Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Laila Bli Cohav (a night without a star) ❯ Chapter 7

LAILA BLI COHAV

(A NIGHT WITHOUT A STAR)

PART SEVEN

* * *

Slowly marching through the darkness of the night, the girl led Heero into the small grove behind the large house. By now, Heero was panting hard, his heavy eyelids threatening to close as he forced himself to keep his eyes open and his legs moving. He concentrated on every step, fighting against the strong wind that blew in his direction, making it harder to walk.

The treetops rattled loudly and sharp daggers of rain descend down from above. The grove was dark, not a ray of moonlight to light it. The skies were completely dark and menacing as a bright flash of lightning cut through the heavens.

Heero's trembling feet carried him on, dirty with mud and shivering under the cold. He slipped in a small puddle of mud, falling down with a silent cry.

"Onii-san!" The little girl called worriedly, kneeling down before him. "Onii-san! You have to get up!"

Panting, Heero pushed himself off the muddy ground, and leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath.

"Onii-san!" The girl begged anxiously. "Please, Onii-san!"

"...rest..." Heero rasped, his breathing heavy. He leaned his head back against the wet tree bark, closing his eyes and letting the rain pour over his heated face. "Just... a little... while..." He whispered, taking deep breaths of air.

The girl sighed but nodded her head, sitting down next to him. Unlike Heero, her white dress was still dry, her hair not even flapping in the wind. She seemed to be completely unaffected by the storm. Heero on the other hand, was soaked to the bone and shivering violently, his teeth chattering. He opened his glazed eyes, and slowly turned his head in the direction they came from. He frowned as lightning stroke and he saw the house, merely a few hundred meters away. Turning his head in the other direction, Heero could see that the girl had led him to the small grove where Duo and he had set the surveillance equipment. He turned to look down at the girl.

"How much further?"

"Not long." She answered quietly, looking in the direction of the base, at the bottom of the steep cliffs that pointed out of the hill. She turned back to Heero, waiting for him to get up.

Sighing heavily, Heero forced himself up to his feet. The two kept on walking, the girl holding Heero's hand as they made their way towards the cliffs.

Lightning cut through the darkness above, and the rain grew stronger.

* * *

"HEEEEEEEEROOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Dammit! WHERE ARE YOU?!!!!" Duo's voice called into the storm, as the braided boy ran down the hill, nearing the darkness that surrounded the tall trees in the small grove. "HEEEEEEROOOOO!!!!!!"

Lightning lashed up in the sky and the wind grew stronger, throwing a thousand sharp needles of rain at Duo's face.

The braided boy continued searching.

* * *

"Why can't I see the others?" Heero breathed out the question as the two walked onwards. He figured that talking would help him stay awake and help him fight the urge to fall down and sleep forever. "Why just you?"

The little girl shrugged casually. "Because I want you to."

"Why?" Heero rasped, taking another shaky step forward. They were only a few meters from the cliffs, walking slowly through the dark night.

"So you could help me. She said that you would."

Heero turned to look down at her, puzzled. "Who said?"

The girl shrugged again. "The other little girl. She said you were nice."

Heero blinked, completely baffled. He looked left and right, and then sneaked a peek over his shoulder, but he could see nothing but the swaying trees and the cold darkness of the night. He turned back to the little girl. "Is she here now?"

The girl nodded. "She's always here. Mary too."

Heero looked around once more, his blue eyes narrowing as he searched the darkness. But there was no one there. He felt the girl stop walking, and came into a halt. Looking forward, he saw that they had reached the edge of the hill, standing above the sheer drop of cliffs, which led down into a dark abyss.

Panting to catch his breath, Heero tightened his hold on the girl's hand, and slowly turned to look at her. "What now?"

The girl sighed and let her gaze down.

"What's wrong?" Heero asked kindly, kneeling down before her. He coughed weakly, taking a few long gasps for air, and then reached up a hand to caress her icy cheek. He smiled gently. "You still haven't told me your name." He reminded her softly, running his fingers over her tender skin.

