1998
Standard Disclaimers apply.
The sand was blinding.
Miles upon miles of pale, yellow sand -- bleached almost white by the intense desert sun -- greeted Heero's eyes as he climbed out of Wing Gundam's cockpit. His eyes narrowed reflexively, dark blue orbs reduced to narrow slits that peered through thick lashes. Empty desert, he noted, stretched as far as he could see - other than the compound of the sprawling stead Quatre had brought them to. The emptiness seemed to reflect a feeling of peace, a feeling that was promptly quashed as a multitude of voices rose in the hot desert air. He wished that his ears could just as easily block out the noise as his eyes had blocked out the sun's glare. All around him, general chaos ensued as a swarm of technical and maintenance personnel approached the gundams, intent on their upcoming tasks, their purpose -- to serve Quatre-sama.
Heero frowned slightly at the ruckus, wondering how such an unassuming child had managed to invoke such loyalty among so many, even to the extent of their willingness to die for him. But then, he realised, appearances hardly spoke for one's true self. He needn't look far, he knew. He needed only to look within himself to know the truth, to face the beast that threatened to devour his heart with every waking moment. The beast he fought for so many years and managed to hold at bay.
Only to succumb in the few short weeks of knowing...
"Heero!"
The Japanese pilot's head snapped up at the call.
Quatre.
"Come," the blonde boy grinned, happy to be home. Or as close to home as is possible during this hopeless war. "Let's go get something to eat!"
Heero nodded silently, following the blonde with his eyes as the latter walked towards the main building of the desert estate -- another Winner stead, he supposed -- together with Trowa and Wufei.
Where was -- ?
The one he was looking for walked up to him silently, peering at him shyly -- almost hesitantly -- through long, brown bangs. Duo stopped beside him, silent in voice but eyes speaking volumes.
"Baka!" Heero snorted , grabbing Duo's arm roughly and pulling him towards a nearby stack of crates. Ignoring Duo's soft cry of protest, Heero dragged him behind the crates, away from the hustle and bustle around them. Hidden from prying eyes, the Japanese pilot threw the longhaired boy against the wall, dark eyes flashing with anger. Duo gasped, his breath driven from his lungs by the force of the throw. Duo could only manage to blink in surprise when he felt Heero's hands suddenly grab at his shirt, strong fists clenching into the fabric and forcibly lifting him to his toes.
Duo felt his breath catch as he looked into Heero's flashing eyes, sensing the anger behind the other's actions, the desperation.
"Don't you ever," Heero hissed icily through clenched teeth, the muscles in his neck corded with repressed tension, "ever do that again."
Duo gulped, trying to smile, to find a clever quip. But nothing came to mind as Heero pushed him up harder against the wall.
"H...Heero, I ..."
"Swear it! On your life, swear it!" Heero hissed harshly, his face contorted with seldom-seen emotion.
"I...I swear...," Duo stuttered. And suddenly Heero's lips claimed his and he could say no more.
[And we stare each other down like victims in the grind.
Probing all the weaknesses and hurt still left behind and we cry
The tears of pearls, We do it, Oh we do it.]
The flames from Shenlong's dragonfist spewed over the tarmac, catching drums of fuel that erupted violently in gouts of brilliant fire, sending black clumps of oily smoke curling into the sky and shrapnel flying through the air. Over to Shenlong's right, Trowa's Heavyarms pumped fiery mortar into the line of Leos that dared to presume to intercept the gundams' mission, sending more of the OZ machines to mechanical hell.
"Harbor area clear," Wufei's voice crackled over the comunit, catching the attention of the Heavyarms pilot.
"Ryoukai," he answered and proceeded to enter the information into the computer. "Phase One, kanryou. Phase Two pending confirmation," Trowa breathed into the receiver, recording the current level of their mission into Heavyarms' log.
Several flicks of his long fingers revealed the rest of the gundams at their respective positions. Quatre's Sandrock stood some distance away from the harbor, rapidly demolishing the administrative blocks that housed the intelligence unit of the OZ facility they were assigned to destroy. It won't be long before Phase Two -- elimination of active infrastructure -- would also be completed, Trowa observed with grim satisfaction. The twin arcs of Sandrock's scimitars twirled through the air, slicing into three Leos with deadly accuracy. Already, Shenlong was moving towards that gundam, its staff knocking out several armored vehicles that stood in its path. Trowa turned, effectively widening his field of vision as he searched for the other two gundams, the ones that seemed like night and day.
