Author's notes: This is a 1x2, with some 'guest appearances' of 4. Beside that it's a pretty mushy story and inconsistent with the Gundam Wing timeline. Gomen nasai!
I took some liberties with the medical stuff in this story, the treatments administered here would never happen in the real world. But, hey, they can build gundams, sooo...... ^_~
Oh, and this story is YAOI, with some citrusy parts later in the plot, so anyone who is bothered by that should stop reading now (but of course I know you aren't!).
Surprisingly - as my fav character is Heero - there'll be mostly Duo in the beginning, you'll see why! That said - have fun!
Disclaimers: Gundam Wing and all related characters belong to Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and TV Asahi. No copyright infringement is intended, no money made.
Many thanks to Chaos Angel who beta-read the story for me, arigatou gozaimasu!!

C&C craved!

Set Me Free by Ricci

Part Two

Several weeks later

"MAXWELL!!!" Duo flinched as the well-known voice thundered through the room. "Get your sorry ass in here, NOW!" Junako smiled at him in sympathy as Duo sighed and straightened himself to face Hazegawa-san.

"Guess I'm in for another round, huh..." said Duo. Just then a strange noise filled the room. It didn't sound like any of the xerox machines or phones... in fact its origin seemed to be awfully close... Junako stared at Duo with wide eyes.

"Duo... your beeper...?" she breathed.

Duo's mouth fell open as he fumbled frantically for his keys. The beeping noise got louder as he pulled them out of his pocket, and a red light on the small metallic tube blinked furiously.

"Heero!"

"I'll tell Hazegawa-san!" Junako yelled as Duo made a mad dash for the door. He didn't even hear her.

When he arrived at his apartment, out of breath, the door was ajar. He had seen the ambulance on the street; he had known they'd be there before him.

His heart pounded with anticipation when he pushed the door open.
Kitamura sat on the bed beside Heero whose shirt had been stripped off, revealing the sensors attached to his chest.

"How is he?" asked Duo breathlessly. Kitamura looked up at him and smiled.

"He's waking up, Duo-san. He's finally waking up!" Duo wanted to scream and dance in joy, but he could not tear his gaze from Heero. His eyes were moving under his eyelids, and there! His fingers had twitched.

'God, how often have I imagined this exact moment,' Duo thought. Just then two EMTs entered with a gurney between them. Before Duo could ask, Kitamura explained.

"They're taking him to the hospital. We have to monitor him closely.
Help us with him, will you?" Duo nodded and shrugged out of his coat, tossing it to the side. Kitamura marveled at his swift movements as Duo knelt down beside Heero and disconnected the IV while brushing some strands of hair out of Heero's face at the same time. They lifted Heero onto the gurney and strapped him to it.

"Should I take some of the medication?" Duo asked, immediately feeling dumb when Kitamura shook his head no.

"But you might bring the wake-up-bag you prepared. He might need it soon."

When they had transferred Heero to Duo's apartment Duo had insisted on packing a 'wake-up-bag', as he called it, just in case Heero woke and they'd have to make a hasty exit. It did come in handy now, Kitamura had to admit.

"Oh yeah! Nearly forgot about that!" Duo said ruefully and went to get it immediately. Five minutes later he sat beside the gurney inside of the ambulance, holding Heero's hand. Kitamura sat on the other side of the gurney and watched Duo.

"Duo-san... I'm sorry, I don't want to destroy the moment, but I have to remind you that it's not like when he wakes up from a bad dream. 'Waking up' in his case just means that he reacts to external stimuli, such as calling his name or just calling out to him in general. He may move his face to the sound, or just his hands, who knows. Sometimes he might even not react at all. His reflexes are very limited." Duo stared at him dumbfounded.

"What does that mean?" Sighing Kitamura explained.

"'Waking up' is just a term we use, Duo-san. It doesn't mean his eyes snap open and he'll be the same person again." Duo looked back at Heero whose eyes were moving rapidly under closed eyelids.

"But I thought..."

"I'm sorry. But he'll get there, in time. I guess it'll be harder for you to come here after work, but I'll see to it that his therapy sessions are scheduled in late afternoon," said Kitamura.

"You mean I can stay during the therapy sessions?"

"I think it's imperative that you do! He's used to your presence, I'm sure therapy will be a whole lot more effective if you're there to help."
'And it will ensure you don't feel left out,' concluded Kitamura in his mind.

"Count on me!" blurted Duo. "I'll be there!"

He was true to his word.

Nine weeks later

"Duo-san, please calm down!" Kitamura leaned forward and offered a kleenex-box to the sobbing young man. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" retorted Duo miserably, taking some tissues and blowing his nose. "I should never have yelled at him!" Kitamura leaned back again and studied him.

"You're being too hard on yourself. Did you ever hear about something called stress? No one expects you to have infinite resources, you need to take a break."

"Don't tell me what I need to do!" said Duo angrily and wiped his nose again. "How can I leave Heero alone like that?"

