Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Fetish ❯ Chapter 6
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Arigatomina 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.08.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 846 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.08.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 846 | Status: Work In Progress
Author's notes: a lot of dialog, but that's a good thing
Warnings: slight angst, shonen ai
Category: Yaoi, TWT: timeline-what-timeline
Pairings: 1+2 at present, will be 1x2, assumed 3x4
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Blood Fetish
Part 6
Duo was going absolutely stir-crazy and he'd come to the conclusion that he hadn't been made to withstand such long periods of silence. The inactivity was also wearing on him and while he kept to the careful routine Quatre had recommended, he found that it was getting harder as each day passed. Yet, he'd expected each day to make it easier as that meant he was closer to the end of his recovery. It didn't, however, and as glad as he was that the others were taking missions again, he almost wished they weren't. The safe-house was quiet enough when all five of them were in it, but with just Heero and Trowa for company, Duo soon realized that no words would be spoken at all.
So he'd taken to keeping himself amused by doing his best to drive the two silent boys as crazy as their silence drove him. Unfortunately, this was harder than he'd thought. Heero would simply ignore him until he said something requiring a response and that usually consisted of two words at most. And then there was Trowa who would simply leave the room if Duo tried too hard and that was no fun. In the end, he finally just decided to get away from them. If they wanted silence then they could have it, but he couldn't see a reason to share it with them since he could be just as quiet alone.
The problem was getting out of the house without Heero raising a fit and Duo spent a good hour trying to think of a plausible story that would convince the boy to let him take a walk. His mind came up with absolutely nothing and he let out an aggrieved sigh as another ten minutes passed with no sounds save for Heero's fingers clicking over the keys of his laptop. "I'm bored."
//Obviously.// Heero continued to type as he stared at the screen before him, but he felt a pang of guilt at how Duo must feel. He wanted to make his time pass faster, but he didn't know how. Talking to him was the obvious solution, but the idea had him fighting a grimace as he really didn't know what to say to the boy half of the time and as much as Duo excelled at small-talk, Heero had no experience with it. Still, the American had spent the last seventy minutes being absolutely motionless and silent and that sort of behavior deserved some reward. "I don't know what to tell you," Heero said slowly, turning to look at the boy. Duo was sitting on his bed, staring at him. "Maybe you could read a book or something." The face that was made at him told him what the boy thought of that idea and he frowned for a minute as he thought. "Trowa has mission reports," he said, "you could read *those* if you want."
"What's the point reading them if I can't do anything about them? Besides, I've already read them." The completely blank expression on Heero's face almost brought a smile to Duo's lips as he knew that had caught the boy by surprise. Obviously, Heero didn't realize how hard he'd tried to keep busy before he'd turned to bothering them. "I've also read every book in this place. There's nothing left to do."
"You read all of those books? Even the encyclopedias?" His eyes widened at the smug way the longhaired boy nodded and Heero was at a loss. "You must read fast."
"Yeah, but it's not like I haven't had plenty of time. Besides, they were kinda interesting." It had just occurred to him that Heero was talking to him, actually talking and Duo's eyes glinted as he *did* smile. "Did Quatre bring those?" he asked, referring to the books that were kept in the living-room of the safe-house. There were about thirty of them and the subjects varied from mythology to modern history to encyclopedias. There were even a few textbooks that looked like they were from a college or something.
"Yes."
The short answer nearly made Duo's lip curl back and he hurried to think of something that would hold the Japanese boy's interest. He was sure he didn't have long before his friend turned back to the laptop and he didn't want to see that happen. "Have you read them? There's a text book that teaches Japanese." This made the cobalt-eyed boy blink and Duo let out a silent sigh of relief.
"You read a textbook?" Heero asked, not bothering to hide his doubt as he raised an eyebrow, "On Japanese?"
"Yep. Not that I learned much, but I didn't study it or anything, I just read through it. I don't see how you guys can read writing like that, though," Duo smirked suddenly, remembering the odd symbols that had represented words. "It looks like hieroglyphics or something."
"If you're taught it, it's no different from learning to write in English." Duo raised his eyebrows and Heero gave a sharp nod. "You could learn it."
"I don't know, I mean, why bother?" Those cobalt eyes seemed to grow shielded and Duo leaned forward quickly as he hurried to explain. "What I mean is, if you can write Japanese with the letters we use in English, why use the symbols? Don't people in Japan read both? It just seems to me that since lots of languages use the same letters it would only complicate things to use symbols instead." Heero was studying him, and Duo relaxed a bit, wondering if he'd actually bothered the boy with his first statement. "See, I know some Spanish, and their words use the same letters as English, they just add some accent marks over some of the letters."
"You know Spanish?"
The boy seemed surprised and Duo gave a smirk. He understood that Heero wouldn't see him as a scholar or anything, especially as childish as he acted sometimes, but still. He was pretty smart considering the colony he'd grown up on. "Yeah, do you? I used to have some friends who were Spanish and their English was horrible so it was easier to use their language."
"Say something, in Spanish." He knew the language, but it was evident to him that Duo was enjoying the conversation and that was good. Heero was actually liking it himself, as surprising as that was to him, and if it kept the boy entertained then he felt as if he'd given him something.