There. In the inlet...
Deathscythe erupted from the water, laser scythe cutting through steel and alloy like a cleaver through butter. Automatically, Trowa turned down the volume of the speakers, smiling at the beginnings of another one of Duo's cackles before he switched the sound off. The green-eyed pilot threw one last glance at the two gundams standing back to back in the inlet before turning to assist Sandrock and Shenlong, secure in the knowledge that Deathscythe and Wing would be able to take care of themselves.
"Hoo! Heero! Did you see that? Did you see the way I cut that sucker? " Duo shouted excitedly into the receiver, glancing at Heero's image on the side monitor as he positioned Deathscythe for another target.
"If I didn't, I'm sure you'd tell me," the Japanese pilot answered flatly.
"Naa Heero," the long-haired boy laughed. "Don't be jealous. I'll leave some for you, don't worry!"
"Worry about yourself, baka! Don't get too cocky!"
"Ne, you're worried about me? I'm soooo touched," Duo grinned, fluttering his lashes and clutching at his heart playfully as he momentarily looked into the side monitor at Heero's grim face.
"Idiot," Heero muttered, as he threw a glance sideways at the screen, catching Duo's dramatics. But try as he might, Heero could not find it in his heart to be angry and he could feel his facial muscles betray his stern visage as a corner of his mouth twitched.
"Waaahahaha!" Duo screamed gleefully, catching the small twitch on Heero's lips. "Got you!"
"Hn!" With a grunt, Heero switched off the visuals, cutting off the longhaired pilot's image.
In Deathscythe's cockpit, Duo pouted as Heero's face disappeared from the screen. "Spoilsport," he muttered sulkily. "Oh well," he sighed, turning his attention back to the main screen. "Looks like it's just you and me, then, Shinigami ol' pal. Heero doesn't want to play so let's go kick some OZ ass!" Duo whooped as he piloted his gundam towards another flagship carrier.
More OZ cargo ships erupted in flames as Wing's guns made short work of them, effectively clearing the surrounding waters of the smaller enemy vessels. Behind the white gundam, its dark partner stood on the deck of a neighboring flagship, slicing its way through the metal hull.
Heero smirked as the last of the smaller ships sank into the murky depths of the harbor, turning to join Duo who was happily making mincemeat out of the helpless OZ carriers. Can't let him have all the fun, he thought as he steered his gundam towards his partner. As he moved, a sudden beeping from the panel cut through the silence of Wing's cockpit.
"Shimatta! A --"
Heero never finished his sentence as Wing's feet were literally pulled out from under him, locked between the pincers of a Cancer. With a cry of anger, the Japanese pilot whirled, twisting his gundam and thrashing in the water, trying to dislodge the Cancer's deadly grip. Levering himself against the underwater mobile suit's trunk, Heero twisted Wing's torso, clearing his field of fire. With a feral grin, he triggered the beam cannon, blasting the Cancer into so many pieces.
"Wha..!!" Duo whirled, seeing the sudden eruption of sea spray. "Shit! Where is he?" the boy cried, as Deathscythe leapt into the water, searching for the missing gundam.
The dark waters swirled, bubbles blocking his line of vision, making the murky underwater scene even more obscure. Duo cursed in silence as he scoped the surroundings for Heero's presence. With a small sigh of relief, Duo located Heero's precise position, seconds before the latter's face flashed across his monitor.
"What happened?" the longhaired boy asked, concern lending a little catch to his voice.
Heero raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised by the inflection. "Cancer," he replied. "And they're cloaked. I only detected it when it got into visual range."
"Damn! I'll alert the others --"
"No!" Heero interjected. "Let them finish up onshore first. It's easier for us, anyway. They're more effective on land."
"Oh..."
Heero's fingers flew over the controls, assessing their current situation. Only one ship remained in the harbor, further away from shore than its destroyed partners. The radar showed that this ship was moving away rapidly, as though it was --
"...running away," Heero muttered to himself. That must be it, he thought. The source of the underwater mobile suit that had almost got him. Without a word, Wing Gundam sped through the water towards the OZ ship.
Duo stared at his windscreen, openmouthed. What the hell?
"Heero Yuy! What do you think you're doing?!?" Duo screamed in fury. Damn him! Damn Heero and his perfect soldier act! What's the point of being perfect if you get killed?
Without further thought, Deathscythe followed in Wing Gundam's wake.
