Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ❯ Part Six ( Chapter 6 )

Part Six

Heero awoke and realized that his body was wrapped around something that was wrapped around him and that was nuzzling softly into his chest. He didn't mind the feeling. It was nice and warm and gentle.... He liked it....

So he closed his eyes and didn't worry about it.

Until it dawned on him that it was Duo and his eyes shot open and he jerked away from the boy who's eyelids were fluttering awake.

"G'morning," Duo tried to chirp, but his voice wasn't working very well from sleep and it came out almost incomprehensible.

"What are you doing?" Heero hissed.

"I was sleeping.... I was having a nice dream too...." In truth he was, for once, having a nice dream. A nice dream about Heero and him in a field of flowers where Heero was smiling and was happy, instead of cold and distant, and they talked and laughed.... It was a very nice dream.

"Why were you 'sleeping' in *my* bed?"

Duo fell silent. "I'm sorry, Heero.... I was scared.... I'm sorry.... I shouldn't have done it, but I was scared and I didn't want to be alone.... I'm sorry...."

Heero sighed and sat up as best he could and looked down on the sleeping beauty in his bed.

"Okay, then, but is this going to happen more often? 'Cause if it is we might as well just pull the beds together and that way we'll never be separated, hmm?" Heero suggested, a little sarcastic, a little hopeful.

"If you want," Duo replied shyly, his eyes unable to meet Heero's.

Heero sighed, instead of saying that he'd like that very much, and stood to be dressed.

Duo watched and wondered what was going through his mind as he turned his eyes away to let him dress in what minuscule privacy they had. Was he glad that Duo cared about him? Was he scared of it? Was he angry?

Duo decided he was most likely scared. All his life, love went awry for him. It would be hard for him to be glad, because he was probably more afraid that he would hurt Duo, or that Duo would hurt him. He wouldn't be angry because he wanted someone to care for him. That left him with scared.

It was then that Duo realized how hard it would be to be his friend.

~~~

"As you know, there are Thirteen Gates to the Underworld, each with its personal Guardian."

Quatre sighed and glanced over at Trowa, who was furiously scribbling notes in First Block Class. Quatre wondered what he could possibly be writing about. They learned this stuff every year for the past ten years of their lives, what new was there to write?

Thirteen Gates, each had a Guardian, if the Guardians rose and no one was there to stop them the Dark Lord would take over the Living, blah, blah, blah....

Quatre's eyes lazed around the room and landed on Duo's still empty desk. The teachers would be mad if he showed up late, and Fourth Block Class didn't show any hardship to him.

That was what was so strange about Heero's bandages. They appeared in the morning, before lunch, before Fourth Block Class. Fourth Block was the class in which one had to use their Art, and usually the most dangerous of the classes. All the other classes were Academic, you had to learn something about the world, right?, and it was pretty hard to get hurt in an Academic class.

But Quatre knew better. He didn't ask questions.

Suddenly the door opened and a very frightened Duo stood in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he apologized as the teacher glared at him for interrupting her memorized speech.

He took his seat and there was not any great commotion, and Quatre was glad for this.

What were you doing? Quatre asked mentally and waited for Duo to scribble out a note and pass it up to him.

He unfolded the tiny piece of paper and read it.

'I had another scary dream I'll tell you about later. I spent the better half of First Block convincing Heero that he didn't have to go to class and that they wouldn't come after him for it because of his condition. I feel so bad for the poor guy, it makes me sick inside, physically sick, to know what he's been through. But I don't trust paper, even through Wufei burns it all. What did I miss?'

You missed nothing but another lecture on the Thirteen Gates. Did you have another 'Vision'? Wait, don't answer that. I know someone who had Visions. Very definite ones. Scared him so bad he told Them. Then I never saw him again. He just...disappeared. That's why I don't say anything and take the care to be so utterly careful about the matter. I don't want to disappear like he did. I don't know what they did to him....

Duo thought about this and realized that they could let no one find out.

~~~

"Some of the things I saw.... I can't even tell you.... It was like I was there. It hurt so much.... I still hurt...."

Quatre wrapped an arm around his friend's, who was now hugging himself, shoulder.

"Are you sure these aren't stress dreams?"

"What do you mean?" Duo replied in shock.

"Have you found a common thread? You can't prove that was truly Heero's past. How can you prove it's not all nightmares?"

Duo thought about it. There wasn't a thread he could find. One of his dreams took place in the Library, another in a fiery hellish world, and the last in a meadow.... What link was there?

"Maybe you're right.... It's just so real.... It hurt so much....."

"Duo, you're a very intense person. You know how regular dreams are manipulated by intense people."

