Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Laila Bli Cohav (a night without a star) ❯ Chapter 3

LAILA BLI COHAV

(A NIGHT WITHOUT A STAR)

PART THREE

* * *

Soft sunshine filtered thought the drapes, illuminating Duo's room with orange rays of light. Dust particles danced lazily in the air, as if moved by an unknown force. Lying on the large bed in the middle of the room, was Duo. His braid was sprawled carelessly over his pillow, short strands of hair sticking out in every direction. He lay on his side, facing the window, watching the thick clouds as they crawled slowly through the heavens.

He had slept little that night, guarding Heero's sleep until sunrise. He tried to keep the fever down, washing the boy's face gently with the cloth, trying to ease his discomfort. Heero's breathing seemed to be calmer that night, and the boy had slept soundly throughout the hours of darkness. When the sun rose from behind the grassy hills, Duo silently left the room, not wanting to be there while the others were awake and ready to rebuke him.

He slumped tiredly on the bed, but only managed to sleep for about three hours or so. Nightmares plagued his sleep, memories of a hard past full of pain and sickness. He didn't remember a lot of the dream, but it woke him up and left him to brood in his misery. And so he lay there in his bed, curled into a fetal position, watching the view out his window with numb eyes.

Heero looked pretty bad last night. He could swear that the Japanese boy barely recognized him. The look in his eyes... it was so confused... like he wasn't sure where he was. And then the coughing fit... it was getting worse each time. It was a wonder Heero was still breathing at all. Two days into the disease... Solo was barely alive two days into the disease... But Heero... he was holding on. He was so strong... Maybe... just maybe... maybe there was a chance? Could he dare hope?

Duo sighed, closing his eyes sadly. No. Hope was bad. It makes you feel even worse when it is crushed. He had hoped Solo would live. He had hoped that once he will give him the antidote, he would be okay. But he wasn't okay. He was dead.

Whimpering silently, Duo reached two hands to wipe his tears away. "Boys don't cry..." He mumbled to himself, feeling bad for shedding tears. "They don't cry..."

He then promised himself, that when Heero dies, he would not cry.

Boys don't cry.

Not for anyone and not for Heero.

Again Duo whimpered, turning in his bed, burying his face into the pillow. "Heero... I don't want to cry... so... so please... I don't want to cry..."

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap...

Heero looked up from his bed, blue eyes hazed from fever. He forced himself up on one elbow, trying to get a better look at the room.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Again, the soft sound came to his ears, and Heero's breath quickened in anticipation. He felt his body tremble under the effort of keeping himself up, so he slumped back into the bed.

Tap. . . Tap. . . Tap. . .

Sighing and cursing his curiosity, Heero pulled himself up, sitting on the bed, leaning heavily against his small mountain of pillows. Panting, he reached a hand up to wipe his sweaty face, and blinked a few times, adjusting his vision. He slowly turned to look at the corner of the room, and was surprised to see that the ball was gone.

Had he imagined it too? Was it another hallucination? Or did someone take it away? Was it Quatre?

Tap! Tap! Tap!

He whirled his head around, facing the doorway again. His cobalt eyes widened in brief surprise as he saw the pink ball bound once, and then land at the opening of his bedroom. After that, it just stood still.

Puzzled, Heero tried his best to get up, but his limbs were un-cooperative. Sighing heavily, he slumped back into the cushions, and just stared tiredly at the ball.

Hazed cobalt eyes blinked slowly as a pair of small feet came to stand by the ball. Thin ankles, white pantyhose clad around chubby little legs, and white, polished shoes that shone under the soft rays of sunshine.

Heero blinked again, swallowing slowly, as the little girl bent down and picked up her ball. He followed her with his numb gaze as she slowly stood up again, smiling at him.

He gasped in response, and the girl giggled. But no sound came from her mouth. Heero frowned, wondering why his hallucination came with no sound. That would be pretty boring, he mused.

Still giggling, the child tilted her head sideways in amusement, studying the Japanese boy on the bed. Heero just stared at her, unable to look away from those large, and haunting, hazel eyes.

At last, the girl raised the ball up with her hands, smiling at Heero.

He nearly flinched when she threw it at him. Acting on reflex, his arms flew up and caught the ball. He stared down at it in shock, surprised that he could catch something his imagination had conjured up. He just looked down dazedly at the ball in his hands, studying it from all direction, as if it was an alien thing that he had never seen before.