"Hm, okay. Um, Trowa es muy alto pero...Quatre no es, pobrecito." Duo grinned, then laughed as he thought of the two boys. They did make an odd pair with Trowa being so much taller.
"Quatre could grow," Heero said, smirking as he thought how appropriate the name was for the sweet blonde. "He's young yet, he may still have a growth spurt."
"Hey! You know Spanish, too?" His mouth fell open and he stared at the dark-haired boy in surprise.
"Yes. Languages come easily to me."
"Figures. I guess I should have known, I mean, you speak English like you were born to it and you don't even have an accent." //But then, he wouldn't,// Duo realized, //he probably spoke English since he was a kid. After all, he did live in a colony, not Japan.//
"I have an accent when I speak Japanese," Heero said, his eyes glinting suddenly as he felt an odd rush moving through him. When Duo leaned forward, he recognized it as a need to tease the boy and he blinked for a moment in surprise. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Say something," Duo prodded, smiling as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Duo no baka." The boy frowned, violet eyes narrowing and Heero almost smiled. It was very nice, the feeling that ran over him.
"What did you say about me?" Duo's voice had a warning tone, and he wasn't sure if he had seen a flash fly over Heero's face or not. "Heero? What did you say? I know I've heard *that* before."
He was angry and Heero let out a small cough, glancing over his shoulder as he hid a tiny smile before looking back to the scowling boy. "I called you an idiot."
"Hey! Wufei called me that too! So you guys think I'm an idiot?!" Duo could feel himself tense and his eyes narrowed to slits. "Well isn't that nice," he muttered, briefly wondering why the boy would ruin what had been a pleasant conversation with such an insult.
"You said to say something," Heero said smoothly, smirking.
"You're making fun of me..." Duo's voice was soft for a minute as he stared at the boy, then his eyes widened as he was sure he's seen a sparkle in those cobalt eyes. "You're teasing me!"
"Hai. Baka." His smirk was fast threatening to become a smile and Heero enjoyed the way Duo slowly calmed. He imagined a cat's fur slowly lying back down and blinked as the analogy seemed fitting to him. "Do you want me to say something else?"
"Yeah." He wasn't exactly sure, but Duo had the feeling he was seeing a different side to the normally cold boy and he wanted to see more of it. Even if it *was* at *his* expense. "But I already know some Japanese. Gomen, hai, ohayo, mostly some of the basic stuff, but there *is* something I looked up yesterday. I've heard you say it so often I *had* to look it up."
"What?" Heero asked, wondering what phrase the boy meant. He'd called him baka often enough and the boy obviously hadn't looked *that* word up. He couldn't think of anything he said more often than that, but judging by the boy's grin, Duo knew of something.
"Omae o korosu." Heero jerked back, his eyes widening for a moment and Duo let out a laugh as he shook his head. "It's like your trademark, you say it all the time."
"Oh. Then you know what it means?"
"Sure, I'll kill you or I'm going to kill you or something along those lines. I'm not sure about the literal translation, but the gist is pretty obvious." The Japanese boy was nodding slowly and Duo smiled at the serious expression. "Guess I'm not totally hopeless, eh?"
"Ne," Heero said suddenly, "If you want to learn Japanese, I can teach you a little. It would take longer to teach you it all, but if you're asking for an affirmation, it's ne, not eh."
"Sort of like saying si in Spanish," Duo remarked. Heero raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "Well, my friend used to tag that onto any question he asked. You know, like: You're okay, yes? You know."
"Hn. Yes, it's like that."
"I'm bright, ne?" This gained him a raised eyebrow and Duo smirked. "Say something else in Japanese, I like the way you pronounce it."
"The way...." Heero frowned for a minute, "The way it sounds?"
//Your voice, it gets all low and soft.// Duo grinned, but didn't say what he was thinking. "Come on, Heero, teach me something."
"Like what?" He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he was suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. Duo's eyes were bright and he couldn't figure out what was going through the boy's mind.
"Anything."
"Ganbatte," Heero said, nodding when Duo pronounced it twice before getting it right. "That means good luck."
"Cool, now how do you say good-bye?" For some reason, Heero frowned at this, but Duo wasn't sure why. "Well?"
"There's more than one way to say it."
"Just pick one, onegai?"
Heero blinked for a moment, then his eyes narrowed as he eyed the boy. "You seem to know enough as it is," he said, wondering if the boy hadn't been down-playing his knowledge of the language.
Pouting, Duo blinked his eyes as he assumed a puppy-dog expression he'd mastered when he'd been a little kid. "Onegai, koibito?" The boy sitting across from him flinched suddenly and he dropped the act, "What's wrong?"
"Do you know what that means?"
Heeo's voice was completely devoid of emotion and Duo felt a flicker of unease as he wondered if he'd made the boy angry. "It's an endearment, isn't it?" Intense cobalt eyes drilled into him and his unease grew. "Heero? You're not mad, are you? I was just playing, you don't have to teach me anything if you don't want to."