The girl sighed again and slowly looked up at him, her hazel eyes shimmering in the dark. She smiled sadly, and nodded her head. But she gave no answer. Instead, she reached up two small hands, and ran her fingers over the silver cross.

Heero looked down at the cross as well, confused by her fascination with it.

"This is where you will find me." The girl repeated the words she had spoken not so long ago. She looked up at him, her little face sad. "I cannot go any further."

Heero nodded his head in understanding. He reached up a hand to hold the cross, his eyes closing for a brief moment.

"Onii-san?"

"Hai." Heero let out quietly, his cobalt eyes opening slowly. He took a deep breath, and turned to watch the cliffs again. His blue eyes studied the steep surface of the stony slope, narrowing as they focused on one particular overhang stone. It was the same stone he had been watching the day they had arrived to the place, while he was setting up the equipment with Duo. And it suddenly dawned on him, that the thing he had seen that day was not a game of light and shadows, but something else. Something that made him flinch back then, for he was surprised to see it there.

He looked back down at the girl. "It was you. That day, when I got sick."

The girl nodded, looking up at him with her large hazel eyes. "Will you go?"

Heero nodded his head and clenched his hand around the cross. "Of course."

* * *

"HEEEEEEROOOO!!!!" Duo shouted as he ran into the small grove, making his way between tall trees and thick darkness. "Heero! Are you here?!" He called out again, panting hard as he ran. "Heero!?"

He cursed as he suddenly collided with something, and it apparently broke. He looked down and saw that he had stepped over a piece of their surveillance gear. "Damn it! Not now..." He muttered, kicking the damn thing aside. He snapped his head back up.

"HEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Duo!"

Gasping, Duo whirled around, but was disappointed when he saw it was only Quatre, running in his direction.

"Any luck?" The blond asked as he came to stand next to Duo, panting from the effort of his run. He too was completely soaked with rain, his blond bangs of hair sticking to his forehead. His eyes were moist as well, shimmering with worry.

"No." Duo sighed, shaking his head. "Damn it! How can he move so fast in his condition!?" He kicked the piece of equipment again, and it went soaring up in the air, and then crashed a few meters ahead. Duo sighed and let his head drop sadly. "I shouldn't have left him..."

"Duo..." Quatre let out softly, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't lose hope. We have to keep looking. Giving up is not like you."

Duo snorted and rolled his eyes. "There's only so much disappointment a person can get..." He whispered, looking down at the ground. His violet eyes shone with unshed tears as he gazed down at his feet.

Quatre remained silent, having no words to comfort the boy's pain.

"I just don't want to lose him again..." Duo whispered, sniffling quietly. "I... I thought that maybe... ya know, just maybe, he'll be... you know..? And then..." He was mumbling incoherently, sniffling from time to time as a silver trail of tears slid down his damp cheeks.

"Duo..." Quatre whispered mournfully, and gathered the weeping boy into his arms. Duo sank into the embrace, burying his face on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Shh..." Quatre soothed, stroking Duo's hair softly. "He'll make it. You'll see. Have faith, Duo. Have faith..."

The braided boy chuckled bitterly, but it sounded more like a sob than a chuckle. "Faith..." He muttered into Quatre's shoulder. "In what exactly? For all we know he's already dead..."

"You can't think like that." Quatre whispered in his ear.

Duo sniffled. "I tried to have faith, Quat... I always try... but I can't... it just doesn't work..." He sighed and closed his eyes sadly. "I gave him my cross..."

"And why is that?" Quatre asked quietly, stroking his hair.

"Because... because I thought... maybe... I dunno..." Duo mumbled, sniffling.

"Maybe," Quatre began, reaching down to cup Duo's chin and slowly pulling his head up. He smiled kindly, looking into Duo's tearful eyes. "Maybe, deep inside, you do believe. Maybe, you're just afraid to admit it."