Deciding that it was indeed a solid, existing, ball he was holding, Heero looked back up at the girl.

She was still standing by the doorway, studying him with her large hazel eyes. A smile was playing on her pale features, and she slowly raised her hands up, gesturing Heero to throw her the ball.

Baffled, Heero looked down at the ball in his hands, then at the girl, and back again. He sent her a questioning look, raising the ball up in question. No one EVER wanted to play ball with him...

Smiling kindly at him, the girl gestured for the ball again.

Sighing, Heero gave up on trying to figure this all out, and raised the ball up in the air.

He threw it, cobalt eyes following it as it flew across the room, descending down towards the little girl.

And passing right through her.

His eyes widened in surprise as he watched the ball fly right through the little girl, who was jumping up in the air, hands up, trying desperately to catch the ball.

But the pink sphere just kept flying out the door.

Until it hit Trowa on the head.

The Heavyarms pilot came into a quick halt, standing in the middle of the hallway, right in front of Heero's door.

Heero watched him, eyes wide, as the green-eyed pilot blinked a few times, then slowly turned his head down to look at the floor. He blinked again as he saw the ball, and then slowly bent down to pick it up. He rose slowly back to his full height, looking down at the pink ball in puzzlement. He then slowly turned his head to look at Heero.

The Japanese boy was sitting in his bed, blue eyes scrutinizing Trowa's reaction. He remained stoic and silent as the other pilot gazed down at the ball again, blinking in confusion. For a few long moments the two just gazed at each other, faces unreadable.

Eventually, Trowa nodded, bent down again and carefully rolled the ball into the room.

Heero watched with numb eyes as the small object rolled right past the doorway, and through the girl's body again. He whirled his head up to look at Trowa's reaction, but the other boy just nodded once and walked away.

Confused, Heero let his gaze down, staring at the ball.

The little girl giggled soundlessly.

* * *

Trowa walked silently into the kitchen, heading towards the fridge to get himself a drink. The kitchen was flooded with pure white sunshine, making the gloomy room look brighter than usual. Sitting by the kitchen table, was Quatre, a bunch of papers, folders and reports spread all around the table. He was busy reading through one of the reports, looking quite thoughtful.

The wooden floor creaked under Trowa's feet as he walked, and Quatre looked up.

"Oh! Hi Trowa!" The Arabian called, looking up with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Trowa nodded, and then bent down to look through the refrigerator.

"How did your nightshift go?"

"Nothing noticeable occurred."

"It was really nice of you to cover for Duo." Quatre commented, looking at his friend while he drank.

Trowa shrugged. "Someone had to do it." He gazed out the window briefly, and walked to sit across of Quatre. "Is Wufei outside?"

"Yes." The blond nodded in confirmation. "I'm switching with him in two hours."

Trowa nodded in understanding. He gazed over his shoulder, at the kitchen door, then turned back to face the other boy. "And Duo?"

Quatre sighed, bowing his head down sorrowfully. "He hasn't come down yet."

Trowa didn't answer, and Quatre sighed silently. He returned to reading his reports.

"What are you reading?" Trowa asked after a long while of silence.

"Oh, just the mission briefing. I realized that I didn't go through all of it yet." He explained sheepishly, turning a page and beginning to read another. "There are some interesting facts about this house."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Interesting? How so?"

Quatre scanned a few more sentences, and then looked up at his friend. "Well, we were sent here to watch the base because there is some suspicion that OZ are training some, um, well, to put it bluntly- psychopaths, as soldiers."

Trowa nodded. "That's right." He confirmed, gazing out the window again. "We are to confirm the suspicion, and if it's true than we must destroy the base."

"Yes, I know." The blind muttered with a silent sigh. "That's what they told us. What they didn't tell us, I found out today."

Trowa raised an eyebrow in question, and Quatre sighed again. "It appears that there's been some serious murder cases in this region. In the farms around the base, including this house."

"OZ?" Trowa asked, already knowing the answer.

Quatre nodded sadly. "They were using civilians as target practice."

Something dark flashed in Trowa's green eyes, but other than that, he showed no response.

"There was a family living here a few years back, they were all brutally killed."

"Who was killed?" A new voice came from behind, and both pilots looked up to see Duo standing in the kitchen door, yawning.

"The former residents of this house." Trowa replied silently, watching Duo as he walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms.