"But he isn't alone, Duo-san. And he needs time to relearn the basics. You can be proud that he is able to sit and walk by now, without your help he would never have gotten that far in such a short amount of time."
answered Kitamura. Duo just stared at him.

"Short amount of time?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "It's been nine weeks!!" Kitamura nodded.

"Yes, nine weeks. And it will be maybe nine months before he recognizes you and relearns to talk. What do you expect? I told you in the very beginning that it wouldn't be like waking up from a bad dream, pretending nothing ever happened." Fresh tears welled up in Duo's eyes.

"I just want him back," he whispered brokenly, clasping the tissue in his hands. "It-it's not him I look at. He's...like a baby. The innocence in his eyes... sometimes I can't bear it." Kitamura's eyes softened and he took Duo's hands between his own.

"There's a pretty good chance that Heero-san will recover completely, it just takes time. It will all come back to him in time; we need to have patience. I know how hard this must for on you. I experienced this very situation with other patients and their family before. And that's why I really think you should take a break. You're no good to him if you break down in front of Heero-san." He hated to put it that bluntly, especially when he saw the despair and self-loathing in Duo's eyes, but it was a necessity.

"But-but, I have to make up for yelling at him..." Sadly Kitamura shook his head.

"He doesn't understand. That's why he was afraid of you; not because he feared you, but because backing away is the natural reaction of a child when confronted with anger, and Heero-san displays the basic emotions of a child at the moment. He won't understand if you try to explain your anger to him, because he most probably has already forgotten about it. Look Duo-san, you know it's not like I want to exclude you from the his therapy, I still think you play an important part in his recovery process. However, it's for your own and finally for Heero-san's good." Duo heaved a sigh.

"What would you suggest?" Kitamura thought for a moment.

"What about Winner-san and Barton-san? They have visited several times, why don't you go visit them for a change?" Duo seemed to consider it. "I'm talking about one or two weeks here. Nothing big will happen in two weeks, Shelley will continue working with Heero-san on his reflexes and basic motor activities. We'll take good care of him for you." said Kitamura, relieved that Duo appeared to be convinced.

"Promised?" asked Duo, with a glimmer of his usual cheerfulness in his eyes.

Kitamura smiled broadly. "Promise. Now get the hell out of here!" Duo laughed heartily and extended his hand to Kitamura.

"Thank you, Kitamura-sensei. I really, really appreciate."

Duo pushed the sunglasses higher up on his suntan lotion slick nose and stretched languidly. He could hear the waves crashing to the shore, some gulls shrieking high in the sky and beside him the soft snore of a sound asleep Trowa.

Coming to Quatre's beach house had been one of the best ideas he had ever had. It felt so good to have Quatre and Trowa with him. He turned to his side on the brightly colored bath towel and smiled at the sight of Trowa, sprawled over his own towel and slowly but surely getting a sunburn. Stretching once more he got up and walked into the house, his eyes needing a moment to adjust to the relative darkness inside.

"Quatre?" he called out.

"In the kitchen." came the reply.

"You better put some lotion on Trowa, he's getting grilled out there." said Duo grinning as he leaned against the cool doorframe and folded his hands behind his head. Quatre smiled at him.

"Will do. Would you like some iced tea?" Duo gratefully accepted the offered glass and closed his eyes as the cool liquid ran down his throat.

"Duo... are you sure you don't want to stay with us for another week? Two weeks of vacation, that's rare for Trowa and me, and we'd both be happy if you were here with us." Duo grinned.

"Nah. Don't want to disturb you two lovebirds!" He was amazed that Quatre still blushed at that. Geez.

"Besides, I really miss Heero. And Shelley, too. And Kitamura-sensei. Oh well, the whole gang at the hospital." He took another sip of his tea. Of course he didn't tell Quatre how it made his heart contract painfully everytime he saw them kiss or look at each other with that certain kind of longing in their eyes. It made him think of Heero's eyes, how happy he had been to see his eyes again... at first...only until he had realized they weren't the same eyes as before, just as if Heero wasn't the same person. Instead of sparkling with Heero's sharp intellect they were often dull and what was even worse: innocent. If the eyes were truly the windows to a man's soul then Duo wondered what was left of the Heero he once knew. It became harder and harder to trust Kitamura-sensei's words that Heero would recover eventually and remember his old life.

"Duo, are you alright? Duo?" Quatre's words broke through his reverie. The blonde boy gave him a worried look.

"Just homesick." sighed Duo.

It was late evening. The hospital hallways were empty except for the night nurse checking on patients. Kitamura sat in his office and stared at his computer screen. A new chance. But still... an experiment. His eyes fell on the folder that bore the name 'Yuy Heero' and his thoughts were with a certain young man with a cheeky grin and a chestnut braid. He rubbed his tired eyes and continued to stare at the screen. It was just a short message, with a long file attached to it that explained procedures and possible risks. As a neurosurgeon he should jump at this opportunity and let Yuy-san prepare for surgery first thing the next morning. As a friend of Duo-san he couldn't bear to think about all that could possibly go wrong. There were a lot of those.

