"At least I passed this time." Duo sighed loudly, folding up the test paper and sticking it inside his knapsack. "Barely." Why did everything have to be so hard for him? He had studied for that stupid test for three hours the night before, but those stupid equations just wouldn't sink in! His physics teacher had told him after class to come in for extra help, but what good would that do? He was so far behind, he'd never catch up in time for the final exam.
"I must have a mental block against this stuff," he decided. "Man...at this rate, I probably won't even graduate with the rest of the class." He stopped walking then and set his knapsack on the sidewalk. It sure was hot...no wonder he couldn't concentrate. I wish I didn't have to wear this stupid uniform. He tugged at his tie a bit, trying to loosen it. Luckily, it obeyed. Much better. He smiled, raising a hand over his eyes to block out the bright afternoon sun. Better forget about that test. I'll do better on the next one.
As Duo gazed at the city before him, he felt a strange emotion wash over him. Maybe it wasn't so strange...it wasn't as if he had never been happy before. But somehow, standing on that street, watching the world go around him, he felt happier than he had ever felt in his life.
It's because I'm free, isn't it. For the first time in years, I have nothing to fear. He chuckled to himself. Except failing physics.
"Might as well head home." Duo picked up his knapsack and slung it over one shoulder. Carefully moving his long brown braid out of the way, he put over the other shoulder. Once again he was walking down the street, whistling to himself. It sure was noisy. He kind of liked it. Hopefully, he'd have enough time to go out after he finished his homework. Hell, that can wa...
The loud screeching of tires shattered his thoughts. "What the-" he managed to say as a car came screaming down the road. The brakes..? Then he saw it. A boy standing in the path of the car. Serene. Unconcerned. For a split second, their eyes met.
That cold gaze. It was him!
"HEERO!!!" Duo cried. Instinctively he jumped at the boy, knocking him out of the way. He hit the pavement, dazed. But Heero was... Where did he go? He got to his feet shakily, rubbing his bruised shoulder. Gone..?
He had waited too long to get up. The car hadn't stopped. He saw an explosion of color, blotting out his surroundings. Then there was nothing.
When he regained consciousness, Heero was standing over him. Watching him. Not a flicker of emotion registered on the boy's face. Some friend he is. Probably wasn't even worried about me. Duo blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. Something wasn't right. Where were they? With the exception of the spot they were on, he couldn't see a single thing in front of him. And Heero...why was he looking at him like that? Why was it so dark all of a sudden? How long had he been unconscious? Shivering slightly, he sat up. Without pain...hadn't he just been run over?
Heero continued to stare at him, completely calm. Now I get it. He hasn't changed at all. He was dressed in the same green tank top and shorts... God...it's been three years. What the hell is going on? "Heero," Duo started to say, getting to his feet slowly. He faced the other boy. He was taller than him! But that meant...they had been the same height when they first met...it was like Heero had never aged at all!
Heero moved then, taking a step forward. He didn't seem to notice Duo's confusion. If he did, he didn't care. He moved his right hand forward, a cold metal object glinting in the sparse light. A gun...? Duo's eyes grew wide as he watched his old friend level the weapon at his head.
"Omae o korosu," he said.
What..? He's joking...he has to be joking. Duo swallowed hard, staring at the weapon Heero was aiming at him. Heero was...is...my friend. Why should I have to be afraid of him? But as he gazed into the boy's eyes, he knew he was wrong. That cold, stony expression...the same one he wore when he... "W...why are you doing this...?" he asked in a choked voice.
Heero didn't answer. Instead, he let his right arm drift to his side and knelt on the ground, next to Duo's abandoned knapsack. What was that doing there? He must've dropped it in the accident...or Heero had taken it off him while he was unconscious. Duo watched, puzzled, as Heero opened it and began to rummage through its contents. What the... He pulled out a notebook labeled "Physics" and opened it.
Duo felt his face grow warm. Just what was he trying to do? "Would you mind not looking through my stuff?" he said with a weak smile.
