Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Laila Bli Cohav (a night without a star) ❯ Chapter 1

Shini-chan, this story is written for you. Thank you for giving me back my inspiration!

DISCLAIMER: I think it is too obvious for me to bother and say it, but still: don't own them.

WARNING: 2+1, tiny bit of angst and general spookiness.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I usually don't write fantasy and stuff, but I thought I'd give it a shot. Here goes... Oh, and the name of the story is a name of this song in Hebrew... For some reason I decided to leave it in Hebrew. I think it gives the fic a nice touch. Oh! And I FINALLY wrote down a fic with alllllllllll the G-boys in it! Good for me!

Naomi

LAILA BLI COHAV

(A NIGHT WITHOUT A STAR)

PART ONE

* * *

"LUCY - I'M HOOOOOOOOOOOME!" Duo called happily and dropped his bags to the floor. Still grinning, he looked left and right, examining his new residence for the next two weeks. "Woohee... Impressive for a place that's been abandoned for ages..." He whistled in awe, his eyes roaming over the expensive furniture. Even though it was early in the afternoon, the house seemed to be very dark. There was a large window in the living room, hidden behind thick and dusty curtains, and it let only a little bit of sunshine it. The dim rays did little to light the room, for the walls were black and the furniture dark. Dust particles danced lazily in the air, giving the place a very dull feeling.

"I had some people clean it up for us." Quatre's voice came from behind as the Arabian blond entered the house, carrying some bags himself. He pushed Duo gently, for the braided boy was still standing at the door. "The view is also very nice."

Duo's grin didn't waver as he picked up his bags. "It has to be, otherwise, why the hell are we here? Nothing like a sight and see mission to help ya put your feet up and relax for a while..."

"It's an observation mission, Duo." Trowa's voice also joined as the Heavyarms pilot entered the large house, carrying his own luggage. "And you're supposed to take it as seriously as any other mission." He continued, sending Duo a harsh look.

The American sighed and bowed his head. "Yeah, I know... I know..." He muttered, walking deeper into the house. It was mid-spring, and outside the weather was nice and warm, the smell of flowers in the air. But inside, Duo now noticed, it was very cool. The air was crisp and chilly, making Duo shiver. He decided to go and open the drapes, letting some warm sun in. As he did so, he turned back to face the door, seeing Wufei walk in.

"I spotted the base, it's right down the hill." The Chinese pilot informed. "It's a good thing this house is up hill, it gives us an advantage. We'll have to find a good spot to set our surveillance equipment, and we're set." He concluded, putting a large box with surveillance equipment on the floor.

"That's great." Duo commented, finishing up with the drapes. It did little to ease the chilling air. He frowned and glared at the window.

"Who takes the first shift?" Trowa asked as he re-entered the living room, after putting his things upstairs.

Wufei shrugged. "I thought that Yuy has the schedule."

At that, Duo's eyes widened and he bounced back to the door. "Where is Heero anyway?" He asked, walking outside.

"I think he's unpacking the rest of the equipment." Trowa answered, gesturing at the door.

"Maybe he's looking for a place to put it." Wufei added.

"Ch! Always work with that guy..." Duo muttered and walked outside.

* * *

He didn't find Heero by the van, so he decided to go look for him around the house. The large three-story villa was set on a green hill, surrounded by trees and other smaller hills. Down in a small valley, was the base they were suppose to spy on. Duo walked around the house, indulging himself in the warm and sweet air, enjoying the scenery. There weren't many flowers growing around, unlike the other surrounding hills. Actually, there were NO flowers at all, which was very odd for that region, especially at spring. The only vegetation around were tall weeds and bushes, growing wild. They were green and pretty, but at a closer look, they seemed to have a somewhat dull color, like it was about to fade. All the bushes and trees were tilted down, like bending over, their branches poor looking and barely growing any leafs.

Duo found his friend in a small grove of such growth, about a hundred meters behind the house. He was kneeling on the ground, picking up various pieces of equipment that were scattered on the moist soil.

Duo grinned to himself and shook his head. He approached Heero from behind. "Hey, what's the matter, Heero, dropped something?" He teased, coming to stand by the crouching boy.

"Hn. Help me or shut up." He muttered, not even looking up at him.

