Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Yaoi, Lemon, sap, angst, Male Pregnancy, medical themes

Pairings: 1x2x1

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Summary: Set partially during the series but main bulk after the war. EW didn't take place. The Eve wars are finished and the peace retained. The pilots have all gone their own ways, Heero and Duo have made a life together both working for Preventer when Duo's world is turned upside down as his unknown past comes back to haunt him.

Dedication: To Velena who gave me the plot bunny for this little gem.

Special thanks to my wonderful beta's DBZVelena, Ryouga and Yami_Tai, I'd be lost without you guys!

Status: In progress.

~ Indicates flashbacks ~

/ thoughts /

Authors Note: Towards the end of this chapter the fic goes off into its own universe. EW didn't happen and there is a significant time jump.

"Chimaera"

October 2003 ShenLong

Chapter 4

The sirens sounded and the five pilots scrambled to their mecha, the inbound Virgo's the only thing on their mind. Slicing and dicing his way through the seemingly endless wall of suits, Duo was surprised to hear Hilde's voice on his com link. Moments later he was speeding through space to her assistance.

Heero paused in his battle for a brief moment as the Deathscythe pilot disappeared into the void of space. There was a strange burning feeling inside his gut, something he'd never felt before. A sudden flare of light and he was thrown against his harness as a Virgo caught him in his lapse of concentration and reminded him that now was not the time to be figuring out what it was he was feeling; there would be time for that later. Shuffling the new found sensation to the rear of his mind to be analyzed when he had time, he gave a roar of anger and brought Zero's buster rifle into play, obliterating the suit that had dared to oppose him.

~ * ~

Somehow Duo managed to get the damaged Taurus and it's courageous pilot back to the Peacemillion where the medic's took over. He hovered while Hilde was removed from the cockpit and carefully took the computer disc that had been the cause of all the trouble. Unable to help his concern for the girl that had become like a sister to him, he made sure to stick close as she was examined and her wounds treated. Eventually she was stabilized and wheeled down the corridor towards the medical bay's recovery section. Duo followed, noting the presence of the other pilots.

Heero stood back as the little procession came down the corridor. He noted the look of concern in Duo's eyes as he watched the girl carefully. He couldn't miss the gentle brush of Duo's hand against her cheek, nor the way she smiled up at him in return. The tightness in his gut returned with a vengeance.

Sullenly he leant against the thick glass alloy that acted as a barrier between him and the stars, dropping his head so no one could read his eyes. His brain frantically sought to figure out this intense pain that tore through him when he watched Duo with that girl.

"We can't let the data she brought us go to waste." Quatre's soft words reminded him that he wasn't alone and should be thinking about the job at hand, not what he was experiencing. Duo's words though, were what jerked him from his self exploration.

"Relena Peacecraft is on Libra...."

His blue eyes opened wide as he stared into amethyst. "She is?"

Heero was aware that Duo spoke a little more but noted that 02's gaze shifted back to the door where that girl had passed through. He pushed himself up from his slouch and turned. Ignoring everyone he walked off. He needed to be alone, to think, to sort out what he was going to do.

Duo wasn't aware that he had left.

~ * ~

The battle was in full swing,. Peacemillion had crashed into the Libra, Quatre had faced his demon in the form of Dorothy and while he'd lost in one way, he had been victorious in another. Trowa had assisted the blonde back to his Gundam while Duo had rescued the mad five and deposited them where requested. Wufei joined them after his victory over Treize and between them, they continued their battle.

Duo barely had time to wonder about Heero. He was puzzled that the Japanese teen had left without so much as a kiss good-bye. He understood the importance of Relena and knew Heero had gone to rescue her but it still ate at him that Heero hadn't told him what he was doing, instead, leaving him to find out from Quatre. To put it bluntly; it hurt.

Unfortunately he couldn't dwell on it at the moment; there were far too many other things that demanded his attention, namely one large chunk of Libra determined to head for the Earth.

The four pilots did their best to destroy as much of the debris as possible in the short time they had. Even with the assistance of the Maguanacs though, it looked like they wouldn't succeed. Desperately Duo swung the double bladed beam scythe, tearing through metal like butter, doing what he did best and inflicting as much damage as he could to the shuddering chunk. All too soon they realized they were running out of time. Then Wufei came over the com link, announcing his delivery of a buster rifle to a certain pilot.

With hope in his heart, Duo fled the errant piece of metal. If anyone could stop this disaster, it would be Heero.