Heero ignored him. Instead, he pulled a sheet of paper out of the notebook and examined it. "40 points out of 60," he said in a low voice. "You calculated the torque wrong on half of these problems. And you-"
"Dammit, Heero, if you're going to kill me, you could at least make it fast and painless!" Duo knew his face must be bright red. What was he trying to do, humiliate him to death? What a jerk!
Heero dropped the paper. He stood up. "You forgot," he said simply.
"Why should you care?" Duo demanded. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I did something like that? Besides, how the hell do you know what I used to know? It's not like you ever tried to get to know me!"
"That's not what I meant," was his icy response.
Duo scowled. What, am I supposed to guess? he thought. Jeez...to think that I was scared a minute ago! Pointing guns at people, screwing around with their heads...he hasn't changed a bit from when I first met him. No...he's gotten worse! "Well, would you mind telling me what you mean, since I'm obviously so slow that I can't get it on my own?!"
"You don't understand, do you?"
The simplicity of Heero's reply startled him. "Understand...what?" was all Duo could manage to say.
Heero took a step closer. Something akin to regret flickered in his dark eyes. What...? "Why I'm doing this," he said.
Duo sighed. "When's the last time I understood what you were doing?"
He seemed to not have heard him. "It's for peace," he finally told him. "You forgot everything, didn't you? It's because of ignorant fools like you that wars get started in the first place!"
Duo gasped. Me...? It's my fault? What in the world is he talking about? He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look Heero in the eyes. He...he looked like he was hurting. Yes...that had to be it. In that instant, he understood. He understood it all. Because he knew Heero. "You're a liar," he said slowly. "The war's over, Heero. Why should you give a damn about peace? We've already got it!"
Heero obviously hadn't been expecting that. He blinked, moderate confusion registering on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"You're not upset about that, am I right?" Duo didn't wait for an answer. He wasn't going to let this one slip by. He was jealous, and he didn't want to admit it! He can't stand the idea that I'm getting on with my life! It's not my fault he's screwed up! The thought made him furious. "That's not it at all. You're ticked off at me because I forgot YOU!"
Heero raised his gun. Duo let out a cry of surprise as a bullet whizzed by his head. "Watch it," he said in a low voice.
Duo let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. He didn't shoot him. I should've known. That's Heero, all right. Always knows how to get a guy's attention. The thought made him want to laugh. But he didn't. Instead, he straightened and faced Heero, a faint smile beginning to form on his lips. "You couldn't shoot me," he said. "You wouldn't--I know you better than that."
Surprisingly, this seemed to startle him. His face was pale. "Duo..." he started to say. He let the gun slip from his hand. It hit the ground with a metallic thud. Duo watched him, his smile fading. Damn, I think I went too far, he cursed silently. I must've hit a sore spot...but why does he always have to act so spooky? I never know the right thing to say around him. No wonder he would never talk to me. I wasn't trying to hurt his feelings...
Heero drew in a deep breath. His face was still the same sickly color. What on earth was bothering him? "Just what do you want me to say?" he asked in a choked voice.
Against his better judgment, Duo placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just say what you feel," he told him. "Don't hold it in. I never ignored you, did I? You can trust me." And he meant it from the bottom of his heart. That nut...he tried to get himself run over, he tried to kill me...but he's hurting. Why can't he just be honest with me?
Heero brushed his hand away. "You speak conveniently of friends," he mumbled, not meeting his gaze.
What's this? A reaction? Did he...miss me? Duo smiled, encouraged a bit by this. He looked almost embarrassed, poor guy. So he was a human being, after all. "I never thought I'd hear you say that, Heero."
Heero lifted his head and glared at him. Hatred...he could see it, burning in his eyes like a black flame. Duo shuddered, his smile disappearing once more. There was more to this than he thought. I haven't seen Heero in three years...he still looks the same. Still has that wounded look in his eyes...like a wild animal...like he has some vendetta that I'll never understand. God...what has he been doing for the past three years? His throat tightened. Hasn't he been living at all?
"You...never cared about me...did you?" Duo heard himself say. He didn't know why he said it. He certainly hadn't planned to. But maybe he had...hadn't the idea been in the back of his head since he first met Heero? Hadn't he wondered if Heero could care about anybody wholeheartedly, let alone him? I guess I really did want to say it...