"Gee... cranky now are we?" Duo sighed and began helping his friend. Heero was always like that. So... uptight. So damn annoying too. He would barely speak, if at all, and he always kept to himself. After being out on many missions together, Duo still couldn't claim to really know the guy. But he was curious. Pretty damn curious, to say the least. There was just something about Heero. Something very lonely, very sad. It made Duo want to know more. He wanted to see the Japanese boy open up. He wanted him to be a part of the group, not just on missions, but outside of them as well.

Hell, even Trowa seemed to be doing fine working along with them. And he'll be damned if by the time he's done with him, Heero wouldn't be the same. No. Duo promised himself that he would force the boy out of his shell. He didn't care what it would take. He had already promised himself that Heero and he would be friends. Of course, he didn't expect them to be the best of friends... Nah, he only had ONE best friend, and he had died a LONG time ago... no one could ever replace him. Chk! Especially NOT Heero. He was just so... Heero. There was no other word to describe it. Heero was a definition for itself.

No, as much as he liked the Japanese boy, he knew that he could never be close to him the way he was close to Solo. Heero was just... a challenge, maybe. Yeah, it was a definite challenge to bring Heero out of his cold shell. And Duo Maxwell had never EVER turned down a good challenge.

Duo looked up at his companion, a small smile on his face. Heero had NO idea who he was up against...

He saw Heero reach up a hand and wipe some sweat of his brow, and then continue to work. Duo frowned. It wasn't THAT hot. Actually, it was beginning to be quite chilly, he was sure it was going to rain soon. He wondered why Heero was sweating while he was wearing his usual tank top and spandex, and should be quite cool.

His string of thought was cut when he heard a few piece of their gear fall down to the ground again in a loud clatter. He frowned as he saw Heero look numbly down at the mess he had made, his hands trembling ever so slightly.

Now he was worried. Heero never EVER dropped things, especially not TWICE in a row. Something must be wrong.

He looked up and examined Heero's face. Sweat was trickling at his temples and his features looked warn and haggard, like he didn't sleep for a week. Duo knew it wasn't the case, for he knew Heero had slept in the car on the way here, another thing that was very unlike him.

"Heero? Are you okay?" He finally asked, reaching a hand towards his friend.

Heero pulled away and began picking up his mess. "I'm fine." He grunted, his voice hoarse. "Just tired." He added quickly, turning his back to Duo as he put the things in the box.

Duo frowned again, unhappy with the answer. "Are you sure?" He tried again, his voice full of concern. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." Heero's screechy voice answered and then he coughed, getting up to his feet.

Duo got up as well, his eyes examining Heero worriedly. The Japanese boy was just standing there, the box in his hands and he is as still as a rock. He was looking down, at where the steep hill ended, and where a few large rocks stood out the sharp cliff. Further down, the base could be seen, it's lights sparkling. The sun was setting in the horizon and a few dark clouds traveled trough the crimson skies.

Suddenly, Heero flinched and hurried to look away from the cliff he was staring at.

Duo looked at him, baffled. He was about to say something, when Heero walked past him, his head ducked between his shoulders.

"Lets go." Was all the Wing pilot said as he marched back to the house.

Duo's eyes narrowed as he watched his retreating form. He turned to look over his shoulder, at the vertical cliff, his eyebrows drawing near. There was nothing there.

Sighing to himself, Duo shook his head and walked back up into the house.

* * *

Duo sighed heavily, picking at his food with his fork. They were all sitting in a huge and old kitchen, having their dinner. It was late at evening and the kitchen was lit with only a few dim candles. They were not allowed to turn on the lights, so their presence in the house will not be known. They covered all the windows with thick curtains and just set a few candles around the house, at important rooms and places. Shadows danced across every corner, and the small flames struggled against the cool air. Outside, a strong wind was blowing, whistling against the cracked walls and windows.

It was going to be a crappy week, Duo knew that. This week was always crappy. He hated this time of year. Too many bad memories rising. Always now... just like that... even when he tried not to think about it. But they always came. He could just SENSE the nightmares that he was going to have tonight. He nearly shuddered at the thought.

But it was his fault. It was his fault for thinking what he did while he was outside with Heero. He should have NEVER thought about him. Especially NOT at this time of year... not when that day was so close... almost in reach... that date... that horrible date... a reminder of the past. The past when he had lost his best friend, his only family, his everything...

