You can't stop my love for you,
It'll be here, that's a given, as long as I am living
on this earth.
One thing is true,
You can turn away and forget me,
Curse my name but love won't let me let you go.
Always know,
My love is unconditional...
Duo sighed tiredly and closed his eyes, trying to fall
asleep for about the sixth time that night. He shifted
his position to face the wall and stretched his legs
to the bottom of the bed. A strong warm arm tightened
around Duo's shoulder for a moment, then relented a
little.
"What's wrong?" A tired voice asked. "Usually you
sleep like the dead."
"Heero," Duo rolled onto his back and casually swept
his chestnut brown bangs away from his forehead. "I
just can't sleep. Sorry to keep you up."
The arm let go of Duo and the weight in the bed
shifted as Heero sat up. The dark haired boy turned on
a reading lamp on the nightstand and got to his feet.
He walked across the room and picked up a small bottle
that sat next to his own empty bed. Then he went into
the bathroom and filled a paper cup with water. Heero
walked back to the bed as Duo sat up. He opened the
bottle, fished out a red pill, and held it out to Duo.
The Americanò³ ¶iolet eyes widened as he took the pill
from Heero. "What's this?" Duo asked, his confused
eyes peering questioningly into Heero's always stern
dark blue ones.
"It's a mild drug." Heero said. "It'll help you
sleep."
"Oh." Duo warily eyed Heero as he put the pill on the
back of his tongue and washed it down with the cup of
water. He was somewhat suspicious of his lover; it was
not like Heero to do something so nice. He leaned
against the headboard and watched Heero get back into
bed. The Japanese pilot turned off the light and sat
next to Duo. Neither boy spoke at first, but after
debating for a minute, Duo finally spoke up. "Ne,
Heero?"
"Aa?" Heero said tiredly.
"Ai shiteru..."
Heero looked at him, his face displaying a rare sign
of confusion. "I know." Heero gently kissed Duo's
forehead. "I love you too."
"Forever?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, some people say they'll love each other
forever, but it doesn't last. I...I'm afraid that'll
happen to us."
Ah, so that's what was bothering him. That's why he
couldn't sleep. Heero sat up straight and looked
squarely at Duo. "No." He said flatly. "That won't
happen."
"Promise?" Duo asked as he began to grow drowsy. He
felt his head droop and rest against Heeroò³ ³houlder.
"Yes." Heero said, truly meaning his words. He gently
kissed Duo's lips and wrapped his warm arms around the
braided boy's slender body. Duo was nearly asleep now,
but Heero spoke anyway. "I promise I'll love you
forever."
"Me too." Duo said, smiling as he began to close his
eyes. "I promise, Heero, I'll never stop loving you." Always know, my love is unconditional... ***
"I HATE you!" Duo screamed at the top of his lungs.
"How in the hell could you do that to me?! Heero, I
was scared shitless!"
"Hn." Heero closed the door and walked to his bed. He
sat down and took out a first aid kit. Blood was
trickling down his arm; he had been shot once during
the mission he had just returned from.
"Well?!" Duo shouted. "Don't I get an explanation?!"
Heero didn't answer. He never gave justifications for
his actions, and he wasn't about to start now. He
continued to wrap his injured arm with medical tape
without saying a word to the stunned and extremely
furious Duo.
"How come you didn't take at least one of us with you?
You almost got killed! I meaní½ší±p;quot;
"It was my mission." Heero said flatly. "It had
nothing to do with you or the others. Besides," He
tore off the excess medical tape before continuing.
"You know missions are top priority..."
Heero's words struck Duo like a bullet, tearing
through his heart and ripping it in two. But still,
the American forced one of his trademark smiles.
"Heero, you don't mean that. What about...you and me?"
Heero looked up with the same cold, slack expression
he usually had. "Both of us were trained the same way,
Duo. Our lives aren't worth much. If you think of
something else than our missions as being first and
foremost in priority, maybe you shouldn't be a Gundam
pilot."
