Disclaimers: The people who own the rights to Gundam Wing would never approve
of what I do here, so obviously I don't own it. This is for catharsis and not
money, so please don't sue me since I don't even own my delusions, they own me.
Written: December, 2000 - March, 2001
Overall Rating: R
Pairings: (1x2) [(3x5)+(4x5)+(4x3)]
Category: Angst Yaoi Mind-control Emotional-duress Violence
Enigma Story Category: Gundam Nightmares
Warnings: Angst, yaoi, mind-control, emotional-duress, violence, blood,
illusions of death, slightly bastard Quatre, {just label it AU-OOC if you
can't cope}
NOTES: Things are very dark when Heero is brainwashed by OZ into thinking his
lover and teammates are dead at the hands of Wufei. What will the Perfect
Soldier do when he is consumed by grief and how can an injured Duo cope?
Meanwhile, Quatre's actions are driving Wufei to distraction and Trowa is
desperate for a solution. If the pilots can survive, will they be able to
build a future worth living in?
//someone's thoughts//
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False Memories
Part 5
"How *is* Duo?" Heero demanded of Trowa without preamble.
Looking up through the shock of brunette hair, the HeavyArms pilot regarded
both evenly. "Not good."
Heero dropped to one knee beside his lover and gathered him tenderly into his
arms, pulling him tightly to his chest which ached with pent-up emotions.
Without thinking, a single hand reached to stroke the darkened braid and he
felt some of the charred hair crackle and snap beneath his fingers.
Feeling his heart sink, the Japanese teen drew his hand away to find it
coated with broken strands of various lengths. A sob broke free of his chest
and he dropped his face onto Duo's shoulder. He moaned the other boy's name
softly into his ear, but got no response.
The pair remained like that for long minutes as Trowa and Wufei moved away to
aid their own injured lover.
As they covered the ground, Trowa took a moment to size up the bleeding
ShenLong pilot's condition. Pain, exhaustion, worry, regret, fear, and a
multitude of other negatives played across his lover's face and posture,
adding to Trowa's own concern. He began to reach out one hand to the
suffering Chinese boy, yet let it fall away. Somehow he knew Wufei was
getting by on sheer will power at that moment and he couldn't afford to
disrupt that if it could be avoided.
//Dragon, when will you let me help you, too?// Trowa wondered as they moved
to flank the blond who seemed dazed but was still trying to get up.
"Quatre?" Trowa asked gently as Wufei helped the blond to stand, caressing
his back gently.
"Are you all right, little one?" The worried dark-eyed boy asked.
"Wufei? Trowa?" Quatre asked glancing from one to the other, his throat raw
from the smoke he had inhaled during the explosion. He grimaced as pain
lanced through torn flesh where shrapnel from the exploding van had sliced
his right arm. Then he looked from his lovers to the couple across the grass
from them.
"How's Duo?" the blond asked softly. He was surprised that he himself had
lost consciousness and was terrified of what might have occurred during the
period he was out.
"He's hurt, koi," Wufei spoke softly, trying to avoid upsetting Quatre
further, as always concerning himself with the others before himself.
But the blond pulled himself together bravely and asked, "Can you take me to
him?"
The trio soon approached Heero and Duo. Wufei noted with sadness that the
self-proclaimed Shinigami had still not moved or regained consciousness.
Quatre indicated for them to let him hold the badly injured youth and after
some protest from Heero, it was done.
Now, Quatre held Duo with Trowa supporting both of them in his long arms The
blonde's uchuu no kokoro could do nothing to alleviate injury and it was
unclear what he hoped to accomplish, but the others would never fail to try
whatever they could to help. With eyes closed and head down, Quatre simply
held Duo tightly and murmured soft words over and over.
*****
Meanwhile, Wufei took a few moments to determine how the other four pilots
were doing.
Duo was clearly in the worst condition. A swath of burned skin ran across the
elfin features including the violet eyes, which he silently worried might be
unable to see any longer. The previously broken arm looked worse as the
bandages were crushed and fresh blood stained the wrappings that lay loosely
around it. Yet his thoughts always came back to the once-proud chestnut hair.
The braid was charred and crackled when Quatre ran his hand over it, strands
breaking off and falling away with the lightest of touches.