Duo sighed and shook his head forcefully. He should stop thinking about it! There was no use in dwelling in the past! He should enjoy his time HERE and NOW, with his friends. That's all he has now... they're all he has. Even if there's no best friend and no shoulder to cry on. That's why he had stopped crying in the first place. It was no good to cry if there wasn't a comforting shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Duo looked up, and forced all the gloomy thoughts out of his head. He looked down at his food (spam- yuck!), and then back at Qautre. "Don't we have anything else to eat?"

Quatre shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, Duo, but it's all we could get in such a short notice."

"Oh." Was all Duo said, and looked down at his plate. "Bummer."

Quatre frowned worriedly, unused to such a short and silent comment from Duo. Usually, the braided boy would have some colorful words to say about the food, or at least whine and complain endlessly. Today, he was quiet. Too quiet, which was very odd. The house was too silent, without a single cheerful laughter to fill in the frightening silence. It was odd.

"Duo?" The blond finally decided to break the silence, looking up at his friend. "Is everything all right?"

Duo sighed again, examining his meal from all directions. He looked aside, at the plate that was set beside his, and frowned. He noticed that unlike the others, Heero didn't have any beef on his plate, and also, the food was untouched. Looking up, he saw that Heero was just staring down at his meal, hands on his lap, shoulders slumped, face tired and sweaty.

Duo frowned worriedly, but he could feel Quatre's gaze on him, so he turned to face the other pilot. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Now that's a first..." Wufei muttered to himself, which earned him a quick glare from Duo. But then the braided boy's eyes darkened and he looked away.

"What are you thinking about?" Trowa was surprisingly the one to break the silence.

The rest of the pilots, except for Heero, looked up, waiting to hear the answer.

Duo sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Oh, nothing. Just the date."

"The date?!" Wufei asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you think about the date?! We've only been here for four hours and ALREADY do you want to leave?!"

Duo forced himself to chuckle, playing with his food. "No, Woofei. I'll be the LAST to complain about a week off... But..." What can I tell them? I don't want to lie... what can I say? Oh God... I hate being depressed! Brings TOO much attention to you!

Suddenly, Heero's head jerked up, and he looked up at the ceiling, eyes narrowing.

Duo turned to look at him, baffled. "Are you okay, Hee-man?"

Heero remained silent and motionless. Looking back down, staring at nothing, gaze unfocused.

"Heero?" Duo tried again, but got no response. He reached a hand to tap Heero lightly on the shoulder. "Heero."

The boy's head shot up, and he looked at Duo, startled.

Quatre and Duo exchanged a worried look, and then turned back to Heero.

"Heero, are you feeling okay?" The blond asked in concern.

"I'm..." Heero began, and then stopped, looking up at the ceiling again. He quickly returned his gaze down. "I'm fine."

Wufei frowned and Trowa raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?" Trowa ask, gesturing at the ceiling with his fork.

Heero sighed and shook his head. "I thought I heard something."

"There's no one here but us." Duo assured him. "We checked like a billion times just to make sure." He forced on a smile and patted Heero's shoulder lightly. "Just relax and try to enjoy this little time-off, eh?"

"NOT a time off, Maxwell. We're on a mission!" Wufei reminded him for the TENTH time today.

"Whatever." Duo said, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Heero; suddenly feeling better that the attention was lifted off of him. "Hey! I bet yer grumpy cuz you got the pink room, right? Yeah! That must be it! Heh, suits you for being so clumsy! It took you so long to get here, that all the other rooms were taken!"

"Hn." Heero grunted, and turned away from Duo's touch. He slowly picked up his fork and began to pick at his meatless meal. But no food came to his mouth.

"Clumsy?" Quatre inquired, stifling a smile. It was good to see that Duo was back to his normal self. And what was more amusing was that it was, out of all people, Heero who made him sound cheerful again. "Did something happen?"

"Oh! No biggie. Heero just thought that setting the surveillance equipment on the muddy ground will be a good idea..." Duo answered with a grin. "Right Heero?"

".……"

"See? He's feeling better now."

Heero sighed and threw his fork away. He slowly got up and prepared to walk out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Heero, where ya goin'?" Duo called after him.

"Bed." Was all the Japanese boy said, before he exited the large kitchen.

Duo frowned, looking down at his watch. It was way too early for bed.

"So, who takes first shift?" Trowa asked, and Duo forced himself to join the conversation, his mind on Heero all along.