Heero had fought his battle with Zechs, neither gaining the upper hand. With Relena now safely out of the way, he could give vent to the feelings that washed over him. He was beginning to understand what it was he felt when watching Duo with that girl and he didn't like it. He needed an outlet for the pent up frustration he had inside and battling Zechs was one way to rid himself of the emotion that threatened to eat him alive.

He'd seen the piece of Libra break away, watched as Zechs gave up the battle and then quickly headed out to see what he could do. He saw the trajectory of the deadly piece, calculated the chances of the others trying to carve it up into smaller chunks and no matter how you looked at it, the end result was going to be the same.

Destruction.

He almost screamed aloud as there was nothing he could do to stop the scenario. He needed his buster rifle but unfortunately, he had lost it during his confrontation with Zechs. A blip on his radar alerted him to something coming up on him and fast. He switched to the visual and nearly wept. It was Wufei.... and he was carrying his buster rifle.

Racing ahead of the piece, he flipped Zero around and brought the rifle up. Bracing it in the huge mecha's hands, he began the fight to hold his Gundam together and steady the vibrating limbs whilst searching for the target lock.

Duo watched the event unfolding before him with his heart in his mouth, Deathscythe floating gently, along with the other three Gundams. He tried to open the visual feed to Heero's cockpit but Heero must have shut it off as Duo couldn't get anything. He found his lips moving, praying silently that Heero would succeed, but more importantly; survive.

With bits of his Gundam tearing from the structure, Heero knew he was cutting it close. He watched the target screen as the small square jumped and bounced around. He bit his lip, sweat running from every conceivable part as he fought the bucking Gundam. And then the target locked. Unsure of whether he would survive the blast or not, Heero knew he had to fire. At least Duo would live. His fingers closed on the firing mechanism, the bright beam of power was wrenched from the rifle as the heartfelt scream tore from Heero's mouth...

"DUO!!!!"

~ * ~

It was over.

Heero became aware that he was still alive and the blinding flash had signaled the end of the threat. He shifted into automatic mode, fingers hitting the buttons on the console and Zero responded, changing into bird mode. His head hung wearily, he ached in every bone. He could hear the cheers and shouts of his fellow pilots through his com link that he'd activated when switching over and while it should have warmed him, there was an emptiness deep inside.

Vaguely he became aware of Duo's voice, shouting louder than the rest and he listened for a moment.

"You did it, buddy! Heero, you did it!"

A small smile came to his lips but quickly faded as the pain in his heart registered again. Forcing himself to appear cheerful he opened a line and spoke softly. "Mission complete."

~ * ~

The pilots all headed their Gundams for MO2, eager to get out of their suits and congratulate their hero. One by one the mecha arrived and entered the large hangars, striding swiftly to their allocated bays. The pilot's opened their hatches and exited their machines; Trowa instantly leaping up to Quatre's to help the Arabian out. The medic's arrived, Trowa having radioed ahead to inform them of Quatre's injury, and checked the Sandrock pilot over, slipping a drip into his arm and carting him off despite his protests about wanting to wait to greet Heero.

Wufei declined to join them at the last moment, disappearing off into space somewhere. / No doubt going to face his own demons. / Duo thought. People were everywhere, all cheering and congratulating him, but he didn't hear them, his eyes fixed on the doors that separated him from Wing Zero that had just landed.

Heero guided his Gundam into the hangar bay and powered down the system. He hung in his harness for a moment debating whether to run his damage and diagnostics program rather than face the crowds outside. He was embarrassed at the attention. While he may have been the one to shoot down the piece of Libra, he hadn't won this war single-handed. There were four others that were just as much the heroes here. He didn't get a chance to think any further, his cockpit hatch hissed open, Duo having released it from the outside and he was faced with a jubilant American.

"Heero! You did it! You saved the Earth." Duo grinned from ear to ear. He longed to hug Heero but he didn't think it would be appropriate, given the number of spectators. He reached inside though and gave Heero a quick squeeze to the shoulder.

Heero began the mechanical task of undoing his harness. He ached to hold Duo, to bury his face in the crook of that neck and inhale the scent of his partner and best friend but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His mind kept replaying the scene of Duo with that girl Hilde, the way Duo's eyes had looked when she was wheeled away.