"But...Heero..." Duo's smile completely vanished and his sorrowful eyes met Heero's, silently pleading for some
kind of explanation or apology. Heero looked away. He
didn't like hurting Duo like this, but it was the
truth. By the time he looked back, Duo's expression
had changed back into an extremely angry one. He did
not agree with the Japanese pilot at all. He loved
Heero with all his heart, more than anything; but when
he acted so uncaring, Duo was sometimes forced to
question it. He stormed to the door and swung it open,
ignoring the tears that were now stinging his eyes and
blurring his vision. "Fuck you, Heero!" Duo screamed. ...love won't let me let you go, Tears spilled over the brims of Duo's eyes, allowing
them to fall freely down his cheeks. Always know, "I hate you!" My love is unconditional. Heero shook his head as the sound of the slamming door
reached his ears. "That's fine." He said with a deep
sigh. But you can't stop my love for you... Duo was thankful that the long corridors formed a
square so he could walk the halls almost endlessly. It
gave him a lot of time to work on cooling off his
ferocious temper. He was also thankful that it was
very, very late and no one else was walking around and
could see his tears. They were streaming, unchecked,
down his face, but the American refused to acknowledge
that someone, anyone, had made him cry.
After several minutes, Duo screamed with rage and
drove his fist into the wall, almost denting it. He
couldn't stand being in the same building as Heero any
longer. He needed to go outside and think. "Need my
coat." Duo murmured to himself. He spun around and
started back to the room.
Heero grasped his injured arm as he got up and walked
to his desk. He took out a piece of paper and began to
write. When he finished, he folded it twice and placed
it in the pocked of Duo's black leather coat which was
laid out on the bed. No doubt, he knew, the braided
pilot would be back for it.
With one final glance at Duo's coat, Heero turned
towards the bathroom to take a shower.
Duo entered the room cautiously, but relaxed once he
heard the shower running. He picked up his coat and
slung it over his left shoulder. He walked to the open
door and paused momentarily, looking wistfully back
towards the bathroom... That's where Heero was. For a
split second, Duo's heart throbbed painfully and he
wanted Heero more than anything. Then the anger took
over again and he shut the door and headed for the
exit. Always know, my love is unconditional... An icy winter blast met Duo head on as he walked
outside. It was not a nice night for a walk, it was
bitterly cold and newly fallen snow lightly covered
the sidewalks while patches of ice were scattered
about the street. However, Duo ignored the frigid
weather, he needed to calm down more than worry about
the temperature. He quickly zipped up his coat and
jammed his hands into his pockets. "Baka Heero." He
grumbled. Duo had stopped crying, tears had given way
to pure anger. "How can he be such an asshole? Jerk."
He put his freezing hands in front of his face in an
attempt to warm them up, and noticed a piece of paper
fall to the snowy sidewalk.
"What's this?" Duo unfolded the paper as he picked it
up, but it was too dark to read. He sat down on a curb
under a bright street light and took another look.
Immediately he recognized the chicken-scratch
handwriting as Heero's. Duo read very softly, just
loud enough for his voice to reach his ears.
"You can't stop my love for you.
It'll be here, that's a given, as long as I am living
on this earth.
One thing is true,
You can turn away and forget me,
Curse my name, but love won't let me let you go.
Always know,
My love is unconditional."
Duo blinked. It was really the only reaction he could
use since he was practically in shock over the fact
that Heeroí³¢íµ¥ro had written something like this. It
was so uncharacteristic of him, even more so than the
previous night when he had helped him fall asleep. And
Heero had written this after all the mean things Duo
had said.
He let out a soft sob and clutched the paper to his
heart. Heero really did love him; he just wasn't the
best at showing it. "Ano baka." Duo whispered. His
warm breath hung in the frigid air as he spoke. He ran
a hand through his bangs and his lips curled into a
smile. Two tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. "He
tries to make me cry just so I'll apologize first."
Duo quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand
and stood up. "Fine. Heero wins."
Duo started back towards the school still clutching
the paper in one hand. "What the hell am I gonna tell
him?" He grumbled to himself. After a moment of not
really thinking anything, he shrugged. "Oh well, I'm
sure I can bull shit something. He only listens with
half an ear anyway."