But the chance....

When Duo entered Heero's hospital room, he saw Shelley bowed over him, bending Heero's legs.

"Oi, Shelley! Long time no see!" The therapist, Shelley, was a gentle young woman with white blonde hair that she kept tied back, and Duo had liked her on first sight. They hadn't done much in the beginning, just talking to Heero, giving him massages, listening to music, working his arms and legs, just as she was doing right now.

"Hello, Duo-san, good to have you back." She answered and smiled at him.
"I think Heero-san missed you, he kept looking at the door all the time."
Duo's eyes wandered immediately to Heero who was looking at him right then. Shelley sensed that Duo needed some time alone with his friend. "I'll be back later." Duo nodded and gave her a small grin that faded when the door clicked shut behind her.

"Heero." he breathed. Heero looked at him with bright blue eyes, not smiling, not flinching, but somehow still acknowledging Duo's presence.

"I missed you, koi." whispered Duo and bowed to press soft lips on Heero's forehead. He felt something tugging at his hand and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that Heero's gaze was now focused on his hand. He had taken Duo's hand and was playing with the fingers, bending and curling them. Duo sank down on the bed and just watched him, reveling in the feeling of Heero's warm touch, even though he knew that it was born from childlike curiosity. He sighed deeply and found Heero watching him, confusion and apparent disorientation in his eyes. He swayed and sagged, and Duo caught him just in time. "Easy there. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

After weeks of physical therapy Heero had relearned the basic motor activities like sitting and walking, but he needed someone to tell him where to go, to lead him and guide him to a place to sit down. Duo had found out that Heero liked to sit near the smoker-room, beside a panorama window, where the sun would shine on him. Duo liked to think that it reminded him a little bit of their apartment.

"Here, let's put on your sneakers first." He helped Heero sit up again, so that his feet dangled from one side of the bed.

Duo slipped the sneakers on Heero's feet and tied the laces as firmly as he could, so that Heero wouldn't trip. It had already happened one time. Then he slid one arm around Heero's waist and gently pulled him to a standing position. Normally Heero would start walking on his own now, though he always waited for someone to come and take his hand. This time, however, he just turned around so that he was face to face with Duo. They were standing so close that their noses nearly touched. Duo felt his heart pound. He gazed into the blue depths of Heero's eyes, which were unreadable at the moment.

Something flickered there: curiosity maybe, before Heero suddenly lifted his right hand and touched Duo's cheek with the pads of his fingers. Duo trembled under his touch, breathing quickly, heartbeat speeding up. Heero's fingers slid over his cheek to his slightly opened lips where they hesitated.

Without pausing to look at Heero Duo pressed his lips to those fingers in a soft kiss. Heero made a small sound and withdrew his hand, staring at his fingers and moving them. Then he turned and shuffled to the door. Duo found his breath and went after him, his heart beating joyously. He caught up with him and took his hand.

No words were uttered, nor were they necessary.

Shelley found them still at the panorama window an hour later. "Hey guys!" They both looked at her, Heero with his usual non-expression, Duo with a grin.

"Hey Shelley! Time for another work out?" She nodded and took Heero's hand.

"Kitamura-sensei wants to talk to you." she informed Duo and pulled Heero to his feet. Duo frowned.

"Oh? Okay, then I'll catch up with you later." He patted Heero's shoulder.

"Be nice to her, man!"

"Shelley said you want to talk to me?" Duo nudged the door to Kitamura's office closed with an elbow.

"Yes, that's right, please take a seat." Kitamura looked up from the report he had been writing and closed the folder. "I meant to tell you this before, but I had to think it over first." Duo had flopped down on a plush seat and rested his elbows on the chair's armrests. "A fellow neurosurgeon sent me an email with a report attached to it. It included several case studies of severe brain injuries that had been treated with a relatively new method and had recovered completely in record time. We're still talking about surgery here, though, and it would be a long and risky operation." Duo digested this with wide eyes.

"Brain surgery?" The word reverberated with unknown horrors. Kitamura nodded.

"Yes, brain surgery. I'd be the one assisting, which is why I wanted to think this through first. But I have to inform you of the risks." Duo slowly shook his head.

"Wait a moment. You said they completely recovered after the operation? And you think Heero would, too?"

"The chances are fifty to fifty. The treatment hasn't been tested extensively yet, like I said, it's new. It could mean that two weeks after the surgery Heero will be completely recovered, except for the scars of course. It could also mean, and that is what I mean by risk, that he might never recover. That wouldn't be the worst that could happen." Duo swallowed.

"What-what else could go wrong?" Kitamura shrugged and opened another folder on his desk. "The parietal lobe could be damaged, which would result in the inability to discriminate between sensory stimuli or to locate and recognize parts of the body. If it is severe damage, it might lead to inability to recognize oneself. Another part that could possibly be damaged are the basal ganglia. Damage of these would result in movement disorders, that means for example tremors when Heero-san is resting and when he initiates movement, or abnormal increase in muscle tone and generally difficulties initiating movement. At worst it could result in the Parkinson's Disease."

