Cherry Blossom: I'M HOME!!! Where's the welcome back party?

Duo: Huh? You were away?

Heero: ::groan:: Baka. She was in Europe for three months, remember?

Duo: Uh…no…

Heero: >_<

Cherry Blossom: ::sniffle:: No one remembers meeeeeeeeeeee! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Matteo: Oh smeg. Look, stop that, of course they remember you!

Cherry Blossom: ::sobs:: Then why aren't they throwing me a party?

Melpomene: Uh…'cause they don't like you?

Cherry Blossom: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!

Matteo : -_- You are not helping.

Melpomene: ::shrugs::

Heero: Can we just get on with this?

Cherry Blossom: ::sniffle:: Sure. What else have I got to do?

Duo: Yay! Let's go!

Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Wing I would have enough money to buy a decent word processor. Since I am presently typing this on the word processor from HELL this scenario is very improbable.

Warnings: Shounen ai!! Shounen ai shounen ai shounen ai shounen ai shounen aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Have I made it clear to you people yet? MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS!!!! HOMOSEXUALS!!!! Got it? Good. So don't flame me because of it.

Making Heero Human - Part 11

Heero woke slowly to the sound of birds chirping noisily outside the window. He was lying on a bed, Quatre and Trowa's bed to be exact from the direction of the sunlight streaming through the window onto his face. Heero and Duo's room had a window but it was on the opposite side. Sensing another presence beside him, Heero opened his eyes just a bit to confirm his suspicions. Correctly identifying Quatre, Heero opened his eyes completely and sat up, much to the blond boy's surprise.

"Heero! You're awake," Quatre exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Heero replied, giving Quatre a puzzled look. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I, er…"

Quatre fumbled around for an answer.

'Doesn't he remember that only a few hours ago he was sobbing like a baby all over me? Maybe he's just embarrassed and wants to forget the whole thing. I don't want to ask him outright or he'll close himself off completely.'

"No reason," Quatre said finally. "I just want you to know that I'm here if you ever want to…talk about something," he finished lamely.

Now Heero's expression turned mystified. "What would I want to talk to you about? Honestly, Quatre you are making no sense at all."

'Does he truly not remember?' Quatre thought, incredulously.

"Well," Quatre began slowly, "I though that maybe you might want to talk to me about…Duo."

'Duo.'

The name brought a maelstrom of emotion rushing through Heero. He remembered almost getting himself killed, Duo getting angry, Duo threatening to leave, himself, shaking in Duo's arms, Duo's wonderful massage, falling asleep, waking up to find Duo gone, finding Duo inside his Gundam, watching his vid-recordings. Heero felt all the sadness and betrayal and pain come back all at once. He closed his eyes.

"Heero?"

Quatre watched his friend's face carefully.

'He does remember. But will he acknowledge it?'

Heero's eyes opened and he stared impassively at Quatre.

Quatre swallowed hard and turned his gaze away from that intense gaze.

'I guess not.'

"Well, I'll just leave you alone now and er…"

Quatre was backing away towards the door when he heard Heero's frustrated cry.

"I just don't understand!"

Heero clenched his fists and then brought his head down to rest in between his hands as if it hurt him.

Quatre turned and walked back to Heero, putting a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"What don't you understand?"

Heero raised his head a bit and answered softly, "I just don't understand why I feel this way…why I feel at all! I'm not supposed to have these emotions. I'm supposed to be impervious, dammit! I'm was supposed to be trained to ignore these things! What the hell's wrong with me?"

"Maybe," Quatre said," maybe you're feeling the one thing that can bypass any training. Maybe you feel love."

"Then why does it hurt so much?" Heero shouted. "Why is there this burning, this pain every time I see him, every time he touches me? Why does it hurt?"

"Love is not all sweetness and light, Heero. Sometimes the things that bring us the most joy also give us the most sorrow. But that's why love is such a precious thing. You get through the pain and become closer because of it. No relationship is perfect."

"What about you and Trowa?" Heero asked.

Quatre laughed. "Even Trowa and I have our ups and downs. But that's how love is supposed to be. It can't be perfect. Listen Heero, pain is inevitable. That's what makes us mortal. It's the ability to push on and keep going through the pain that makes us human."

Heero sat still and silent for a few moments, digesting this. Then he turned to Quatre and said "Thank you," and left the room.

Quatre watched him go, feeling a happy warmth in his chest.

'I hope you find your humanity, Heero."

All of a sudden, strong arms wrapped around his waist and a warm mouth murmured against the back of his neck, "That looked like it went well."

Quatre smiled. "I think so."

"Well now that all that's finished with," Trowa whispered seductively, "whatever shall we do to occupy our time?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something…" Quatre said back innocently and turned around in Trowa's arms.

The banged boy brought his head down for a kiss, simultaneously kicking the door shut with his foot.

The door was not opened until much later that night.

Heero found Duo some time later, standing outside underneath the apple tree. The white blossoms swirled and danced around the braided pilot like errant snowflakes and Duo was reaching out his hands to catch them as they swept past. The sun was rapidly descending on the horizon and far above the hazy pink clouds, Heero could see the stars peeking out of a deep blue sky. He watched Duo make a last grab for the falling white apple blossoms that fluttered by in the wind for a few minutes before emerging from his hiding space and clearing his throat.

Instantly, Duo was subdued. He stopped his darting pursuit of the blossoms and sat down on the ground, drawing his knees up under his chin.

"Hi Hee-ch…Heero. What brings you here?"

"What are you doing?" Heero asked, coming over to stand beside Duo.

"Catching wishes*," the braided Shinigami responded.

Heero frowned, puzzled. "What?"

