Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dead Ground ❯ Confusion ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has bothered to review. Even though I'm not responding to each of your reviews individually, I would like you to know how wonderful your feed back is.

 

 

“Well, I think I'm gonna head out to the ol' truck and see what I can do.” Said Duo as he lifted the container of tools.

 

Trowa nodded. Any one of the pilots could have gone to fix the truck, but none of them had the passion for it that Duo did. Personally, Trowa was glad that it was Duo, and not him, that was going out to fix the truck. He wanted to stay here in case Quatre needed anything.

 

Duo opened the door and was about to step out when there was a loud crashing sound, and a thump above them. Both boys froze and looked up.

 

“What the hell was that?” Duo said nervously. Stepping back in and letting the door shut behind him, Duo cast a nervous glance at Trowa.

 

“Please tell me you heard that too.”

 

Trowa's look mirrored Duo's troubled face and nodded.

 

Duo shook his head, and said, “I heard some stuff last night... Sounded like it was coming from the attic, but Heero said he didn't hear anything...” Duo was about to say more when he saw Trowa's eyes grow wide, and he looked up quickly.

 

“Shit. Heero.”

 

Duo started at the comment, remembering what Trowa and Wufei had told him yesterday about Heero's 'little project'. He looked up again, eyebrows knitting together in anxious concern, indecision pulling at him. Should he rush up there to help or should he do nothing. He wanted to show Heero how much he cared, even if the result was only a platonic friendship. Still Duo hesitated. Heero usually didn't much like people helping him, and would quite possibly get irritated at Duo for the attempt. Heero being annoyed with him definitely wouldn't help them become better friends.

 

Above them they heard the sound of scraping and clattering, then silence. More sounds, but this time the sound of one foot step, then another. Each one slow and heavy.

 

Suddenly the front door burst open and Wufei came flying in.

 

“The roof.” Was all he said between quick breaths. Trowa nodded.

 

The three of them stood together, looking up. Suddenly there was the sound of hurried foot steps, a loud thud and a clattering.

 

More silence.

 

Duo, wanting to be closer if Heero needed help, was the first to climb the stairs, the first to situate himself under the attic hatch. He was soon joined by Trowa and Wufei. The three stood there, heads cocked, waiting.

 

The silence was broken above them.

 

“Iie.”(1) It was soft. Almost pleading. “Boku kara hanareteiru.”(2)

 

The three boys looked at each other. Who was Heero talking to, and why did he sound so strange?

 

Abruptly there was a shout of, “ Boku kara hanareteiru yo!(3) ”, the sound of scraping, followed by the clicking sound of an unloaded gun. This was followed by a moment of silence. The sound of something hard hitting, a wall maybe, sounded loud in the otherwise silent cabin.

 

Duo decided he would risk any irritation from Heero, and called out, “Heero?”

 

The shuffling stopped for a moment, then started up again until the source of the sound was directly over their heads.

 

Silence.

 

Then a soft, “Duo?”

 

“Heero, are you okay?”

 

“Duo??” This time louder and a bit frantic.

 

A pause.

 

“Duo. Doa o akete.(4)” Heero's voice sounded shaky and frightened. Then came a couple of bangs on the hatch.

 

“Heero, I don't speak Japanese you know that.”

 

After a moment, the banging started again. This time it was harder, and more desperate.

 

“Duo! Doa o akete yo!” Heero's voice was getting higher in pitch. Then the banging stopped. More scuffling. Then came the thuds as Heero, they all assumed, started jumping on the hatch. The door to the hatch moved slightly under the weight of the other boy, but not by much.

 

“Duo!!” Heero screamed in panic. “Onegai!!(5) Doa o akete yo!!

 

The boys looked at each other with frighted looks on their faces. Since when, did Heero panic?

 

“Duo!” Came a scream from behind the boys and down the stairs. All three turned around, and looked down, to see Quatre, pale as a ghost, standing in the living room. “Help him open the fucking door!! Damn you!! Help him!!”