The massive hull of the OZ carrier came into view, its very bulk casting shadows deep under the water. Heero started, slightly surprised. This was the largest carrier he'd come across. Who knows how many mobile suits could fit into that monstrosity, he thought grimly.
It doesn't matter, the Japanese boy decided. It -- they -- everything will be gone in a few minutes. He smirked, readying his cannon and aiming carefully.
"Target lock on."
The cannon blast sent shock waves through the water, rocking the gundam and its pilot with its force. When the roiling waters calmed somewhat, Heero blinked with shock at the sight before him.
"N..Nani?"
The hull was still intact, save for several small, insignificant punctures. The ship still floated, still functioned. And with a look of dismay, Heero saw a section of the hull fall away, revealing several rows of Cancers, all ready and lined up for battle.
Stupid, stupid mistake. Heero mentally cursed himself for miscalculating his cannon's effect underwater. He hadn't taken into account the slight resistance the surrounding water provided, enough to throw his aim slightly off-course and to dampen the effect somewhat. As though in slow motion, Heero saw the Cancers move forward, exiting the hull with a grace that belied their bulk. The mobile suits advanced, silent and deadly.
Heero adjusted his gauges and bearings, shifting ever so slightly. Again, Wing Gundam's cannon took aim, and again a bright shot of pure energy seethed through the waters. But this time, the aim was true. This time, the target went down. Wing Gundam's pilot smiled in satisfaction, seeing the Cancers falter slightly in their advance as the ship that had launched them sank slowly, claimed by the waters it so proudly rode on. Without waiting for the mobile suits to recoup, Heero launched an all out attack on the line of Cancers.
"Hey-hey! Remember me?" Duo's cheerful voice crackled over the speakers.
"What're you doing here? I can handle this," Heero barked, angry at Duo's appearance. He didn't want that boy to risk himself more than he had to.
"Eh?" Duo's voice mocked. "Who's being cocky now, ne?"
"I mean it, Duo," Heero said quietly as he blasted another Cancer to smithereens.
"I can't hear you," Duo sang out, happily ignoring the other boy's commands as he gunned his thrusters and joined the fray.
For several minutes, nothing could be seen clearly except for random flashes from various guns and cannons. Once in a while, an arc of sizzling light would cut through the rushing waters, turning liquid to steam with its heat, sending billions of bubbles rushing for the surface. Heero continued shooting at the advancing mobile suits, resigned to accepting Duo's presence. There's no point trying to persuade him otherwise, Heero thought. In that aspect at least, they were similar -- both bullheaded when it came to getting their way. And Heero knew that it was hopeless trying to protect the other boy. He realised that they were all ready to die for their mission, and he knew that they were all adept at trying to prevent that from ever happening, if possible. But still, he could not help wanting to keep the other boy safe. If he could, he'd tie the other up and tuck him up somewhere far from all the fighting and the killing. If he could...
A strong backlash knocked Wing Gundam forward, its weight lending to its momentum as it spiralled downwards...
Into the waiting arms of a Cancer.
Heero realised he couldn't move when the gundam's interiors screamed to him, the metal supports creaking as huge pincers closed on the gundam's neck and shoulder. It had him turned so that he couldn't fire his guns effectively or move his arm, but if Heero looked hard enough, he could make out the Cancer pilots' grinning faces through the windscreen. He was that close.
With a muttered curse and a half-hearted sigh, Heero flipped on the comunit.
"Duo..."
"Waaaahey!" Duo's scream cut him off as the dark gundam suddenly appeared from behind his captor, swinging its scythe with a poetic, yet deadly slowness. The tip entered the top of the OZ mobile suit, slicing through the metal with ease. The pilots within screamed as their cockpit burst into flames, their lives snuffed out in the instant it took them to draw one breath.
Deathscythe stood proud as Duo gloated, happily taking in Heero's frustrated silence. It wasn't often that he'd have a chance one-upping the Wing Gundam pilot and, by the Gods, he'd enjoy it while he could. But after a few seconds, sanity and common sense set in and Duo set to the task of helping to pry the dead Cancer's claws off his partner's gundam.
"How does it feel, Heero?" Duo crowed. "Looks like I'm not that useless, ne?" he giggled happily as he took in Heero's long-suffering look. "Just goes to show, Mr. Perfect. Never underestimate Duo Ma-- Oh shit!!"
Heero turned at Duo's sudden exclamation, and involuntarily jerked in his seat as he faced three Cancers, guns primed and aimed directly at them. He only had enough time to reach for his firing controls when the Cancers attacked.