"Oh. Neato." The braided boy spat sarcastically, walking over to the fridge. "So what should we expect? Rattling chains? Flying white sheets..."

Quatre giggled. "Nothing of that sort, I'm afraid. They were all buried far from here."

"Oh. Bummer." Duo commented dryly, taking out a bottle of water and coming to sit by his friends. "So ghosts don't bother traveling ten thousand miles just to haunt their old place?"

Again Quatre smiled. "I don't think they do. But I wouldn't know, I don't believe in ghosts."

"Hey! C'mon! Just about EVERYBODY believes in ghosts!" Duo exclaimed. "It's like the laws of nature of something. Ya gotta be afraid of a spooky thing like that, right Trowa?" He turned to the other pilot for help.

"I don't believe in ghosts, Duo." Trowa informed him quietly. "At least not the kind you refer to." He sighed, looking Duo straight in the eyes. "Everybody has a ghost, we all have the things that haunt us. Dead or undead."

Duo sighed, casting his gaze down. "Yeah, I know..." He muttered, looking numbly at his drink. "Everybody's got a ghost..." Mine has golden hair, pale features, and golden-green eyes with their light long gone...

* * *

Tap! BANG! Tap! BANG! Tap! BANG! Tap!

Sitting up in his bed, Heero sighed and caught the ball. He was lying supported by his mountain of pillows, facing the opposite wall. He was busying himself with throwing the ball at the wall, watching it bounce back at him and then throw it again.

The room was empty and silent, aside form the noise of the rubber ball hitting the wall and flying back to Heero's waiting hands. The girl was long gone, leaving her ball behind her. Heero mused that it's a sign that his fever was going down a bit. He really did feel a little better now, almost refreshed. While he still felt ill and weak, he was able to sit up and play with the stupid pink ball.

Tap! BANG! Tap! BANG! Tap!

Heero let his mind drift as he mindlessly threw the ball at the wall, his vision blurring as he stopped paying much attention to his game.

Tap! BANG! Tap! BA---

Heero looked down at his palms, waiting for the ball to bounce back to him. But it did no such thing. Baffled, Heero looked up, and gasped.

The little girl was standing in front of his bed, holding the ball in her small hands.

Heero swallowed, pushing himself up a bit, still gaping at the girl.

The child smiled kindly at him, raising the ball up and looking at him in question.

Slowly, Heero nodded, his body still numb with shock. He watched in mild surprise as the girl threw the ball at him, and raised his hands to catch it.

The girl giggled silently, making no sound of course, and then bounced in the air happily, clapping her hands.

Heero couldn't help but smile weakly at her joy, and then slowly raised the ball up in a questioning look. The girl smiled and nodded, urging him to throw her the ball. Taking a deep breath, Heero did just that, and watched with dread and anticipation as if flew across the room.

It landed on the floor behind the girl.

Sighing, he looked down sadly, bowing his head. Looking up through his messy bangs, he could see the girl pout sadly, looking down at the ball with tearful and longing eyes.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered weakly, looking up at her forlorn expression. He didn't understand why she couldn't catch it. His illusion could obviously HOLD the ball, and even THROW it at him, but it didn't work the other way. Why was that? Why was this illusion so strange?

The girl just sighed, and then shrugged helplessly. She smiled this little sad smile at him, and slowly walked over to his bed.

Heero's body tensed in reflex as the small child walked over to his bedside, looking at him with her large hazel eyes. They were so innocent and pure... so much like... so much like her... that girl...

Suddenly, the girl's smile faded, as if she could sense his misery. She reached a small palm to comfort him, but he could not feel her touch. He just looked down numbly at where her small palm was touching his hand, but he could feel nothing. Just his little tingle, but it was faint and disappeared quickly. Raising his head up slowly, he turned to look at the girl.

She was reaching a hand to the back of her white dress, pulling something from there. He watched with wide eyes as she handed him the delicate item.

A flower.

A single, white, flower.

Heero had to force himself to breathe, taking in a shaky breath, his hand trembling as he reached up to take it. Slowly, hesitantly, he touched the flower, looking at it as if it was God himself he was touching. Once his fingers made contact with the delicate flower, he gasped and pulled away, surprised that it was real.

His stunned blue eyes darted up to the girl's face, and he saw that she was smiling. He looked back down at the flower, and then gently pulled it out of her grasp. He slowly brought it up to his face, looking at it with wide blue eyes, mouth slightly open in shock.

