Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Resistance is Futile ❯ Someone to Watch Over Me ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6 - Someone to Watch Over Me

Duo closed his eyes agonised. On no account wanted he to see the pity on the others faces when the man would confirm his presumption. Heero was dead. Duo wanted to die as well.

"Dead? Oh no, just the opposite. Your friend survived the surgery. He is doing very well," answered the man soothingly.

The first moment Duo didn't register what the man had said. But a second later he opened his eyes wide.

"Heero isn't dead? He's doing well? Really?"

The man nodded confirming but Duo didn't want to rely only on his statement. Hastily he rushed past the stranger to the bed and looked down on Heero. He was lying there so terribly still...

Duo felt with shaking fingers for Heero's carotid - and then he felt it. The light but steady flutter of a pulse. Heero was alive. Heero was alive! `Oh god, thank you, thank you, thank you,' Duo cheered inwardly and closed relieved his eyes.

Meanwhile the other three Gundam pilots had also stepped closer and were looking down at Heero.

"But... how is that possible?" heard Duo Wufei's astonished voice, "Where are all the bruises? And the grazing wounds?"

Duo opened his eyes again and looked more closely at Heero. Wufei was right. The bruises were gone. Just as all the grazing wounds and cuts. Everywhere was only smooth uninjured skin. And Heero's arm... Duo gasped amazed. The arm that had been bend in that unnatural angle earlier was looking totally undamaged again! As if it had never been broken! How was that possible?

"What... how..." Duo stuttered and looked stunned at the two strangers. The man smiled friendly at him.

"I told you that he is doing well again. Your friend won't keep any permanent damage. He only needs some hours of sleep and some days of rest and he will be as good as new."

Duo shook his head unbelieving. Somehow everything was getting too much for him. And moreover he noticed how incredibly exhausted he was. First the worry about Heero, then the battle with those strange Leos and after that the renewed terrible worry about Heero. Duo didn't know what was keeping him still up.

"Who are you?" he heard Trowa's silent voice.

"Well, that's a long story..." started the man but was interrupted abruptly by the woman.

"We should better postpone the whole story till later," she said and looked searching into the faces of the four pilots, "We should wait till the patient will wake up - it is most inefficient to tell our story two times. And it seems that the other boys also need a regeneration period."

"You are right, Seven," said the man and turned to the four pilots who could hardly stay on their own any more. "Go to bed, boys. We'll explain everything when all of you are awake again."

Duo clung to Heero's hand and begged, "Can we... Can we take Heero into the house? Or has he to stay here?"

"I really don't see a reason why he shouldn't be allowed into the house," answered the man. Duo beamed.

Without a word the woman stepped to the bed and took the Wing pilot without any effort into her arms. Then she went towards the exit of the ship, yet stopped shortly in front of it and turned towards the four stunned staring Gundam pilots. "Where to?" she asked.

Duo was the first to tear himself out of his astonishment. "Follow me," he called and hurried to go ahead of the woman. But he couldn't stop himself to cast her surprised glances now and then. How was she able to carry Heero that easily? As if he didn't weigh anything? Sure, she was a head taller than the Wing pilot but nevertheless she shouldn't have been able to carry him that effortless. For sure she had to be much stronger than she was looking.

Duo led the woman silently into the house and directly into Heero's room. There Heero was lain down on his bed and the woman left the room with a short nod in Duo's direction. Duo sat down on the bed, took again hold of Heero's hand and looked concerned down on his sleeping form.

One moment later Quatre stuck his head into the room. "Is Everything all right?" he asked.

Duo looked up. "Yeah, everything all right. I just want to sit here a little bit and look after him. I'll go to bed soon."

"OK," answered Quatre and vanished again.

Duo looked again at the sleeping figure in front of him. Heero was alive. Heero was doing well. Duo sighed. The last hours had probably been the most horrible of his whole life. And now, after all the strain had finally diminished he was only feeling tired. He could fall asleep on the spot.

