Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Perfection Breakdown ❯ Misunderstanding ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Perfection Breakdown

Part 7- Misunderstanding

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of it's characters… so there!

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Thanks to my Beta readers!!!! Whoooh they do a lot of work!

The disheveled gray sky threw its grim light down on everything in sight. Relentlessly falling, the rain showed no sign of letting up. Endlessly falling, millions at a time, they bombarded the Earth. Creating a soft, random pattern of music as they hit the windowpane. None did any particular damage, but all joined together on the brown dirt and soaked and cracked the strong rock. The moment one had landed, a hundred others were following right behind. It was as if it would go on forever, like an infinite curse on the entire planet. Millions of drops fell and landed, millions followed, and the storm would have cleared with in just an hour.

Listening to the raindrops Trowa had begun to lose track of time. He was oblivious to the fact that he had sat, without moving for over three hours, in the rather uncomfortable chair by Heero's bed. The silent clown's head was bowed and he was deep in thought. Almost in a dream like state he sat guard over his friend. His brow was creased in thought.

Soft moaning broke Trowa's thoughts. Heero was writhing around on the bed, making small noises and shaking his head from side to side. The proud visage was distraught in pain and fright, as if running from an enemy hunting in the shadows.

/He's got a bad fever now/ Trowa assessed Heero's condition with a critical eye. /Before it was more of a mental problem…now his physical health is waning rapidly too. I want to take him to a doctor, but that would be far too dangerous. I wish I could help somehow/

He broke his gaze from the window and looked at Heero. Taking in the sight of his injured partner, Trowa felt no shame in the emotions that rushed through him. It had been a long time since Trowa had acknowledged such feelings.

/Killing my emotions for so long…I thought that I'd never feel like this again. There's no use denying it or trying to bury them. I think that I'm in love with Heero Yuy. And if not love, then it's something very close to it. Nobody, not even Quatre could make me feel the way I do now. My fear of being hurt again doesn't hold me back now. But I wonder why?/

"Dad?"

Internal reflection broken, Trowa got up upon hearing the soft cry. He moved to Heero's side and knelt there. Heero's face was ashen and grief stricken. Glimmering sweat beaded on his forehead and the Wing pilot's lips were moving rapidly, as if trying to communicate with someone.

"Daddy? Onegai, gomen nasai Daddy…. Iie! Iie, onegai!" Heero's voice broke off into a chain of sobs.

It was more than Trowa could bear to watch. He couldn't watch the one he loved suffer. Shaken by a terrible nightmare, dark memories of a hard past to leave him trembling and cold. Trowa began to gently shake the Asian boy and tried with all his might to pry Heero from the prison of dreams.

/He may need rest/ Trowa thought to himself as his heart went out to the distraught warrior, /But he doesn't deserve nightmares. The pains, it always happens to people like Heero, people like me…/

"Iie! I'll be better, I'll train harder!" Heero cried weakly, unable to break back into reality.

"It's me Heero. It's Trowa," Trying to comfort and console Heero, Trowa wiped the sweat away from Heero's brow. "Wake up Heero! It's only a dream, please wake up!"

After being shaken a fifth time Heero bolted straight up in the bed. A final heart-wrenching cry died in his throat, as his surroundings became clear. Mind foggy, and body racked by temperature and fever, Heero could make out only one thing in the room, Trowa.

"Trowa?" more of a whimper then a question, Heero's voice was almost covered by the sound of the falling rain outside. "Nani? Where…?"

"You were only dreaming Heero," Trowa said, "Don't worry now."

/I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you/ was what he really wanted to say.

A wet stream ran down Heero's face. A saddening cascade of emotions followed, all in the form of Heero's tears. The Latin boy's once dead heart went out completely to his comrade. Heero's tear stained cobalt eyes peered into Trowa's sea green depths. Both boys sat, gazing into the other's eyes, with the rain as the only cover for their emotions. Out of nowhere Heero suddenly threw himself forward and buried his face in Trowa's shoulder. Muffled sobs and heavy tears were spent repeatedly into the silent clown's chest.