It wasn't until he noticed how warily Duo was watching him that Heero forced himself to calm. He'd been affected badly, hearing the boy call him lover, and he had to rein back the hot emotions soaring through him. //He doesn't know what he said, just stop it.// He looked away for a moment, then his muscles relaxed and he faced the American again, his expression smoothed. "No, that's all right. You wanted to know how to say good-bye, ja matta ne."
Still uncertain, Duo nodded slowly, repeating the words as his mind flew to figure out what he'd done earlier that had bothered the boy so much. "Thanks, Heero." The dark-haired boy gave a sharp nod and he decided he'd had enough language lessons for the day. "Well, you probably want to get back to whatever you were working on, so I think I'll go sit outside for a while." The boy nodded again, and Duo gave him a quick smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he sidled to the door. Pausing in the doorway, he glanced back to see his friend had turned back to the laptop. "Ja matta ne, Heero," he said softly, and he was relieved when he didn't see any more anger in the boy's eyes as Heero turned to look at him.
"Hai."
* * *
"Where's Duo?" Wufei asked as he and Quatre entered the safe-house.
Trowa was seated on the couch, and he nodded toward the door, his green eyes bright as he pinpointed Quatre's wide eyes. "He took a walk. He should be gone for a while." The blonde boy glanced at the door anxiously and Trowa stood as he felt a rush of adrenaline. "You found him."
"Yes," Quatre nodded, his expression downcast as he moved to sit near the tall boy. "Is Heero here?"
"Upstairs, I'll get him." He didn't waste any time as Trowa took the stairs quickly, but he halted as he found the Japanese boy at the top of them, cobalt eyes narrowed. "They're back."
"And the mission?" Heero asked, his expression dangerous as his eyes glinted.
"Successful. Duo's out so we can talk now." The boy nodded sharply and Trowa followed him back down the stairs, sitting beside Quatre as he waited. As far as Duo knew, the two boys had been on a mission, but they hadn't told him where they were *actually* going.
"Where is he?"
Wufei glanced at the intense boy beside him and nodded as the boy's anger was justified to him. "He's been court-martialed for letting us escape, that's why we took so long to locate him. He is Lieutenant Brian Flinn, and we got his address."
"Good, then we can move on him." Heero's muscles tensed and if he could have, he would have been gratified to go immediately. Unfortunately, they'd decided by mutual agreement that Duo wouldn't be told of their retaliation, so they had to wait until the boy was recovered enough to be left on his own.
"There's a problem," Wufei said, wincing when the boy turned on him. He understood Heero's fury, and reciprocated it, but that couldn't be helped.
"He's with his family," Quatre murmured, staring down at his clenched hands. "His wife and his children. He has two of them."
"So what? They're better off without that...man...as a father." Heero's voice had lowered till he nearly growled the words, but he forced himself to hold still as he saw how upset the blonde was. He could understand why the boy would be hesitant to take a father away from his children, but all he had to do was think of what the man had done to rid himself of any sympathy he might have had.
"Two boys, eight and three," Quatre continued, still not looking up. Yes, he understood the way Heero felt. In fact, he was also consumed with an alien need for revenge, but he couldn't disregard the pain the children would feel if they lost their father. A warm arm wrapped around his shoulders and he glanced up at Trowa for a moment before leaning against the tall boy. "I feel bad for them."
"You should," Trowa said, his voice soft as he stared down at the boy. "Imagine how horrible it would be to grow up with such a man, the things he might do to them. If he hasn't already." The slender frame shivered at his words and he held him closer, looking up as Wufei caught his eyes.
"We found no evidence of such when we checked the house and watched him," the Chinese boy frowned, "But that doesn't mean anything. I doubt he'd leave any evidence. His record was meticulous and he's one of Oz's main...interrogators. That's why he was only court-martialed. The official report said pilot 02, Duo, managed to overpower him and that's how we escaped. His superiors felt he deserved a reinstatement and it's only a matter of time before he gets his position, and his *whip* back." Wufei's eyes narrowed as he heard a low growl from Heero and he nodded to Trowa. "We have nine days before he is back in OZ. We should take him out before then."
"We *have* to...it isn't just revenge..."
They looked to Quatre as the pale boy straightened slowly, his blue-green eyes suddenly hard. Trowa removed his arm as he turned so he could look at the boy, recognizing that determined expression.
"He deserves to be *decimated*," the normally gentle pilot said, his voice cold. "Yes, definitely."
"Then we're united?" Wufei said, his lips twitching with approval as he eyed Quatre. "We'll strike?"
"Absolutely."
The sound of the doorknob turning caught them, and they froze, glancing over as Duo entered. The boy's confusion was evident and Quatre quickly smiled as he hurried to cover the awkward silence.
* * *
"They were talking about something," Duo said softly, leaning his cheek against the cool surface of DeathScythe's chest. "And as soon as I opened the door they just shut up. Like they didn't want me to hear them."
