1998
All characters of Gundam Wing belong to Sunrise and other legal copyright owners.
This fic is just something I did to use up the time I don't have. No money is being made off this enterprise, so please don't sue this pathetic fic writer who can't even decide which tenses to use.
I don't have any money worth suing anyway.
All comments, criticisms, flames (in moderate amounts, ja!) and whatever else you might want to say may be hurled via e-mail at: shirini@pc.jaring.my
"Waa! I'm cold!" Duo whispered, complaining to Trowa who crouched in the undergrowth beside him.
"Well, you're the one who wanted to do this," Trowa replied sarcastically. "We could have let Jelana take care of it but nooo, you had to get in on the action!"
"Why, Trowa," Duo winked mischievously at his grumbling friend. "I would have thought that you'd want to be there when we get Quatre." He sniggered as he poked the stoic-faced Frenchman in the ribs. "Quatre, remember? Qua....tre...?" He drew out the other boy's name purposely, enjoying the look of discomfort on Trowa's face that had nothing whatsoever to do with the drizzle that had begun ever since they had started their stake out.
"I didn't plan to be soaked to the bone!"
"But, Trowa! He'd be soooo grateful! You'd have saved hi..."
"Oh shut up already, Duo! Heero was right. You talk too much!"
The mention of Heero's name only seemed to egg on the brown-haired pilot more. "*I* talk too much? You guys don't talk at all! I swear that the two of ... Damn!"
Trowa turned toward Duo at the latter's curse, almost doubling in laughter when he saw the cause. Duo was flicking mud from his braid, which had slipped from around his shoulder and had fallen into a pool of muddy rainwater.
"ShitShitShit!" Duo muttered as he wrung excess water out of the thick braid, all else forgotten as he tended to his pride and joy.
Trowa settled back, enjoying the slight respite to Duo's chatter, mentally going over the plans that they had drawn up that afternoon. They had started the watch long before the designated drop-off time at a location Jelana had specified when the kidnappers had called up with the final instructions. This fact had further assured them that the kidnappers were probably amateurs, or perhaps just plain desperate, Trowa thought. That they had actually managed to cart off Quatre within his own boundaries however, testified that they had to have had *some* brains.
Unfortunately, Quatre had not brought along the homing device that each of the Gundam pilots had been issued, perhaps not seeing the need for it on his own home ground. If he had had it on, their job of tracking him down would have been made much simpler. Whatever it is, Trowa just prayed that the blonde pilot was safe wherever he was. A small smile played on his lips as he remembered the way Duo had earlier volunteered their services to the Winner family.
The American was just too fast for him. If Duo hadn't said it then, he would have.
He glanced briefly at his companion who was still fussing with his hair, wondering why and how Heero had managed to ignore Duo. The brown-haired pilot's cheerful ways irritated him sometimes, but they were endearing, reminding him of the blonde Arabian that had captured his fancy. The boy with golden hair as soft as gossamer and eyes as blue as the summer sky. The boy who's milky skin was so smooth under his touch, so...
Bright headlights brought his reminiscing to an abrupt halt. Beside him, he felt Duo tense similarly, each of them holding in their breath as though the slightest exhalation would alert the newcomers to their whereabouts. The cruiser stopped a few meters in front of the clump of bushes that was their hideaway, the engine idling and finally dying with the glare of its headlights. The passengers did not stir from within the vehicle, preferring to wait away from the darkness of the wet night. Shortly after, another vehicle came into view from the opposite direction. This time, however, the other vehicle's light stayed on, even as the passenger door opened. A slight figure stepped out, clutching a large briefcase. The figure stepped gingerly over the larger puddles, walking towards the middle of the clearing. As the figure neared, the earlier vehicle's headlights were switched on, bathing the lone figure in a yellow glare. The driver stepped out, followed by the only other occupant of the vehicle. Both of them held handguns that they trained onto the lone figure in the spotlight.