Duo just stood there, gaping down at his friend, rain pouring from above, sliding down his hair and to his face like waterfall, mixing with his tears.

"Everyone has his moments of doubt, Duo. And it's our faith that gets us through them." He reached up and wiped Duo's tears away. "Have faith in him[i], Duo. Heero can make it. I'm sure he can."

Duo took a few moments to let it all sink in, and then finally took a deep breath, and smiled sadly. "Thanks, Q-man. I needed to hear that."

Quatre smiled back. "Anytime, Duo." He looked up ahead, at the direction of the cliffs, and then back at Duo. "Now, lets keep looking."

Duo hurried to wipe his tears and then nodded his head. "Kay."

* * *

Large waterfalls of rain ran down the sharp cliffs, slippery stones glistering under the dim moonlight that filtered through the clouds. The rush of water filled the air, as the flood poured down the hill and crashed into a large puddle, now almost a small lake, at the bottom of the steep hill.

Making his way down the slippery slop, Heero groaned in effort as he eased himself down from another large foundation of rocks. Small stones slipped and rolled down into the abyss as Heero's hands searched for a good hold. The rocky surface was slippery and wet, making it hard for the boy to find a good grasp as he continued to climb down. He made his way in the dark, having no real idea where he was going. He just knew that he had to get down. The answer as to why and where was beyond the capabilities of his fevered mind.

Water fell down on his head as he accidentally stepped under a waterfall of rain. He sneezed and shivered, shaking his head from side to side to get his wet bangs out of his eyes. He took a few moments to catch his breath, and looked around him.

It was a long way down. He couldn't see the bottom of the hill, but he could hear the rush of water as it flowed down into the 'lake'. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the darkness, and turned his gaze to look left and right.

Right. He had to go to the right. He had no idea why, but he knew that he must. There was no need to go down any further. He had to go right.

Concentrating on his every move, Heero began to move to the right, climbing up rocks and searching for a hold in the dark.

He was getting closer. He knew it.

* * *

"Oh fuck." Duo spat as he looked down into the abyss. Quatre and he had reached it in no time, and now they were standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the waterfalls of rainwater.

"HEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Duo screamed down into the chasm, cupping two hands around his mouth as he screamed Heero's name. But he doubted that his voice was heard over the rush of falling water. He looked up at Quatre, a desperate look in his eyes. "Do you think he might have fallen down?" He asked, voice dreadful.

"I don't know, Duo." Quatre whispered, though he knew very well that it was a possibility. He just didn't want to upset Duo any further.

"I'm going down there to look!" Duo hurried to say, already easing himself down a slippery rock.

"Duo! No! That's suicide!" Quatre called in fear. "You don't know for sure that he's down there! And you don't have the gear to climb down such a slope!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Duo roared, looking up angrily at Quatre. His body was mostly down already, only two arms and a head peeking on the ground level. He bent his head down to look at his dangling feet. He saw a suitable surface for landing, and prepared to jump down.

Quatre's hands stopped him. "Duo- no! At least wait here until I get you some of the equipment!"

Duo rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to growl. "Fine." He spat, glaring up at Quatre. "But hurry up or I'll just jump down there!"

"I'll be right back!" Quatre promised, breathless. He got up and ran into the grove. "Wait for me, Duo!"

Duo sighed and forced himself up to the muddy surface of the hill. He threw himself down at the ground and waited, violet eyes fighting to see in the dark as he scanned the chasm once more.

"You better not be down there, Heero."

* * *

Long and slim fingers slowly felt around in the dark, brushing against the wet and slick surface of rocks. A pair of bare feet, scratched and covered with mud, timidly took a step sideways, walking along a tall wall of smooth black stones. It was merely a foot of horizontal rock separating him and the gorge, and if he took a step back or lost his balance, he was sure to fall into a black and wet death. Keeping that in mind, Heero slowly made his way along the stony wall, his trembling white fingers feeling around for a rough surface to grab onto.