"I take it this is an 'intense' conversation?"

"Trowa, only you can crack a joke that bad," Duo sighed as he joined them, placing a hand over Quatre's.

"What did he say this time?" Wufei asked as he sat down.

"It's too heinous to be repeated," Duo replied, pushing Quatre's arm off, suddenly aggravated.

So his dreams were nothing special? No Visions? Everything he thought was true about Heero wasn't? His fear of not finding the secret that plagued him so was absolutely nothing? A tale concocted by his own brain?

Besides, Quatre had a boyfriend, now. He didn't need Duo anymore.

Suddenly a shadow fell over them and Duo looked up to see Heero gazing down at them.

"Can I join you?" he asked softly, almost in what Duo would have liked to call fear.

"Of course!" Duo cried, motioning for him to take a seat. "But I'm gonna lecture you later. You didn't have to go to class."

Heero shrugged. "I did."

Duo introduced them to each other and over all, Heero spoke about three words, all directed toward Duo. He was trying to get the feel of the other three. See what he could and couldn't say.

Wufei seemed very uncomfortable with himself and the world around him. Like something was constantly bothering him, something that he couldn't see. Something he couldn't figure out. Something he was dying to figure out.

Quatre was sweet and the kind of person that always wants things perfect for everyone else to the point where it would hurt him, if need be. The kind of person Heero was inexperienced about being around.

Trowa was very quiet and seemed to be taking everything in constantly. The kind of person who knew that speaking was what made one look especially stupid and preferred not to speak at all and make himself look smart.

Duo.... Duo was Duo. The seemingly sweet, caring person that Heero wanted to have as a friend, but couldn't trust.

He had lost trust in life and it was one of those things that takes a long time to find.

~~~

"Why did you go to class today?" Duo asked as he pulled off his tunic and rested down on the bed, his eyelids heavy with need for rest. Though Four Block wasn't painful, it had sapped enough strength out of him to make him wish for a week to do nothing but sleep.

"I don't want them to get a bad impression," Heero replied lightly, taking off his own tunic, the bandages around him clean, now. He must've gotten them changed after Fourth Block. It was really they only time there was for such things.

"Who gives a damn? What can they do with you? They can't get rid of you. If they kill you, they might get a bad reputation, and if they let you go, you'll die and no one will hear the end of it. They can't not put you in classes or else everyone will not want to be in class. The only thing they can really do to 'punish you' is wound you physically, which you've just got to learn to take, or put you in the dungeon with the loonies."

Duo immediately gasped and wished he hadn't said what he just had when he remembered what a comfort the crazy people were to him and that he was in the dungeon for the longest time.

"Crazy people aren't so bad, Duo," he spoke, laying down and emitting a small gasp as he shifted, pain coursing through his body from yesterdays 'activities'. "Crazy people aren't so bad when you have experienced the sick master-minds of the geniuses. Crazy people aren't so bad, when you realize that smart people are so mean."

How could Quatre say it wasn't a Vision? It *had* to be a Vision! He was right! In his dream he had been Heero, locked away with the crazy people and enjoying it! Because it was a change from all the evil he had endured!

And yet.... Duo still could not see the common thread between the three dreams.

"I.... I'm sorry...."

Duo wondered how many times he had apologized since they met, but that thought was struck down when he saw Heero hug his knees to his chest in pain, squeezing them so tight he could see the veins in his arms and Duo had a feeling he was trying to keep from crying from all the anguish and hurt in his life.

He was suddenly hit with the odd desire to walk over and lie down next to him and stroke his hair and try to comfort him, but he knew he could never do that. What would Heero think? What would he do? No, no.... Never. He couldn't do that. Besides, Heero might think he was suggesting that he was in love with him. Never! He wasn't in love with him! He just wanted to befriend him, of course. They knew almost nothing about each other. You couldn't be in love with someone you knew almost nothing about....

Could you?

Because though he tried to tell himself his thoughts were true, there was a little flicker of something else. Compassion? Admiration? Pity? Love?

He didn't know. He didn't care. All he knew right then was that he had to somehow manage not to say the wrong thing and make Heero even madder.

"Are you going to be okay?" he murmured lightly, trying not to belittle his strength.

"Yeah," he managed out in a near whisper.

"Okay.... I just want to be sure, 'cause like I said, we gotta stick together, okay? Lean on each other, you know. We still have ten more years in this hell, we might as well make it a little bit easier, right? Well, I think I've babbled on enough and I'm kinda sleepy and I'm sure you're sick of listening to the sound of my voice.... So goodnight. Hope you are feeling better tomorrow."

With that, he clicked out the light.

~Til Then~