Duo needed a little time to process that and translate it into something he could understand.

"I need your permission to perform this operation, Duo-san. You're officially Heero-san's guardian." Kitamura watched Duo closely.

"Would you recommend that... method?" The young man looked calm, and there was a bright ember of hope in his eyes. Kitamura nodded solemnly.

"Yes. I would. I spent the last week acquainting myself with the necessary equipment and talking to some of my colleagues who have done this operation before. I will only assist, not actually perform it myself. If you agree, I will schedule surgery for tomorrow morning."

"So fast?" wondered Duo. Kitamura allowed himself a smile. "I was pretty sure you would agree." Duo flexed his hands several times and looked at them, remembering Heero's eyes, the touch of his fingers. He shuddered.

"I trust you, Kitamura-sensei, you know that."

"Hai." answered Kitamura quietly.

The dawn found Duo pacing restlessly in Heero's room. The anesthesiologist had already been there and explained how they were going to proceed, injecting Heero with a sedative and calming down the nervous Duo. Duo had signed the necessary papers and was now waiting for the nurse to come and take Heero down into the surgery.

"I hope I made the right decision, koi," he whispered, coming to rest on the chair beside Heero's bed. The other boy looked strange. Several areas of his head were shaven and he was dressed in a flimsy hospital gown. An IV dripped fluid into his left arm. Duo softly stroked a chilly cheek and pulled the thin sheets up higher, covering the slightly shivering boy with them.

"If something goes wrong... I hope you can forgive me. I-I'd like to say that I'm doing this all for you, but to be honest... I guess I'm being selfish. Is it selfish to want you back? I don't know..." Duo paused a moment, blinking back tears. The serene expression on Heero's face reminded him so much of the time he'd been in the coma. "I love you." he whispered and sniffed, wiping away the tears before they could spill. "I'll be there when you wake up. I'll wait for you." Just then the door opened and the night nurse came in.

"Duo-san. It's time." Duo just nodded and stepped away from the bed, as she unhooked the IV and put it on the bed beside Heero, loosening the brakes and pulling the bed away from the wall. Duo helped her maneuvering the bed out of the room, holding the door. He followed them to the elevator, where he would have to leave them.

Duo's pulse quickened. This was it.

He bent down and kissed Heero gently on the lips, whispering 'ai shiteru' against the other boy's closed lips. The nurse cleared her throat.

"The elevator is here." Duo watched her push Heero inside, watched the doors close. Now all he could do was wait.

Kitamura had calculated that it would take approximately six hours and had suggested Duo should go out and busy himself instead of wearing a hole in the linoleum, but Duo had insisted on staying. Thankfully Quatre had offered to drop by around ten in the morning, hoping to distract Duo from his ceaseless worrying.

When Quatre had arrived they had sat down in the hospital's cafeteria and sipped some coffee.

"So what exactly are they doing to him now?" asked Quatre, having given up on his intention to get Duo's mind off of the operation. Might as well ask about it. Duo turned the cup in his hand.

"Actually it's pretty easy. They drill eight holes into his skull; stick eight electrodes inside and stimulate his brain with a certain amount of electricity, and hope they don't fry it in the process." Quatre gulped. That last part was just... disturbing.

"And why does that take so long?" Duo shrugged and his glance stole to the clock on the wall. Damn. Still two hours left.

"I don't know." Quatre was confused.

"You didn't ask?" Impatiently Duo sat his cup down so hard that the coffee inside nearly spilled.

"I trust Kitamura, okay??" Quatre lowered his gaze to the table. Duo sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to yell at you. I really DO trust Kitamura-sensei. He explains a lot about stuff that other doctors wouldn't. And he flew in a specialist to do all that new stuff, at least he could admit that he can't handle it. It's just that..." Quatre nodded understandingly, still staring at his own mug.

"It's okay, Duo. Sometimes it's hard to imagine what you're going through... and sometimes I just don't know what I should talk about and... what not."

Duo pushed his chair back suddenly.

"Let's go for a walk, I really need to get out of here or I'm going to go crazy!" They grabbed their coats and went outside into the chilly November air.

Kitamura watched as the last electrode was carefully removed from Heero-san's head and placed into the tank with disinfectant, dyeing the fluid a soft pink. The operation had gone smoothly, there had been no major setbacks. What the outcome would be... only time would tell. Especially the first days after Heero-san woke up would be critical, because there was a lot of information the brain had to process, and many patients couldn't take that and lapsed right back into a coma.

However Heero-san had Duo-san, who talked to him all the time and let him be a part of the real life going on while Heero was in a coma.

Kitamura prayed it would work.

The sutures were finally done and the assistant nurses took care of the rest. Kitamura locked eyes with Doctor Garibaldi who had performed the important parts of the surgery.

"Thank you, John, I never could have done this without you. I believe there's a young man out there who'll want to thank you, too." His friend smiled at him, he could see the smile even through the surgeon's mask.