Minutes passed and Trowa found himself holding Heero's shaken frame for all he was worth. His lanky arms latched themselves around Heero's waist. Pressing the Wing pilot against his body Trowa couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness that was almost alien to his heart.

"Will you ever leave me Trowa?" A wracked sob escaped Heero. Turning his face upward, Heero's eyes held a desperate plea in themselves.

/Gods! I love you! I will never leave your side, never. Nothing could separate me from you/

"Nothing could ever make me leave," Trowa sighed heavily and pulled Heero's face towards his own. The two pairs of eyes met and locked on each other. Still holding the gaze into Heero's cobalt sea Trowa leaned forward and embraced Heero in a passionate kiss.

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/Maybe Justin's wrong… maybe the heads of Romafeller actually did send people for pilot 05/ Maxim thought as he opened the door to the prison area. Glancing behind him slightly he caught sight of Duo, confused by Maxim's moves. /What if they're here to take Duo too?/ He feared silently.

/Should have left him back in the room/ Something clicked in Maxim's mind, old soldier instincts and once sought out advice returned. /The boy could be trouble. If there is something fishy… he could be downright dangerous. Never forget that he's a Gundam pilot/

"Where are we going?"

Maxim turned to face Duo. The fear and anxiety in the question was unsettling. It wasn't like Maxim was betraying him. They each belonged to opposing factions. But the whole process felt sneaky and underhanded to the tall sniper. They were close to the guard station…Maxim didn't dare bring Duo any closer.

"I want you to stay right here," Dead, unemotional, the voice of a soldier. "I'll be back to get you soon, I just need to check something out." Maxim lowered his voice and almost whispered to Duo, "You can try to run… but you'll never make it out of this base without a registration card. I'd hate to have to track you down a second time."

"No need to worry buddy," Duo cheerily said, clapping a hand on the stoic sniper's back. "You've been acting all weird recently. I'm not going to try to put anything past you."

Maxim couldn't help but smile a little as he stood up and walked over to the guard station. Two men seemed to be in a heated argument with the guards there. One was waving his arms and the other just tapped his foot on the metal floor.

Peeping out from around the corner Duo found himself staring after Maxim as he made his way up to the other OZ members. Moving out of sight of the guard station he decided to wait in a rather shadowed hallway. He found himself staring at the floor and thinking to himself.

/Something's wrong/ Duo thought as he sat back on the hard floor, his back resting against the wall. /Ever since he got that phone call in the dining hall he's been acting strange… Maybe it's about Wufei? Man, I haven't you thought about him since we got caught… Perhaps I should go pay him a visit…But I did promise Maxim that I'd wait here for him/

"I should gut you right here you filthy fucking traitor."

Duo looked up from the floor only to have a strong hand hit him in the neck. The sudden impact sent him gasping for breath and knocked his skull back against the metal wall.

/Nani? Where? Who the hell's there? That voice…/

Duo's thoughts were scrambled. The darkness in the hallway only added to his confusion. The strong arm held him against the wall and with sick horror Duo realized that there was a gleaming object in the fist. Duo saw the small knife sparkle in the hands of the attacker. His mind was cleared of the fog the sudden smack had caused and the attacker's face was clearly visible, outlined sinisterly by the dark shadows.

"Wufei?"

And indeed it was Wufei. Angry, dark opal eyes glared out from under slivers of raven black hair. Wufei's hair was no longer drawn back in the tight, short ponytail that Duo recognized. Instead it fell carelessly at Wufei's shoulders and wayward strands hung over his face, giving the Shenlong pilot an insane demeanor. Duo noticed knicks, bruises and very recent cuts on Wufei's face and especially his arm.

"Whoa man! Boy am I glad to see you," Duo started cheerily. "What've they been doing to you? How'd you manage to escape?"

"Wouldn't you and the rest of your OZ buddies simply die to know that?" Wufei said, his tone dark and serious.

/Uh oh/ Duo recognized the threatening sound in Wufei's words. /What the hell's going on? What's wrong with him?/

"Hey Wu-man," Duo started, his cheery tone falling away slightly in caution. "What's the big ide…ACK!"

