Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Eyes Cold As Stone ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Eyes Cold As Stone

Chapter 4

"I am very…disappointed."

"I'm sorry."

"It won't happen again, will it."

"No."

"No, what."

"It will never happen again."

"Good." Jezebel's green eyes glittered with deadly hatred. "You've lost two Gundam pilots. You weren't able to apprehend a third, and you didn't even notice the last two. You allowed important information about our plans to fall into their hands. I should kill you where you stand. Any reason why I shouldn't?" The threat in her voice cleared the distance between Earth and the station will deadly accuracy.

"They aren't building the Gundams." Tyr said in a small voice. He cringed at Jezebel's raised eyebrow.

"And how do you know?"

"Lady Une was threatened with the death of two of her pilots, and she didn't have a clue. We didn't talk to pilot 03, but in interrogating 04, he always denied it. He told us that he had no idea what we were talking about."

"And you believe the Gundam pilots." Tyr nodded slowly. "Do you have any idea what those pilots had to go through in their training?"

"Neither do you." Jezebel nodded her head in admission.

"True." Jezebel narrowed her eyes. "But, I think that they are a little bit tougher than you make them out to be."

"Are you saying that what we put 04 through wasn't enough to cause him to break?"

"Exactly. Now, I want the Gundam pilots terminated. If that means staging a trap, then so be it. But, Tyr," Jezebel's façade of mildness fell. "I don't think its in your best interest to make another mistake. I don't want the Gundam pilots as trophies, I want them neutralized. Do you have any questions?" Tyr nodded minutely. "I want them dead, Tyr. Dead." Jezebel severed the connection, leaving Tyr sweating for his life. Shit. I have to kill the unkillable.

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"What is Quatre's condition?" Lady Une raced down the halls of the private hospital.

"Stable. We had him in ICU for a while, but his condition has stabilized enough that we were able to move him out. He hasn't waken up, yet, and he does have a concussion. The longer he stays in his coma, the less chance of him ever waking."

"Sally, all doctors say that."

"He has a concussion, Une. If he were awake right now, we wouldn't be letting him go to sleep."

"Can we expect him to wake up?"

"I don't know." Sally turned down another hall, stopping at a nondescript door. Pushing the door open, Sally said, "Whatever happens, we've got to find the mole. We can't afford to loose these men like this, and I don't give a shit about this war right now. These men have done enough for our world, they don't deserve to end up in comas, especially Quatre." Une walked into the room and gasped at the pale figure on the bed. She took in the fading bruises on his arms and the healing cut across his cheek, but what hurt her the most was the open way Trowa was crying, clutching at a limp hand praying for him to be alright. She had to hold back her own tears. As she stepped further into the room, Trowa looked up at her through red-rimmed eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Trowa held the gaze for another moment before burying his head in the crook of Quatre's elbow. Une reached out a trembling hand to Quatre's sweaty brow. "I'm so sorry." Fresh tears rolled down her face in remembrance of that transmission. Quatre's eyes came back to haunt her, so cold, so much like stone. She knew that those eyes would haunt her until the day of her death. That was the horror of war: seeing the eyes of kind people turn to stone. She turned and walked out, not bothering to hide her tears from prying eyes.

`When will Heero and Duo be back?" Wufei asked from his perch beside Quatre's room. Une turned to look at him. He didn't look good, and it was obvious that he had been crying as well.

"I was able to get a transmission to them four hours ago. They had completed their mission and I told them to get back here right away. I would think that they'd be back by the end of the day."

"WHERE IS HE?" A sharp bellow echoed from farther down the hall. "WHERE IS QUATRE?"

"Obviously Duo made it back." Wufei let a small grin that didn't quite meet his eyes sneak across his face. Une nodded in weak acknowledgement as Duo came flying around the corner. She did the only smart thing she could think of-she pointed to Quatre's door and cleared the way. As Duo burst into Quatre's room, Heero made his appearance around the corner.

"How is he?" Heero asked, concern coloring his voice. How much the pilots have changed since that first war. Une closed her eyes, not wanting to say. Heero saved her. "That bad?" Une nodded.

"No one knows if he'll wake up."

"With Duo in there yapping up a storm, I'm sure Quatre won't ever wake up." Wufei snorted. Heero nodded in mock agreement. They're trying to keep a brave face during this. How I wish this never have happened. Quatre. You truly are the best of us.