Again the girl giggled, and he looked up as he caught her movement in the corner of his eyes. She skipped over to a small white chair across the room, parallel to his bed. She flashed him a wide smile before finally sitting down, her small legs dangling down from the chair, swinging from side to side. Her hazel eyes were dancing with a new light, lighted by her smile.

Somehow, Heero managed to smile back, this faltering little smile, and that made the girl's beaming smile grow. He looked down at the flower in his hands, too shocked to try and process what just happened.

That's when Wufei walked into the room.

"Yuy, I brought you some lunch. Are you up to it?" The Chinese pilot called as he walked into the room, carrying a small tray with a single bowl of soup.

Heero followed him with his eyes as he came to the bed, placing the tray carefully on a small table, right next to the chair the little girl was sitting on. He was sure that the pilot will have something to say about the girl's presence in the room, but he said nothing. It confused him. If the girl could hold a flower, a real flower, and a ball, then she must be real. Or at least not a figment of his imagination. Or maybe the flower was an illusion as well?

Staring dumbly at his little white flower, Heero sighed and carefully looked up. He handed the flower to Wufei.

Wufei, who was just picking the steaming bowl of soup off the table, turned to look at Heero, and blinked. He looked at the flower he was handing him, and blinked again. He looked up at Heero, very much confused. Heero Yuy had just handed him a... flower?! What the hell?!

Clearing his throat, Wufei coughed nervously, and then looked at Heero, a frown on his face.

Now feeling very silly, Heero let his hand down and looked away.

Wufei sighed and shook his head, muttering something under his breath. He handed the soup to Heero.

"I just wanted to see if it was there." Heero mumbled in a hoarse voice, taking the soup from Wufei, but he was too embarrassed to look up at the other pilot.

Wufei paused for a second, before handing Heero a spoon. "Of course it was there, Yuy, you were holding it."

Heero sighed and nodded weakly. A few hours ago, that would have made perfect sense. But now, it was just darn right confusing.

Sighing again, Heero took the spoon from Wufei and dipped it into the soup; his gaze on the girl all along. She was still sitting on the little chair, giggling soundlessly to herself. Heero turned back to Wufei, but the Shenlong pilot didn't seem to notice the girl's presence.

"Careful!" Wufei called as he saw Heero had spilled some soup over the bed, while raising the spoon up to his mouth, but not looking at what he was doing.

Heero flinched, a bit startled, and looked down at his mess. "I'm sorry." He let out hoarsely, and sent another quick glance at the girl. She was laughing now, pointing at him and rolling back in her chair. Heero frowned and then glared at her.

"Do you need any help?" Wufei asked, looking at Heero with concern.

"No." Heero answered without turning to face him.

The Japanese boy turned to face his soup, picking up the spoon again. Sighing deeply, he began sipping his soup. Wufei remained seated next to him, making sure he eats and doesn't spill the soup again. From time to time, Heero would look up at Wufei as he ate. He clutched his fists around the flower he was holding, wanting to make sure that it was indeed there. He studied Wufei's features, and frowned. He glanced quickly at the girl, and his frown deepened.

The girl was right there... why couldn't he see her?

* * *

That evening, Quatre walked silently into Heero's room, seeing Duo glance at him from where he was climbing up the stairs. Ignoring the boy's indifferent look for now, Quatre stepped into the room.

A soft summer storm entered the room through the window, filling the room with the scents of spring and the upcoming thunderstorm. It played with the thin curtain, flipping them up and down, the dim twilight that came form the outside flickering as the curtains rose up and down.

Heero was lying in his bed, sheets tossed aside, exposing the bare mattress and Heero's boxer clad body. His t-shirt was thrown aside, down on the floor. Quatre didn't remember seeing him take it off, but he mused that Heero had done it by himself. The soft breeze washed over his sweat-covered torso, caressing the smooth bronze skin as Heero's chest rose slowly with each labored breath.

Sighing deeply, Quatre walked towards the small bed, heading to the nightstand. He dipped his hand into the small bowl of water, sighing when he found that the water had warmed up, and that there wasn't much left. He picked up a few bottles of medicine, and took a small cup for measurement. He poured some cough syrup into the tiny cup, making sure to put just the right amount. Plucking open a few bottles of pills, he set them neatly next to each other, and then sat down on Heero's bed.

He took a few moments to just look down at Heero's pale features, calm and relaxed in his sleep.

