Captured - By Mika

Chapter 2 "Awakening"

"What's takin' her so long?!" Duo asked for what seemed like the millionth
time, pacing back and forth in front of Quatre's room.

About an hour had passed since they arrived back to their safe house, far
from civilization, and about forty-five minutes since Sally Po entered,
tending to their friend's wounds. After receiving the call from the pilots,
she immediately rushed over, willing to offer her medical assistance in any
way. She was no less surprised than the others when she first saw the
condition of the Winner boy, bleeding and breath rasping on the large bed.

After a quick debriefing from Wufei of what injuries he came upon, she
ushered them all out of the room, needing the space and tension-less
atmosphere to work.

All were waiting just outside the door now, visibly impatient to see how
their friend was. All but Heero of course, who leaned impassively on the
opposite wall. Trowa sat beside Wufei on a long bench, watching as Duo took
eight steps to the right, before turning on his heel and walking fifteen
steps to the left. The American began this action the moment the door
closed forty-seven minutes ago, concern overflowing.

He could never forgive himself.

Never.

Only one person could, and he was lying on the other side of that wooden
door unconcious.

Knowing that fact made him even more restless.

Nothing could dispel this blame--this self-loathing until *he* was okay.

Not until Quatre was better would anything ever be okay again.

So until then, Duo would continue pacing in front of that door, chanting in
his mind over and over again for his friend to be okay. He did it not only
for his comrad's well-being, but also because he didn't want to be
responsible again.

He didn't want to be responsible for the death of another loved one.

One tragedy was enough in a lifetime. He couldn't endure another one.

* * * * *

Another fifteen minutes passed, and Duo continued his march up and down the
hallway. Tension inadvertantly began to build as a result of the long wait,
though it appeared to radiate more from the black-clad teenager. Running a
frustrated hand through his bangs, Duo stomped his feet even harder as he
walked.

...I never should have left him there...

"Maxwell...

...why did we leave???

"...if you don't stop moving in front of that door...

Duo snapped his head around, as if lightning struck, deriving everything to
this one conclusion.

"I'm going to--"

Duo's eyes narrowed to thin slits.

...If only I hadn't listened to Wufei!!

"Going to what, Wufei?!" Duo screamed an inch away from the pilot's face.
He stared down at Wufei, eyes filled with fury. "Going to tell me to
abandon him again when he's hurt? Is that it?! I don't know what you do
when your friends are in trouble, but I do! I don't leave them behind man,
that's the last thing I would do!"

It took a few seconds for Duo to realize what he just said and a split
second later to regret it.

It seemed like nothing was going well for him this week.

Wufei's calm demeanor, however, did not wane a bit on the verbal attack, or
as he stood up and left the three remaining pilots.

"Hey Wuf--"

The front door closed with a click.

Duo lowered his extended hand, body sagging. A hand fell on to his shoulder
and he turned his head around. "I-I didn't mean it. I just--"

"We know, Duo," Heero said. "He knows it too."

Duo diverted his gaze and directed it to the dull, blue-carpeted floor. The
same color Quatre's eyes were when we found him...

Duo shook his head in frustration, pulling away from Heero and plopping down
where Wufei sat, head falling into his hands.

* * * * *

Heero watched the others as if he was standing from a distance. Well, he
was in a way, but to him, it was interesting seeing the varied reactions.

As expected, Duo began pacing the moment Po went in to see Quatre. Since he
met the braided fool, he knew he always needed to be in action. The moron
couldn't stand still for five seconds if his life depended on it.

Wufei was sitting calmly on the wooden bench, which didn't surprise the Wing
pilot either. Trowa sat next to him, detached like himself, but still
waiting, like Duo, for the door to open. He knew Trowa was as concerned as
Duo, but he had more control than the latter.

This was one of the reasons why he respected Trowa. In a sense, Trowa was
like himself in some ways. Disciplined. Well trained. Devoted.

However, there were many differences that distinguished the Heavy Arms pilot
greatly from himself. The main difference, however, wasn't a simple
characteristic.

It was a person.

Heero knew how much Quatre meant to Trowa, even if Trowa didn't realize it
himself. He, on the other hand, would never allow himself to get too
attached to anyone. It would only be detrimental in the long run, and he
couldn't afford that. There was a war going on and he was damned if he was
going to let it continue while he was alive.

At that moment, he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the all too
familiar loud voice directed at Wufei's face.

"...I don't know what you do when your friends are in trouble, but I do! I
don't leave them behind man, that's the last thing I would do!"

A dark eyebrow rose at that last remark, but Heero was also expecting that
too. From all his experiences with Duo, he knew that the latter could only
hold it in for so long.

Seeing Duo's body slump down, something gnawed inside of the stoic pilot.

What the hell...

Heero approached slowly from behind, knowing Trowa was watching him as he
did, and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder.

Remorseful violet eyes met his and he faltered a bit, but not visibly.

"I-I didn't mean it. I just--"

"We know, Duo," Heero interrupted before the other could continue. "He
knows it too."

The violet eyes lingered on cobalt, before staring at the floor. With a
sudden motion, he jerked out of Heero's grasp.