Everything seemed to move with terrifying slowness as he traced the movement of the missiles erupting from the OZ mobile suits with a morbid fascination. One direct hit with all those and he was done for, he knew. As the missiles approached their intended target, Heero growled in hopeless frustration, grabbing at the firing controls even as his world spun around him, his vision thrown into a dizzying swirl as his gundam flew backwards, pulled by --
Pulled?
"Noooo!!" Heero's scream died in his throat as he turned just in time to see Duo's gundam engulfed in fiery blossoms of missile fire, smaller eruptions feeding into bigger ones as the surroundings grew brighter and brighter with each rocking, silent explosion.
[Is love really the tragedy the way you might describe?
Or would a thousand lovers still leave you cold inside.
Make you cry......these tears of pearls.]
Anger, fear, desperation, insanity. All these and more flashed through Heero's mind as he screamed his despair, his cry punctuated by a forceful push on Wing Gundam's throttle, sending the gundam careening through the water and the fire blossoms, rushing head on towards the waiting Cancers. With a cold fury bordering on madness, the pilot of Wing Gundam squeezed the trigger, mechanically and methodically.
Quickly, effortlessly, effectively.
Pieces of Cancer mobile suits settled slowly to the sea bottom, nothing remaining of their original form to mark their watery graves.
Heero didn't know what deity guided his hand or his aim. With one shot, he had taken down two Cancers. The other had followed almost immediately, caught in the aftermath of its brother mobile suit's violent demise. Chance. Pure chance.
It was chance that guided him, not any deity. Not any god, Heero thought coldly, his heart suddenly heavy. So very heavy...
The God of Death.
Shinigami.
"Duo..."
The agitated waters still roiled. The bubbles still too many to make out his surroundings clearly. But Heero's infra red sensors revealed the outline of Duo's gundam, his Shinigami. It lay still on the sea bottom, as cold and silent as the waters around it. Heero descended, piloting his gundam closer, wanting to see with his own eyes what his sensors had already revealed.
The dark gundam lay too still, too quiet. Its surface was scored and deeply marked by the blasts. Strangely enough, it was still in one piece, further testimony to the strength of the gundanium that made up its flesh and bones. But its heart...
Its heart was human.
The flashing red eyes, always so fiery and bright in battle, were now white and blind. And its voice -- his voice -- was silent.
Again, his name escaped Heero's lips. "Duo..."
Again, Duo's face flashed through his mind. Open, smiling, laughing, trusting, accepting, loving...
Again, Duo's voice resounded in his ears.
"Ne...Heero...don't cry..."
It was so real, so very real. Almost like...
"Duo?" Heero's eyes widened, incredulous. How did he...?
"H..Hai," that familiar voice sighed weakly. Its chatter was gone, as was its exuberance. But it was there. Weak and tired but there.
The monitor flickered, sputtering fitfully before clearing just enough for Heero to make out the shape sitting in the pilot's seat of Gundam Deathscythe. Duo slumped slightly against the restraining buckles, shadowed in the red glow of his cockpit's emergency lights.
"Itai... I hurt," Duo groaned as he reached to restore the power to his gundam, overriding the emergency shutdown effected by force of the missile blasts.
From his own monitor, Heero could see the longhaired boy swipe across his face with the back of one hand, wiping away a thin trickle of blood slowly flowing from one nostril.
"Oo yech!" Duo's voice carried across the speakers, "By doth ith ptleething!" The boy gagged disgustedly as he pinched his nose and slightly tipped his head backwards. "Pedder thot pee proken," he groaned.
Heero shook his head, amazed at the other's vanity. Duo had escaped death, yet he worried about a broken nose? Heero couldn't believe what he heard and saw. Yet, that was Duo, his heart whispered. That was what made Duo what he is. And that was what you fell for, the little voice continued.
Among others...
"Heero?"
Duo's quiet call beckoned.
"What?" he snapped, a hint of anger --Anger? Why was he angry? -- in his voice.
Duo sat silent, shocked at the raw emotion he heard in the Japanese pilot's answering retort. Why was he so angry? He's angry with me? Duo thought, confused. I saved his life, for God's sake! "Help me up?" he finally asked timidly, dabbing at the slowing trickle of blood from his nose.
Heero's face was closed off as he grunted an affirmation, the dark blue eyes staring straight at him as though they would burn through the monitor with the intensity of their gaze. Duo shuddered as Heero's image flickered on the screen, disappearing as the other boy switched off his visuals. Boy, Heero was pissed. And Duo knew that he was pissed at him. Though what in heaven for, or why, he could only guess.