Duo sighed and then turned to face the other pilot, wincing when he came into contact with those cold blue eyes. He took a deep breath and began his explanation.

"When I lived at the orphanage, Sister Helen used to tell me that the apple blossoms were really the dresses of fairies, left behind while they bathed in the dew of the flowers. She said that if I caught one floating in the air and made a wish on it, and if my wish was pure, when I released it into the wind it would travel up to where the fairies lived and they would try their best to grant it for me. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Heero said nothing, gazing intently at the fluttering white blossoms around him. Then his hand darted out in a quick movement and snagged one on the first try.

'Figures,' Duo thought, wryly. 'Always perfect'.

Heero held up his closed fist and turned to Duo. "What do I do now?"

Duo licked his suddenly chapped lips and said, "Close your eyes."

Heero complied.

"Now make a wish…any wish! And then let it go."

Heero stayed still for a few moments, frowning in concentration. Then his deep blue orbs winked open and he released the blossom into the wind. Both he and Duo watched the wind carry the seeds lazily up into the sky, where the orange globe of sun dipped low on the horizon. Duo broke the silence first.

"So…what did you wish for."

Heero remained silent. Duo was just about to repeat his question when Heero turned and burst out, "I just wish that I could understand you!"

There was an awkward silence for a while until Duo replied, lightly, "Well it's too bad that you won't get your wish now."

"Why not?" Heero asked.

"Because if you say a wish out loud, it won't come true."

"Oh," was the final response.

Duo watched Heero's face for traces of anger or hurt. He prepared himself and took a deep breath.

"Look Heero, I'm really really sorry about the whole finding me in your Gundam thing and I never meant to betray you or hurt you but I was only worried because you've been acting so strange lately and then you almost got killed and I just couldn't deal with living without you because you're my best friend and-"

"Am I really?" Heero interrupted Duo's babbling apology.

Duo blinked. "Really what?"

"Your best friend."

"Of course you are," Duo said, astonished. "Who else would it be?"

"Hilde, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei…"

"Hilde and I are more like business partners then friends, Quatre and Trowa are too wrapped up in each other to really pay attention to anyone else, and Wu-man's a real blast to tease but I don't think that he regards me as anything else but a comrade. Come on Heero, think! It's you that I always ask to be partnered with on missions, it's you that I always hang around. Why did you think I volunteered to room with you this week, huh? It's 'cause you're my best friend!"

Heero was mystified. "But I…why me? I don't…I don't know how to be a best friend!"

Duo smiled and replied, "Well you've been doing all right so far. No one knows how to be a best friend. You just…are."

Heero closed his eyes and clenched his fists, frustrated. "But if I don't know how to be a best friend, then how can I become…"

"Perfect?"

Duo shook his head sadly. "Heero," he said with excrutiating gentleness, "there are just some things you can't be perfect at. Making mistakes and then persevering through our mistakes is what makes us human."

Heero's eyes snapped open. 'That's the same thing Quatre said! Maybe…maybe he's right. Maybe it's time to become…human.'

Duo's arm came up and his hand enclosed around one of the white blossoms fluttering by. He held it fast and closed his eyes, holding the fist close to his heart while he made his wish. Then he slowly uncurled his fingers until the breeze picked up the blossom and carried it high into the heavens. Both he and Heero watched it climb for a while. Then Heero turned to Duo and asked, "What did you wish for?"

Duo smiled and shook his head. "Nuh uh. I ain't telling. I want this wish to come true."

Heero turned away, disappointed, although he couldn't explain why. Then Duo's voice came again, only now it was very close to his ear.

"But I can show you what I wished for," was his seductive whisper.

Heero froze, shocked. Sudden heat flushed through his body and his knees felt very weak. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

'W-what's happening to me?'

Duo summoned up all of his courage and said a quick prayer. Then he turned Heero around, slowly, looking deeply into those amazing wide blue eyes. He swallowed hard and bent his head down closer until their lips were almost touching.

"I wished for…I wished for…this!"

And then he kissed him.

To Be Continued…

* The funny thing is, I used to do this when I was little. In fact, I still do! And this is the scene that I had in mind at the beginning of this whole thing…what I created the whole fic for! It was actually supposed to be a one shot fluff piece. And now I've got eleven chapters and an actual plot and like, three hundred reviews…who knew? I just wanna thank everybody who's supported this fic from the start, I couldn't have done it without you. You guys all encourage me and inspire me so much! And you were all so very patient when I had to go away to Europe. Thank you! ^__^

Melpomene: ::gags:: Noooooooooo! Not muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush! Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

Duo: ::making out with Heero::

Heero: Mmph!

Cherry Blossom: Er…yeah, well.

Matteo: I liked it!

Melpomene: You would.

Matteo: : P

Melpomene: Now everything's so hunky-dory you'll just have to end the fic.

Angry mob: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Cherry Blossom: ::winces:: My ears…

Matteo: You're not ending the fic, are you?

Cherry Blossom: Naw…not yet. I still have a few plot twists up my sleeve. Don't worry Mel, things have to get better before they can get worse.

Matteo: Isn't that supposed to be the other way around?

Melpomene: Does that mean more angst? ^__^

Duo: ::pauses in making out with Heero:: Can I have a lemon?

Heero: -.-

Cherry Blossom: Absolutely not.

Duo: Awww, come on! You've done them before.

Cherry Blossom: I have a total of one yaoi lemon. No.

Duo: Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeee?

Heero: -.-

Duo: You beg too, Hee-chan!

Heero: -.-

Cherry Blossom: Er…I'll think about it.

Duo: Yay! ^__^

Matteo: Review!

Melpomene: Or suffer the wrath of the muse!

Cherry Blossom: ::rolls eyes::