Silence met him, broken by the quiet chirping of crickets and he sighed, rolling onto his back. Heero and Trowa had left on a mission that had come in that evening, and it had been easy to sneak out of his room. He'd hoped the walk to where they'd hidden their gundams would help to clear his mind, but it hadn't and he kept remembering the silence as he'd opened the door. He couldn't think of what they'd want to hide from him, and the sense of betrayal he'd felt hadn't diminished. They were partners, they weren't supposed to keep secrets, at least not like the one they obviously shared. If he hadn't been there when the call had come in, he wouldn't have believed that Heero had left on a mission, like he'd said. He couldn't, they were hiding something and that meant he couldn't trust them.
"I mean, I know we all have our secrets. We don't talk about ourselves, our past, but this is different. They're sharing something, and they're leaving me out. Why would they *do* that?" The half-moon wasn't as bright as he liked, and he ran a hand over his gundam, needing to feel that he wasn't alone. "I don't even believe *Quatre* now, and I thought he was the most honest one of us aside from myself. But...if they were just talking about a mission, they wouldn't keep it from me. Would they?"
The crickets' music grated on his ears and he cursed suddenly, sitting up as he pressed the release and opened the cockpit. Climbing in, he didn't relax until the door slid shut, cutting off the noise. "Am I being paranoid, old buddy? Do you think maybe I just surprised them? I mean, we're all kinda jumpy sometimes. I *could* have just caught them off-guard. Or..." His eyes widened suddenly and he closed them before he could give in to hope. "Do you think they were talking about *me*? That would explain it. Maybe they stopped because they didn't want to hurt my feelings or something."
He didn't think so, but the idea was more comforting than thinking of anything else and he grasped it, turning it in his mind. "It's possible, plausible even. After all, I *do* get defensive when they talk about me..." His hands curled around the levers and he sighed as he leaned back against the semi-hard seat, comforted by the largeness of his suit. "I have two choices, ask them or drop it. Which do *you* recommend?" He cracked open an eye as he stared into the darkness of the cockpit and a small smirk crossed his lips. "Staying out of it? Yeah, that figures. Why involve yourself in *my* petty problems, eh....ne old buddy?"
* * *
The mission had been far too simple and Heero was almost disappointed that it had gone so well. Together, Wing and Heavyarms had destroyed the base without so much as a single suit having time to launch a retaliation. He'd been looking forward to having an outlet, but it hadn't happened and he climbed the stairs silently as he knew he'd have to wait. The door to his and Duo's room had been left open a crack, and he was grateful to the well oiled hinges as it opened silently, not waking the boy who slept on the bed near the far wall. Shutting the door firmly, Heero stepped to the edge of his bed and took off his shoes before glancing around the room. The window was open, a chill breeze coming through and he moved to close it, using the excuse to stand near the sleeping boy.
Duo was lying on his back, one arm across his waist and the other palm up at his side. The boy's face was turned toward the window and Heero let his eyes soften as he admired him in the dim moonlight. There was something different about him when he slept, and Heero had noticed that the boy's features seemed more serious somehow. It was as if his dreams were filled with intense thought and there was no hint of a smile to be found. Still, he was a sight with his long bangs falling over his forehead, loose hairs curled on his cheek and Heero sighed softly. He never tired of watching the boy sleep, and it was a good thing since that was the only time his attention could go unnoticed. While he was awake, Duo was too lively, his bright eyes not missing anything, not even a quick glance that lasted no more than a few seconds. Heero knew, because he'd soon given up on sneaking looks at him, unable to explain when Duo would ask what he wanted.
No, the only time he could safely gaze at him was while he slept...or when they talked. This turned his mind back to their conversation earlier that day and he felt a tingle go through him as he remembered the boy's words. //Onegai, koibito? Please, lover? Yes, the answer would be yes.// But he wasn't sure, even as he thought it. //Would I really say yes if he asked, even if he knew what he was saying? I don't know. I'd *want* to, of course I would, but I don't know if I *could*. Let him in, he's already there, but if he knew and changed his mind it would kill me.// Heero stared at the boy, memorizing his features even though he already knew them by heart. Still, there was only an hour or so before dawn and there wasn't much time before Duo would wake up and his watch would be over. //I don't fear death. Or pain. But losing him, I nearly did and the pain was so...//
His fists clenched, fingers digging into his palms as he remembered the way Duo had fallen. His life-blood covering him, matting his beautiful hair and his face so pale beneath the dark smears on his cheeks. Fury raced through him, but he tried to calm himself as he thought of the revenge he'd have. //The others must, by right, help, but my hand will wield the knife. I'll repay him for the pain, the hurt. I'll kill him, Duo...for *you*...Omae o korosu, Lieutenant Flinn, you'll die for what you did. But first...you'll suffer...//
* * *
TBC
--notes--
Be prepaired for angst in the next part, major and maybe yucky descriptions, don't know, but the revenge will be sweet if descriptive. Maybe too descriptive, but I think it's called for. Anyway, I don't mind saying part 7 will be revenge and there *will* be a 1x2 lemon in part 8. Well, that's it, just wanted to have some notice. Also, if anyone's wondering, my Japanese may be spelled wrong, sorry, feel free to correct my mistakes as I'd appreciate it. Also, pobrecito means poor-little-baby in spanish. I may have mispelled that too, but I don't think so, it's been a while since I took spanish. What Duo said was that Trowa is very tall but Quatre isn't, poor-little-baby. Yeah, I'm mean. ^__^
Warnings: slight angst, shonen ai
Category: Yaoi, TWT: timeline-what-timeline
Pairings: 1+2 at present, will be 1x2, assumed 3x4
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Blood Fetish
Part 6
Duo was going absolutely stir-crazy and he'd come to the conclusion that he hadn't been made to withstand such long periods of silence. The inactivity was also wearing on him and while he kept to the careful routine Quatre had recommended, he found that it was getting harder as each day passed. Yet, he'd expected each day to make it easier as that meant he was closer to the end of his recovery. It didn't, however, and as glad as he was that the others were taking missions again, he almost wished they weren't. The safe-house was quiet enough when all five of them were in it, but with just Heero and Trowa for company, Duo soon realized that no words would be spoken at all.