"I think this one is a survivor, Natsukawa. But I trust you to take good care of him." After they had gotten out of their scrubs Kitamura led Garibaldi down the hallway, where two young men rose as they saw them.

"Kitamura-sensei! How'd it go?" Duo's eyes were practically glued to Kitamura's face.

"It went well, there were no problems."

"YATTA!!" whooped Duo and before Kitamura could step out of the way he had two armful of Duo hanging on his neck. "Thank you, thank you, Kitamura-sensei!!" Kitamura stepped back.

"It's not me you should thank, Garibaldi-sensei here did all the real work." He watched amused as Duo shook Garibaldi's hand vigorously, pouring his joy out in a waterfall of words.

"I'd like to thank you, too, Kitamura-sensei." Winner-san bowed formally before him.

"Don't set your hopes too high." warned Garibaldi before Kitamura could answer. "We don't know if the operation was successful until Yuy-san wakes up AND takes the first few days well. I really don't want to spoil your happiness, but... keep that in mind."Duo was bobbing his head up and down, but obviously he didn't really listen.

"When can I see him?" he asked pleadingly.

"He should wake up in the evening, he's in the ICU at the moment, so you can only see him through the window." Garibaldi turned to Kitamura. "I have to catch the plane back, Natsukawa, I'm on a very tight schedule. It was great to work with you again." They shook hands while Duo and Quatre respectfully retreated.

"I'll let you know about Yuy-san's progress," said Kitamura.

"Yes, if you need any help just call me. You know how to reach me."

Some meters away Duo hugged Quatre. "I can't believe it, they did it, they really did it, and he's alive!" Quatre smiled.

"Yes! I'm very happy for both of you, Duo. Let's call Trowa, ne? I bet he's on the edge of his seat." They both looked at each other.

"Nah!"

When Quatre went to call Trowa, Duo met up with Kitamura again. "Is he really alright?" he asked, this time very serious. Kitamura nodded gravely.

"Physically speaking, yes. Whether his brain can manage the flood of information will be revealed in the next couple of days. Are you going to be here?"

"Not all the time."

"Well, if you can, take some time off. I'm sure you can help Heero-san a great deal." There were tears in Duo's eyes, a strange mixture of relief, joy, doubt and anticipation.

"I'll be back at six."

Pain... pain?

"Heero?"

Duo...

"Heero, can you hear us?"

Where...? Duo...?

"Heero-san, if you can hear us, try to blink."

Pain... head hurts...

"He doesn't move," whispered Duo anxiously, his voice muffled by the surgeon's mask he had to wear.

Kitamura concentrated on the monitors. "Give him some time. And keep your voice down, Duo-san." The room was only dimly lit, the curtains drawn shut, so that Heero wouldn't be blinded. Duo knelt down beside the bed and took Heero's hand into his gloved one.

"Heero... I'm here." Heero's fingers twitched and a low moan reverberated through the room. Duo and Kitamura looked up just in time to see one eyelid crack open to reveal a dull blue eye. It fluttered shut again, only to be opened again, along with the other one. There was confusion in these eyes, disorientation and pain. Kitamura's eyes were fixed on the monitors. He prayed that it would work...

"Heero?" Duo's voice sounded small. There was a moan again, and suddenly Heero started to cough and gag. Kitamura cursed mentally.

"Get the sedative ready."

The nurse in the background complied immediately, grabbing the already prepared syringe. When she was about to inject it, Duo's voice stopped her.

"No! Don't!"

"Duo-san!" Whatever Kitamura had meant to say died on his lips when he watched Duo bend further down, so that his head was next to Heero's. "Calm down, Heero, relax. There's a tube down your throat to help you breathe, don't fight it or you'll tear your stitches! Relax, I'm here with you." Kitamura was sure it wouldn't work, but Heero proved him wrong. Duo kept whispering soothing words into his ear, stroking his cheek with a hand and pressing Heero's hand reassuringly. Beneath his gentle caress Heero gradually relaxed, coughing weakly several times. Kitamura was once more touched by the understanding Duo had for the pale boy on the bed.

Heero did his best to follow Duo's advice; he clung to Duo's voice with his rapidly dwindling consciousness, fighting the gagging reflex and trying to accept the alien element in his throat. His mind was reeling, trying to remember where he was and what had gotten him into this situation. There were glimpses of Duo, a flood of images that invaded his thoughts, but the last thing he clearly recalled was his gundam collapsing on top of him. He just couldn't connect all those different images, the pain in his head was becoming unbearable. He moaned again and tried to move his head to Duo's voice, but that movement was obviously too much.

He tumbled back into blackness.

"Kitamura-sensei! What's happening??" hissed Duo, panic in his voice.

Heero's eyes had fluttered shut again, and he didn't move. Kitamura observed the monitors with a frown. "I'm not entirely sure... It's too early to draw conclusions. Maybe he's still affected by the narcotic, who knows..." Duo clutched Heero's hand almost painfully.