After some moments, Quatre reached down a hand and gently nudged Heero awake.

Coughing weakly, the Japanese boy opened his eyes, blinking a few times before looking up at Quatre. The blond smiled kindly at him, and helped Heero up a bit, fluffing some pillows for him to lean on.

"Pill time." He whispered, handing Heero the small cup of syrup.

Sighing silently, Heero took the cup from him, his blue eyes looking up and about the room. It was dim, and quite hot, but other than Quatre and he, it was empty. Sighing again, he gulped his medicine, silently thinking that it did him little good. He was sure that Quatre knew that as well, but still, the blond insisted on giving him at least four more pills, and two glasses of water.

After he was done, Heero slumped back into his covers, moaning silently and closing his tired eyes. Even the last dim rays of sunlight were hurting his eyes. He felt rotten, hot, sticky and sweaty. His body still ached, but at least breathing was somewhat easier.

"Heero, do you need anything?" Quatre asked silently, pushing a few damp bangs out of Heero's closed eyes. "Are you hungry? Do you think you can eat anything?"

Taking a deep breath, Heero somehow managed to slightly shake his head. As silence fell between them, Heero slowly opened his eyes, and carefully turned his head to look at the door. It was open again, and he could see the soft flickering of candles coming from the hallway. His eyes widened briefly as he saw Duo, walking down the corridor, past his door, placing a small candle on the floor, while holding another one in his other hand.

Noticing that he was being watched, the braided boy slowly stood up, from where he was putting the candle, and turned to look at Heero.

Cobalt met violet and Heero couldn't help but gape at the sight of Duo's eyes. Never, in all the time he knew the baka, did he see those eyes look so... serious. Almost haunted. Silent. Without a spark of laughter. Maybe it was the shadows dancing across his face, or maybe it was Heero's blurry vision, but nevertheless, Heero could fit only one word to the look on Duo's face: Dark. Duo's face looked dark and ominous. And for some reason, Heero found that was the most disturbing thing he had EVER seen. It made him sick to the core, seeing that wretched look in Duo's usually lively eyes.

He couldn't take much more of it, so he turned his gaze away, closing his eyes.

Duo sighed heavily, and looked away as well.

Just then Quatre realized that Duo was standing in the doorway, and his eyes widened briefly. "Duo, you're not supposed to be here." He whispered harshly.

"I know." Duo let out bitterly, taking a deep breath and straightening up. "I was just going."

On the bed, Heero coughed.

"I'm sorry, Duo." Quatre said apologetically, his eyes shimmering with sorrow. "But we can't risk it."

Again Heero coughed, louder this time. His cough was followed by a silent moan of pain.

Duo's gaze was soon on him, eyebrows nearing in worry. "Heero? Are you okay?"

Coughing, Heero nodded weakly, brining a hand up to his chest, placing it over his heart.

"Heero?" Quatre asked worriedly, looking down at his friend. His eyes widened in fear as he saw that the boy was having difficulty in catching his breath, gulping for large amounts of air, his eyes wide, looking numbly up at the ceiling.

"Oh God! Heero!" Quatre cried out, jumping off the bed with worry. He struggled to pull Heero up, trying to clear his airways, but Heero's sweaty body kept slipping out of his grasp.

Seeing this, Duo hurried into the room.

"Duo- no! Stay back!" Quatre commanded, still struggling to help Heero.

"But--" Duo began, looking desperately at Heero.

"No buts! Just stay out, Duo. I can handle it." Quatre assured him.

Still gasping for air, Heero looked up at Duo's direction, seeing the boy slump his shoulders sadly, looking at him with an unfamiliar gleam in his eyes.

"Onii-san?" A new voice suddenly whispered, and Heero's eyes widened in surprise. Still gasping and struggling to breathe, Heero turned his head aside, to face the other side of the room.

"Can you hear me?!" The small and childish voice called, and Heero sucked in a deep breath, then the coughing returned. His blue eyes widened even more if possible, when he saw her. Standing in the corner of the room, her ball in her hands and her big hazel eyes staring at him, shimmering in the dark.

"Ah--ek!" He choked out, reaching a trembling hand up, as if calling for her.

"Heero, calm down! Just relax and try to breathe!" Quatre begged him, grabbing his hand and gently pushing it back to the bed.

Heero choked out another groan of protest, trying to raise his hand up again.