Heero watched as Duo sat down, burying his head into his hands, and frowned.

* * * * *

Wufei stood on the deserted plot in front of the house. The wind blew
harshly, freeing some of the black hair that was tied at the nape of his
neck. He bowed his head, staring at the ground. Dirt mixed with little
patches of grass lay beneath his feet.

He clenched his fists and began a kata.

Maxwell's an idiot. What right does he have to say those things to me?

<punch, kick, kick>

I value friendship as much as I value honor.

<punch, roundabout, punch>

I know he was frustrated, the braided idiot.

<kick, punch, punch>

But he should learn some control...know that duty comes first...

Wufei paused.

...like me.

He lowered his hand.

Duty. Camaraderie. Does duty come before friendship for me? When it comes
right down to it, does responsibility always out rank friends?...

Wufei took a look behind him, back at the house.

Does it?

* * * * *

Trowa noticed the new form beside him, but didn't really pay attention to
the other brunette. All his focus was on that door.

What was taking Sally so long?

Trowa backtracked his last thought.

Am I worried that much? For Quatre?

Why?

...Because...he's my friend--the first friend I've had in a long time.

A very long time...

Yes, that was why.

His attention was drawn back to the present when a door opened.

Both Trowa and Duo stood up, Heero walking beside them.

Sally walked out and softly closed the door behind her, wiping her forehead.
Evident lines of strain were on her face, but she still smiled.

"How is he?"

Duo beat him to the question, but that was probably for the best.

The doctor took on a serious expression. "He's fine. He'll just need time
to recover. I'd say two to three weeks at the least. He mustn't move too
much. I bound his ribs as best I could and it wouldn't do for them to be
jarred. This applies to his left shoulder as well. He had a slight trauma
to the head, but after some tests, I didn't find anything life threatening.
He'll just be having a headache for a few days. He may have looked worse
than he really was, but those were his main injuries. I've cleaned the
other abrasions on his body." She took a deep breath and looked pointedly
at each pilot in front of her.

"I need one of you to change the bandages every few days to prevent
infection."

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to Trowa in surprise, but nodded.

"One more thing, if Quatre-kun's condition at any time changes, please don't
hesitate to call me." After a few nods circulated around the hall, Sally
smiled once again. "All right, that's about it. You may see him if you
like, but he's sleeping so do try to be quiet. He needs his rest."

Trowa took a step forward, but stopped when what came out of Duo's mouth
next immobilized him.

"S-Sally, um, Quatre wasn't...we found him under...he wasn't..."

Trowa froze, turning around upon hearing this for the first time.
'Masaka...' He looked from the fidgeting Duo than to Po.

He was relieved when she shook her head.

"No, Duo-kun. He wasn't. It looks like you found him just in time."

He saw Duo release a loud sigh of relief, which he matched internally.
Walking forward, he opened the door, and stepped inside.

* * * * *

Quatre was floating between the brink of consciousness and unconsciousness.
He no longer heard the panicked voices that surrounded him a while ago, but
felt someone touching him.

He must have made a sound of discomfort, for the searching hand stopped and
gently brushed his forehead. The vibrations of a soft and soothing voice
reached his ears, and he forced himself through the wall of pain and blinked
his eyes slowly open.

A blurred white was the first thing he saw, not the dark and rocky ceiling
he had been staring at the last few days. He blinked his eyes again until a
solid white, but familiar, ceiling met his gaze.

The brushing stopped and he dispelled much energy to turn his head.

A worried, but relieved expression met his eyes.

He opened his mouth to acknowledge her, but she shook her head, placing a
finger on his dried, cracked lips.

"Shh, Quatre-kun. Try not to speak. You've been through a lot," she
whispered.

Quatre, despite himself, smiled ruefully in response, eyelids growing heavy
until they closed.

"That's right. Just go to sleep, Quatre-kun. I'll be done soon, then
you'll be able to see your friends."

Friends...Quatre thought before he succumbed to the darkness.

* * * * *

Duo followed closely behind, as Trowa went into the room first.

Quatre laid in his bed, beneath royal blue covers, his bandaged head the
only revealed part of his body rested on a large plush pillow.

Duo had to restrain himself from just running and hugging the sleeping
pilot. He was so happy to see that he was all right.

He noticed that Heero trailed behind, as he and Trowa went closer to the
bed, but he didn't care at the moment.

Quatre was okay.

And maybe now he can forgive me.

They were standing beside the bed now, and to his joy, the body on the bed
began to stir and eyelids opened to reveal familiar, lively, but tired,
Quatre eyes.

Duo was beaming like a child on Christmas morning, but he could care less
right now.

"O...hayo, minna," came the hoarse greeting.

Duo couldn't hold it back any more and launched onto the blonde, careful not
to hit any of the injuries Sally mentioned about. He felt the body tense
for a second, before relaxing in his grip. "Quatre, man am I glad to see
you!"

He saw the blonde smile. "It's good to see you too, Duo. All of you."

"You had us worried for a while there," Duo jibed.

"I didn't mean to..."