"You should know; you're the doctor!" Kitamura fought down his own nervousness. "Duo-san, would you please calm down! I won't make any hasty diagnosis, we have to be patient and wait." Duo closed his eyes and swallowed.

"Gomen nasai, Kitamura-sensei. I-I didn't mean to be rude..." Kitamura laid a hand on his shoulder and gently led him outside. They got out of the scrubs and the masks and went into Kitamura's office. Duo sank down into one seat and rubbed his eyes with the knuckles of his hands.

"Would you like some coffee?" offered Kitamura and cleaned his overused coffeepot.

"Yeah." answered Duo and stifled a yawn. He exhaled sharply and focused his tired eyes on Kitamura's face. "I'm really sorry I overreacted back there, it was just that... he was there. I mean, the real Heero, the one I remember. I could feel it!" Kitamura poured water into the machine and flipped it on, returning to his seat behind the desk.

"I think Heero-san was simply too tired. It's been an awful long operation after all, and that's very stressful for the patient, too. The sensors didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. I was worried about what his coughing would do to the sutures, but you did a good job calming him down. We'll watch him closely throughout the night, but my guess is that he will just sleep off the effects of the narcotic. Why don't you--"

"If you suggest I go home and take a little nap, you can forget it!" growled Duo.

"Do you want me to sedate you? I'll do it if you don't take a break." answered Kitamura, and from the way his eyes glittered Duo could tell that he was quite serious. He threw his hands up in resignation.

"Okay, okay, I'll go home. BUT." He eyed Kitamura. "As soon as there's any change in Heero's condition you call me. And it'll be it fifteen minutes after I left!" Kitamura chuckled softly. "I promise. And now get out of here!"

A day later

There it was again.

A spark of...

He tried to retreat into the warm and fuzzy blackness again, it just felt so comfortable there. But the spark exploded to a supernova of red glowing pain and it wouldn't leave him alone! He was overcome by panic and tried to flee, to hide, but there was nowhere he could go, and so it just swept over him and carried him away to the edge of consciousness.

The noises registered first in his brain.

Something was beeping, and there was the rustle of clothes.

"Duo?" he asked, or at least wanted to, because in reality he didn't even open his mouth. He moaned in pain.

"Heero?"

There! Duo! Heero wanted to open his eyes, wanted to see him... He moaned again.

"Heero, it's okay to open your eyes, we killed the light. Come on, you can do it, koi..."

His mind just froze at that whispered word, broke over that syllable, as memories rushed into his brain, of a voice whispering to him, Duo talking to him, all those words, it was just too much!! Tears sprang to his closed eyes and rolled down to his ears, he could feel the wet traces they left, cold in the air.

"Oi Heero! Please, please open your eyes, please try!"

'But I do!' he wanted to yell, growing impatient, and then suddenly he could see him in all his glory, Duo, so close, different somehow...

"Heero..."

A small drop of wetness fell on his cheek, and he realized that Duo was crying. Crying? He opened his mouth and found that he could do it, there was no strange tube going down his throat. He inhaled sweet air, wincing when the movement only served to increase the pain in his head.

"Welcome back." Duo's smile was so warm that the warmth managed to seep into Heero's bones and make him all fuzzy inside. His eyelids started to droop again.

"Heero, mattei! Don't go back to sleep, you slept for a whole day and a half now. Look at me..."

There was some whispering going on that Heero didn't understand, before Duo's face was back. It was oddly distorted somehow, and Heero strained his eyes to get a better view, but even though the dizziness receded and Duo's face was sharp again, he looked strange. His face was... longer, no, thinner, and his features were just so-so strong somehow... but that might be an illusion caused by the surgeon's mask he was wearing. Heero's mind clumsily tried to come up with explanations, noticing for the first time that Duo's voice was different, too, deeper.

'Maybe it's not Duo at all!' his confused mind inserted. Heero let his eyes wander through the dimly lit room, without moving his head, since he had learned that it would only be painful. His reflexes were so rusty that he concluded he must have been out of it for quite some time. Never in his life had he felt so weak, so helpless. Heero's lips parted.

"Wh-wha--t..."

God, his voice sounded horrible! And why was it so hard to formulate the words when they were so clear in his mind? There again, whispering. Then Duo, this strange version of Duo talking to him.

"Kitamura-sensei, your doctor, thinks it's a good idea to fill you in on what's going on. This is what's been happening. You took a hit in your gundam and plummeted to earth. Something went wrong and the thing just collapsed on top of you." There was a sigh, as if Duo needed to bring up courage. "That was one and a half years ago. Because of the head injury you went into a coma. Last week Kitamura-sensei got information on a new treatment for patients with brain damage, a new kinda surgery. That surgery was performed on you yesterday morning, you've just slept off the effect of the narcotic. Yeah, that's basically it." Another, deeper voice joined in.

"Heero-san, we need to do some tests with you, nothing big, just some basics. First I need to have a look at your eyes, I'll have to use a penlight for that, so be warned. It's not bright, but the moment it hurts you, just close your eyes." Heero wanted to nod but found he couldn't, even the intention to move his head hurt. So he just swallowed once, numbly, his thoughts jumbled.