Yawning Dou lay down beside Heero without taking his gaze away from him. `Just for a moment," he said to himself, `I'm going to lie down here just for a second.' He was incredibly tired indeed but nevertheless he didn't want to leave his observation post at Heero's side. Somehow he had to make sure that Heero was really all right. And the only way he could do it was to look at Heero and hold his hand.

`Soon I'll get up and go into my room to get some sleep,' Duo thought sleepily, `I'm just briefly closing my eyes. And then I'll also go...' And with those last thoughts Duo drifted into sleep.

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Slowly Heero regained consciousness. He felt strangely lazy and therefore he stayed motionless with closed eyes in bed and tried to remember. And then his memory returned all at once. The base, the strange behaviour of the commander, the attack, his fight with the soldier, the two strangers, his injuries and the pain. The horrible pain!

Heero groaned silently and composed himself to feel the pain again, now that he remembered them again. But nothing happened. All he could feel was the soft mattress beneath him and the warm, snuggled up body beside him. Heero frowned. A warm, snuggled up body?

Carefully he opened his eyes and turned his head. Beside him, with the face turned towards him, lay Duo. One arm he had slung around Heero and with his other hand he was fiercely grasping one of Heero's hands.

Heero was amazed. Why wasn't Duo sleeping in his own room but here in his bed? And just as he was thinking about it - how had he actually gotten into his bed himself? The last thing he remembered was lying injured on a bed in this strange room. And his injuries! And the pain! How could it only be that he didn't feel any pain any more?

Slowly Heero raised the arm that the soldier had broken and stared searchingly on it. Nothing. No fracture, no cast, no pain. The arm was absolutely all right, as if it never had been broken.

How could that be? Heero could exactly remember the sound of his breaking bones. He couldn't possibly imagined everything, could he? No, his memories were way too clear for something like that - and the events way too absurd. Such a lively imagination he would at most associate with Duo. Duo...

Heero turned his head an looked again at his partner. Why was Duo lying beside him in bed? Whatsoever the reason, in any case it felt - good. Slowly Heero raised his free hand an stroked some strands out of Duo's face that looked so peaceful while sleeping.

"Heero..." sighed the braided pilot in his sleep, nestled closer to him and laid his head on Heero's shoulder.

Heero could only stare astonished at Duo. Why was he murmuring his name in his sleep? And why was it giving him such a good, warm feeling to have Duo lying right here beside him?

If Heero was honest with himself he wanted to stay forever like that - to be hold by Duo and to feel safe and secure. Heero closed his eyes sighing and rested his head against Duo's forehead. Just for some short moments he wanted to enjoy this feeling...

A silent knock sounded and shortly after that the door opened a crack and Quatre stuck his head inside. "Heero...? he asked silently, "Are you already awake?"

Hastily Heero disengaged of Duo's embrace and sat up. "Yes, I'm awake," he answered Quatre quietly.

The door opened fully then and Quatre entered the room. "How are you?" he asked and eyed Heero worried from head to toe.

"I'm fine... I think," Heero answered, still amazed by this fact. He cast another glance at Duo who was still sleeping beside him and turned then again to Quatre. "What happened? How did I get here? I... I was injured... wasn't I?"

"Yes you were," Quatre nodded, "Quite seriously injured even. But those two strangers who brought you here - I don't know HOW they have done it but they have healed you. I... Oh I think it's best we wait for their explanation. They said they would explain everything to us as soon as we're awake again. That's why I'm here. They are downstairs in the living room now and waiting for us. You and Duo are the only ones still missing."

Heero turned his head and looked again at Duo. Quatre stepped closer to the bed. "I already thought that he would be here," he said smiling. Heero cast him an asking look.

"He had been really terribly worried about you and hadn't wanted to leave your side after the surgery. He probably had wanted to make sure that you were really all right." Quatre was still smiling. "Let him sleep a little bit longer, he could surely need it," he added, "You can take a shower meanwhile and put on some clean clothes."