His damp clothes were now torn, the white fabric of his shirt and boxers wet and covered with mud. The tight and cold material clung onto his skin, wrapped tightly around his slender figure. His hair was flapping wildly in the wind, his teeth chattering and his whole body quaking under the cold, which made it quite difficult to keep balance.

A few rocks rolled down to the black abyss, making a slight sound as they fell. Heero forced himself to keep moving, ignoring the warning bells in his head. He had to keep moving. There wasn't much time. The burning in his lungs and the foggy haze of his mind were enough of an indication.

Lightning flashed up above, and for a moment Heero thought that he could hear his name echo down into the valley. But maybe it was just the thunder.

His fingers continued searching, his hand stretched ahead of his body, securing his route before his shaking feet took another step.

Suddenly, they brushed over something, like a long and deep scar in the rock.

Heero frowned and came to a stop, thrusting his head aside to get his damp bangs out of his eyes. He blinked against the darkness, but the blackness did not sway. He sighed deeply and settled for using only his sense of touch. He felt along the lines of the deep carving, tracing it slowly up and down.

His eyes widened as a picture of the ingrained shape was created in his mind.

A cross.

It was an image of a cross, embed into the large stone.

Breath quickening with anticipation, Heero's fingers began to search around frantically. He threw the palm of his hand against the large wall, as if slapping the stone, feeling around. The sound of his flesh hitting the slippery wall echoed around the gorge, until Heero's hand flew straight forward into thin air. The wall ended, just like that.

Lightning stroke and cobalt eyes flew wide open. In the brief flash of light, Heero could see the reason for the wall's disappearance. He was standing in the entry of a cave.

* * *

"Oh fuck it all!" Duo spat at no one in particular. Nearly five minutes had passed and Quatre wasn't back yet. He wasn't about to waste more time, he needed to find Heero!

He looked down into the gorge again, narrowing his eyes to see well in the dark. He was lying on his stomach, his knuckles curled around the edge of the cliff; his head leaning down so he could get a good look at the vertical cliff. His braid dangled down as well, swinging wildly in the wind.

"HEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOO!" He shouted with all his might, just as lightning stroke up above. The roar of thunder swallowed his cry. "Dammit!" He cursed, glaring up at the heavens. "Just a little cooperation! That's ALL I'm asking for!" He shouted up at the skies, his voice angry. "Just let me have this one GOD DAMNED THING! JUST THIS FUCKING ONCE! THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING!"

As if answering, the lightning and thunder returned, and the rain poured down even harder.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Figures." He spat, looking down again. "When was the last time you sent me help anyway, huh?!"

Again a bright flash of blue lit the dark skies and Duo's eyes widened.

"Oh... my... Go..." He whispered, slowly leaning down into the abyss. "That's my..."

Another lash of lightning and again his violet eyes widened. They widened because, as the flashing blue stroke, Duo could see a shiny object down in the chasm, swinging left and right as it slowly moved along the side of the mountain. It glistered under the lightning, sparkling and winking in Duo's direction.

Duo's mouth hung wide open and he jumped up to his feet. "That's my cross!"

When lightning stroke again, Duo was no longer standing at the top of the hill.

* * *

Slowly, carefully, Heero walked into the cave. The place was completely dark, the sound of water dripping slowly echoing in the cool air, bouncing off the stony walls. Heero felt his way around the walls, his shallow breath echoing in the dark cavern.

Outside, the wind howled and the rain fell harder. The low rumble of thunder echoed through the cave and Heero stopped to catch his breath. He breathed in the crisp and cool air, leaning heavily against the wall, panting. He kept his gaze up at the tall ceiling, wincing a little as lightning flashed through the cave.

He sighed and pushed himself off the wall. Slowly, he walked deeper into the carven, holding the walls for support as his aching feet took one step at a time.