[All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions we keep locked away from all the world.]
"How's your nose?" Heero asked in a slightly mocking tone as he pinched the upturned organ in question.
"Hey! Easy! Easy! It's the only one I have," Duo cried, swatting at Heero's offending fingers -- just as the other boy removed them. "Ow!" the longhaired boy cried as he slapped himself in the face.
Heero chuckled, and bent forward, placing a tender kiss on the tip of Duo's nose. "There," he said softly, gazing into the face below his, "all better."
"Hmm," Duo sighed, closing his eyes and snuggling up closer to the Japanese boy, content in the warmth of his partner's embrace. Heero's hand ran over his head, fingers teasing at his long hair as he lay on his side, tucked into the crook of Heero's shoulder, his face pressed against the latter's upper chest. "You were really mad, back there, weren't you?" The longhaired boy asked sleepily.
A hard squeeze from Heero's arms answered him and Duo sighed again, smiling lazily as he peered up into the other's stony face -- softer now that they were alone. With one slender finger, he traced the outline of Heero's lips, teasing at the grim set flesh until they parted and allowed him entry. A soft chuckle ensued as Duo slid the finger into Heero's mouth, a shudder of electricity pulsing through his spine as the soft lips closed upon it, sucking almost hungrily. Heero's tongue followed, twining around the probing digit, tracing its length with an arousing wetness that increased with each pass. The Japanese boy suckled, playing with the lax finger trapped within his mouth, nipping lightly as he tossed it around the wet recess. In his arms, Duo's body stilled, enraptured by the strange feeling coursing through his flesh at each swipe of Heero's tongue, inwardly shuddering as the pit of his belly contracted with each indrawn breath and the soft pressure of Heero's sucking.
Heero opened his mouth slightly, his tongue snaking out to tease at another nearby digit, drawing that into his mouth to join its companion as he laved them. Unconsciously, his eyes closed and he concentrated on the feeling of the foreign flesh in his mouth. As though from far away, he could hear his own heartbeat thumping in his ears, and over that, the ragged sound of his partner's breath. Heero cracked open one blue eye, peering at Duo's face next to his. The boy's mouth was slightly opened and his eyes seemed soft and unfocussed -- almost mesmerised -- as he lay back against Heero's outstretched arm. The soft lighting in the room threw strange shadows on the wall and highlighted the dark honey highlights in his partner's long, braided hair. Several dark locks lay across Duo's flushed features, worked free of the braid earlier by Heero's inquisitive fingers, throwing a stark contrast against the pale flesh it rested upon. Slyly, Heero smiled around Duo's fingers.
And bit hard.
"OW!" Duo jerked, shocked out of Heero's hypnotic ministrations. Automatically the fingers pulled out of Heero's mouth and he chuckled when Duo immediately placed them in his own, sucking at the tender flesh, unconsciously mingling their body fluids in a moment of surprise.
"What'd you do that for, Heero?" the longhaired grumbled as he sucked, pouting.
In answer, Heero leaned in towards him, nibbling at the corner of Duo's mouth.
"Mmmph.." Duo turned slightly, accepting the other's attention hungrily with kisses of his own, bruised fingers forgotten. He felt Heero's hand push against his chest, triggering a fresh ache from the bruises of the day's earlier battle. Yet that ache only underscored the empty feeling in his gut, fanning the smoldering heat that lay deep within him -- a warmth so foreign yet familiar. The roaming fingers skittered down his chest, stopping once in a while to move in tantalising circles against his torso, the feeling intensified by the crinkling, raspy feel of the cloth against his skin. Duo moaned against the lips that assaulted his so, so sweetly -- partly from the aching of his bruised body, but mostly from the pleasure that radiated like waves from Heero's touch. The longhaired boy shifted slightly to a more comfortable position -- briefly breaking the sweet contact with the other's lips -- only to have Heero clutch more aggressively at his clothes as the Japanese boy's fingers wormed their way under them, stopping only when flesh encountered flesh. With a soft growl, Heero claimed Duo's lips again, even as the boy moaned and wriggled under him, firing up his already inflamed senses.
Duo gasped as rough fingers brushed against his nipples. What the hell? He never knew they could do that -- feel so much! He arched against the rough palm, pushing his body against the boy above him, feeling the soft-hard resistance of Heero's body. The lips that had punished his own so mercilessly left their playground, moving ever so slowly downwards over the flesh of his chin and throat, suckling and nipping at the tender hollow at the base of his neck. And all the while, calloused hands roamed his torso, pushing away at the resisting material of his shirt.