"Quiet!" Wufei snapped, and landed a solid fist in Duo's gut. The air rushed out of his lungs but the captured Deathscythe pilot could only gasp slightly, still all too aware of the glittering knife-edge. "Keep your voice down," Wufei was whispering but his words seemed to fill the entire space around the two. "I'll let your stupid blabbermouth run… if only for a little while. Just keep it down you filthy traitor."

/Traitor? What's he talking about?/ Duo's mind was a haggle of confusion. Having the wind knocked out of him only added to the mania. /Man that punch really hurt/

"Listen, I really don't know what you're talking about Wufei," Duo said slowly, wondering what in the world could have set Wufei off in such a way.

"Ch'!" Wufei spat and another fist caused shooting pains through Duo's ribs. "Don't think I know what's going on? Your goddamn OZ buddy is going over there to arrest Abdul and Auda. They'll be caught and tortured. Tortured Maxwell! I'll bet you've never known such pain in your life!" Wufei snarled angrily and almost struck again. "They know the location of every safehouse we have! They're not real soldiers they'll tell if he gets his hands on them!" Wufei's voice was frantic and filled with fear.

"He? Who's he? Abdul and Auda are here? Nani? I don't understand what's going on Wufei," Filled with apprehension and scared trust, Duo's voice floated up softly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Kisama! You lie!" Wufei's voice was tinged with scorn and vehemence. But his mind was no longer entirely convinced of the fact that Duo really had turned traitor… even if he was wearing an OZ uniform. "You lie!" He repeated, "Guess you had to be good at it to deceive us in the first place. I'll cut your lying throat apart! Fucking traitor! You won't be around to tell secrets to anybody!"

/These guys really don't sound like real officers/ Maxim was thinking. /They're acting strange for people "sent from high up". I understand why Justin thought he smelled a rat. And what could they have wanted with 05? Where is he now anyway?/

The stoic, long time OZ soldier had patiently waited for over five minutes, listening to the conversation. Apparently the two men wanted to open cell 54-A, Duo's former cell. The two Arab-looking men wore shining black suits and insisted that they could not give information on who had sent them. The guards had given them a tough time. Eventually they had fallen into the trap about the "sent from Romafeller's higher executives" but now were more suspicious.

/It's all very funny actually/ Maxim thought as the skinnier Arab jumped up and down in fury. /They can't find where the prisoner was transferred to because he wasn't transferred anywhere. They can't find out if there was any orders concerning him because Special Assignments are classified to only the highest ranks and the people directly involved… Besides, the whole thing is almost certainly stuck in red tape so only Treize-sama and myself know about it yet/

And indeed all three of the burly, machismo-dripping guards were now digging through computer files looking for any trace of Gundam pilot 02. The smaller of the two Arab "executives" was very upset and would often scream and yell while the other stood quietly at the side, looking sort of ashamed at his partner's behavior.

"You have absolutely NO idea where pilot 02 is?!?" Abdul loudly demanded for probably the fourth time in the past five minutes.

"Goddamnit no man! Shit, I mean… sir. No sir, we can't find any trace of him at all," One franticly searching guard said, pulling his head away from the computer monitor to answer.

"Blockheads! Bakas!" Abdul cursed something violent in Arabic and Auda shifted his weight.

"I've never even seen the kid," Another said timidly, "He was checked in by the late shift, I don't even know what to look for."

"I worked late that night," A third shouted from one of the farther consoles. Maxim noticed that it was the one he had threatened to castrate the first night Duo had awoken. "He's just listed under Pilot 02 Cell 54-A. But I still can't find much of anything on him." The guard noticed Maxim standing at the desk and an evil smirk spread over his face as he said, "Check with Mr. Glow-in-the-dark over there. He seemed real interested in the kid when he first came in."

"You there, do you know anything?" The small Arab, Abdul, whirled on Maxim in a flurry.

"Sergeant Maxim Andalsaar 0SC12A," Maxim said as he saluted crisply.

"Other than your name, rank and fucking serial number?!?" The excited 'officer' demanded. "What do you know about pilot 02?"