* * *

"DUO! DUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Quatre's voice screamed against the storm, and the call of thunder was his only answer. He was standing at the edge of the gorge, looking down worriedly. In his hand, were a long rope, a few spears and night vision equipment. But it appeared that there was no use, his foolish friend went down without caring for his own safety.

"DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

At the sound of Quatre's voice, Duo looked up, wincing as sharp drops of rain his straight in the face. Shaking his head, Duo looked down again, and continued his climb into the darkness. Quatre meant well, but he just didn't understand. He can't afford to lose Heero. Not when he had just realized how much he needed the boy. How much they needed each other. They needed each other to fight off the loneliness, to find comfort and ease. They needed to find a friend in one another.

And he'll be damned if he'll let his best friend throw himself off a cliff. Again.

He reached up a hand to grab hold of some solid surface, carefully lowering himself down. His violet eyes scanned the cliffs as lightning cut through the skies. He could no longer spot the sparkling vision of his cross, but he had the general idea of where it might be.

Grinding his teeth and tensing his body, Duo continued his descent, determination shining in his purple-blue eyes.

* * *

A loud sound echoed throughout the cave as Heero fell down to the ground, his feet giving way. Wincing in pain, he coughed loudly and sighed. He took a few moments to control his breathing, and then slowly pushed himself up to his feet. Thunder roared from a far, but Heero was too distracted to take notice. He concentrated on his breathing and walking, his legs stiff and numb from cold as he forced himself to move. Now that he was out of the rain, there was only the cold wind against his wet body, making him ten times colder. He shivered violently, wrapping two arms around himself as he walked.

He bumped his head into something and staggered back in pain. Lightning hit and he could see that the ceiling of the cave was much lower now, and he was standing in the opening of another, smaller, cave. Sighing and rubbing his aching forehead, Heero went down to his knees and examined the smaller opening, feeling around with his hands.

His eyes widened briefly as his fingers brushed against another, smaller, cross. And another. And another. There were at least thirteen of them, carved all around the smaller cave. Knowing that he was getting closer to his target, Heero bent down and crawled into the cave.

* * *

"Ouch." Duo let out as his fingers slipped into a slot in the stone, creating a large scratch on the pad of his finger. Blood oozed from the narrow wound and Duo wiped it over his shirt. Sighing in irritation, he slowly ran his hand over the sharp slot in the stone, and frowned as he felt around, and saw that it was beginning to take shape.

"DUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Quatre's voice rang from above and Duo let go of the carved shape. He looked up, sighing. "DOWN HERE!" He called as loud as he could.

There was silence, and then: "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT, DUO?! I WAS WORRIED SICK!" Quatre called down again and Duo rolled his eyes. He decided to ignore Quatre and continue his search. Pressing his hand against the slippery wall, Duo moved onwards, feeling along the side of the wall.

"DUO?! ARE YOU THERE!?"

Suddenly, there was no wall to press against to, and Duo reached out a second hand, grasping what he thought was the edge of the wall.

"DUO?"

"Wait a minute, Q-man! I found something!" A small smile touched his lips as lightning flashed and he saw what he had found. "I found a cave."

* * *

After a few meters of crawling, Heero could feel the narrow cave getting wider, and the ceiling getting taller. He reached up a hand to feel around, and indeed, he had reached the end of the smaller cave. Crawling out of the narrow shaft, Heero dusted himself off and coughed. Dust and soil were clinging to his wet hair and clothes, but at least there was no more wind or rain.

He looked around the darkness of the hall. There was actually a little light in the huge hall, and looking up, Heero could see small holes up in the ceiling, letting in some rain and moonlight. He blinked a few times, waiting for his vision to adjust to the dim light. He looked around him, seeing the shiny outlines of the wet walls, water glistering in the moonlight. But the center of the cave was completely dark.