A strong gust of wind blew the paper from Duo's tight
grip and into the empty street. Duo went after it,
despite the tiny voice of instinctive reason in his
head softly questioning, "what the hell are you
doing?" He lost his footing on a patch of ice, but
quickly regained his balance. Duo picked up the paper
and slipped it into his pocket. He stood up and turned
back to the sidewalk.
Duo didn't see the truck until it was too late.
Heero suddenly sat up in bed. The unfamiliar feeling
of worry had pushed its way into his gut. He glanced
at the little alarm clock next to his bed; it was one
twenty-six in the morning. Why wasn't Duo back yet?
Sure Deathscythe's pilot lost his temper a lot, but
when he went out after a fight, he was never gone
long. Never this long. Something must be...no, Heero
couldn't think like that. He forced the worry away
with some amount of effort. Since he was trained not
to feel anything, this upset him quite a bit. "He'll
be back soon." Heero said flatly. He lay down calmly
and went back to sleep. Always know, my love is unconditional... Duo was aware of what was happening, but he didn't
remember feeling any pain as his weightless body flew
backwards through the air. He could dimly hear people
shouting and the squeaking of the truck's wheels. He
hit the ground so hard that he skidded back another
ten feet or so. Just one thought crossed his mind.
*Heero...*
He tried desperately to get up, but his arms and legs
wouldn't move. He couldn't lift his head either.
*Heero, I'm sorry...*
Duo opened his eyes. Several people were standing over
him. A lady was holding his head up, quietly talking
to him, but Duo couldn't hear her. The only thing he
heard was blood rushing through his ears.
*I'm so sorry...*
His breaths were becoming shorter and more labored by
the second. Duo felt an overwhelming cool blackness
creeping up on him.
"Quick! Someone call an ambulance!" A woman shouted.
"I already did." Responded an older man's voice. "But
it's too late. That kid's gone."
Duo winced as he felt the first real pain, a crushing
force on his ribs. He struggled in the deepest breath
he could manage. His eyes were starting to slip
closed.
"Heero..." He whispered with his last breath. "Ai
shiteru..."
Heero's hand groped blindly for the phone as its
ringing had awakened him for the second time that
night. He picked up the receiver and held it to his
ear.
"Yeah." He mumbled tiredly.
"Is this Heero Yuy?" Asked an uncertain lady's voice
on the other end of the line.
Heero sat up, somewhat concerned by the voice's
unfamiliarity. "Yes."
"This is Leslie Calloway. I'm a nurse at Saint Helen's
Hospital." Heero's breath painfully caught in his
throat and his stomach clenched tightly. But he
managed to regain his composure before he spoke.
"Aa." He said in his usual emotionless tone.
"Your friend..." She paused, somewhat taken aback by
Heero's tone. "Your friend, Duo Maxwell is here...He was
hit by a tuck."
"Duo..." Heero could feel his voice quavering. The
fa硤e of the Perfect Soldier was fading rapidly with
his concern. "Is he okay?" He managed to keep his
voice from shaking as he waited for an answer, but
just barely. He noticed his hand that held the phone
was trembling. Heero clenched his teeth and tightly
gripped the receiver, trying not to lose his patience.
There was a very lengthy pause, much too long for
Heero. "Perhaps you should come down here, Mr. Yuy. The
h-hello?"
Heero slammed the phone back onto its cradle with such
force that it cracked. He yanked a pair of jeans and a
sweatshirt out of his dresser and quickly wrestled to
get them on. He put on his shoes without socks and
bolted for the door without even bothering with his
coat.
The hospital was less than a mile away; Heero's feet
hardly touched the ground as he ran there. He was
completely breathless by the time he stumbled through
the doors and ran heavily into the reception desk. A
young woman sitting behind the desk and a computer
looked up, somewhat startled.
"Yes?" She asked softly. "Can I help you?"
"My friend was brought here." Heero's voice was calmer
than it really had any right to be. "Duo Maxwell."
The girl briefly looked at her computer, then back at
Heero. She frowned and stood up uneasily. "Hai. Please
wait here, I'll be right back."
Heero gave a slight nod and leaned against the wall as
she left. He began to think of all the mean things he
would do to his lover for making him worry like this.
He probably just had a few scrapes and bruises,
nothing serious. Heero could already see Duo laughing
at him for being so concerned.