Maxim was about to speak when a soft gasp came from one of the guards at the station. "What the hell? Looks like something weird's going on," the man said in wonder and pointed to one of the security monitors. Bending over to get a better view Maxim saw that the picture was of a dark hallway not too far away.

/Picture looks like a janitor is harassing somebody/ He assessed the grainy picture with his hard, red eyes.

"Shit, think that guy's got a knife," The one guard said, his voice sounding stupid and naïve as if he were watching a movie on TV.

The large Arab man gasped as he looked at the picture too. Maxim squinted and thought he could vaguely make out a long, brown braid on the boy. He was wearing an OZ uniform.

/Duo!/ It all suddenly clicked in Maxim's head.

"Shimatta!" The sniper cursed as he turned on his heel and ran for the hallway where he'd left Duo. The guards looked up, all stupidly trying to assess the situation. "Don't touch him or you're a dead motherfucker!" Maxim cried out as he neared the corner, hoping he wasn't already too late.

The cold steel couldn't feel or even care about the life of Duo Maxwell, but Maxim did. And the force with which he screamed the angry decree was enough to send it bouncing off the indifferent metal. The angry shout echoed off and reached the ears of the two young boys not too far off.

"Kuso!" Wufei spat.

His beserked, dark eyes that had once been so filled with passion and the want of justice were no scanning the surrounding area for a rapid exit. Wufei's mind was quickly whisked away from vengeance to survival. Seeing no escape except back down the long, dark corridor he had entered through Wufei was ready to make a run for it.

Still glimmering, the knife slipped back into the gray cuff of the janitor's uniform. Even as it disappeared from sight Duo took a breath and the air of death and doom seemed to slip from the room.

In a moment Wufei was up and running, his slim form quickly disappearing into the blackness. Duo straightened himself up and pushed off the wall. He was greeted by Maxim, who came careening around the corner and into the hall. In a rush, the tall soldier was at his side, quickly checking for any damage.

"Where'd he go?" Maxim asked, his voice unnaturally calm but strong and commanding. Duo couldn't answer, his mind still taking in all that had just happened to him. "Where'd he go Duo?!?!" Maxim raised his voice but still the young American was speechless.

It was just as Maxim's voice faded that the sound of rapid footsteps reached his ears. Turning to peer into the darkness, his eyes flashed with soldierly instincts. His arm reached out and flicked a switch nearby. Light flooded the hall, accompanied by the dumb sound of electronic whirring. A long way down the hall Wufei's figure could be spotted fleeing rapidly, almost to the end, approaching the bend that would be his freedom.

Maxim went for his pistol. Drawing the long black firearm he squinted slightly. The distance between him and the target was absurd. Duo could barely see Wufei but he suddenyl flashed back to the night he'd been captured. An image of Maxim, rifle dangling at his side, just after shooting Duo. The shot had been in the dark, the gun had been more accurate but in the light… was it possible Maxim could hit his mark?

/Got him/ Maxim thought, his aim suddenly becoming clear as his eyes quickly adjusted to the bright light.

"Iie!!!!" Duo suddenly came to his senses. He flung himself into Maxim's shooting arm. Gloved fingers wrapped familiarly around the pistol. Maxim squeezed the trigger just as Duo hit him. The bullet smacked terribly and dug itself into the floor. The gunshot echoed down the long corridor.

Maxim roughly pushed Duo away from him. He looked up to aim another shot but found in horror that the hallway was empty. Wufei had escaped. Maxim spit and cursed himself. He took a glance to the side, Duo was there, in a heap on the floor, his chest heaving. Brushing aside the thought that maybe he should help Duo up Maxim holstered his pistol instead. His eyes met with Duo's. Bitter angry tension made the red orbs crackle and shine with an intense, dark look.

Pushing himself to his feet Duo rushed to say something but no worthwhile words could came to his mind. Maxim turned away from him, and a cold quiet stillness fell to rest over the two of them.

Standing, fuming at his failure Maxim finally grasped the only words he could possibly will. "Back to the room," he said in a dark, serious hush.

-end part 7