 

The three stared for a moment at the blond boy. All of a sudden the words hit home and Duo looked up at the hatch then to Wufei.

 

“Wufei. Give me a boost.”

 

Wufei nodded, bent low and threaded his fingers together. Duo put one foot in the makeshift stirrup and launched himself up to grab the handle to the hatch with both hands. Duo could feel Heero's weight as the Japanese boy jumped again and again on the hatch.

 

Suddenly the jumping stopped and Heero screamed, “Iie! Attchi e itte, hitori nishite chyoodai yo!!(6)”.

 

Hanging from the hatch handle, Duo yelled, “Heero, keep jumping!”. Duo looked down to the other two.

 

“Maxwell, are you sure you can hold on?” Said Wufei.

 

“Yes! Just do it, and hurry.”

 

It took a moment, but the jumping started again, this time more frantic then ever.

 

Trowa and Wufei each grabbed onto one of Duo's legs and the next time Heero jumped down on the hatch, the two boys held tightly to Duo's legs and lifted their own legs, letting Duo, and ultimately the hatch, take the weight of them all.

 

The hatch inched down.

 

The second time they did this the hatch dropped down, and Trowa and Wufei let go instantly and fell to the floor, small splinters of wood from the hatch raining down on them. Duo's body was flung to the wall, and Heero dropped down in between Trowa and Wufei. Duo let go of the handle and slid to the floor.

 

“Doa o shimete yo!(7)” Heero screamed. Not understanding the words, but understanding the meaning behind what Heero was trying to say, Trowa stood quickly and slammed the hatch back up. It didn't quite shut firmly, but since the hatch stayed up, the brunette didn't care. If whatever it was that had scared his fellow pilot was coming down, they'd deal with it then.

 

Trowa looked down to see Wufei shaking Heero by the shoulders. The other boy was looking up, shaking his head, and babbling in Japanese. Tears were running down his face and his whole body was shaking. Wufei lifted his hand back, preparing to smack some sense into the babbling boy. Just as his hand began its downward swing, Duo lunged forward, grabbed it and yelled, “You bastard! Don't you fucking dare!”, and pushed Wufei out of the way.

 

Duo moved closer to the shaking boy and laid his hands on each side of Heero's face. Gently, Duo forced Heero to look at him. Duo was shocked by the terror he saw flooding the cobalt-blue eyes.

 

“Shh..” he whispered. “It's all right now. Everything is all right now.”

 

Duo's eyed Heero for any injuries. His eyes widened. On one side, Heero had deep gouges on his arm and upper leg. The deep cuts were bleeding freely enough to have soaked the side Heero's shirt and jeans.

 

“Wufei!” Duo shouted. “Get the medical supplies!”

 

Wufei didn't move. His eyes were wide, staring at Heero in alarm.

 

Duo turned his head and shouted at the Chinese boy. “Now damn it!”

 

Wufei jumped, startled by Duo's sudden eruption, and quickly got up and rushed down the stairs.

 

Duo, turning his attention back to the other boy, took mental note of Heero's other symptoms: Anxiety. Confusion. Clammy skin. Profuse sweating. Shallow breathing.

 

“Wufei! He's going into major shock here! I need something for elevation!” Duo yelled.

 

Duo slid his hands behind Heero, careful not to touch any of Heero's wounds, and guided him into a laying position. Heero closed his eyes tightly and whimpered softly. Duo eyed Heero with concern, not knowing if the whimpering was from fright or pain.

 

“It's alright Heero.” He whispered to the injured boy. “It's alright.”

 

“Trowa. I need you to...” Duo looked up and stopped what he was saying.

 

Trowa was gone.

 

 

-----------------------

 

Trowa looked away from the other boys, and turned his attention to small boy in the living room. Quatre's eyes were fixed on Heero and Duo. Trowa watched as several emotions seemed to play out on the small boy's face.

 

Fear.

 

Shame.

 

Confusion.

 

Jealousy.

 

Hatred.