In the bushes, a long-haired figure rose and carefully made his way toward the vehicle. Trowa waited with bated breath as he watched Duo move stealthily toward the kidnappers' cruiser, a homing device in hand. Their plan was to attach the device onto the kidnapper's vehicle, thus enabling them to follow at a safe distance, letting the kidnappers lead them unwittingly to their hideout. From there, they could easily initiate rescue operations, without spooking the kidnappers into hurting their hostage.
One of the kidnappers was walking toward the figure in the clearing, reaching out for the briefcase of ransom money. Duo crouched behind the cruiser, reaching under the fender to securely attach the tracker onto the alloy rim. Just as he got up to return to the safety of the bushes, the thick rope of hair about his shoulders again escaped its moorings, falling with a loud 'plop' onto the wet ground.
Kusou!
Trowa cursed silently as he tensed in the undergrowth, suddenly wishing that Heero had made good on his many threats to cut off Duo's long braid.
Duo cursed silently as he angrily eyed the offending object that lay silently and innocently mocking him as it became heavier with rainwater.
The driver cursed loudly as he turned around and stalked toward the source of the sound.
Duo looked around, weighing his choices. He could not make a dash for the bushes without breaking cover. He couldn't shoot the driver in the head and he couldn't risk getting caught without jeopardizing their chances of rescuing Quatre safely.
So he did the next best thing...
The driver peered around the vehicle but spotted nothing suspicious. He craned his neck, looking out into the surrounding undergrowth but still could not detect anything out of place.
"Come on!" His partner's urgent call urged him into the vehicle, immediately starting it as they made their getaway.
In the bushes, Trowa collapsed on the ground in relief as he switched on the tracking device. The red light assured him that the beacon worked perfectly.
"All right, Duo!" he whispered into the night even as he got up to move toward the car hidden in the woods.
Under the cruiser's carriage, Duo held on for dear life as the vehicle moved with surprising speed along the dirt road, splashing muddy water onto his already wet body, bumping and jarring his bones with every uneven surface in the road.
"I swear," he hissed between clenched teeth. "One day, this hair's gotta go!"
Heero walked over to Duo's bed, dropping to a crouch before the sleeping pilot's face. The boy had turned over and was sprawled across the bed, half on his stomach and half on his side. His face was half-hidden by the pillow and his shoulder. Heero saw that the elastic that kept Duo's long hair under control had loosened and the braid was slowly becoming undone, section by section.
Without realizing, Heero's hand reached for the long, silky locks, combing through it with his fingers, marvelling at the softness of the heavy mass of hair in his hand. He brought up the end of the loose braid to his face, inhaling the smell that was his friend's, a subtle yet exhilarating blend of herbs and musk. Unconsciously, he rubbed his cheek with the soft strands, revelling in the smooth silkiness that caressed his skin. After a while, the dark-haired boy stood up and pulled at the covers Duo had kicked off in his sleep. Heero covered his friend, tucking the edges under Duo's body so that the sheets fit snugly around him. He pulled away the long hair from around Duo's torso and arranged it on the pillow. He gave in to the sudden urge to smooth away the bangs that had fallen across his friend's face, exposing more of the features that had somehow captured his heart. Against his will, Heero admitted, but captured nonetheless. A dark eyebrow lifted in surprise when his fingers felt a newly healed scar on Duo's scalp, hidden by the heavy mop of brown hair.
This was too much! He had come back from a routine mission to find his friend scarred and bruised and totally changed. And everyone had acted as though nothing was wrong!
Especially the boy before him.
Duo's fingers started to grab at the sheets, clenching and unclenching, soft whimpers escaping his parted lips. Even with the tranquilizers, he was still having nightmares! A hardness entered the short-haired boy's eyes, replacing the wistfulness and wonder that had been there shortly before. Heero's face lost its earlier softness as resolve set in, returning it to its more familiar grimness. He stayed by Duo's side until the boy's whimpering stopped, then he strode off to find the two other pilots who had stayed behind with the American when he had not been around.
He wanted answers and he wanted them now!
End Part Two
Shirin
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