So he'd taken to keeping himself amused by doing his best to drive the two silent boys as crazy as their silence drove him. Unfortunately, this was harder than he'd thought. Heero would simply ignore him until he said something requiring a response and that usually consisted of two words at most. And then there was Trowa who would simply leave the room if Duo tried too hard and that was no fun. In the end, he finally just decided to get away from them. If they wanted silence then they could have it, but he couldn't see a reason to share it with them since he could be just as quiet alone.
The problem was getting out of the house without Heero raising a fit and Duo spent a good hour trying to think of a plausible story that would convince the boy to let him take a walk. His mind came up with absolutely nothing and he let out an aggrieved sigh as another ten minutes passed with no sounds save for Heero's fingers clicking over the keys of his laptop. "I'm bored."
//Obviously.// Heero continued to type as he stared at the screen before him, but he felt a pang of guilt at how Duo must feel. He wanted to make his time pass faster, but he didn't know how. Talking to him was the obvious solution, but the idea had him fighting a grimace as he really didn't know what to say to the boy half of the time and as much as Duo excelled at small-talk, Heero had no experience with it. Still, the American had spent the last seventy minutes being absolutely motionless and silent and that sort of behavior deserved some reward. "I don't know what to tell you," Heero said slowly, turning to look at the boy. Duo was sitting on his bed, staring at him. "Maybe you could read a book or something." The face that was made at him told him what the boy thought of that idea and he frowned for a minute as he thought. "Trowa has mission reports," he said, "you could read *those* if you want."
"What's the point reading them if I can't do anything about them? Besides, I've already read them." The completely blank expression on Heero's face almost brought a smile to Duo's lips as he knew that had caught the boy by surprise. Obviously, Heero didn't realize how hard he'd tried to keep busy before he'd turned to bothering them. "I've also read every book in this place. There's nothing left to do."
"You read all of those books? Even the encyclopedias?" His eyes widened at the smug way the longhaired boy nodded and Heero was at a loss. "You must read fast."
"Yeah, but it's not like I haven't had plenty of time. Besides, they were kinda interesting." It had just occurred to him that Heero was talking to him, actually talking and Duo's eyes glinted as he *did* smile. "Did Quatre bring those?" he asked, referring to the books that were kept in the living-room of the safe-house. There were about thirty of them and the subjects varied from mythology to modern history to encyclopedias. There were even a few textbooks that looked like they were from a college or something.
"Yes."
The short answer nearly made Duo's lip curl back and he hurried to think of something that would hold the Japanese boy's interest. He was sure he didn't have long before his friend turned back to the laptop and he didn't want to see that happen. "Have you read them? There's a text book that teaches Japanese." This made the cobalt-eyed boy blink and Duo let out a silent sigh of relief.
"You read a textbook?" Heero asked, not bothering to hide his doubt as he raised an eyebrow, "On Japanese?"
"Yep. Not that I learned much, but I didn't study it or anything, I just read through it. I don't see how you guys can read writing like that, though," Duo smirked suddenly, remembering the odd symbols that had represented words. "It looks like hieroglyphics or something."
"If you're taught it, it's no different from learning to write in English." Duo raised his eyebrows and Heero gave a sharp nod. "You could learn it."
"I don't know, I mean, why bother?" Those cobalt eyes seemed to grow shielded and Duo leaned forward quickly as he hurried to explain. "What I mean is, if you can write Japanese with the letters we use in English, why use the symbols? Don't people in Japan read both? It just seems to me that since lots of languages use the same letters it would only complicate things to use symbols instead." Heero was studying him, and Duo relaxed a bit, wondering if he'd actually bothered the boy with his first statement. "See, I know some Spanish, and their words use the same letters as English, they just add some accent marks over some of the letters."
"You know Spanish?"
The boy seemed surprised and Duo gave a smirk. He understood that Heero wouldn't see him as a scholar or anything, especially as childish as he acted sometimes, but still. He was pretty smart considering the colony he'd grown up on. "Yeah, do you? I used to have some friends who were Spanish and their English was horrible so it was easier to use their language."
"Say something, in Spanish." He knew the language, but it was evident to him that Duo was enjoying the conversation and that was good. Heero was actually liking it himself, as surprising as that was to him, and if it kept the boy entertained then he felt as if he'd given him something.