"Heero, please! Just try to calm down!" Quatre's voice rang in his ears again, but he ignored it, looking at the girl all along, his eyes begging her to speak again.

But the girl remained silent, looking at him with a somewhat detached look in her eyes.

"That's it, Heero, just take deep breaths..."

He could feel Quatre's hands on him, patting his back, raising his upper body up, trying to help him breathe. Eventually, the coughing ceased, and Heero fell back into the bed, exhausted. He just lay there, breathless, not taking his eyes off the girl, still waiting for her to speak.

"Heero, are you all right?" Quatre's voice rang softly in his ear, but he paid him no mind. He held his breath as he saw the girl open her mouth, and waited breathlessly for her to speak again.

But no sound came out of her mouth.

Sighing deeply, Heero slumped back into the covers. The girl let her gaze down sadly, her small lips pouting.

"Heero?" Duo's voice came from the door, and Heero forced himself to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

He sounded so... worried. His voice full of dread. And that weird gleam, it was still in his eyes, shining under the soft candle light of the hallway.

Heero tried to figure what that gleam was, but then another coughing fit began, and he had to concentrate on keeping his breath even. He felt his lungs burn, and his face grew hotter, all red and trickling with fat beads of sweat. He could feel Quatre's hands on him, trying to help, to soothe, anything.

At last, the coughing subsided, and Heero sank back into the covers.

The room was now silent again, and all that could be heard were Heero's labored breathing as he took quick breaths for air.

"Heero?" Quatre began carefully, sitting down by the boy again. "Is everything okay now?"

Struggling to keep his eyes open, Heero slowly turned to look at Quatre. He sent a quick glance over to the girl, and then turned back to Quatre. Licking his cracked lips in thirst, he took a deep breath and finally spoke: "...I can't hear her..."

Baffled by Heero's statement, Quatre reached down and rested a cool palm on Heero's forehead. Wincing at the contact, Quatre hurried to pull the hand away, looking down worriedly at his friend. "You're burning hot." He looked up at Duo, who was still standing by the doorway, looking paler than snow on a mountain top. "Duo, go fill a tub for him. Make the water cool, but not too much. I think he might be delusional."

With no arguments, Duo nodded and ran towards the bathroom.

Quatre sighed and turned back to look at Heero. The boy's eyes were closed again, and he had apparently fallen asleep, one hand over his chest as it slowly rose up and down.

In the corner of the room, large hazel eyes shimmered in worry.

* * *

Duo's foot tapped nervously on the bathroom's floor as he watched the tub slowly fill with water. He bent down and dipped his hand in the water several times, checking on their temperature. He had put a few candles in the room, which made the white porcelain walls shine with a dim orange color. Shadows danced around every corner, and only the sound of the running water could be heard, echoing in the small room.

After the tub was halfway filled, Duo ran out of the room, heading back to where he had come from. He skidded to a stop by Heero's door, one hand on the doorframe, and peeked inside.

He could see Quatre, struggling to help Heero out of his bed. The Japanese boy was too weak to stand on his own, and he leaned heavily over Quatre's shoulder. Unfortunately, the smaller boy could barely support Heero's weight as the Wing pilot leaned heavily over his shorter form, one limp hand over his shoulders. He had to hold that hand to keep Heero from slipping, and he put his other hand around the boy's slender waist. By the time Heero had managed to stand up, he was panting hard, coughing from time to time.

"C'mon, Heero." Quatre groaned in effort, hoisting Heero higher, for the boy kept slipping down, his legs unable to support him any longer. "We're just gonna go to the bathroom, it's not far."

Barely conscious, Heero forced his eyes to remain open, glazed pools of cobalt staring numbly up ahead.

"C'mon..." Quatre breathed, taking a step forward. He waited for Heero to take a shaky step as well, and then took another.

"Quatre, this is stupid." Duo's voice came from the door. "At this rate, you'll be there in a year!"

"You keep a safe distance, Duo." Quatre warned, panting, struggling to keep Heero from collapsing down to the floor. "You don't want to get sick, now do you?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "As if it really matters!" He grumbled, and then stalked into the room.

"Duo!" Quatre called harshly. "I thought that we agreed to--"

Ignoring Quatre's speech, Duo walked over to the two and quickly scooped Heero off his feet, cradling the ill boy in his arms.