Duo was a little puzzled at Heero's lack of response and quickly brought his own hands into play, assisting in the unbuckling of the harness. It also put him in the perfect position to bring his lips to Heero's without anyone being able to see. Leaning in close, his eyes darted from Heero's eyes to Heero's lips and back again. Then, before he could protest, Duo pushed forwards and brushed his lips over Heero's.

Heero's eyes fluttered shut. The kiss felt so good. All too soon though, it ended and he was left staring into soft amethyst. His breath hitched and for a moment he thought he was going to cry. Quickly he smothered the feeling as shouts from below pierced the small enclosure.

"Time to go buddy, your adoring fan club awaits you." Duo grinned. He could feel a tension in Heero and wasn't sure why. He dismissed it though, putting it down to the stress of the past few hours. They climbed down together to be swallowed up in the midst of the gathered crowd.

~ * ~

The drums rolled and the trumpets sounded their fanfare, Relena stepped to the small podium and began her speech. Heero wasn't listening though. He sat, along with the others on hard, straight backed chairs and tried not to fidget. He hated these sorts of ceremonies. Relena was relating to the crowds the new joint peace between the Earth and the Colonies; expressing her hopes for a continued peaceful existence before going on to the part he was dreading. She began to remind the citizens of those who had sacrificed their lives for the peace to become a reality and then went on to praise the role of the Gundams in all this.

One by one they were presented to the crowds who cheered and clapped; faces red with embarrassment, all wishing the three ringed circus was over.

Heero watched Duo closely. Hilde was sitting next to him and he fussed over her non stop. The pain in his chest was back. During the past week, he hadn't had much of a chance to spend any time with Duo. They had suffered through endless interviews, de-briefings and discussions. No sooner had they found themselves with a moment alone than it was snatched away by someone wanting one of them for something. Heero knew he was jealous of the relationship that Duo shared with Hilde and that Duo seemed to spend most of his time with the girl lately. Sadly, his heart concluded that Duo didn't want to be with him anymore, that their relationship was and probably always would be, just one of good friends.

It was with much regret and a lot of soul searching that Heero finally admitted to himself that Duo was better off with Hilde. The way he treated her, looked after her, the softness in his voice and eyes when he spoke of her, all added up to one thing to Heero; Duo loved Hilde and not him. Well, not in the way that Heero had hoped for anyway.

God, that hurt.

Reluctantly, he made up his mind. He wouldn't come between Duo and happiness. He'd sit out the rest of this shin dig and then during the scheduled party afterwards he'd slip away. He didn't know where he would go, and nor did he care. All he knew was that he couldn't stay here with Duo any longer. It was tearing him apart watching the one he loved being with someone else, knowing he could never have that intimacy; the relationship he'd wanted, belonged to another.

The speeches were finally over and everyone adjourned to the grounds of the Peacecraft mansion for the big party. Food and drinks were plentiful, no expense having been spared. Heero lost count of the number of people that had congratulated him. It seemed every time he turned around, there was a new face to greet, a new hand to shake and frankly, he was sick of it. His eyes raked the crowd until finally they alighted on a long chestnut braid. With a purpose to his stride, he aimed for that braid.

Duo nearly jumped out of his skin when Heero's hand rested upon his shoulder. "Hey Heero, I was wondering where you were." Duo knew something was up. He'd tried to get to talk to Heero, to find out what was bothering him but every attempt so far had been fruitless. They hadn't had a moment alone since the final battle. He wanted so much to just sweep Heero into his arms, hold him close and kiss him senseless, tell him how much he loved him but so far he hadn't stood a chance, not against all the reporters, military and everyone else that wanted a piece of them. Then Hilde had been released from hospital on strict orders to take it easy and Duo had been looking after her since, trying to repay the girl for her selfless act.

"Got a moment, Duo?"

Duo nodded and gazed around. "Where do you want to go, Heero?"

"This way." Heero led them through the crowds inside the massive ballroom to the balcony and stepped through the curtains into the cool breeze. He stood at the edge and leant against the balustrade, his hair ruffled by the wind. He wanted to talk to Duo before he left but didn't know what to say. His eyes wandered to the stars instead.

Duo followed in silence, he sensed that Heero wanted to talk to him, alone. Hopefully he would find out just what was going on inside that head. He paused as Heero settled against the balcony railing before walking to stand next to him and following the blue eyes to the heavens. "Beautiful from down here isn't it?" It was obvious that Heero wasn't about to start the conversation.

"Hn." Heero vainly tried to find words to express what he was feeling and drew a blank. He swallowed nervously.

