered to carefully pull Duo to him.
Wufei let out a groan as Duo rolled over him to get to Quatre. The pain in his back had only just begun to be tolerable when the weight of Duo on him caused the netting to dig and bite into the abused skin.
"Wufei?" Duo asked not even trying to hide his concern.
"It's all right. Go."
"Come on Duo. That's it, gently." Quatre eased Duo out of the netting grabbed onto his hand.
Wufei was worried as he watched Quatre pull Duo to him and snap an extra line around him for safety. Duo and Quatre were about the same height, with Duo only a little taller, but Duo was more built and heavier than he looked.
"Oh man am I dizzy." Duo whispered.
"Concentrate Maxwell and I will see you on the ground." Wufei fixed him with a heated stare and repressed the urge to smack Duo when he flashed him a wicked smirk and winked at him in reply.
He watched the two slowly disappear below him relieved that Heero and Trowa had already made it to the ground when he heard the unmistakable sound of the limb crack above him. Like he had thought before, if it weren't so dire a situation, he would have laughed.
End Part 4
(:./ebony/bough4)