 

Trowa walked way from the other three boys and headed down the stairs. Quatre's head whipped around and watched Trowa with wide eyes for a moment, before taking off at a dead run for his room. Trowa, halfway down the steps, vaulted the railing and took off after the blond. He got to the room just as Quatre was trying to slam the door shut. Trowa pushed on the door. Being the larger and stronger of the two, it gave a few inches and he slipped in the room. Without Trowa's resistance, the door slammed shut, causing Quatre to stumble a little.

 

Trowa grabbed Quatre to steady him. The blond shrugged off Trowa's gesture, and backed away.

 

“Quatre, what's wrong?”

 

“Nothing!” The blond said forcefully. “I don't know anything!”

 

Trowa donned a confused look on his face. “Quatre, that isn't what I asked.”

 

Quatre's face contorted into a look of panic, then pain. “I'm... fine.” He forced out.

 

The tall boy folded his arms and looked down sternly. “You don't look fine. You certainly aren't acting fine.”

 

“What is it to you?” Quatre shouted.

 

----------------

 

Wufei ran down the stairs and started digging though the boxes. He felt so shaken. Damn Maxwell! He had wanted to hit Yuy. Wanted to hit him hard. Wanted to bring back the cool, unemotional boy, and pretend like this was all just a horrible dream. He could feel his hands shaking as he continued digging though the box, and cursed himself for being so weak.

 

What the hell is going on! He thought as he slammed aside the box he had been digging through and started on a different box.

 

----------------

 

Trowa's eyes widened and a pained look crossed his face. This wasn't like Quatre at all. The blond was usually so gentle and kind. Trowa unfolded his arms and reached out for the shorter boy. Quatre tried to pull away, but he was too weak from the lack of sleep and food. Trowa stepped forward as he pulled Quatre to him.

 

“What is it to me?” He whispered painfully. “We're friends Quatre. That's what it is to me. I care. Is that so wrong?”

 

Quatre dropped his head and looked at the ground. Trowa could feel the other boy trembling beneath his grip. Slowly he brought his other hand up and laid it on Quatre's shoulder.

 

“Quatre?” Trowa whispered.

 

-------------

 

Duo knelt over Heero, and laid a hand on the frightened boy's chest. He lifted his other hand and stroked Heero's sweat dampened hair back away from his face. Heero had stopped babbling and now lay there, staring with wide eyes at the hatch above him. Duo didn't know how smart it was to leave Heero there, under the hatch that seemed to frighten him so much, or on the cold wooden floor, but he wouldn't move the boy until they had bandaged up his wounds. The cuts were deep and they were already bleeding enough to warrant concern. He had thought about using his own shirt to stop the bleeding, but he knew how dirty it was and didn't want to risk infecting the wounds.

 

Duo reached down and wiped away the tears on Heero's cheeks. Heero may have stopped babbling, but he hadn't stopped crying. And he hadn't lost that look of fear in his eyes. The braided boy's heart ached when he looked at the other boy, but he didn't know what he should do. Seeing Heero this way seemed so uncomprehensible. The situation was completely unreal to him. He felt afraid, and all he wanted to do was curl up beside Heero and have everything be alright again.

 

He heard a creak above him and he looked up. The hatch had inched down. Suddenly he felt a grip on his arm and he looked down. Heero's eyes had widened and he was gripping Duo's arm like a vice.

 

Hurry the fuck up, Wufei! He cursed silently.

 

--------------------

 

A small sob erupted from the blond boy.

 

Trowa hesitated before sliding his arms around Quatre, and pulling him close. He had wanted to hold the other boy in his arms for so long, but had never dared make any move to indicate such feelings, not wanting to risk rejection. He was ashamed of the part of him that was glad Quatre was suffering, so that he could have the boy in his arms..

 

“Why?” Quatre suddenly cried softly.

 

“Why what?” Trowa whispered.

 

“Why are you doing this to me? Why won't you just leave me alone?” He said between sobs.

 

Because I care about you. And I want you to be mine Quatre Winner! Trowa thought desperately... fiercely.