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"Trowa?"

"…"

"How is he, Trowa?" Duo softly approached the bed, a complete opposite from what he had been racing through the hospital halls. He had made sure that Heero thought of getting back to Quatre as soon as possible, as a mission.

"He's alive." The pain lanced through Trowa's voice tore through Duo.

"You love him, don't you?" Duo had hoped that his prediction was wrong, but he felt as if it wasn't, now. Trowa just nodded, more tears spilling from his eyes. "He loves you, too. I just wanted you to know that." A ghost of a smile graced Trowa's lips.

"I know. He told me." Trowa raised Quatre's limp hand to his lips. "It wasn't soon enough." Trowa kissed the pale hand and cradled it to his cheek. "Quatre, please hold on." Duo leaned over Quatre and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Quat, don't leave us. Don't leave me, and don't leave Tro. We need you. I need you. He needs you. If you pull out of this, I'll buy your drinks next time we go out. I'll even buy you a Screaming Orgasm if you want. I'll order a BlowJob from the bartender like I'm not ordering the drink. Just hold on, Quat, and come back to us." He leaned down and planted a kiss on Quatre's forehead. "I'm proud of you, Quat. I really am." Trowa looked up at that last comment.

"You should have seen him, Duo. He got us out of that mess. It was all him." The pride was barely contained in Trowa's voice.

"Yeah, our Quatre really is something else."

"I love you, Little One." Trowa had gone back to talking to Quatre. Oh, well. They've earned the right to ignore me. Duo smiled, a real one, as Quatre would accuse him of. He smiled at Quatre.

"You'll be okay, Quat." He turned and left Trowa alone with Quatre. He'll be okay.

"How is he?" Heero's voice interrupted his thoughts. He smiled broadly at Heero.

"I know he'll be fine. He'll be fine." Still smiling, Duo stuffed his hands in his pockets and went off in search of a vending machine. He'll be fine.

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Pain. Pain everywhere. Tired. He was so tired. Tired and in pain. I don't want to feel anymore pain. Too much pain. Can I just go to sleep? I'm so tired. But I am already asleep, aren't I. I'm still in so much pain. Pain. But there was something that didn't hurt. It was small, so very small. He had to concentrate on just the one, little spot in order to feel it. Not-pain. Comfort. Warmth. He wanted to feel like that one spot. He focused on that spot, trying to make it big. Comfort.

"I'm proud of you, Quat. I really am." Proud? Someone was proud of him? But no one was proud of him. He was a failure, and a disappointment as a son. Pain. The pain was back.

"You should have seen him." That voice! It had pride in it. True, it was sad, but it was proud. Was it talking about him? Someone is proud of me. I made someone proud. The pain was going away. He looked for his warm spot. It was bigger. Less pain, less cold. Comfort. Warmth.

"I love you, Little One." Little One? Wait, that's me. Trowa called me Little One. He loves me. He's proud of me and he loves me. The spot is a lot bigger. I see light, now. There's something beside me. Is it a person? Does someone actually care about me enough to stay by my side? Yes. Trowa. Trowa loves me, and that's his hand that I can feel on my forehead.

"Love you." I tried to tell Trowa I love him, but I don't think it came out very well. I should try again, after all, he's sitting beside me telling people that's he's proud of me. It's the least I can do. "I…love…you." My eyes won't open and the comforting hand is gone. I feel cold. I can hear someone mumbling, but I can't tell what they're saying. God, my head hurts. Why can't I open my eyes? Where did Trowa go?

"Shh, Little One. Its okay, I'm here." There's the hand again. It's on my cheek. I try to lean into the hand, and I think it works as I can hear Trowa calling someone. "He's waking up! Sally!"

"Trowa." I try to talk again. I want him to know that I love him. I try to reach for him, but something pulls at my hand, and it hurts to move it. Why won't my eyes open? "Love you." I feel Trowa stroke my hair, its soothing, I like it.

"I know, Little One." I hear tears in his voice, but I think they're happy tears. He's happy. I feel his lips on my forehead. I try again to open my eyes. I want to see him. They finally begin to move. Light streams in and sears my eyes. I close them again. But I'm stubborn, and I open them again. This time I'm ready for the harsh light, and it doesn't hurt as much. Trowa! I see Trowa, and my God does he look good. He's been crying, though. I can see it. I reach up to him with my other hand, and brush at his cheek.

