Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Tears ❯ Chappie 1 ( Prologue )

«Heero's… Missing in action.»

Quatre's words, as gentle as they were said, still managed to rip the young man's heart apart. Tears burned as his eyes, forcing him to blink a few times. He felt as if his chest was about to burst open. It couldn't be… Heero, the perfect soldier he was, couldn't really be missing in action, could he…?

Duo let out the breath he had been holding. «You've got to be kidding me Quatre… This is just one sick joke, right?…Right…?»

His violet eyes franticly looked at his fellow pilots. None of them dared to meet his eyes. Trowa's hand rested on Duo's shoulder in silent understanding. He closed his eyes tightly, choking back a sob. No… It couldn't be real. This was all one big, evil nightmare. He would wake up soon…

The braided pilot slowly opened his eyes. Quatre was still standing there uncomfortably and Wufei was tugging at his shirt as if to give himself an excuse not to look at him.

«Duo…It'll be okay… You know how Heero always finds his way out of trouble… He'll be just fine, I'm sure.»

The bond-haired Arabian's voice didn't seem as confident as usual. Duo's lower lip quivered, the lump in his throat keeping him from talking. He only nodded before turning around. He could hear Quatre calling out to him as he retreated back to his room, but he didn't move to respond to his friend.

He dragged himself up the stairs, his gaze fixed on the floor as he walked. Heero… What if he was injured? Or even worse, what if he was already dead? Tears treathened to spill from his eyes at the thought of his lover being dead. He shook his head, forcing himself to think more positively. No, he would be just fine. Heero's life revolved around missions. He knows what he's doing, doesn't he? Yeah… He'll be just fine.

Although he tried his best to convince himself his lover was safe, a part of him refused to acknowledge that possibility. Pushing his bedroom's door open, the young pilot looked up. He remembered woking up the night before, and seeing Heero looking at him from the door. His eyes wore a certain look of…sadness. Maybe he knew what was going to happen… Regret tore at his heart. Why did he let him leave? Why didn't he try to keep him from going? Why didn't he beg him to stay?

Because he was Heero. The «perfect soldier». Duo heaved a sigh and walked in, not bothering to close the door. He plopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He furiously wiped away hot tears running down his cheeks. No, he couldn't allow himself to cry. Heero wouldn't like that.

Duo suddenly sat up. His eyes widened slightly. Dear Heaven, I'm already talking about Heero in the past tense, and I'm not even sure if he's dead… What kind of boyfriend am I!?

He plopped back down on his bed, hiding his face in his pillow. His shoulders shook softly as he sobbed. An eternity seemed to past before his tears finally slowed down. He slowly curled up on his bed, staring at the wall. Dear Heaven, why am I crying? I'm the God of Death, for Christ's sakes! …Because I love him, that's why. And he loves me just as much. He's… He's the only one who saw through my mask, and yet, still managed to love me for who I truely am.

A soft knock on the door brought him out of his daydreaming. He rolled around to look at who it was. Trowa stood silently in the bedroom's entrance, his body partly blocking the light. Duo couldn't very well see the look on his face due to his tears.

«Can I come in?» He simply asked.

Duo took a deep breath and sat up on his bed. «Yeah..Come on in.» He forced a small smile, trying to keep his voice as cheerful as he could.

Trowa made his way in. Duo wondered how he could still wear a turtle neck even in such hot temperatures. Summer had found its way to them sooner than expected. Duo wiped his tears away and made himself more comfortable as his friend sat down on the bed.

Silence dragged in between the two. Duo kept his gaze fixed on his lap, not sure if he wanted to look at Trowa or not. In fact, he wasn't sure if he wanted Trowa to keep him company. Although it did feel nice to have someone to be with… Someone who doesn't judge you, and interrupt you at each sentence you say…

Trowa cleared his throat softly and broke the agonizing silence. «I just came up to check on you… To see if you needed anything.»

Duo forced a smile again. «No, I'm just fine Trowa. Thanks…»

His grin slowly disappeared. Who am I kidding? I'm not anywhere close to being fine. My boyfriend's missing in action in some God-forbidden hole, and I'm sitting here doing nothing at all to help. But what can I possibly do to help?

«Duo… I know how you feel. I know, believe me.» Trowa's hand rested on the other boy's shoulder in silent sympathy. «He's going to be fine. As a matter of fact, I'm sure he's trying to find his way back to you right now.»

Duo could only nod, a lump forming in his throat once again. Trowa's hand squeezed the ex-pilot's shoulder before getting up and walking out of the room. He closed the door as he left, leaving a tourmented Duo behind.

«Please come back soon Hee-chan…»

Another soft knock on the door caused Duo to look up. Quatre opened the door, peering inside. «Duo?»

«Hn? Yeah, what is it Quatre?»

The young Arabian seemed to hesitate for a moment. «Phone call for you… It's about Heero.»