Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A World in a Grain of Sand ❯ Learning ( Chapter 8 )

Author: Keiran

Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 8/?

Pairings: 1+2, minor 4x5x4 and 3xD (don't ask >.<)

Rating: It probably doesn't deserve an R, but let it be so. Just to be safe and all.

Genre: Romance, mild angst, historical sort of fantasy.

Warnings: Shounen-ai. Mild bastardisation of the pilots minus Duo. Smart and nice Relena.

Archive: my site: the URL is on my profile page. If you want it, drop me a line. ^_^

Big thanks to Sundaire, for betaing this fic. <bows>

***

Heero woke up feeling decidedly strange. His bed didn't feel right. It wasn't flat or wide, not to mention it smelled of hay. He sat up blinking. The room he was in wasn't what he was accustomed to seeing - sunlight seeped through the window. The walls were made of grey stone, there were some tapestries hanging on them, but they were not the crimson red he was accustomed to seeing. They had a myriad of crude flowers on them instead. He shook his head. No matter how many times he woke up in that room, he was always surprised. 'You've slept in silks and feathers far too long,' he thought.

He got up slowly and walked to the window. The world outside was covered in fluffy, white snow, which glittered in the sun. It must have been late morning, Heero realized, but everything was still white and fresh. He stood at the window, watching for a while. It had been a long time since he was able to simply enjoy the views nature presented.

The winter was reaching it's peak. It would be less than a month before the snow started to melt, but until then, the weather was cold enough to ensure that the snow would be a delicate eiderdown, not a heavy wet grist. Heero smiled to himself. That weather gave him excuses to spend time with Duo. The kids at the palace hated the idea of their beloved teacher going out in the snow alone (blizzards were a frequent occurrence), so Heero had volunteered to see him home each and every time. After the first trip, the rest went rather smoothly. The healers at the temple quickly got accustomed to the general spending the night if the storms were particularly nasty. Some of them even started to enjoy his company, which frustrated Duo endlessly.

Of course, if the gales managed to quiet before they arrived, or shortly after, the violet-eyed man would be the first to kindly send the general on his way.

The funny thing was that ever since Heero left the capital, he spent most of his time socializing with servants and their children, and he actually started to realize that they were people, the same as he himself was. It had never occurred to him before. Usually 'servants' were the unnamed creatures of the night who cooked the meals, cleaned the clothes, scrubbed the floors. Of course he had never been cruel to any of them, he understood how important they were, but he never gave them much thought. The slaves, in his opinion, were even less. Perhaps, he mused, that's why it was so hard to get anywhere with Duo. He had failed to notice the person inside him for so long, perceiving him as just a body instead, that he had troubles with losing that frame of mind. He could feel it changing, however. With each and every storm, he understood Duo Maxwell a little better, setting him apart from Kirei at the same time.

The general stretched, put on his warm cloak and left the room for a morning stroll. After a short moment of confusion, he found his way outside, with a firm resolution of not going in search of Duo.

***

Heero walked around the temple, looking for his favourite spot. He had already memorized the settings. He did that often when he went to a new place - there was no telling, he might find a use for that in the future. Also, all places had some spots that he eagerly went back to, such as a pine coppice. Coincidentally, that was exactly what the temple had to offer in terms of cosy spots. It was located directly behind the sheds. To Heero's utter astonishment, he found Duo by the small huts, standing without his white, hooded cloak, chopping the wood.

"Good morning," Heero called softly. Duo paused and wiped sweat from his brow.

"Good morning. It stopped snowing. The weather seems to be fine," he answered curtly. Heero chose to ignore the implication.

"I didn't know it was your duty to chop wood," he said, trying to keep Duo speaking.

"Generally it isn't but I promised the children a bonfire today. There is plenty of wood that needed chopping and I have a free morning," the man answered, placing yet another piece of wood on the stump and swinging the axe in a graceful arch. Heero couldn't help but stare. He wouldn't have thought that the healer was that strong. The fact that he shed the cloak and the loose outer tunic leaving only a tight-fitting under shirt on didn't help any.

The last time he had seen Duo without some kind of loose robe on was… the night five years ago, before the accident. He almost forgot how wonderfully supple the man was. Heero was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the steady rhythm of the wood being chopped had stopped. He looked up meeting the healer's bright eyes.