"Why were you crying?" Trowa laughs. Why is he laughing? He bends down and kisses me. I feel his lips on mine. How long have I wanted this? I want to hug him, but my other hand still hurts if I move it, so I content myself with holding him to me with one hand, and tasting him. He tastes good, like cinnamon. He pulls away and smiles at me.

"I love you, Little One." He looks so happy, and he loves me. I want to tell him that I love him, too, but Sally interrupts and starts asking me questions. Trowa doesn't leave the room, though. He smiles at me as I patiently answer Sally's questions.

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"How do you feel?"

"Frustrated." She raised an eyebrow at Quatre.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I want to be with Trowa, and I have to answer stupid questions like what my name is."

"I just want to make sure that you're okay." Quatre really was cute when he was frustrated. She chuckled at his long-suffering sigh.

"My name is Quatre Rebarba Winner. I have twenty-eight sisters. My father and my eldest sister Iria are dead. I am the pilot of Sandrock, which is a Gundam. I have fought in two wars, which I and my fellow friends and pilots won, if you can even win a war. I went insane at one point during the first war, and I am currently involved in fighting a third war. I have blonde hair and blue eyes. I am Arabian, which I know is weird because of my coloring. I am eighteen years old and I just want to be alone with Trowa. Can you come back later? Please? I won't go anywhere, although it would be nice if you took out this IV tube, because it is really irritating." She started laughing, she couldn't help herself.

"Fine. You have an hour." She pulled out the IV, it really was unnecessary at this point. She placed a hand on Trowa's shoulder as she walked out of the room. "Don't excite him too much." She laughed and shut the door behind her.

"How is he?" She turned toward Heero's voice. He really was concerned for his fellow pilot. She sat down on the clod linoleum floor beside him.

"He's fine. And, he's being himself." Heero chuckled, a surprising act coming from him.

"Stubborn as all hell, while being the sweetest thing around. Generally making you love him, even if it's against your will." Heero was smiling-head leaned back against the wall, eyes half-closed and hands dangling from their perch on raised knees. Sally turned toward him.

"What do you mean, Heero? I never expected to hear something like that from you."

"True, but Quatre got under my skin during that first war. We were hiding in the Sank Kingdom at the time, and became friends." At her raised eyebrow, he continued. "I was the Perfect Soldier, the perfect killing machine-no remorse, no feelings, and no regret. He was the complete opposite-a kind heart, a love for life, and emotions. Sometimes he felt too much, that's why he went insane. With that constantly being near me, it wore me down, and I liked it. Quatre taught me a very important lesson over these years. He taught me that I could be the Perfect Soldier, and a human being. He showed me, through his own life, that I could be happy. He taught me how to laugh at Duo's jokes, and make fun of Wufei. He taught me how to appreciate the stars and life. He taught me how to love."

"I think he taught all of you that."

"You're probably right." She noticed Duo munching on a candy bar as he strolled toward them. "Take Duo, for instance. He smiles, now."

"I thought that he always smiled."

"Those smiles weren't real smiles. He had on a mask, only no one knew that it was a mask because he was normal. He couldn't fool Quatre, though. And now, Duo really smiles. You can tell by the way his eyes sparkle.' The last part was whispered, as if it was meant to be thought, rather than said aloud. Sally smiled at the sentiment. Quatre, you have really changed these men. You are amazing. I'd hate to see the results if you ever died. Trowa's grief would probably kill him, and Heero and Duo would put their masks back on, and Wufei…she didn't even want to think of that. She loved Wufei and wouldn't be able to stand being without him. Quatre-don't ever die. You are too kind for that. Sally slowly got to her feet intending to give Lady Une an earful about being responsible with Gundam pilots.

"I wouldn't go in just yet. He needs some time alone with Trowa."

"Understood." She followed Heero's eyes-straight to the dancing figure of Duo. She flashed a knowing smile and went to find Une-after a small detour to Wufei.

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"How are you feeling, Little One?"

"Better. You?"

"Better." Trowa moved to sit on the bed. He gestured to the mattress. "May I?" Quatre's face lit up in a smile as he smoothed the sheets down.