He was answered by a sharp pain in his chest. Blood-colored fog slipped over his vision. What...what was that...? Through the swirls of red, he could make out something. Heero...holding a gun... Wh...why didn't I hear the--
He slumped to the ground, overwhelmed by pain and shock. He shot me...he shot me and I'm going to die... He would've burst into tears if he had the strength to do so. Why couldn't he let me live my life? I didn't mean to make him hate me so much...but I...I thought he...
Through waves of dizziness, Duo felt something strange. Arms encircling him...but who...? There was nobody there but... He forced his eyes open, wearily surprised at how difficult it was. Everything was so blurry... He blinked a few times. His vision cleared a bit, and he found himself gazing into a pair of dark blue eyes. "Heero..." he whispered.
The arms supporting him tightened. "You don't understand, do you?" Heero asked. Again.
Duo shook his head, wincing. It hurt to move. But he could feel the tears finally starting to come. He let them.
A strange emotion flickered in the depths of Heero's eyes. Was it...regret? Sorrow? "You don't understand," he said. "I know you didn't forget me. I never thought you could. If you had your way, you'd still be following me around."
What...what's he saying...? "You..." Duo tried to say. "You still..." It hurt so much... I can't...I can't die now...I need to hear him... He closed his eyes, trying to summon enough strength to speak. It wasn't working. Not now..I want to hear him say it...
"You...you thought I forgot you, Duo," Heero said, his voice strangely sad. It was strange, coming out of him...he sounded so far away...yet there was an odd tenderness in his voice that he had never possessed before. "I can't say it, Duo. I never could. But this is the only way..."
Don't say it. I understand. You want to make sure I won't forget. Duo smiled faintly, feeling something wet drop onto his face. Tears... Three years...look how much I've forgotten. But I understand now. Even without you saying it, I know what you're trying to tell me. The pain was almost gone now, gone with the rest of his life. So short...but he didn't have any regrets, not really. Everything was going to be okay. "I understand," he heard himself say as darkness enveloped him. "I'll never forget..."
"Are you awake?"
What the... Duo opened his eyes a tiny bit, then squeezed them shut in pain. That light...where was he?
"I'm sorry," a strangely familiar voice apologized. "I'll pull down the shades. There, is that better?"
He reopened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. I'm in bed? But the room he was in didn't seem new to him... He tried to sit up, but was halted by a startling pain in his left arm. Sure enough, it was bandaged from his shoulder to his elbow. Now, how did that happen? There was somebody standing by the window, somebody with golden hair... "Quatre..." he whispered.
Quatre crossed the room, sitting down in a chair by Duo's bedside. "Don't try to sit up," he told him. "You'll hurt yourself." He must've noticed his confusion, because he smiled consolingly and said, "You don't remember what happened, do you? Don't worry, the mission should be a success. Wufei and Trowa are finishing up for you. Just rest."
Heero... "How long have I been out?" he asked.
The other boy paused, thinking. "About three hours, I think. But don't worry. You shouldn't be in any danger now."
He felt his blood run cold. I was unconscious...so it was a dream..all of it was a dream...the past three years of my life...what Heero tried to tell me...it couldn't have been a dream! "Where's Heero?" he asked abruptly.
Quatre blinked. "I'm not really sure. He probably left after he brought you here," he said. "I don't think he wanted to leave the fight, anyway...but then you got hurt..." He broke off, probably realizing that he was dealing with a delicate subject. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he added.
Duo felt his eyes start to sting. Damn him! he silently cursed. Don't do this to me! He always runs off...he's supposed to be my friend and he never even told me that he-- Then his gaze drifted to his arm. It must've been a close call...any closer and he might've...
That was all it took. Duo smiled to himself. I got it. I really do have a bad memory. "He was worried about me, wasn't he," he said.
Quatre blushed. It was almost as if he was confessing something embarrassing. "He usually doesn't tell people things like that, does he..."
That's okay. He doesn't have to. Duo leaned back, closing his eyes. I'll never forget...
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