"I'm just kidding, Q," Duo said lightly, before releasing him and standing
up, smile widening.

"Aa."

"It's good to have you back, Quatre."

Duo saw Quatre's eyes widen on hearing Trowa's voice, and shook his head, as
the blonde looked directly at the quiet pilot. Fortunately, Trowa didn't
see it, as he was reaching for a conveniently filled glass of water, and
turned back around just as Quatre composed himself.

Saa, those two...

* * * * *

Quatre shook his head, just to make sure he heard that right, and only wound
up giving himself a headache.

"A-Aa, it's good to be back," he replied, trying to mask his surprise.

Trowa extended his hand, a glass of water in it, so Quatre attempted to take
it.

"Uhn!"

He'd forgotten his left arm was hurt. He closed his eyes until the wave of
pain passed. He opened his eyes and saw Duo shaking his head. "Quatre,
Quatre."

Quatre revealed a weak grin in response.

"Here."

Quatre watched as Trowa knelt down beside the bed and held the glass to his
lips, tipping it forward so he could take a sip. He glanced at the brunette
in wonder, before gulping down the cool liquid.

Trowa pulled away when the glass was empty.

"Arigato, Trowa."

The brunette responded with a nod before replacing the cup.

Letting his glance linger for a bit longer on the part time circus
performer, he shook his head and took a look around his room. It was then
that he noticed.

"Ano, where's Wufei?"

He noticed that Duo immediately lowered his eyes, expressing...guilt?

"I'm right here."

All eyes turned to the door.

Wufei walked up to the bed. "How are you feeling, Quatre?"

* * * * *

Sally exited the house and came upon the teen on the lawn.

"Wufei?" She approached him from behind, curiously. "Wufei, the others
have gone to see Quatre now. You should join them."

The boy tilted his head up to the sky, searching for something. "What kind
of man am I?"

The doctor frowned, moving so she was in front of him. "A strong one. An
honorable one."

Wufei bowed his head. "Am I?"

Sally placed both her hands on the youth's shoulders. He in turn raised his
eyes. "Wufei, what is this about?"

Something debated behind the raven eyes, was it uncertainty?

"N-Nothing. Forget it. I was just thinking foolishly."

"Wufei, you never think about anything meaninglessly. Tell me, what's the
matter?"

The boy pulled away, crossing his arms over his chest and turning around.
"Just wondering about something Maxwell said."

"What did Duo-kun say?"

"It's not really what he said, it just made me think."

"...Yes, and?"

He exhaled a deep breath. "That maybe I look over friendship for duty."

Sally's brow furrowed in thought. "And do you believe so?"

Another sigh echoed in the air. "Maybe."

It was Sally's turn to sigh. "You're an idiot sometimes, Chang Wufei."

Wufei turned on his heel, eyebrows raised in questioning.

"Don't give me that look," she scolded. "Wufei, Wufei. I've known you only
for a short time, but I think that was all the time I needed to know who you
really are. You consider us friends, right?"

A hesitant nod allowed her to continue. "Do you recall our first meeting?
I'll never forget it. Though you were lost at the time, I saw the strength
in you. You stayed and helped my crew and I out when OZ attacked, did you
not? You didn't have to, but what counts was that you did. So if that
doesn't rid you of all your doubt, I don't know what else to say." She
glanced down at her watch and noticed she had to leave. "Well, I have to
go. I'll see you all later," she said walking away. "Don't forget to call
if you need anything!"

Then she was gone, leaving the Chinese pilot to ponder about what she said.

Wufei shook his head, muttered something about women and entered the house.

* * * * *

Trowa watched as Quatre smiled, greeting Wufei. "I've been better, Wufei,
but thank you for asking."

Polite as ever. Even when he's injured, Trowa noted with wonder.

Wufei nodded and took a step back.

"Um, I'd like to thank you all for rescuing me. You shouldn't have, but I
am grateful that you did."

Trowa watched as something flickered briefly in the blonde's eyes, but no
one else seemed to notice. Not wanting to stir up anything, he kept silent.

"Well, we weren't going to just leave you with OZ, Quatre!" Duo said.

"Still ::yawn:: oh excuse me, it was dangerous for you to."

Duo placed a hand on his hips, pointing the other to the form on the bed.
"Oh, sounds like someone needs to go to sleee-epp!"

Quatre smiled. "I am getting a little tired."

"Well, that's our cue then, come on Heero!"

Duo waved goodbye and latched his arm around a resisting one and pulled
Heero out of the room.

"Omae o koro--"

*Slam*

"Idiot," Wufei muttered to himself. "Sleep well, Quatre."

"Aa, arigato, Wufei."

Then he was the only one left in the room. He opened his mouth, but was
interrupted.

"T-Trowa?"

Trowa stood, waiting for the other to continue.

Quatre had his eyes on his blanket, obviously trying to make up his mind on
something, before shaking his head. "Goodnight, Trowa. Just...goodnight."

Trowa stared at him for a bit, mask in place, and after awhile, nodded
slightly before walking to the door. Flipping off the light switch, he left
the room.

* * * * *