"Of course." He sat down, careful not to jar the bed. He didn't want to cause Quatre any discomfort. "How are you." Trowa smiled at the soft blush warming Quatre's cheeks. He had to admit that he was a little nervous, too. But it was damned cute when Quatre was acting shy. He reached out a hand to cup Quatre's cheek.

"I am good, now that I know you'll be okay." Quatre's eyes moved to the side, as the blush grew deeper. He moved closer to Quatre. "I love you, Little One." He brushed his lips against Quatre's, closing his eyes at the tingling sensation. He passed his tongue over Quatre's lips asking for entrance. Quatre complied, opening his mouth. He slid his tongue in between Quatre's teeth, letting it mingle with Quatre's tongue. Quatre moaned into his mouth and grasped him around the waist. He smiled against Quatre's lips as the smaller pilot relaxed into him. He gently pulled back, chuckling at Quatre's disappointed moan.

"I love you, Little One." He smoothed the flaxen strands away from Quatre's face and kissed his forehead. "You should get some sleep." Quatre's arms tightened around his waist.

"Only if you stay here with me, love." His heart skipped a beat at Quatre's term of endearment. He nodded and stretched out beside his angel, gathering him in his arms. Quatre snuggled against his body as he tightened his embrace, resting his chin on Quatre's head. He marveled at how well their bodies' fit together, almost as if they were specifically made for each other. Quatre's breath tickled his throat and he smoothed a hand down Quatre's back, letting it settle in the small of Quatre's back. He let the fingers of his other hand play idly in the soft blonde hair as he ghosted kisses into the same strands. He gently draped his leg over Quatre's, effectively covering him like a blanket. He smiled at Quatre's contented sigh.

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"How's it goin' in here?" Duo poked his head into the hospital room. No answer. Maybe they're asleep. He waltzed in the room happy that he was able to get past the sleeping Wufei guarding the door. He stopped, the corners of his mouth curling up into a genuine smile, tears gathering in his eyes. He just watched the couple on the bed. They were curled around each other sleeping peacefully. And was that a smile on Trowa's face? Finally. He tiptoed to the chair by the solitary bed and curled up to enjoy the peace. How many years had they cared for each other? He thought back to the time, during that first war, when he and Quatre first met.

"Can I talk to you, Quat?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Do you think that one guy, Heero, is alive?"

"Trowa took him. I know that he'll take good care of Heero."

"That's his name? Trowa?" A smile followed by a blush spread themselves across Quatre's face. He just nodded. "You know him well, then."

"No." Quatre cast his eyes downward. "Not really well. I've only met him twice. And it was only for a couple of days each time."

"I'll trust him, then." At Quatre's quizzical glance, he explained. "I've known you for a couple of weeks now. I trust you. Since I trust you, and you trust Trowa, that means I'll trust Trowa, too." Quatre laughed.

"Is that what you've so lovingly referred to as Maxwell's reasoning?" He joined in the laugh, nodding. "I like it, Duo, I really do."

He continued to watch the two lovers sleep in each other's arms. They had probably cared for each other since they first met. They've loved each other for far too long. It's about time they do something about it. Duo checked his watch. I'll let them sleep as long as they want. He started as the door opened, revealing Sally's flushed face. He quickly raised a finger to his lips, and rushed silently over to her. He gently pushed her out of the room, noticing Wufei's glare.

"Sorry, Wu-man. Didn't mean to sneak past you, there." Wufei snorted and crossed his arms, resuming his relaxed pose against the wall. "Look, Sally. Let them sleep. They've both been through a lot and they've finally told each other how they feel. I know that hospitals don't like to have their patients sharing beds, but could you let it slide this once? Please?" Sally sighed.

"Just this once, Duo. Keep watch over them, and if anything happens, come get me." Duo bounced up and down and threw his arms around Sally, causing Wufei to get to his feet.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank…" A sharp tug on his braid caused him to stop.

"That's enough Maxwell. She gets the point." Wufei began to peel his arms from around Sally. He kissed her on the cheek, enjoying Wufei's burning glare.

"Thank you, Sally." He retrieved his arms from Wufei's grasp and fled back into Quatre's room, resuming his forgotten place beside the bed. He checked on the snuggling lovers and pillowed his face in his hand before succumbing to oblivion.