Disoriented, Heero blinked a few times, trying to force his hazed mind to work and understand why he could no longer feel the floor. He coughed and moaned miserably; unable to clear his fogged mind enough to get some answers. He just let his aching muscles relax and sank into the soft embrace, resting his head against what he thought was a cushion.

"Duo, you'll be infected!" Quatre protested as Duo turned to walk out the door, shifting Heero's limp body in his arms, to get a better hold of the unconscious boy. He began to walk out of the room.

"Duo!" Quatre called after him, his voice filled with worry. "Duo!"

"Don't worry, Q-man. I'll hold my breath." Duo snarled and walked down to the bathroom. Behind him, he could hear Quatre sigh heavily, but he could tell the blond was following him nonetheless.

Turning his attention back to the boy in his arms, Duo was surprised at how light Heero was. Sure, he had a slender figure, but Duo never thought that the boy would be so light. His smaller body fit just perfectly into his arms.

He rushed to the bathroom, feeling the heat radiate out of Heero's body, his sweat also clinging to his own clothes.

Once inside, he kneeled in front of the bathtub, Heero still in his arms. He looked down at the unconscious boy, and took a deep breath. "It's gonna be a little chilly." He said quietly, and then gently, carefully, lowered Heero into the cold water.

"Ahhhh..." The boy called weakly, flinching at the shocking touch. "N-nan desu ka..?"

"Shhh... it will make you feel better." Duo soothed, as he cupped some cool water into his palm, washing Heero's fevered face.

The Japanese boy moaned silently, shivering under the cold water. "Iiya... na--no... out..."

"Shhh... just a little longer." Duo promised, softly pushing a few bangs out of Heero's eyes. He was holding Heero's head up with one hand, making sure he will not sink under the cool water, while he used his other hand to washed Heero's pale features.

For a long while, the bathroom was silent, aside form the soft flickering of flames and the sound of dripping water. Duo watched Heero carefully as the soft candlelight glistered on his wet skin, reflecting off the drops of water. Heero's face was a game of shadows, his golden skin looking richer and more exotic under the dim ginger light. He kept taking deep and shallow breaths, moaning silently as Duo's hands traveled carefully over his heated skin, washing him gently.

"C-c-c-cold..." Heero suddenly mumbled, his teeth chattering, body shivering violently.

"I know, Heero. I know." Duo whispered, looking down at him with pained violet eyes.

"Duo," Quatre's voice came from behind, where the blond boy was standing, watching the two carefully. "It's not good to leave him there for too long."

"I know, Quatre." Duo sighed, cupping some more water in his palm and pouring them slowly over Heero's burning forehead. "But he's still very hot. I'm just gonna let him cool down a bit."

"All right." Quatre whispered, looking quite helpless. "I'll just... I'll go make his bed." He finally mumbled and left the room. Before exiting, he turned to face the two, looking worriedly down at Duo. "Just... just make sure he doesn't pass out under the cold."

"I will." Duo answered without looking away from Heero.

Quatre nodded slowly and left the bathroom.

Down in the tub, Heero continued shivering, struggling to keep his eyes open as he looked up at the boy who was washing him.

Duo forced on a little smile for Heero, using the hand that was supporting Heero's head to caress his thick and damp hair.

Heero blinked a few times, looking confused. "D-Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?" Duo answered slowly, noticing the growing confusion in those cobalt eyes.

Heero didn't answer though, his eyelids slowly closing.

"No! Heero! Stay awake!" Duo called as he felt Heero's body go limp in his hold. "You gotta stay awake, Heero. Stay awake."

Those glazed blue eyes opened again, and the boy looked up at him, blinking. "Na...ni..?" He rasped, looking around in confusion.

Duo sighed, and gently caressed Heero's cheek. "Hey, buddy, ya gotta keep awake, okay?" He spoke softly, slowly enough for the boy to understand. "No sleeping."

Heero blinked a few more times, just gaping at him for a while, before finally nodding.

Duo smiled faintly. "Good boy." He frowned a little as he felt Heero try to get up, his blue eyes looking around the room as if searching for something. He gently pushed Heero back down into the water.

"Just a little longer, Heero. I promise."

Sighing deeply, Heero let his body sink back into Duo's hold. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "She's not here..."

Frowning, Duo looked over his shoulder, and then back at Heero. "Who's not here?"

But the boy didn't answer, blue eyes watching silently as Duo proceeded in washing him.