"Hm, okay. Um, Trowa es muy alto pero...Quatre no es, pobrecito." Duo grinned, then laughed as he thought of the two boys. They did make an odd pair with Trowa being so much taller.
"Quatre could grow," Heero said, smirking as he thought how appropriate the name was for the sweet blonde. "He's young yet, he may still have a growth spurt."
"Hey! You know Spanish, too?" His mouth fell open and he stared at the dark-haired boy in surprise.
"Yes. Languages come easily to me."
"Figures. I guess I should have known, I mean, you speak English like you were born to it and you don't even have an accent." //But then, he wouldn't,// Duo realized, //he probably spoke English since he was a kid. After all, he did live in a colony, not Japan.//
"I have an accent when I speak Japanese," Heero said, his eyes glinting suddenly as he felt an odd rush moving through him. When Duo leaned forward, he recognized it as a need to tease the boy and he blinked for a moment in surprise. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Say something," Duo prodded, smiling as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Duo no baka." The boy frowned, violet eyes narrowing and Heero almost smiled. It was very nice, the feeling that ran over him.
"What did you say about me?" Duo's voice had a warning tone, and he wasn't sure if he had seen a flash fly over Heero's face or not. "Heero? What did you say? I know I've heard *that* before."
He was angry and Heero let out a small cough, glancing over his shoulder as he hid a tiny smile before looking back to the scowling boy. "I called you an idiot."
"Hey! Wufei called me that too! So you guys think I'm an idiot?!" Duo could feel himself tense and his eyes narrowed to slits. "Well isn't that nice," he muttered, briefly wondering why the boy would ruin what had been a pleasant conversation with such an insult.
"You said to say something," Heero said smoothly, smirking.
"You're making fun of me..." Duo's voice was soft for a minute as he stared at the boy, then his eyes widened as he was sure he's seen a sparkle in those cobalt eyes. "You're teasing me!"
"Hai. Baka." His smirk was fast threatening to become a smile and Heero enjoyed the way Duo slowly calmed. He imagined a cat's fur slowly lying back down and blinked as the analogy seemed fitting to him. "Do you want me to say something else?"
"Yeah." He wasn't exactly sure, but Duo had the feeling he was seeing a different side to the normally cold boy and he wanted to see more of it. Even if it *was* at *his* expense. "But I already know some Japanese. Gomen, hai, ohayo, mostly some of the basic stuff, but there *is* something I looked up yesterday. I've heard you say it so often I *had* to look it up."
"What?" Heero asked, wondering what phrase the boy meant. He'd called him baka often enough and the boy obviously hadn't looked *that* word up. He couldn't think of anything he said more often than that, but judging by the boy's grin, Duo knew of something.
"Omae o korosu." Heero jerked back, his eyes widening for a moment and Duo let out a laugh as he shook his head. "It's like your trademark, you say it all the time."
"Oh. Then you know what it means?"
"Sure, I'll kill you or I'm going to kill you or something along those lines. I'm not sure about the literal translation, but the gist is pretty obvious." The Japanese boy was nodding slowly and Duo smiled at the serious expression. "Guess I'm not totally hopeless, eh?"
"Ne," Heero said suddenly, "If you want to learn Japanese, I can teach you a little. It would take longer to teach you it all, but if you're asking for an affirmation, it's ne, not eh."
"Sort of like saying si in Spanish," Duo remarked. Heero raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "Well, my friend used to tag that onto any question he asked. You know, like: You're okay, yes? You know."
"Hn. Yes, it's like that."
"I'm bright, ne?" This gained him a raised eyebrow and Duo smirked. "Say something else in Japanese, I like the way you pronounce it."
"The way...." Heero frowned for a minute, "The way it sounds?"
//Your voice, it gets all low and soft.// Duo grinned, but didn't say what he was thinking. "Come on, Heero, teach me something."
"Like what?" He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he was suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. Duo's eyes were bright and he couldn't figure out what was going through the boy's mind.
"Anything."
"Ganbatte," Heero said, nodding when Duo pronounced it twice before getting it right. "That means good luck."
"Cool, now how do you say good-bye?" For some reason, Heero frowned at this, but Duo wasn't sure why. "Well?"
"There's more than one way to say it."
"Just pick one, onegai?"
Heero blinked for a moment, then his eyes narrowed as he eyed the boy. "You seem to know enough as it is," he said, wondering if the boy hadn't been down-playing his knowledge of the language.
Pouting, Duo blinked his eyes as he assumed a puppy-dog expression he'd mastered when he'd been a little kid. "Onegai, koibito?" The boy sitting across from him flinched suddenly and he dropped the act, "What's wrong?"
"Do you know what that means?"
Heeo's voice was completely devoid of emotion and Duo felt a flicker of unease as he wondered if he'd made the boy angry. "It's an endearment, isn't it?" Intense cobalt eyes drilled into him and his unease grew. "Heero? You're not mad, are you? I was just playing, you don't have to teach me anything if you don't want to."