* * *

The next day, at about noon, Duo walked out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He had taken the first shift after dinner, wanting to escape the realm of sleep and nightmares for a while. He decided that if he took only night shifts, then he'd sleep better. The nightmares weren't so bad during the day. If he could only last until that horrible date would pass, than he'll do fine. He told the guys that Shinigami would rather work nights, and then laughed manically. The guys gave him an odd look, but then nodded and wrote him down under all the nightshifts. He finished his shift at about five AM, and then Trowa took over for him.

He ran a hand through his messy chestnut bangs, which were sticking out in all directions, still messy from sleep. A towel was casually thrown over his shoulder, and he padded his way down the hall, to the bathroom. Yawning, he waved a small hello to Quatre, who was just walking by. The blond Arabian smiled back in return as the two passed by each other.

Once he was done, he skipped downstairs to have his breakfast. Wufei was seated by the large wooden table, a few surveillance reports in his hand, concealing his face.

"Working so early, Wu-man?" Duo teased as he poured himself some coco.

"Humph! Nothing you would know about, Maxwell." The Shenlong pilot snarled, shuffling his papers.

"I'll have you know that I worked pretty damn hard writing these reports!" He shot back, sitting down and glaring at the Chinese boy. "Not an easy task when you're dead tired at three o clock in the morning!"

"Chk!" Wufei snorted. "You misspelled 'military'. Twice!"

Duo blushed, ducking his head between his shoulders. "Hey, man, gimme a break! It was dark as hell out there!"

Quatre chuckled at the remark, sitting down by the two. "Take a candle with you next time."

Duo rolled his eyes. "I did! But it was so damn windy, it kept blowing off! Chk! Gimme a good ol' flashlight any day! I hate this middle ages stuff!"

Wufei rolled his eyes and Quatre giggled silently. He sent a quick glance at the kitchen clock, and then frowned. He looked back over his shoulder, glancing at the kitchen door, and his frown deepened. He looked at the clock again.

Duo raised a questioning eyebrow. "Something wrong?" He asked, sipping his hot chocolate.

Quatre sighed and looked back at the two. "Well, I just thought it odd that Heero hasn't come down yet. His shift starts in fifteen minutes." He looked out the kitchen window, facing the small grove that hid their surveillance station.

Duo frowned, looking out the window as well. Eventually, he shrugged. "Hey, maybe he over slept!"

Wufei slammed the papers down on the table, and Quatre whirled around to gape at the braided American.

None of them bought it.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, the three pilots looked up as they heard silent steps approach the kitchen. Duo smiled and put his mug down.

"Morning Hee--" He stopped the minute he realized that it was Trowa entering the kitchen, looking very much exhausted.

"T-Trowa!" Quatre called, jumping out of his seat. He rushed to make the boy some coffee.

"My shift ended ten minutes ago." Trowa pointed out silently, stifling a yawn. "No one came." He finished, his green eyes surveying the large kitchen. He blinked a few times, trying to stay awake. "Where's Heero?"

Both Wufei and Quatre shrugged, and Duo just made a face.

"Hm." The Heavyarms pilot grunted, taking a seat by the table. "The cameras are still recording, but I am too tired to keep watch. Someone else better do it."

Duo sighed and heavily got up. "Fine... fine... I'll go check up on him..." He muttered, sighing worriedly to himself. It was VERY unlike Heero to be so late.

* * *

He stood by Heero's bedroom door, and took a deep breath before knocking. As no answer came, he knocked again, more boldly this time.

But again there was just silence.

"Heero?" Duo called, rolling his eyes. "Heero, c'mon, man, open up!" He called, knocking harder. "Heero, your shift started fifteen minutes ago! Remember? Shift? Watching base? Mission?! Hellllllloooo! Anyone there!? Earth to Heero! Open the door man!"

Finally fed up with talking to the door, Duo decided to test the knob. He was surprised to find out that it was unlocked. That was odd. Heero ALWAYS locked his door. Maybe he was too tired last night, and forgot to do so. Which, again, was an odd thing in itself.

Slowly opening the door, Duo dared a peek into the room. First of all, he could tell that the room was suffocating. There was no fresh air to fill the room, for the window and the door, must have been closed all night.

Shaking his head, Duo stepped quietly into the room, walking over to the large window, which stood opposite to the door. He opened the drapes wide, wrinkling his nose as dust flew about him. Strong rays of sunshine crashed into the room, momentarily blinding Duo. He hurried to open the window wide, letting some fresh air in, and then turned to survey the room.