 

----------------

 

Yes!! Wufei thought triumphantly, as his fingers touched the cool metal of the medical supply box. He reached in with both hands and pulled it out of the larger box. It was heavy, but he could carry it with one hand without any problems.

 

He looked around, trying to locate where Duo had put the short stool.

 

Shit! He cursed silently as he realized Duo had most likely used it to sit on when he had been trying to fix the water heater. He set the metal box down and sprinted through the cabin. Flinging open the door that led to the basement, he slammed his hand against the switch to turn on the basement light.

 

Nothing.

 

Fuck! Not now! He stood there for a few moments considering. He could go back and take the medical kit up to Duo, then return down stairs to rummage through the boxes more to find a flash light or he could just feel his way down to the basement and try to locate the stool in the dark.

 

After several moments of indecision, he decided it would, most likely, be faster to just try his luck with the small dark basement, and he started down the stairs.

 

----------------

 

Quatre stiffened, and the tall boy knew instantly that he had made a mistake. Quatre may not have known the exact words that had gone through Trowa's head, but his feelings were so strong that Quatre would have had no problem feeling the emotions behind the thoughts.

 

“Quatre... I...”

 

The smaller boy pulled away, and Trowa let him go. Quatre started shaking his head.

 

“Quatre. Please. I...”

 

“Stop.” Said Quatre softly. “Just stop.”

 

“Stop what?” Trowa said painfully.

 

“Stop.. . LYING to me!!” Quatre screamed, balling his fists and squeezing his eyes shut.

 

Trowa's eyes widened in shock. “Quatre... I didn't say... I... I'm not... You know I wouldn't... You would know if I... I...”

 

The Arabian boy wrapped his arms around himself, hands going to where his T-shirt sleeves were covering his upper arms. He squeezed his arms tightly with his hands. His whole body trembling with sobs.

 

“Quatre...” Trowa whispered, stretching out his hand.

 

“Get out!!” He screamed hysterically. “Get out and leave me ALONE!!”

 

Trowa's wide eyes filled with an indescribable pain and he stumbled backwards, blindly groping for the bronze doorknob. His hands found it and he twisted the knob roughly and flung himself out of the room.

 

--------------

 

Heero flinched at the sound of a door slamming downstairs. Duo winced as Heero tightened his grip on Duo's arm. The Japanese boy flicked his gaze to the railing then to Duo, his eyes pleading and afraid. Duo softly caressed the side of Heero's face.

 

“It's okay.” Duo whispered gently. Turning his head toward the living room he yelled...

 

----------------

 

“Wufei! Where the hell is that med kit?!”

 

Trowa, his back to the now closed door, looked up, then over to the medical kit sitting in the middle of the floor. He looked around the room, Wufei was no where to be seen. Deciding someone should get the kit up to Duo, he walked quickly over to the medical kit, picked it up and started up the stairs.

 

------------------

 

Wufei groped around, on hands and knees, in the dark basement. The room had a cool damp feeling to it and a strong moldy odor. Not finding the stool right away, Wufei began to feel irritated. He knew the basement wasn't large. In fact, it was a very small room, barely big enough for a few people to stand in and be comfortable. In the dark though, it seemed as if the basement were huge. Suddenly his fingers touched something that felt like...

 

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth...

 

-----------------

 

Duo heard the footsteps behind him and said, “It's about time Wu...”, but stopped when he saw who it was.

 

Trowa set the medical kit down beside Duo.

 

“Where's Wufei?” Duo said with a confused look on his face.

 

Trowa started to shrug when they heard the scream.

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1. Iie - no

 

2. Boku kara hanareteiru - stay away from me.

 

3. Boku kara hanareteiru yo - stay away from me!! (The yo added on is a verbal exclamation mark.)

 

4. Doa o akete - open the door.

 

5. Onegai - please

 

6. Iie! Attchi e itte, hitori nishite chyoodai yo! - No! Go away, and leave me alone!

 

7. Doa o shimete yo - shut the door !