Sighing, Heero took a few steps forward, his hollow steps echoing in the blackness. He stopped after a while of aimless walking, and looked around again.

Lightning stroke and the cave was briefly lit with a flashing blue light. Heero whirled his head back towards the center of the cave, positive that he had caught something in the corner of his eye.

Again the flashing blue and Heero's eyes widened.

A low thunder rolled in the distance and then another blinding flash of lightning.

Shocked, Heero fell down to his knees, wide blue eyes looking up ahead.

Another powerful jolt of lightning, and Heero forced himself to take a quick breath.

The vision before him was lit in another flash of blue.

And all he could think of, was the little girl's face. It flashed before his eyes, her large hazel eyes and her smiling lips. Her small and innocent looks, and her childish little laughter. It all came in quick white flashes and then there was nothing but the horrifying vision in front of him.

This great and unstoppable force boiled deep inside of him until he could hold it no more.

Heero's head snapped up at the heavens and he screamed.

* * *

"HEERO!" Duo yelled, the terrified scream still ringing in his ears. "Oh God! Heero!" He called desperately, running into the cave. He stopped, panting, looking around as another lightning lashed through the skies. But there was no one there.

"HEEEEEEEEROOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

Another bright glow of lightning and Duo spotted the smaller cave. Without any thought, he ran to it and dropped to his knees.

"HEERO! ARE YOU THERE?!?!" He called as he began crawling down the narrow shaft, the wind howling loudly in his ears, and his heart beating frantically. He panted as he hurried down that cave, the palms of his hands getting cut by many small and sharp rocks. But he didn't care.

He had to take a few moments to adjust to the dim light as he entered the large hall, his violet eyes looking around in urgency.

He spotted his friend sitting down on his knees, his body still as he looked up at something ahead of him. If it weren't for Heero's bright white clothes, Duo would have never spotted him there, so small and fragile looking as he stared up at the ceiling. The sight reminded Duo of all the pictures of various Saints they used to have in the church. Looking up at the heavens, their tortured body and tormented soul asking for salvation.

"HEERO!" Duo forced himself to snap out of it and quickly jumped up to his feet. He ran over to his friend, and then another flash of light came from above.

Duo stopped with a gasp, his wide eyes looking up in horror.

There, in the center of the cave, stood a large, wooden, cross. And on that cross, sharp barbwire all around it, was a small, twisted, skeleton. It was tied to the cross, the small body, clad in a simple white dress, was tied in the shape of the cross. Crucified. Damned and left there to rot in the awful act of crucifixion.

Duo dropped down to his knees, right next to Heero. His mouth was wide open, his eyes unable to leave the sight of the small and fragile body, her little head dangling down to the side, the empty holes of her eyes looking down at him in a frightening stare of death.

He was speechless. He couldn't even scream. He was somewhat aware of Heero being next to him, but his mind was too shocked to process the information.

And then another lightning, and Duo's eyes widened even more if possible.

All around the cave, on the walls and on the ceiling, were large graffiti marks, glowing in the blinding blue of light. Slogans, of all shapes, colors and sizes were imprinted on the walls: 'Death to the enemies!', 'We decide who lives or dies!', 'Glory to his Excellency!', 'Death to the colonies!', 'Burn Gundam! Burn!'

And then the largest one of them, in huge and glowing writing, standing there right before their eyes:

'OZ!'

A muffled sound echoed through the cave, and Duo flinched, finally snapping out of it. He numbly tore his gaze off the horror that was in front of him, and turned to look down at the source of the sound.

Heero had passed out.

He lay lifeless on the ground, his body devoid of the strength to even shiver under the cold. Duo reached down a shaking hand and touched his friend, his hand trembling as he searched for a pulse. He was relived to find it, very weak and unsteady, but still, it was there.

Duo sighed heavily and turned to look up at the crucified body. He shivered and then coughed. He couldn't help it and he began vomiting, leaning down on all four, gagging and crying at the same time.