He couldn't help but giggle at the sight of it. The walls, strong and bright pink, were a sharp contrast to the darkness that was there moments ago. The pink wallpapers were old looking and worn, peeling off the wall in some places. The curtains were a lighter shade of pink, and also shabby looking. The furniture in the room was all mini-sized, the small chairs, table, desk and dresser fitting a small body of a six-year-old. The room was old looking and dusty like the rest of the house, the white carpet filled with filth, but it still looked kind of nice.

If you were a little girl. And one look at the small bed in the middle of the room, immediately suggested that the occupant of the pink room was not, in ANY way, a little girl. It was an over-sleeping Heero who was currently sprawled over the small and girlish looking bed, looking like a dead man with his head nearly falling off the pillow, and a pinkish blanket sliding off his body and to the floor.

Duo chuckled and shook his head. He wouldn't be caught DEAD sleeping in such a bed!

He slowly approached the bed, still smirking as his eyes drank the site off his comrade, covered by bright pink sheets. He stood by his bedside, just looking down at him for a little while. He couldn't help it. There was just something about Heero when he was asleep. His face wasn't so stern anymore. He looked relaxed, peaceful even. Innocent. His pouting lips slightly open, his light breath teasing his messy bangs, as they lay sprawled all over his features.

Duo smiled as he noticed Heero's hand was closed around the pillow, holding it. He reminded him of a small child, sleeping like that.

He was about to bend down and nudge Heero awake, when something suddenly dawned on him. He stopped his hand in mid motion, only halfway down. He frowned and inched closer to Heero, looking down at his face more closely.

His eyes narrowed in thought as he noticed the small beads of sweat trickling at Heero's temples. It was odd, for the room was quite cool, and Heero wasn't even covered with his blanket, and was wearing nothing but his shorts and a T-shirt.

Listening carefully, Duo could now hear that Heero's breath was a bit labored. Shallow and sometimes uneven. His eyes widened in worry, and he hurried to place a hand down on Heero's forehead.

The boy moaned silently at the cool touch, trying to pull away.

Duo gasped with realization. "Heero! You're running a fever!" He called in concern.

Cobalt eyes slowly fluttered open, and stared unfocusedly up ahead.

"Heero?" Duo asked carefully, slowly settling down on his knees in front of the bed. He looked down into Heero's glazed eyes. "Heero? Are you feeling well?"

Those blue oceans blinked again, and it took them a while to come back to focus. Heero then took a deep breath, and suddenly coughed.

"Duo..." He whispered, voice hoarse. "What... time?"

The short question was followed by a few more dry coughs, and Heero slowly closed his eyes, taking deep breaths.

"Time for you to get more rest!" Duo exclaimed, jumping up to his feet. "I'll tell the guys you're sick!"

Again Heero coughed, and Duo could see him shake his head. "...Duo."

"No arguments, Heero!" The boy nearly shouted, so worried all of a sudden. It was silly of him being so worried. It was probably just a damn and simple cold, but for some reason, it made him feel a little frightened. Maybe it was the thought of seeing Heero, the unbeatable one; bed ridden because of one, small and simple, cold. The thought of such a thing happening never dawned on him.

"You stay right there in bed and I'll bring ya some pills or something!" He added, almost breathlessly, running to the door.

"No…" Heero breathed, turning slowly in his bed. Dizziness assaulted him and he stopped, hands clutching the sheets. He took in deep breaths, trying to stop the bile that was climbing up to his throat. He breathed in, looking up at the ceiling. His eyes suddenly widened with comprehension.

"I'll be right back, Heero, so don't ya DARE get up!" Duo called, beginning to walk out the door.

"Duo!" Heero's hoarse voice called after him, and the braided boy whirled around, ready to scowl at the boy. "Heero! I said NO argu--"

"What day is it?"

"Huh?" Duo blinked, dumbfound.

Heero sighed silently, rolling over to lie on his side, facing Duo. "The date."

Duo's widened. "You wanna know the date?!" What the hell was wrong with him?! Why would he want to know the date?! Why now?! Why so close to the day when... Duo shook his head, forcing himself to come back to the 'here and now'.

"Well, uh, it's, um, April, uh, third. Why?"

Heero's eyes suddenly flashed darkly, and he turned around, groaning at the effort. His back was now facing Duo, and he slowly reached down a hand to pick up his blanket. Unfortunately for him, the cover just slid off the bed and fell to the floor.