It wasn't until he noticed how warily Duo was watching him that Heero forced himself to calm. He'd been affected badly, hearing the boy call him lover, and he had to rein back the hot emotions soaring through him. //He doesn't know what he said, just stop it.// He looked away for a moment, then his muscles relaxed and he faced the American again, his expression smoothed. "No, that's all right. You wanted to know how to say good-bye, ja matta ne."
Still uncertain, Duo nodded slowly, repeating the words as his mind flew to figure out what he'd done earlier that had bothered the boy so much. "Thanks, Heero." The dark-haired boy gave a sharp nod and he decided he'd had enough language lessons for the day. "Well, you probably want to get back to whatever you were working on, so I think I'll go sit outside for a while." The boy nodded again, and Duo gave him a quick smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he sidled to the door. Pausing in the doorway, he glanced back to see his friend had turned back to the laptop. "Ja matta ne, Heero," he said softly, and he was relieved when he didn't see any more anger in the boy's eyes as Heero turned to look at him.
"Hai."
* * *
"Where's Duo?" Wufei asked as he and Quatre entered the safe-house.
Trowa was seated on the couch, and he nodded toward the door, his green eyes bright as he pinpointed Quatre's wide eyes. "He took a walk. He should be gone for a while." The blonde boy glanced at the door anxiously and Trowa stood as he felt a rush of adrenaline. "You found him."
"Yes," Quatre nodded, his expression downcast as he moved to sit near the tall boy. "Is Heero here?"
"Upstairs, I'll get him." He didn't waste any time as Trowa took the stairs quickly, but he halted as he found the Japanese boy at the top of them, cobalt eyes narrowed. "They're back."
"And the mission?" Heero asked, his expression dangerous as his eyes glinted.
"Successful. Duo's out so we can talk now." The boy nodded sharply and Trowa followed him back down the stairs, sitting beside Quatre as he waited. As far as Duo knew, the two boys had been on a mission, but they hadn't told him where they were *actually* going.
"Where is he?"
Wufei glanced at the intense boy beside him and nodded as the boy's anger was justified to him. "He's been court-martialed for letting us escape, that's why we took so long to locate him. He is Lieutenant Brian Flinn, and we got his address."
"Good, then we can move on him." Heero's muscles tensed and if he could have, he would have been gratified to go immediately. Unfortunately, they'd decided by mutual agreement that Duo wouldn't be told of their retaliation, so they had to wait until the boy was recovered enough to be left on his own.
"There's a problem," Wufei said, wincing when the boy turned on him. He understood Heero's fury, and reciprocated it, but that couldn't be helped.
"He's with his family," Quatre murmured, staring down at his clenched hands. "His wife and his children. He has two of them."
"So what? They're better off without that...man...as a father." Heero's voice had lowered till he nearly growled the words, but he forced himself to hold still as he saw how upset the blonde was. He could understand why the boy would be hesitant to take a father away from his children, but all he had to do was think of what the man had done to rid himself of any sympathy he might have had.
"Two boys, eight and three," Quatre continued, still not looking up. Yes, he understood the way Heero felt. In fact, he was also consumed with an alien need for revenge, but he couldn't disregard the pain the children would feel if they lost their father. A warm arm wrapped around his shoulders and he glanced up at Trowa for a moment before leaning against the tall boy. "I feel bad for them."
"You should," Trowa said, his voice soft as he stared down at the boy. "Imagine how horrible it would be to grow up with such a man, the things he might do to them. If he hasn't already." The slender frame shivered at his words and he held him closer, looking up as Wufei caught his eyes.
"We found no evidence of such when we checked the house and watched him," the Chinese boy frowned, "But that doesn't mean anything. I doubt he'd leave any evidence. His record was meticulous and he's one of Oz's main...interrogators. That's why he was only court-martialed. The official report said pilot 02, Duo, managed to overpower him and that's how we escaped. His superiors felt he deserved a reinstatement and it's only a matter of time before he gets his position, and his *whip* back." Wufei's eyes narrowed as he heard a low growl from Heero and he nodded to Trowa. "We have nine days before he is back in OZ. We should take him out before then."
"We *have* to...it isn't just revenge..."
They looked to Quatre as the pale boy straightened slowly, his blue-green eyes suddenly hard. Trowa removed his arm as he turned so he could look at the boy, recognizing that determined expression.
"He deserves to be *decimated*," the normally gentle pilot said, his voice cold. "Yes, definitely."
"Then we're united?" Wufei said, his lips twitching with approval as he eyed Quatre. "We'll strike?"
"Absolutely."
The sound of the doorknob turning caught them, and they froze, glancing over as Duo entered. The boy's confusion was evident and Quatre quickly smiled as he hurried to cover the awkward silence.
* * *
"They were talking about something," Duo said softly, leaning his cheek against the cool surface of DeathScythe's chest. "And as soon as I opened the door they just shut up. Like they didn't want me to hear them."
Silence met him, broken by the quiet chirping of crickets and he sighed, rolling onto his back. Heero and Trowa had left on a mission that had come in that evening, and it had been easy to sneak out of his room. He'd hoped the walk to where they'd hidden their gundams would help to clear his mind, but it hadn't and he kept remembering the silence as he'd opened the door. He couldn't think of what they'd want to hide from him, and the sense of betrayal he'd felt hadn't diminished. They were partners, they weren't supposed to keep secrets, at least not like the one they obviously shared. If he hadn't been there when the call had come in, he wouldn't have believed that Heero had left on a mission, like he'd said. He couldn't, they were hiding something and that meant he couldn't trust them.