He looked up as a young dark-haired doctor entered the
room. "Are you Heero Yuy?" He asked.
"Aa."
The doctor extended his hand. "Iò „octor Knett."
Heero just stared at him, unmoving. "How's Duo?" He
asked finally.
Doctor Knett sighed and looked at Heero very
seriously.
"I'm sorry, son...He's dead."
Heero's heart wrenched, not believing what he had just
heard. He shook his head numbly and fixed the doctor
with a stunned look like a little boy who had just
been told that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. "What?"
Was all he was able to say.
"The collision threw him a good twenty feet. He was
killed almost instantly, no suffering. I'm sorry."
Heero felt tears stinging his eyes but he fought them
back with a tremendous effort. He was supposed to be
the Perfect Soldier, right? He would not allow himself
to cry. He looked up at the doctor again and took a
deep breath.
"I want to see him." That's it! Heero couldn't believe
the doctor until he could see Duo.
Doctor Knett shook his head. "We can't allow that."
Heero's dark blue eyes narrowed in fury. He brushed
past the doctor and started down the closest hallway.
"Hey, hold on, kid." Doctor Knett grabbed Heero's arm
and tried to pull him back. "You can't justí½ší±p;quot;
Heero pulled his arm free with such force that the
doctor fell. The Japanese pilot ran down the hall as
fast as he could, ignoring the people shouting after
him.
Something familiar caught Heero's eye as he ran past
one of the rooms. He stopped in his tracks and turned
around slowly. He swallowed hard as he came to the
entrance of a small, secluded room. It was very cold
inside; no one had bothered to turn on a heater. The
overhead light was dim, but Heero could make out a bed
in the other corner. He shut the door and moved
towards it. A thin gray blanket covered a small figure
on the bed. His shaking hand reached up and pulled the
blanket down. The dead boy underneath bore little
resemblance, but something within Heero recognized
him.
*Duo...*
No matter how much Heero tried to convince himself
that this was not Duo, his heart was sure that it was.
The face had no color, just a ghostly white tinge. His
usually braided hair was undone, flowing over his bare
shoulders and disappearing under the blanket. There
was no blood, no visible injuries; he just seemed to
be asleep. Heero vaguely tried to assure himself that
Duo would wake up any minute and flash him one of his
famous ear-to-ear grins.
Heero slowly ran one finger along the side of the pale
face. He gently kissed Duo's lips, but they were cold,
lifeless. He sat up slowly and ran his fingers through
several fine strands of his lover's hair. His
breathing suddenly became very shuddered and Heero
collapsed against the still form, choked with
uncontrollable sobs.
Heero couldn't hide his tears any longer. Heero lifted
Duo's shoulders off the bed, holding him in a tight
embrace against his chest, and for the first time in
his life...Heero Yuy cried.
"I hate you!" Heero choked as tears streamed down his
face. "How the hell could you die on me?"
Heero held him like that for what seemed like hours,
crying silently and praying that somehow this was just
a bad dream. His tears had not stopped that whole
time, and how had spread on to the side of Duo's face
and hair. He hugged Duo's body once more and lay him
back on the bed. He was so exhausted now that he could
barely move, but Heero managed to stagger tiredly to
his feet as he kissed Duo one last time.
"Ai shiteru, Duo." Heero said softly. "I'll always
love you."
Heero noticed a pile of clothes on a nearby chair and
recognized them as Duo's. He picked up the coat and a
folded paper fell from one of the pockets. He was
shocked to see it almost as neat as it had been when
he wrote it. Hadn't Duo gotten it? Heero unfolded it
slowly and re-read the words silently.
"You can't stop my love for you. It'll be here, that's
a given, as long as I am living on this earth. One
thing is true, You can turn away and forget me, Curse
my name, but love won't let me let you go. Always
know, My love is unconditional."
Heero started to fold the note to put into his own
pocket, but then noticed a little more writing at the
bottom that he had not put there. It was Duo's small
but neat handwriting. His legs gave out as an
unbelievable weakness overcame him as he read it.
"Mine is too. I promise, Heero, I'll never stop loving
you." My love is unconditional... |