Sighing and shaking his head, Duo walked back to the bed and picked up the blanket. He covered Heero tightly, watching in concern as the boy's body shivered slightly, his bronze skin covered with Goosebumps and sweating at the same time.

He might not be a doctor, but he guessed that it wasn't good.

"Wait right here, Heero. I'll go bring you some water." He told his friend, patting lightly on his shoulder as he got up.

"No." Heero croaked, looking up at Duo. "I need my laptop." He said, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Heero, you're sick! That means NO laptop and NO mission! I'll go get ya som--" He stopped the minute he saw Heero try to get up, pushing himself off the bed with much effort. "Heero! I said NO!" Duo called angrily, pushing the stubborn boy back to the bed. He nearly flinched when he felt how heated his skin was. He was burning.

"Heero! Stay down!"

But the boy wouldn't listen, pushing Duo aside. Normally, such movement would have flung Duo a few feet back, but it seemed that Heero's strength was running low. Duo rolled his eyes and struggled to put Heero back into the bed.

"Heero, someone else will cover for you, okay?" He tried more softly this time, hoping that Heero would listen to the voice of reason for once in his life. "Heero, please. You're sick." He let out, violet eyes silently pleading the boy to listen to him.

Cobalt eyes stared at him sharply for the longest of times, before Heero finally slumped back down to the bed.

Sighing heavily, Duo forced himself to smile. "Good boy." He let out, getting up. "I'll go get you some water."

* * *

"Well, is he coming?" Quatre asked the minute Duo walked back into the kitchen.

"'Fraid not." Duo answered, shaking his head.

Wufei looked up from his papers, raising an eyebrow. "And why not?"

Duo sighed, pouring some tap water into a glass. "Sick."

"SICK?!" Everyone called at once.

Duo sighed again. "Yep. Sick." He turned to face his fellow pilots; silently noting that Trowa was gone. He probably went back to sleep, or back outside, waiting for Heero. He sighed and prepared to walk out of the kitchen again.

"Well, what's wrong with him?" Quatre asked, trailing after Duo.

"He's running quite a fever." The braided boy answered, climbing up the stairs. "He looks real sick and all, so I told him to stay in bed."

"And he actually listen to you?!" Quatre asked, amazed.

"Well, I sure hope so." Duo muttered, while the two walked up to Heero's door. "It will do him little good if he'll step out of..." He stopped as he opened the door, immediately seeing that the bed was empty. Rolling his eyes, he flung the door open and stormed into the room.

"Heero! I told you to stay in be--"

Both Quatre and he gasped as they entered the room and spotted Heero's trembling form, sprawled down on the floor. He was lying beside a small desk, where his laptop stood.

"Heero!" Duo called worriedly, and ran towards the boy. "Heero! I told you not to get up!" He reproached, kneeling down by the fallen boy. Heero was breathing hard, sweat soaked into the thin fabric of his shirt.

"What happened?" Duo asked as he helped the boy up.

"Dizzy." Heero breathed as an answer, grunting a little as Duo hoisted him up and guided him back to the bed.

"Then why'd you get up?!" Duo insisted, helping Heero lie down. "You're so stubborn sometimes! I swear I don't know what to d--"

"What is this?" Quatre's voice interrupted Duo's ranting, and both boys looked up at where Quatre stood by the laptop, holding the lid up and pointing at the screen.

Heero sighed and looked away.

"What were you trying to do?" The blond boy asked carefully, looking back down at the screen.

Duo walked over to the portable computer and looked down as well. There was a message box and a 'Emergency!' flashing over it. He looked back up at the bed.

"What is it? Is something wrong? Another mission?" Duo asked, and then suddenly his eyes narrowed in anger. "You're not planning on leaving in this condition, are you?!" He demanded harshly, planting his hands on his hips. "Because I'm not letting you out in this condition!"

Heero just coughed silently and looked away. "That's not it." He whispered in a hoarse voice. He turned to look back at the laptop. "Duo, just let me have it."

"No! I told you already! No! God damn it! Why won't you listen!?"

"Duo! It's YOU who isn't' listening to me!" Heero shouted back, panting from the effort. "Just give it here so I ca- I ca-- ca! -- !!!" He was stopped by a loud coughing fit, out of air and struggling to breathe. He raised a hand up to his mouth, inhaling deeply, trying to catch his breath.