"Alright, now please open your eyes." Huh? He hadn't even realized they had drifted shut again. There was something... someone holding his hand, he could feel it, the warmth...

Then light was stabbing at his eyes, cutting through his head like a laser, and he gasped in pain, clenching the hand that was holding his.

"H-hurts..."

The light flickered once and was gone, leaving only dark splotches of red in his vision.

The voice, Kitamura-sensei, said, "His eyes look fine. Physically he's alright, the wounds are healing nicely, and the CAT scan showed no swelling. It's up to him to get his head clear now." Heero dared to open his eyes again and blinked at Duo. He heard the clacking of a door shutting, then Duo was looking at him with the warmest smile he had ever seen. It sent a delicious shiver down his spine. He allowed his own lips to curve into a tentative smile.

Duo was helplessly fascinated. Heero had spoken, had actually pronounced WORDS that made sense; had looked at him with recognition in his eyes, and now... now, he was smiling at him. A small and slowly spreading smile that made his heart ache with longing, bursting with love.

But he knew that he couldn't reveal his feelings for the Japanese boy yet, even as the word 'koi' had slipped from his lips Kitamura had shot him a warning glance.

It was too early for that.

But even though Heero knew nothing of his growing love and devotion, they were friends, and friends helped each other out. Duo watched as Heero's eyes blinked and wandered around the room. His head was held firmly in place in order to protect the sutures, but his fingers were twitching, scraping over the thin sheets. The dullness in his eyes had left to be replaced by the glitter that Duo remembered so well, cobalt blue metal chips set in the chiseled face of a young man far too beautiful for a simple soldier.

"Heero?" Duo prompted softly. Those eyes focused on him immediately and Duo's heart leapt into his throat. During that incident three days ago, when he had kissed Heero's fingertips, these blue orbs had remained uncomprehending, hadn't really seen and recognized him. Now Heero's piercing gaze seemed to penetrate him to the core, unveiling his deepest emotions.

"D-duo?" Yes, the voice had indeed changed. Though it was rough and hoarse from the abuse by the respirator tube, it was deeper and held rich and warm, rumbling tones.

'Bet he'd have a real bedroom voice if he'd want to seduce you.' supplied his mind gleefully. Duo blushed thirty different shades of red. The frown was not visible on Heero's forehead, but Duo could see it in his eyes.

"Duo... I f-feel... strange..." croaked Heero, his voice cracking on the last word.

"I know." answered Duo and smiled, stroking Heero's hand with his gloved thumb. "You were sleeping a whole year. It's not like you can simply shrug that off. Do you want something to drink? I mean, I can get you some ice chips, if you like." Heero refrained from shaking his head.

"No. Just-just stay..." Though he didn't like to admit it, Heero was actually scared. At first it had seemed unreal, like a dream, but he remembered so many things that must have happened not too long ago, that he could not deny it. There were pictures of a young woman with white-blonde hair, she was important somehow, though he couldn't tell why. And Duo, kissing his fingers... kissing...

Heero's eyes widened.

'Koi...'

"Duo..." he gasped.

"Heero! Are you alright? Are you in pain?" Heero clenched his eyes shut and pressed Duo's hand that was still clasped in his.

"I'm fine," he whispered feebly.

'What the hell is going on here??' his mind demanded to know angrily. He clung to the anger, it was familiar, useful, and burned away the uncertainty that warred with a strange feeling of hollowness in his chest. He heard the door open and realized that Duo must have called for a nurse.

"He cramped up all of a sudden," said Duo with his worry-tinged baritone. His fingers were still intertwined with Heero's. Heero felt a different set of cool fingers feel for his pulse.

"Hm, at least it's not a seizure. Don't worry, Duo-san, maybe it's just 'TMI'." Duo smiled at the old joke he shared with the nurses, but Heero didn't understand.

"W-what's 'TMI'?" he croaked and cracked his eyes open.

"Too much information." answered the nurse and gave him a smile, before she headed for the door. Heero looked at Duo, confused, then decided to let it drop.

"So... I w-was in a ... coma for h-how long?" Duo's grin vanished.
"Exactly nineteen months and two weeks. Then you kind of woke up." Heero was confused.

"Yesterday?" he dared. Duo shook his head. "No, not yesterday. You were coming out of the coma for eleven weeks before yesterday. Yesterday you had surgery." Heero's mind tried to process that.

"But... w-why did I have...yesterday...?"

"It's a new kind of surgery," explained Duo patiently. "Normally you would have had surgery right after you got the head wound, but it's only done to relieve your brain of pressure. And there was no need to do that, since they had you on medications to avoid brain swelling. Two weeks ago Kitamura-sensei, your doc, heard of a new way to treat patients with brain injuries, and thought about trying that with you. We were sure you'd make it." It was all so confusing, so much time he'd lost...

"But you said...I woke up eleven w-weeks ago..."