"Heero...," Duo groaned between sharp intakes of breath, "whatcha doin'...?" He'd never known anything could feel so good. All this while, their still-new relationship had mostly been friendly and easy, conversation-wise, and liberally sprinkled with chaste kisses and tentative touches in brief moments of privacy. Heero had done most of the initiating and after a few fumbles, he'd followed gamely, allowing the other into his closely guarded heart. It had been so easy -- almost a relief -- for Duo to allow himself that one weakness, that one slip of the face he put forward to the rest of the world. At the time, he'd chastised himself for slipping, for allowing a friend --barely known -- into his private world. He'd berated himself for trusting someone so deeply so as to let him in, tampering with the inner shields he'd put up over the years. Yet, somehow -- Duo didn't know just how -- this one felt different. For all his gruffness and his sullen demeanor, Heero felt different to him -- like he belonged there, deep within the folds of his heart.
And letting Heero in felt like the only good thing he'd ever done.
[Your kisses are like pearls, so different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away and love has left you bare
Made you cry.....These tears of pearls.]
"Heero...matte...I don't think..."
The Japanese pilot looked up from his pleasurable -- for once, he smirked -- 'mission'. Duo's face was flushed -- even more than before -- and under his hands he could feel the runaway pace with which the latter's heart beat, a slight quivering rippling in the tense muscles under his skin.
"What?" he whispered hoarsely, somewhat surprised at the slurring in his words. "Am I going too fast?"
"H..hai," the longhaired boy mumbled, nodding slightly. His long lashes fluttered, hiding away the darkened blue-violet eyes and the almost guilty expression that reflected in them. An expression that showed too clearly in his face to be hidden away from Heero's trained eyes.
"Gomen, Heero...," Duo whispered almost breathlessly, his arms slipping from where they had lain entwined around Heero's back and shoulders. " I...I'm not sure..."
In the dim light, Heero smiled, grinned and finally snorted as a laugh forced its way out of his throat. Duo Maxwell was actually hesitant -- embarrassed even -- about this? Heero settled for a chuckle and collapsed against Duo's bared torso, burying his face in the soft, damp flesh of the latter's flat stomach. The mingled scent of both their bodies assailed his nostrils and he drew in a long, shuddering breath, both to draw in more of Duo's essence and also to calm his raging feelings.
Duo frowned. He'd been afraid that Heero would take his rejection the wrong way, but he'd never expected the Japanese pilot to laugh! And he was still laughing! Duo could feel Heero's mouth curving in a smile against his skin, even as he could see the shaking shoulders of the boy draped over him.
"Oi!" Duo poked at the inert Heero, pushing himself up on an elbow. "Oi, Heero! What's so funny? Why're you laughing? You laughing at me?"
"Gomen Duo," Heero grinned, turning his face towards the other boy but still lying on Duo's abdomen. "I just never expected you of all people...," Heero continued, pushing away at some of the mussed-up bangs that fell into his eyes.
"Me? Never expected me to what?" Duo blinked, staring at the unaccustomed sight of a smiling Heero Yuy.
Heero sighed and crawled up so that he was once more eye to eye with the longhaired boy. "I never expected you to be the shy type," he whispered, staring deeply into the wide violet eyes before him.
"Sh ...Shy ?!?" Duo sputtered, his face blushing fiercely. "I'm not shy! I'm just ...um...well..."
If his face could get any redder, it would.
"You're what?" Heero levered himself up so that he could look down once more into Duo's embarrassingly red face.
Duo gulped.
And pulled at the nearest pillow to hide himself from the leering monster that reared his handsome face above him.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Heero cried as the longhaired boy tried to burrow deeper into the sheets.
Pillows and various bedclothes flew amidst squeaks and yells of protest.
"You really haven't done this before?" Heero asked with a raised eyebrow, when they finally settled down.
"U-huh."
"You have?"
"Uh-uh."
"Not even with a girl?" Heero almost squeaked.
"Heh!" Duo giggled nervously, his grin resembling more of a grimace.
"What?"
"No," Duo eeped.
Heero stared incredulously at the wondrous innocent in his grasp. He tsked. "You're incredible, you know that?" he finally murmured. "What've you been doing all this while?"
"Uh...running and hiding?" Duo grinned back half-heartedly.