Duo watched in horror as Heero struggled for air, punching his own chest, his face turning red from the effort. But the coughing fit did not cease, and Duo could see Heero's eyes glaze over in lack of oxygen. Frightened, he launched towards the bed, desperate to help his friend.

But he only got there in time to catch Heero's body as he slumped forward. He had passed out.

"HEERO!"

* * *

Dipping a soft cloth in some cool water, Duo turned slowly to the small bed, and reached down to place the cloth gently on Heero's fevered face.

Quatre and he put a few large cushions behind Heero, supporting the boy upper body, to make breathing a little easier. Heero had not regained consciousness, and was still radiating heat. They gave him some antibiotics to keep the fever down, but they did little help. It was odd, and it made Duo worried sick.

Wufei had taken over Heero's shift, and was currently spying on the base. Trowa was in his room, sleeping, while Quatre was downstairs, trying to find out a way to breach radio silence and get some help and medicine for Heero. From what Duo could gather, it did little help so far.

A silent moan cut Duo's string of thought, and he looked down, smiling a little as he saw Heero was coming to. These cobalt eyes looked up at him hazily, then blinked a few times, only to remain closed.

"Heero?" Duo asked carefully, reaching for his friend's hand. It was warm and sweaty as well, making Duo wince at the contact. "Heero, are you awake?"

Nothing but silence answered him for a long while, until he heard Heero take a deep breath, his cracked lips slowly parting.

"Lap... top…"

Duo rolled his eyes, anger boiling inside him once again. He took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger. "Heero, we've been over this already."

"No..." The Japanese boy mumbled, struggling to open his eyes. He looked up at Duo, blinking against the strong light that was blinding him. "Need it... bring it... over..."

Duo sighed, letting go of Heero's hand. "You're very stubborn, you know that?!" He grunted as he got up, walking over the accursed laptop. He saw that it was connected to a small transmitter, and frowned. "What's this?" He asked, turning to look at Heero, who was still lying on the bed, his eyes now closed.

"...type."

Duo blinked, confused. "Type?! What's a 'ty--" He stopped himself the minute he realized his silly mistake. "Oh." He let out, looking down at the keyboard. "Type what?" He finally asked, placing the pointer over the text box that flashed 'Emergency!'.

Heero took a deep breath before finally speaking. "Co-conf... Confirmation... zero... one…" He mumbled, then suddenly gasped.

Worried about Heero passing out again, but wanting to help, Duo typed that it. The text box vanished, and a few seconds later, another appeared. Duo frowned. "Okay... it's says to 'please specify'."

Taking in another deep breath, Heero blinked a few times, looking up at the ceiling.

Duo's fingers waited on the keyboard.

"V..." Heero finally let out, and Duo pressed on the 'V' key.

"Zero..."

Duo punched in the 'zero' button.

"Eight..."

Duo's eyes looked up at the screen, where the code was forming. He typed '8'.

"...seven..."

A small frown appeared on Duo's features, his eyes scanning the written letters.

"Four..."

Duo's slowly eyes widened.

"Four."

He gasped, blinking rapidly as he studied the screen. "V...0... 8744???" He gasped again, whirling around to look at Heero. "V08744? Like the L2 colony?! That kind of V08744?!?!"

Heero didn't answer, but Duo could see him nod faintly. He was about to open his mouth and add something more, but then the laptop suddenly biped. He turned back to face it, still a little numb from shock. V08744... that was his colony! That's where he was... when everything he... where the people he... that was HIS colony!

A new message blinked on the screen, and Duo forced his confused mind to read it over. Slowly, he read it out for Heero. "It's asking what stage." He let out, voice suddenly cold and detached.

But Heero didn't answer.

"Heero, what stage?" Duo asked, slowly looking up from the computer. "What does this all mean?"

Taking a deep and shallow breath, Heero fluttered his eyes open. "...two."

"Huh?!" Duo asked dumbly, too shocked and confused to comprehend anything at the moment. "Two what?" The colony?

"Stage... two..." Heero whispered, coughing weakly. He moaned silently, turning to lie on his side. "Type 'stage two'..."

Nodding his head slightly, Duo did as told. There was this sound then, like the hard drive was working very hard on something, and then the little transmitter began humming like crazy. Duo watched it all with a detached gaze, his mind suddenly numb.