"Please stop looking at me like that," Duo whispered averting his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Heero replied softly. Then the small pile of wood caught his attention. "Can I help you with that?" he asked. Duo blinked surprised.

"I can manage, thank you," he said firmly, clutching the axe. The other man wasn't perturbed.

"You are tired. Let me help," Heero continued firmly. 'Anything to get my mind of him in that tight clothing,' he thought at the same time, seeing Duo finally give up the axe. The general took the tool and weighed it carefully. It looked simple enough. Then he eyed the wood warily. 'It's not about strength, it's about proper leverage,' he reasoned contemplating the task.

"You do know how to work it, right?" Duo asked half amused, watching the doubt being reflected on the other man's face. He picked a cloth from the ground and wiped his face breathing harshly.

"Well, if I was supposed to kill someone with it, I wouldn't have any problems," Heero said, taking an experimental swing. The violet-eyed man gaped, then started to laugh heartily. The general watched, mesmerized. It was the first time he made Duo laugh. His laughter was so beautiful, so joyful. He almost forgot himself, hearing the sound and knowing that he been the cause of it made him feel like he was flying. Pure, unadulterated happiness sounded in that voice.

"Let me show you then," Duo said merrily, reclaiming the axe. "Keep your hands and legs apart, so that you can keep your balance properly, and make sure you can keep a firm hold at the handle. Then you swing…" As if punctuating the statement, the axe swished and slashed a piece of wood in two. "It takes some practice. You don't need that much strength to it - you just need to swing it properly." Thorough the speech Duo almost managed to forget who he was speaking to - he stood by Heero's side relaxed, close enough to touch. He found the situation funny - the great general was being taught how to chop wood. As soon as he stopped talking, however, the spell seemed to disappear. He remembered suddenly and stepped back quickly. He noticed the look of regret in Heero's eyes, but he also noticed that although the man had plenty of opportunities to grab him, he made no move towards it.

It made him wonder. Maybe, just maybe, the man wasn't as spoiled and selfish as he had thought. Duo walked slowly to the pile of clothes on the ground, picked up his tunic and robe and dressed.

Heero, on the other hand, was dead to the world as long as Duo stood merely a breath away. He could smell the scent of the man, any closer and he would have been able to touch the slim form. It was a miracle that even a vague idea of what he was supposed to do with the sharp object he wielded managed to get through his haze. Heero gazed longingly at the slender healer as he stepped away, but immediately he concentrated on more important matters. How was he supposed to strike an upstanding piece of wood, aiming with an axe from behind his head?

It took him a couple of tries to hit even in the remote vicinity of the chock. By the time he managed to successfully chop the piece in half, Heero was already drenched with sweat. He quickly threw his cloak to the side and reached for a new chock.

It didn't go smoothly, but half an hour later Heero had managed to chop quite a pile of wood. Duo stopped him suddenly.

"That's enough. Thank you, general," he added, handing Heero a piece of cloth so that he could wipe the moisture of his face. He took it gratefully, sitting himself on a log nearby.

"I didn't know it was that hard," the general admitted.

"I didn't either. And it took me far more time than it took you to learn," Duo said, carrying the small pieces into the shed and piling them, "although I was smaller than you, and much weaker." Heero watched the slender figure. He regretted only that Duo put all of his clothes on. "I need to go," Duo remarked unceremoniously when he finished. "Good bye, general."

"See you," Heero replied quietly. The healer nodded and started to walk to the temple. After he went several paces he turned around, however.

"Put on your coat, general," he said "or you will catch a cold."

"I will." Heero smiled. He could swear he saw something gleam in the violet eyes. But before he could realize what exactly it was, the healer turned around and left. The general buried his face in the cloth he was given. It smelled faintly of hay and herbs…

It smelled of Duo. Heero groaned softly. He wasn't going to let that cloth be washed for a long time. He probably wasn't going to let it out of his sight any time soon either.

***TBC***

Some end notes:

What Duo is wearing is more or less similar to the Jedi garb from episodes 1 and 2, crossed with a Japanese kimono. Heh, I'm first and foremost an artist, so I picture stuff first, then I write it down. ^_^ That of course leads to my friends at school looking at me funny, when I snatch a paper out of my bag in the middle of the lesson and start doodling.

The RL was eating me alive this days, so I didn't manage to get back to all you wonderful people who reviewed. Hereby I thank you all very much! It's a pleasure writing for you. ^_^