"Hey, Duo Maxwell here! Well, not really, which is why you’re getting this message. Leave a message after the beep, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Ja ne!"
Heero Yuy’s hand on the receiver tightened spasmodically. "I --" he croaked out before slamming the phone down.
"Heero?" a worried female voice asked. "Are you all right?" Relena Peacecraft came in the room, immaculately groomed as always dressed in a sleek sapphire blue silk gown. She tilted her head; carefully curled strands of honey blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders flatteringly. "I thought I heard something."
"No," Heero denied flatly. He stood up abruptly. "There was nothing. Let’s go."
"Souka," Relena said, throwing Heero a troubled, sideways glance. "We really ought to start moving. The ball will begin soon."
"I need to scout the perimeter before you can go anywhere."
"I know," she nodded, "which is why we should leave now."
@)
~~>>~~ * ~~<<~~(@"Relena-sama," the butler said deferentially, "Heero-san, please come this way."
"Thank you," Relena replied with a subdued smile.
Heero didn’t say anything but gave an acknowledging now. He felt Relena tuck her arm in his as they walked down a long hallway. Before they entered the ballroom, Relena turned to him and asked, "Are you sure you want to be here today? I can --"
"No, you can’t," Heero interrupted. His somber eyes looked at her, "You need to be here today, and I have to be with you to protect you."
Relena fell silent a moment. She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Heero’s cheek, "Thank you." She smoothed the skirt of her gown, "We should go in now."
"Yes," Heero agreed softly, "they should be expecting you."
"Relena-sama!" a breathy voice greeted as soon as Heero and Relena entered the ballroom.
Relena smiled as a striking young woman approached them. Dressed in a daring ice blue gown, her eyes glinted in fervent anticipation. "Dorothy, how nice to see you," Relena said. "Truthfully, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight."
"Ah, Relena-sama, Heero-san," Dorothy gestured grandly to emphasize her point. "Did you really expect me to not attend an event where you will be speaking? To not attend an anniversary of the Romefeller Foundation? Especially the one commemorating the tragic," her voice sobered a bit, "loss of Treize-sama?"
"Hontou..." Relena looked down pensively. "It is a day where important people were lost..."
Dorothy’s eyes glittered fiercely at Relena’s words. "Hai," she tossed back her long platinum hair and pronounced, "but those departed as warriors." Her ice blue eyes -- the exact same shade as her gown -- bored into both Heero’s and Relena’s eyes. "Though tragic, we should not think any less of their deeds merely because we miss them."
Heero felt his eyes narrow at Dorothy’s proclamation. ~How could she know what she’s talking about?~
Dorothy smiled oddly. "It seems not all here want to have fun. So," she clasped her hands together, "I should go and mingle with those who do. Heero-san?" she said over her shoulder as she left, "perhaps you should listen to me."
Relena looked at Heero from the corner of her eyes. She sighed at the dark look that flitted across his features fleetingly. She tugged at his tuxedo-clad arm and led him towards a familiar figure in the crowd. "Perhaps we *should* mingle a bit."
"Heero, Relena," Wufei said in acknowledgment.
"Wufei," Heero murmured.
Relena elaborated on Heero’s short response, "How very pleasant to see you." The smile Relena aimed at him was a bit strained.
Heero had let it slip one time that Wufei had said that he did not approve of her. While she grudgingly admitted that he might have been right in his disapproval of her at the time, she still didn’t appreciate his expressing that sentiment. ~I should really let this go,~ she thought ruefully. ~After all, it’s been nearly a decade since that happened.~ Heero looked at her significantly, and Relena gave a little laugh under her breath.
Wufei quirked an eyebrow as she held out a hand to him. "Let’s start over. It’s nice to see you here."
Wufei looked at her outstretched hand for a moment before grasping it in a friendly shake. "It’s nice to see the two of you here as well."
"O~h..." a playful voice drawled out teasingly. "I may fall over from shock. Wufei’s playing nice?"
Wufei sighed while Relena stifled a giggle. Heero merely looked on stoically at the events occurring in front of him. ~Not the same... It’s just not the same...~
"Onna," Wufei said in exasperation, "will you never let up on bothering me about that?"
Sally’s red painted lips stretched in a friendly smile, "But it’s so fun."
"Hai," a second feminine voice agreed. Noin and Zechs appeared from the crowd to stand with the group. Noin continued, "I know I will never tire of --"
"Noin," Zechs murmured, interrupting his mischievous friend, "let’s leave him alone for tonight."
"Mou..." Noin pouted exagerratedly.
"Thank you --" Wufei began.
"You can pick on him later, when it’s a more appropriate time."
"-- for nothing," Wufei grumbled.
Sally laughed once more. "Poor Wufei, attacked from all sides. Let’s dance, shall we?"
"All right," Wufei offered her his arm. "If you all will excuse us."