Heero looked down at himself. He was still wearing the torn and bloody clothes he had been wearing during the mission. The mission! "The mission! Quatre, have we..."

"Everything is all right," Quatre interrupted him. "We have accomplished the mission successfully and destroyed the base like ordered. Now go and take a shower!"

With this words he pulled Heero of the bed and pushed him towards the door. Slightly swaying Heero stood there. Obviously he wasn't doing as well as he thought because he felt dizzy and extremely weak on his legs. Slowly Heero went to the wardrobe and fetched a pair clean spandex and a fresh green tank top, then he vanished into the bathroom.

After he finished his shower and was finally wearing clean clothes again Heero was feeling way better - if still a little weak. But if he really had been that seriously injured like his memories and Quatre told him it would be only too understandable.

On his way to the stairs the door to Heero's room was suddenly flung open, Duo stormed out with panic written over his face - and stopped suddenly as he caught sight of Heero. He eyed Heero from head to tow, started to beam and glomped him with a happy "Heero!"

"You're all right! You're all right!" Duo cried again and again and pressed Heero firmly against him.

"Umph, let me go, baka," Heero choked, "I can't breathe!"

"Sorry, Hee-chan. I'm just so glad that you're all right!" Hastily Duo loosened his grip and took a step back, still happily beaming at Heero.

Heero felt the urge to smile but could just suppress it. Duo seemed to have been truly worried over him. And the thought to be that important for Duo caused an unknown happiness in him.

"Hn. Take a shower," Heero grunted and pushed Duo towards the bathroom. He wouldn't let himself be affected by this emotions. Emotions were dangerous. And till he had a better control of himself again it would really be better to stay away from Duo.

Duo nodded and bounced happily to the bathroom, casting again and again glances over his shoulder at Heero. Heero waited till Duo had closed the door behind him then he turned once more to the stairs and went down into the living room.

Quatre, Trowa and Wufei were already sitting there on a sofa - and opposite of them sat the two strangers who had helped Heero after his fight with the soldier. When Heero entered the room every face turned towards him - those of his comrades beamed happily at him, the man looked curious and the face of the woman was expressionless as always.

The man got up immediately and met Heero halfway. He took a tool about the size of his hand out of his pocket and looked asking at Heero. "May I?" he inquired, "I want to examine you - only to be safe."

Heero looked slightly insecure at him and asked, "Does it take long?"

"No," answered the man, "It will only take a short time."

Nodding Heero gave his agreement and the man ran a penlike part of the tool in a distance of approximately ten centimetres shortly up and down Heero's upper body while looking at the tool in his hand.

"Everything all right," he finally said and pocketed the tool again. Heero looked astonished at him. That had been the whole examination? That fast and without taking any blood samples or anything else? He really could get used to it.

Under the watching eyes of his colleagues Heero went to the second, slightly smaller sofa and sat down. Why were they staring at him like that? It was getting embarrassing. "What?" he finally hissed annoyed.

Wufei shook his head slightly. "It's just so - unbelievable!" he said. Trowa and Quatre nodded confirming.

Before Heero could reply anything Duo stormed into the room. "I'm late, I'm late, sorry!" he called and dropped down beside Heero on the sofa. Immediately he grabbed Heero's hand and pressed it slightly.

But instead of taking his hand away from Duo how he would have done normally he let it where it was. The events of the last hours - or were it days? - had brought him out of balance and he simply needed an anchor to hold on - and besides, Duo's hand was plain and simple feeling good.

"Well," Wufei turned to the strangers, "You promised an explanation. We're all here now, start explaining."

"We did," said the woman. "My name is Seven of Nine and this is the Doctor," she gestured at the man beside her. "The reason for our presence is the approaching invasion of this dimension by the Borg."

Astonished silence from the Gundam pilots followed these words. Invasion? Borg? THIS dimension?

Of course it was Duo who was the first to found his voice again. "Borg..." he said thoughtfully, "... sounds Swedish." [1]

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[1] This quotation had "Duo" written all over it! ^_^