Duo hesitated for a moment. "How much do you remember from that time?"

"I... not m-much..." Heero flinched, as he tried to frown. "There's... this woman... and you..." It was all blurry and clear at the same time. His mind went back to the disaster with his gundam, clinging to the last really clear information it had. Then it occured to him that two years had passed.

Two years! Surely something had happened during that time. "M-my gundam..." Duo hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Heero, it's gone. Hell, *you* barely survived the crash..."

Heero flinched again. He had to stop trying to frown.

"Yeah... how did I surv-vive?"

"You have to thank Wufei for that, he saved the day, and you," answered Duo. It wasn't quite the truth, but he couldn't tell Heero that he had saved him in a suicidal dive right through the crossfire. It was true that Wufei had saved the day, but Duo recalled all too well how he landed Deathscythe near the wreck that was barely recognizable as Gundam Wing Zero, digging through metal junk before he finally saw a bloodied hand. The world had rocked to a halt at that sight, and hadn't Quatre appeared at that point with a medical team, Heero would never have survived. Duo tried to swallow past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat and averted his eyes. No need for Heero to see them glittering with tears. But Heero was lost in his own memories. He remembered the short moment of helplessness that had lengthened to an eternity of morbid fascination when he had heard the ringing creaking of metal, knowing that his life was going to end.

He remembered that his last conscious thoughts had circled around a certain loudmouthed baka with a ridiculous long braid.

"You sure you don't want those ice chips?" interrupted Duo his thoughts.

"W-what?" managed Heero. Duo got up to leave, but Heero refused to let go of his fingers, holding them in a steel grip, despite his weakened state.

"Duo... I... h-how come you are still here?" Duo frowned at that and tried to pry Heero's fingers off.

"Heero..." He didn't want to answer that question now, didn't even want to think about it.

"Y-you called me... koi..." Duo was frozen like a deer in the headlight of a truck, despite the strange ring to Heero's voice, where uncertainty waged a war with anger. Suddenly Heero's fingers went limp though and fell lifelessly on the bed.

"Heero??" The Japanese's eyes were closed and his features strained, as if he was in severe pain.

"HEERO!!"

It was shortly past midnight. Duo sat on one of the plastic seats in the hallway of the ICU and stared at his boots. To come so close to victory and then fail...

Tears blurred his eyes and he let them fall silently. They dripped onto his black T-shirt and left dark spots there. He heard footsteps approaching, but he didn't look up. A warm hand rested on his shoulder.

"Duo-san..." Kitamura was at a loss. There were no words to express the grief Duo must be feeling right now, no 'I'm sorry's' that wouldn't sound bitter. Hell, he was a neurosurgeon and no psychologist, so he decided to simply stick to the truth. "It could have been a lot worse."

Duo gave a choked, bitter laugh.

"Don't you think this is bad enough?" Kitamura let himself sink into the
chair beside Duo.

"Duo-san, you know as well as I that he could have died several times already, during the operation, after waking up from the narcotic... you knew the operation would be risky, and you decided to take the risk." Duo finally looked at him, and Kitamura mentally shrank back from the pain his violet eyes held.

"But this!! This... this is even worse..."

"Worse than death?" Kitamura sounded incredulous.

"You must be kidding me, Duo-san! You'd rather bury him than deal with this new situation?? I guess your love can't be that honest then!" Duo jumped up and turned hateful eyes on the doctor, his fists balled at his sides.

"Don't. You. Ever. Question. My love for him!! I didn't say I'll leave him now, did I?" Kitamura leaned back in the chair and massaged his temples with tired fingers.

"I didn't say that. I'm sorry, I'm just as tired as you are," he answered softly. "I did all I could, I called Garibaldi and followed his advice... but there's nothing more I can do for him, Duo-san. Don't think I like that thought." Duo's eyes overflowed with tears, then he crumbled to the floor suddenly and started to sob, squatting on the floor and hugging his knees to his chest, while he rocked back and forth.

"I-I j-just can't t-take it anymore!" he sobbed. "I d-did everything I c-could, there's -- there's nothing left t-to give!!" Kitamura drew the shivering youth into a tight embrace. To hell with keeping a neutral distance to his patients, Duo needed him, needed a friend. The young man continued to sob heartbrokenly, surrendering to the embrace. They stood like this for several minutes in the dimly lit hallway. Duo's hot tears seeped through the white cloth of Kitamura's lab coat and soaked it, as he broke completely down. Kitamura didn't say anything, too bone-weary to come up with comfort and consolation other than just physical.

When Kitamura sensed that Duo was calming down he led the young man to his office and pushed him gently down on the small, worn couch in the back. Wordlessly he went and came back with a glass of water and a white little pill. He offered it to Duo who took it without hesitation and lay back down.

Some minutes later his soft snore filled the room. Kitamura sighed and covered the still shivering boy with a spare blanket.

"Sleep well," he whispered to the still form. "You're going to need it."

End Part 2

Comments? Pleeeeeaaase? ^_^

(:./ricci/free2)