"I mean, I know we all have our secrets. We don't talk about ourselves, our past, but this is different. They're sharing something, and they're leaving me out. Why would they *do* that?" The half-moon wasn't as bright as he liked, and he ran a hand over his gundam, needing to feel that he wasn't alone. "I don't even believe *Quatre* now, and I thought he was the most honest one of us aside from myself. But...if they were just talking about a mission, they wouldn't keep it from me. Would they?"
The crickets' music grated on his ears and he cursed suddenly, sitting up as he pressed the release and opened the cockpit. Climbing in, he didn't relax until the door slid shut, cutting off the noise. "Am I being paranoid, old buddy? Do you think maybe I just surprised them? I mean, we're all kinda jumpy sometimes. I *could* have just caught them off-guard. Or..." His eyes widened suddenly and he closed them before he could give in to hope. "Do you think they were talking about *me*? That would explain it. Maybe they stopped because they didn't want to hurt my feelings or something."
He didn't think so, but the idea was more comforting than thinking of anything else and he grasped it, turning it in his mind. "It's possible, plausible even. After all, I *do* get defensive when they talk about me..." His hands curled around the levers and he sighed as he leaned back against the semi-hard seat, comforted by the largeness of his suit. "I have two choices, ask them or drop it. Which do *you* recommend?" He cracked open an eye as he stared into the darkness of the cockpit and a small smirk crossed his lips. "Staying out of it? Yeah, that figures. Why involve yourself in *my* petty problems, eh....ne old buddy?"
* * *
The mission had been far too simple and Heero was almost disappointed that it had gone so well. Together, Wing and Heavyarms had destroyed the base without so much as a single suit having time to launch a retaliation. He'd been looking forward to having an outlet, but it hadn't happened and he climbed the stairs silently as he knew he'd have to wait. The door to his and Duo's room had been left open a crack, and he was grateful to the well oiled hinges as it opened silently, not waking the boy who slept on the bed near the far wall. Shutting the door firmly, Heero stepped to the edge of his bed and took off his shoes before glancing around the room. The window was open, a chill breeze coming through and he moved to close it, using the excuse to stand near the sleeping boy.
Duo was lying on his back, one arm across his waist and the other palm up at his side. The boy's face was turned toward the window and Heero let his eyes soften as he admired him in the dim moonlight. There was something different about him when he slept, and Heero had noticed that the boy's features seemed more serious somehow. It was as if his dreams were filled with intense thought and there was no hint of a smile to be found. Still, he was a sight with his long bangs falling over his forehead, loose hairs curled on his cheek and Heero sighed softly. He never tired of watching the boy sleep, and it was a good thing since that was the only time his attention could go unnoticed. While he was awake, Duo was too lively, his bright eyes not missing anything, not even a quick glance that lasted no more than a few seconds. Heero knew, because he'd soon given up on sneaking looks at him, unable to explain when Duo would ask what he wanted.
No, the only time he could safely gaze at him was while he slept...or when they talked. This turned his mind back to their conversation earlier that day and he felt a tingle go through him as he remembered the boy's words. //Onegai, koibito? Please, lover? Yes, the answer would be yes.// But he wasn't sure, even as he thought it. //Would I really say yes if he asked, even if he knew what he was saying? I don't know. I'd *want* to, of course I would, but I don't know if I *could*. Let him in, he's already there, but if he knew and changed his mind it would kill me.// Heero stared at the boy, memorizing his features even though he already knew them by heart. Still, there was only an hour or so before dawn and there wasn't much time before Duo would wake up and his watch would be over. //I don't fear death. Or pain. But losing him, I nearly did and the pain was so...//
His fists clenched, fingers digging into his palms as he remembered the way Duo had fallen. His life-blood covering him, matting his beautiful hair and his face so pale beneath the dark smears on his cheeks. Fury raced through him, but he tried to calm himself as he thought of the revenge he'd have. //The others must, by right, help, but my hand will wield the knife. I'll repay him for the pain, the hurt. I'll kill him, Duo...for *you*...Omae o korosu, Lieutenant Flinn, you'll die for what you did. But first...you'll suffer...//
* * *
TBC
--notes--
Be prepaired for angst in the next part, major and maybe yucky descriptions, don't know, but the revenge will be sweet if descriptive. Maybe too descriptive, but I think it's called for. Anyway, I don't mind saying part 7 will be revenge and there *will* be a 1x2 lemon in part 8. Well, that's it, just wanted to have some notice. Also, if anyone's wondering, my Japanese may be spelled wrong, sorry, feel free to correct my mistakes as I'd appreciate it. Also, pobrecito means poor-little-baby in spanish. I may have mispelled that too, but I don't think so, it's been a while since I took spanish. What Duo said was that Trowa is very tall but Quatre isn't, poor-little-baby. Yeah, I'm mean. ^__^