The Japanese boy shook his head and kissed Duo tenderly on the forehead. "I love you, Duo. Don't you ever forget that," he murmured against the smooth brow, stroking the flesh of one rounded cheek.
After a few moments of silence, Duo shifted and flipped Heero over so that the shorthaired boy now had to look up at him. " Naa Heero?" he grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "So when're you gonna teach me?"
Heero growled and pulled the laughing boy down.
"When you're ready, baka!"
"Now?" Duo sighed, snuggling once more into Heero's arms.
"Are you sure?" Heero asked softly, burying his face in Duo's hair.
Silence.
"When you're ready, then," the Japanese boy whispered into the chestnut-hued strands, happy to just hold this one person close in his arms.
[Well I could be a tired joker
pour my heart to get you in
sacrifice my happiness just so I could win.
Maybe cry these tears of pearls.]
"It's really nice here, Quatre!" Duo stood in the shade of a date tree, adjusting the sunglasses that persisted in slipping off the bridge of his nose. Quatre stood beside him, arms akimbo as they watched the technical crew go over the gundams with a fine toothed comb.
"I mean," the American boy continued, "it's hot and all and you sweat a lot but it's really nice somehow. Don't you think so?" The sunglasses fell off his nose and settled above his lips. Again. Huffing softly, the braided boy finally pushed the offensive eyewear up on his head, fitting it snugly against his thick hair.
The blonde boy turned to him with an amused and somewhat wistful smile, his baby-blue eyes twinkling. "Aa," he nodded. Quatre turned away again, once more gazing at the repair works in process. "Perhaps it's because we haven't received any new mission orders yet," he said with a distant voice. "We don't see the war here...It's peaceful...like home." The boy's voice dropped away to a whisper.
Duo sweatdropped.
"Eh..Quatre, I didn't mean to make you homesick! Cheer up!" Duo said, panicking at the hopeless ring in Quatre's voice. "Come on! Smile!" Duo elbowed the blonde in the ribs, sending the other into a mock defensive stance as he tried to block Duo's version of tickling.
"Saa! Duo!" Quatre laughed. "Don't be such an ass. I'm not homesick!"
Duo grinned at Quatre's mood shift. "Good. You don't look good with a frown."
"Baka," the blonde grinned as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Besides, you're probably more homesick than I ..."
The sudden flash of pain in his friend's violet eyes silenced him, turning the cheerful tone into one of concern.
"What, Duo? Did I say...?"
The look of pain vanished as quickly as it appeared as Duo grinned widely. "Naah Quatre. It's nothing. Nothing you need to bother about." As though to emphasise his words, the braided boy thumped Quatre on the back, hard enough that the blonde felt the whoosh of his breath exit his lungs.
"Come on." Duo pulled the blonde towards the hangar where their gundams were stowed. "I wanna see how Shinigami's doing."
How could I be homesick, Quatre? I don't have a home...
[All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions we keep locked away from all the world.]
"Are you sure it's him?"
The blonde girl leaned forward in her huge chair, her teenaged body almost dwarfed by it. If the news was true -- Oh, how I pray it is! -- then her search would be over.
"The intelligence unit are almost completely certain, Relena-sama." The older man bowed nervously.
The girl -- Relena Peacecraft -- was so young yet she wielded so much power, the man thought as he watched her swivel in her chair. And the essence of that power reeked around her presence, reducing much, much older -- and much, much more experienced -- personnel around her to mere puppets, following her every whim. Small beads of sweat formed on his brow as he watched the girl walk silently towards the picture window, mulling over the piece of information he had brought. They had followed her leadership when she took over the control of the Peacecraft Empire. Almost single-handedly, this little girl had built it up so that it once more assumed at least part of its former glory. Oh yes, she'd had help -- a whole battery of ministers and advisors. In fact, he himself had resided on one of the advisory boards. But it was her that brought them together. She was the catalyst.
That alone had been reason enough to follow her lead, her orders, revolutionary as they may be.
He turned to stand beside the girl. She was still so young, yet with a maturity that belied her years. Her humility and soft-spoken diplomacy had won over the hearts of her subordinates, as did her willingness to listen to their suggestions and views, no matter how trivial. She possessed that quality that so few politicians and leaders had -- she listened with her heart. But still, the man mused, she was but a child.
And a stubborn one at that, the man thought to himself. Especially when it came to this particular obsession...
"How do you want to proceed, Relena-sama?" the man asked, his deep voice breaking the silence. "Shall we retrieve..."