Duo began to fidget. He thought about wrapping his arms around Heero but decided against it, their position on the balcony, while a little secluded, wasn't hidden enough that they could be that intimate. Duo decided he really needed to know what was on Heero's mind and so he cleared his throat. "Heero?"

Heero turned to look at his partner and fellow pilot, his breath catching as he took in the vision of the young teen before him. The light from the inside spilled out behind him, silhouetting him in its glow, giving him the appearance of a fey creature that wasn't of this Earth. The image burned into Heero's brain and he registered a lump in his throat. This was going to be much harder than he'd thought.

"Heero?" Duo pressed on despite the strange way that Heero was regarding him. "There's something going on; something we need to talk about."

Heero felt his heart plummet. Duo was about to tell him that while it had been fun at the time, he wasn't really interested in exploring a relationship with him. He had Hilde now and Heero was just getting in the way.

Duo closed his eyes as he thought how best to get Heero to tell him what was on his mind. He sighed and opened them again, to meet with Prussian that were filled with... / Pain? Confusion? / Duo wasn't sure but he didn't like what he saw. He reached out to touch Heero's cheek when Wufei stepped out to join them and Duo withdrew it quickly.

Wufei paused for a moment, unsure of what he was disturbing. His eyes flashed from Heero to Duo and back again, before turning to Duo and speaking in his soft tone. "Duo, you are required back inside." Wufei turned and went back to the French doors where he paused to wait for the long haired teen.

Duo turned to Heero. "Sorry buddy, seems like there's no escape." He gave Heero a small smile and turned to follow Wufei. Reaching the doors he also paused and turned back, speaking at the same time. "I'll be right..." Duo looked around in confusion.

Heero was gone.

Unable to take anymore, not wanting to hear Duo speak the words that would surely shred his heart; Heero took advantage of Duo's distraction and slipped over the balcony, quickly skimming down the large Wisteria to land on the soft grass. Silently he slipped away into the night.

~ * ~

The celebrations died down at last and the newly formed governments began to meet and discuss trade, peace keeping and other major issues. Relena took over as ambassador for the Earth sector; Quatre returned to his family business and took over the reins. Trowa went back to the circus, promising to keep in touch and visiting Quatre whenever he could. Wufei left for a while as well, something about making his peace. Of Heero, there was no sign.

Duo tried to locate the blue eyed boy but to no avail. It was as if Heero had completely vanished.

Duo tried everything he knew, desperate to find the one that had captured his heart. He'd known there was something wrong and cursed in every language he knew the fact that he hadn't managed to find out what it was before Heero had disappeared on him. Now he didn't know what to do. Hilde had recovered, G had also disappeared, his Gundam was locked away in storage somewhere and the rest of the group had dispersed.

He hadn't thought he would survive this war so plans for the future had never taken a high priority. All he did know, was that Heero and himself had promised each other they would do their best to survive and if they did then they would be together afterwards for as long as they were happy with each other. Heero's sudden departure had left him confused, angry, hurt and miserable. He didn't know what he had done; if he'd done anything. He could only conclude that Heero didn't want him.

He took the job that Hilde offered him, more to escape the memories than anything. The hard, physical work not leaving him with much time to dwell on the `what might have beens' or `if onlys'. He crawled out of bed at six every morning, eyes still glued together. Worked until eight in the evening, came home, took a shower, ate and then staggered back into bed, only to repeat the cycle the next day. Hilde was exasperated with him, complaining that he was working himself into the ground but Duo ignored her. It was the only way he could dull the pain in his heart.

Gradually the pain dimmed, even though it didn't go completely. He managed to work himself into a routine, working a few less hours, much to Hilde's relief, and taking a day off each week. Not that it did him much good. He'd only sit and stare at the television, wondering where Heero was and what he was doing.

He awoke one morning to find his sheets stained with blood. It surprised him as he hadn't bled in quite some time. He quickly showered and cleaned himself up, changing the sheets when he was done with his ablutions. It brought back the memory of a promise he'd never made. To be honest, he'd pretty much forgotten about it. In the two years that had passed since the final battle, he'd only bled maybe a half dozen or so times, not enough to warrant getting it checked out.

The sound of his vid 'phone disturbed his thoughts and he quickly went to answer it. Punching the accept button he dropped into the chair and waited for the screen to focus. When it did, he felt the blood rush from his face and the room spin as his heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Heero?"

~ oOo ~

tbc.........