Quatre himself was also injured, but it was less obvious. The gashes in his
arm hung open and oozing blood, but the Sandrock pilot appeared to be unaware
of them. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing, probably due to the
rough impact with the hard-packed earth when the van exploded, yet there was
nothing to indicate a punctured lung or worse. Coffee-dark eyes were relieved
to see he should recover with minimal difficulty, and Wufei felt grateful for
this.
Trowa, the Chinese boy noted with a deep sense of gratitude, seemed totally
unscathed. No blood marred his handsome features, only worry for all those
involved. As Wufei stared at him, Trowa glanced up and smiled reassuringly,
sending the first real hope into the tired heart of the warrior who could
more easily activate his own self-destruct to protect a friend than he could
ask to be given first consideration for a change. Wufei answered with a smile
of his own and silent thanks that this marvelous boy that he loved was unhurt.
Heero knelt beside Quatre and looked as if he was in agony over Duo's
condition. There were no signs of physical damage from either the brief
battle against ShenLong or his imprisonment by OZ. There was no way to know
what emotional scars the mind-control might leave behind or if the appearance
of good health was deceptive or not, but as far as Wufei was concerned, this
was a reassuring beginning.
At the same time, someone else was taking a moment to observe the observer.
While Wufei was distracted, Trowa had taken a closer look at the silent boy
who stood comfortingly close as he held their lover supportively. The dark
circles under Wufei's eyes were no less pronounced and the stain of blood on
the white silk pants was spreading rapidly. Trowa knew that Wufei was in need
of medical attention but his stubborn lover wouldn't even consider it until
the others were cared for as the HeavyArms pilot well knew.
Instead of trying to care for both of his lovers at once, the taller boy
simply decided to deal with Quatre for now and Wufei later. Trowa had had
more than enough of the smallest pilot's self-sacrifice and he would address
that issue very soon.
Meanwhile, Heero was becoming almost frantic over Duo's condition when a
cough was heard. The braided boy was finally regaining awareness.
"...heero...?" Duo spoke so softly that it might have gone unheard, but the Wing
pilot was immediately there, lifting the tattered body into his hands once
more, thereby relieving Quatre who fell backwards into Trowa's embrace.
Pained onyx eyes watched over the entire scene wondering what it would take
to mend all of the broken souls gathered under the sun's unblinking gaze.
"Aa. I'm here, Duo," he whispered back, the moment having a solemnity all its
own.
"...you okay, koi?" The roughened voice asked as damaged violet eyes struggled
to open but failed.
"Aa." Heero had never been one for many words, but this cut him through the
core, obviously Duo was badly injured and it was his own fault. "What about
you, Duo? Will you be okay?"
"...dunno, Heero..." was the soft reply as the boy passed out once more.
"What do I do now?" Heero asked of the others, searching for guidance. He
already knew the answer but didn't like it one bit.
"You pray." Was all the advice he got from Quatre who lay with his own eyes
closed as he, too, sank back into the darkness, leaving the quiet threesome
to find answers on their own.
Staggering to his feet, Heero began to walk towards Wing carrying Duo with
extreme care. Without words, Trowa rose to his feet carrying Quatre as they
moved towards the Gundams. It would be a tight squeeze, but Heero would take
Duo in Wing and Wufei would transport his own two lovers.
All five would head to a Winner Corporation-sponsored marsupial research
facility in the Australian outback. The two mobile suits could be repaired
and the boys could rest and receive whatever medical care was needed by each.
Before closing ShenLong's hatch, Wufei slipped the blood-covered "good luck
charms" from his now crimson pants pocket and tossed them out to land on the
Australian soil, left behind along with the other shrapnel. There was no way
those would ever be seen as anything other than reminders of a truly dark day
they had barely survived and he wanted no mementos of this event.
As they prepared for take-off, Trowa noticed the blood now dripping from
Wufei's command chair and he vowed silently to make a point to corner his
lover as soon as possible. Bravery had its time and place, but this rescue
had held too many similarities to the one performed for himself and he would
rather die than see Wufei give up so much each and every time one of the
others suffered.
"Dragon," Trowa remarked quietly, knowing his words were lost under the
engines, "you can't keep doing this. Sooner or later, you really will die and
then what am I supposed to do? Go on without you? I don't think I can, don't
you know that?" He sighed and curled tightly around his other lover as the
massive machines moved inland.
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