"Iie, Hakada-san," the girl muttered almost absently. " What exactly did Intelligence find?"
Hakada looked into the large eyes, almost dripping with hopeful desperation. Gods, the girl was obsessed...
"They managed to unscramble one of the few communiqués from the last reported sighting. They're sure, Relena-san. They're sure it was Heero Yuy. And .."
Hakada paused, surprised at the hunger reflected in the child's eyes.
"Yes?" the girl questioned breathlessly.
"They think they can locate an approximate position..."
"They've done this, of course?"
"Hai! There are a few likely dwellings there where he might be..."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Relena almost screamed at the older man, almost jumped with the sheer excitement coursing through her veins. "Prepare the necessary transport, cancel my less important appointments and ... and ... Oh, just hurry up!"
"H--Hai! Hai Relena-sama!"
As Hakada scrambled towards the door of the huge drawing room-cum-office, Relena looked once more at the gardens beyond the picture window. So close...so very close. She smiled and felt a shudder run up her spine at the thought of once more being with him, once more looking into those blue, blue eyes.
"Wait for me Heero. Wait for me."
And bathed in the soft afterglow of the late morning sun, Relena Peacecraft smiled as her eyes closed, her body slowly swaying to the silent melody of a memory past.
[We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten, twice removed]
"Heero-san? Er..." The manservant looked around nervously, unsure whether to reveal the information or not. Outside the compound gates, the cruiser waited, its engine humming quietly.
"Please tell him that Relena Peacecraft wishes to see him," the tall stranger explained, nodding towards the figure of a young girl with long, blonde hair sitting in the cruiser.
"Aa!" the servant nodded, a wide smile almost splitting his darkly tanned face. "Relena Peacecraft? Sou...That is different. Relena-sama would be most welcome! Please, enter..."
Relena followed the strange manservant, nodding absently at his chatter as her eyes took in the simple elegance of the furnishings. This was a beautiful place, she thought. She'd never have guessed it, judging from the building's outer facade. It had looked like any other desert estate - bigger perhaps, and with higher courtyard walls - she had gone through earlier in her search. But inside, it was literally a palace fit for a king.
"Whose estate is this, kudasai?" she asked softly in her lilting voice.
"Eheh! This all belongs to Winner-sama," the manservant answered, turning to her and grinning nervously, his white teeth contrasting markedly with his dark skin.
"Winner-sama? From L4?"
"Hai! Hai!"
"Why would Heero-kun be here? Does he know Winner-sama?" Relena cocked her head to one side, giving the manservant her best 'innocently-curious' look.
"Anou! Heero-sama is with Quatre-sama. He and a few of Quatre-sama's friends are here for a few days," the man volunteered, chattering happily as he continued down the corridor, Relena following closely behind. "Quatre-sama is overseeing the workers, but I saw Heero-san in the den earlier. He's probably still there, Relena-sama."
The manservant ushered the girl towards the den, stopping before the large mahogany double doors separating the room and the richly carpeted corridors. Relena nodded almost imperceptibly, silently approving of the Winner taste in home decor. The manservant pressed himself against the door, listening through the thick wood. He grinned as his quick ears caught a slight sound from within. "I think he is still inside, Relena-sama," the man smiled, reaching to open the door.
"Anou. It's alright. I'll do it," she said, flashing her most winning smile at the servant. "I need to talk to him in private, kudasai."
"Aa," the servant nodded, bowing as he retreated. "I shall bring refreshments and inform Quatre-sama of your presence, Relena-sama."
"Hai. Very well."
Relena waited until the servant had gone, leaving her alone in the corridor with just a door separating her from...
"Heero..." The name fit so well around her tongue, dripping off it like warm, melted honey. So sweet...
She squared her shoulders and pushed open the door silently --the Winners kept their property well-maintained -- striding in, confident that Heero would be more than happy to see her. She'd waited so long for him to come after her again. But he never did. So now, she'd come after him. Relena smiled her best smile.
"Hee..."
Somehow the name didn't roll off her tongue quite as easily as it did earlier. Somehow that name caught in her throat when she saw him leaning against the huge desk at the far end of the room, his arms around a figure with long, braided hair. A figure whom Heero was....
Kissing.
Him...?
Hmm....The carpet was very soft, Relena thought as someone thoughtfully switched off all the lights, letting her sink into comforting darkness.
[Love will be the death....
The death of you.]
End Part One
Shirin
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