* * *

After making sure the boy's body had chilled to a more normal temperature, Duo scooped the Japanese boy into his arms and exited the bathroom. Heero was drifting in and out of consciousness, holding weakly onto Duo's shirt, glazed blue eye barely able to register what went on around him. When they entered Heero's bedroom, Duo could feel Heero's body tense a little, and the Japanese boy's hold of his shirt tightened.

"It's okay, Heero." He whispered to him, looking down at him with reassurance. "The room is safe, don't worry." He could see Heero's eyes scan the room warily, searching, but after some time he just slumped back into Duo's hold, resting his head on the braided boy's shoulder.

"I'll just go get a new blanket." Quatre's voice carried softly across the dark room, and his short figure could be seen standing by the bed, illuminated by a single candle.

Duo nodded and walked over to the bed. He gently placed Heero on the small bed, noticing that the boy was still shivering. He was wearing only a pair of boxers, but they were soaking wet.

"C'mon, lets get you out of these wet clothes..." He mumbled with a sigh. He walked past Quatre, who was just leaving the room, and paced over to Heero's duffle, which was lying somewhere on the floor.

On the bed, Heero was still looking around, his eyes searching under the dim orange light of the room. His eyes widened briefly as he spotted her, sitting in her white little chair, watching him with her big hazel eyes. He swallowed, slowly pushing his trembling body up.

"Say something." He asked her, panting a little at his effort.

The girl just shrugged and shook her head helplessly.

"Please." Heero asked again, his hoarse voice barley a whisper.

"Huh? Did you say something, Heero?" Duo asked, coming back to the bed, holding a new change of clothes for Heero. He frowned as he saw that Heero was looking aside, not even facing him. His body was still trembling with shivers, his teeth chattering, water dripping down from his hair and torso.

"C'mon, we'll dress ya in something warm." Duo encouraged him softly, settling down on the bed, sitting on his knees and facing Heero. He nudged Heero gently, trying to gain his attention. "Heero? C'mon, just put it on. You're shivering."

Slowly, Heero turned his numb gaze to the other boy, still highly aware of the girl's presence. She was looking at him with curious hazel eyes. "G-get d-d-dresssssed?" Heero managed to stutter between chattering teeth.

"Yeah, c'mon, I'll help you." Duo assured him, handing him a clean and dry pair of gray cotton shorts.

Heero swallowed, sending a nervous glance at the girl. He turned to face Duo again, shaking his head. "N-na-no."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Nah! Heero, c'mon!" He called, a little annoyed. "Don't tell me you suddenly decided to grow a sense of modesty!"

The girl giggled and Heero blushed furiously. He swallowed, tearing his gaze away from the girl. "Not now."

Duo snorted. "Chk! Heero, I assure you it's NOTHING I haven't seen before!" He exclaimed, and jumped off the bed. "You gotta get out of these wet clothes!"

Heero turned his head away stubbornly and then slumped down into the bed.

"Heero," Duo tried again, letting the annoyance show in his voice.

"She'll see."

"Huh?!" Duo blinked, more than a little confused. He looked left and right, and then back at the bed. "Who will see?" He sent another look over his shoulder, after seeing Heero watch the chair with a nervous glance. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the boy on the bed. "Heero, there's no one here."

Shaking his head, Heero closed his eyes and looked away. "No... she's there... she'll see me..."

Duo sent another glance around the room, but came up with the same result. Now worried, he turned back to Heero. "There's no one here, Heero." He let out slowly, sitting down by the boy. He noticed that Heero was still shivering, water trickling down his exposed torso.

"No... she's there... watching... she's always watching... tell her to leave..." The boy mumbled, shaking his head weakly. He opened his eyes, looking up pleadingly at Duo. "Please... tell her to stop watching..."

"Heero," Duo began, getting a little desperate. He reached down for the boy's hand, feeling how hot it was despite the cold shower. "Heero, it's only us here."

"No..." The boy protested, coughing weakly. "...tell her..."

Sighing heavily, Duo squeezed Heero's hand, his other hand carefully pushing a few wet bangs out of Heero's eyes. "All right, Heero. I'll tell her." He whispered, watching painfully as the boy drifted into unconsciousness. "I'll tell her." He repeated softly, getting up to his feet. Casting a finale unsure glance over the room, Duo sighed and then turned back to Heero. He hurried to undress the unconscious boy and put some warm clothes on his shivering body.

If he could have, he would have seen that on the small white chair, stood a lonely pink ball, his owner now gone.

Part 4.

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