What did Heero have to do with his colony?! Was he sent to do a mission there?! Was he going to destroy his... home? To kill MORE people there!? What was going on?!?!

"Heh, it's been about five years since you broke radio silence, Heero." A rough voice suddenly called, and Duo jumped up in his chair, startled.

On the bed, curled in a sweaty mess of sheets and limps, Heero moaned silently.

The voice chuckled darkly, and then sighed.

Duo turned slowly to face the laptop and nearly winced as he was confronted with the face of one, very amused, Doctor J.

Duo's eyes narrowed. "How the hell did you get in here?!"

J looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Oh, Zero Two... what a surprise. So he can't even get out of bed to do this?"

"Huh?" Duo gaped at him, baffled. "How'd you know?"

"You just told me, didn't you? I didn't think that Heero would trust anyone else to do this for him, though..."

Duo frowend. What the hell did he mean by that?! "Told you!? All I did was fucking type! And what is this shit with the L2 colony! What's going on here?!"

"...Duo..." Heero's whisper came from the bed, his voice weak and hoarse. Duo turned to look at him, but could only see that he was lying curled up in a fetal position, his face hidden behind the covers.

From the laptop, J sighed. "It seems more serious than I thought. You got careless, Heero."

From the bed, Heero coughed. "No... time..."

"There's always time. And especially for this. Now look at you, sick in the middle of a mission!"

Again the Japanese boy coughed. "G-gomen..." He whispered, coughing again, but not looking up at the screen. "...help?"

Again J sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can. It might take a while to get to you."

"How... long?" Heero croaked, panting as if in pain.

Duo turned his stunned gaze back to the screen, seeing J frown in thought. "Three days. Maybe four. Could be more. Can you make it?"

Heero was silent for a long time, apparently thinking it over. At last, he coughed, shifting a little in the bed. "Too... long."

Duo frowned. "What? What's too long? What the hell is going on?!" He demanded, punching the desk. He whirled to glare down at J. "Listen, old man, you better start spilling answers soon or I'll--"

"There's no need for threats, Zero Two." The old scientist cut in. "The facts are quite simple, actually."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Then enlighten me!"

The Dr. sighed, and in the background, Heero coughed. "You must be familiar with the plague that raged on L2 V08744 a few years back."

Duo winced, but managed to nod.

The Dr. saw that and continued. "Well, at that time, Heero had spent some time in that colony."

Duo's eyes widened. Heero was on V08744?[i]

J continued without noticing Duo's paling features. "...his caretaker. He was infected with the disease, but was given the antidote, just in the nick of time, as they say."

Duo frowned, not seeing where this was going.

"He was saved, but since the vaccine was given to him when he was so far gone into the disease, the antidote did not succeed in eliminating the infection completely." Here, the doctor paused, sighing silently. "It comes back, every year, around the same time when he had first fallen ill."

Duo's eyes winded. April third... Heero had fallen ill on April third... Solo died on April seventh... Also from the plague.

He hurried to look away from the screen, fighting back the tears. Solo had died from that plague. Nearly everyone he knew died from it. And now Heero has it... and now... now Heero could die too... like... like everyone else... like... like Solo...

"...during his training, I was always able to give him the antidote, but now, with the war, it will be hard to do so." The old man concluded, looking harshly at the direction of the bed. "You should have reminded me earlier, Heero."

The boy on the bed did not respond.

Sighing heavily, the Dr. turned back to Duo. "I will send you the vaccine, but it might take time. Time Heero doesn't have. Once awakened, the virus rages in an unbelievable rate. It takes about--"

"Four days." Duo spat miserably, turning back to glare at the Doc. "Four to five days. I know." He added, his eyes suddenly falling dark.

J examined the young pilot for a short while, before nodding his head curtly. "Precisely. I will send it to you, but with OZ holding up all the shuttles coming down to Earth, I am uncertain as to when it will reach you."

Having nothing to say, Duo merely nodded. This cold sensation began running through his veins, chilling him and making his body stiff with shock. He could hear his heart beating, slowly, loudly, echoing through his whole body. He felt sick all of a sudden. Cold. Numb. Shocked. And most of all, scared. For the first time in a long while, Duo Maxwell was scared.

He was scared, because suddenly, just like that, realization hit him. It hit him as hard as a rock. He realized that here, in this room, lay his best friend. And he also realized, that, once again, he was about to loose that best friend.

Part 2.

Back