From somewhere behind, Quatre's voice called out worriedly, the bright beam of his flashlight dancing along the walls. "Duo! Are you here? Where are you?!"

* * *

Using the ropes Quatre had carried, the two pilots managed to somehow hoist Heero's limp body up from the cliff. Once back on solid surface, Duo hurried to gather the unconscious boy into his arms and ran towards the house. Heero's arms and head dangled down lifelessly, swinging from side to side as Duo ran.

He kicked the door open and rushed upstairs. Quatre quickly informed the others of the situation and hurried to follow.

Duo stormed into Heero's room and sat the boy over the small table by the bed. He quickly tore the clothes off the boy's body, throwing the wet fabric aside. Yanking the white sheet off the bed, Duo toweled Heero dry, his movements fast and urgent, his breath frantic. Heero was now shivering violently, and Duo scooped him off the table and hurried to put him in bed. He covered him tightly with the thick blanket, just as Quatre and the others ran into the room. Quatre was carrying a few more blankets, one blanket wrapped around himself, and he quickly tossed them to Duo. The braided boy nodded and tucked Heero under the thick covers.

Trowa and Wufei came to stand by the bed, eyeing Duo worriedly. The Deathscythe pilot was soaked to the bone and shivering as well.

"Don't mind me!" He growled and gestured at Heero.

Sighing, Trowa nodded and turned back to the bed. Wufei kneeled down beside Heero, taking the boy's trembling arm from underneath the covers. He held up a syringe in his hand.

Duo felt a warm blanket being gently placed over his shoulders, and he looked at Quatre thankfully. The blond nodded in acknowledgement. Duo wrapped the blanket around him tightly, shivering, as he watched Wufei inject Heero with the antidote. Once he was done, he covered Heero again and got up to his feet.

"Will it work?" Duo asked through chattering teeth.

"We can only hope so." Trowa answered solemnly. "We will know by morning."

Duo nodded, not tearing his gaze off Heero's sleeping form.

"Will you be all right, Duo?" Quatre asked softly.

The boy didn't answer for a while, and then finally looked up from the bed. "I'll know by morning."

The three nodded in understanding and prepared to leave the room. Before leaving, Quatre turned to face Duo again. "You need to get warm, Duo. You're shivering."

"I will." Duo whispered. "Thanks."

Quatre nodded and left the room, closing the door silently.

Sighing, Duo tossed the blanket down to the floor. Body shivering under the sudden cold, Duo peeled the wet clothing off his freezing skin, and tossed them aside as well. Shaking, he made his way to the bed and crawled under the covers, along side with Heero. He wrapped a chilling hand over the other boy's body, trying to share body heat. He rested his head on Heero's chest, snuggling closer to him as much as possible.

"Don't get any ideas, soldier-boy." He whispered to his friend, teeth still chattering. "This is... strictly... business..." He finished, trying to control his trembling. He blushed slightly as he realized that the two of them were lying naked in Heero's all-too-small bed, but then dismissed the thought quickly. This was not a time for hentai thoughts.

He reached up the hand that was wrapped around Heero's body, his fingers searching for his cross. He brushed his fingers over the delicate object, and turned his head up so he could look at Heero's face.

"Don't let me down now, you hear?" He whispered, hand clenched around the cross.

He closed his eyes as tears threatened to come, and buried his face in Heero's chest. The boy's breathing came slow and shallow, but his shivering was slowly stopping.

Duo continued lying next to him, watching the skies through the bedroom window. He continued watching as the skies slowly cleared, the storm gone and the clouds drifting away to reveal a beautiful full moon. He watched as the moon slowly disappeared behind his line of sight, and the skies were colored in the heavenly shades of dawn.

A new day. April seventh, AC 195. Nine years from Solo's death.

Duo whimpered silently and looked up at Heero's sleeping features. His hold on the cross tightened.

"Please... don't let me down, Heero..."

Epilogue.

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