"Of course," Relena said, not bothering to hide her smile. She turned to Zechs, lips still quirked in amusement. "Onii-sama, you look well."
"As do you, Relena," he replied. He looked at Heero, "How are you this evening?"
"As well as can be expected."
"Ah..." Zechs and Noin exchanged a speaking glance.
"I think we shall go on the dance floor as well, Relena-sama."
"We’ll talk later," Zechs offered before sweeping Noin away.
Heero looked at the elegance the retreating couple exuded. ~I always thought there’d be a later...~
Heero gently disengaged his arm from Relena’s. "I’ll be on the balcony if you need me."
Relena looked away then smiled at him sadly, "If you want."
"Aa."
"Relena-sama..." Heero heard a voice say as he started walking away. "Would you care for a glass of punch?"
Her answer was lost to him as he moved out of earshot.
@)
~~>>~~ * ~~<<~~(@Quatre and Trowa watched Heero exit the crowded room. "I’m worried about him."
"Yes... he should have moved on by now," Quatre agreed. He swirled the contents of his glass around thoughtfully. "We should do something. But not tonight."
"No, now is not the time."
Heero leaned against the stone railing, looking up at the half-moon reflectively. He stiffened as slender arms wound around his shoulders and someone’s head rested against his. "You really miss him, don’t you?" Relena asked softly.
"No," Heero denied shortly. "Why would I?"
"Liar," Relena tightened her grip on him. "I didn’t know him as well as you did, but I miss him, too." She let go and sighed, "I should get back to the ball. The presentation starts soon, and I need to --"
"Go."
Relena turned to look at Heero once more before she left the balcony. She looked at the tense way he held his body, the half-glare visible on his hard profile and the grooves his fingers were trying to gouge in the stone. "Liar," she half-whispered again.
@)
~~>>~~ * ~~<<~~(@"It’s been... memorable," Relena murmured with a polite smile at the host of the ball, "but Heero and I really must be going now. Thank you for inviting us."
"Thank you for coming, Relena-sama, Heero-san," the man bowed. "It was an honor to have you preside over the commemoration, Relena-sama. Shall we expect the two of you here again next year?"
Relena felt Heero’s muscles become rigid beneath her hand. "Aa... I think I can make it."
"Heero-san, Winner-sama is here to see you," a servant said. He looked at Heero for approval, and upon receiving a small nod, ushered a slender blonde in the room.
"Heero, are you busy today?" Quatre asked, cutting straight to the point.
Heero frowned slightly, "I have to go over security reports concerning Relena’s safety."
"Aa..." Quatre’s brow furrowed. "I think... you can delay those for a few hours or so. We... rather, you have something important to do today."
"Which would be?"
"I think it’s about time someone cleaned out Duo’s apartment for him."
Heero stiffened, "What for?"
Quatre looked at him wearily, "You know what for."
"There should be no reason why his things have to be moved. The rent has been paid for monthly, as with the utilities. There are no wild and noisy happenings going on in his apartment," Heero said rigidly. ~There hasn’t been much of anything going on there anymore...~
Heero ran a finger over a picture in Duo’s bedroom. He saw his reluctantly smiling visage looking back at him. The picture showed a laughing Duo wringing his thoroughly soaked braid.
"Ne, Heero," he grinned. "So you *do* know how to have fun sometimes."
"Only because you deserved it," Heero retorted defensively. ~I want to see your shine...~
"Oi, don’t be sad!" Duo’s cheery voice rang out.
Heero quickly turned around. "Du --"
"Gomen ne, Heero," Quatre’s voice wafted through soon after. He entered the room, holding a VCD in one hand. He gave the silver disc to Heero. "You might like to keep this."
"Was that why...?"
"Hai, I accidentally turned it on."
"Aa." ~I should’ve known better.~
Quatre looked around the cluttered bedroom and sighed, "Heero... I think you should go home now." He started placing the various books scattered around the room in a box. "I can handle things from here. I’m sorry for bothering you from your work." He put down the last few books the box had space for, and efficiently sealed it shut. "It hasn’t seemed to have helped."
"I really thought he’d be able to let go if he finally got the message that Duo is never coming back."
"You tried your best, Quatre," Trowa said. His green eyes reflected his deep concern, "But I think... this is something nobody can help Heero with but Heero himself. But until he wants to let go of Duo... he can’t."
"You’re certainly in a verbose mood tonight," Quatre joked with a weak smile that faded as soon as it had appeared. "Heero’s not the only one who misses him."
"Aa."
"It’s been seven years, but I still sometimes expect him to walk in, jaunty and as indomitable as he ever was... and if it’s like that for me, what must it be like for Heero?"
"We’re sorry, but that number has been disconnected. Please contact our offices for --"
Heero hung up the phone. He looked at a gleaming disc, then shut it away in a drawer. He closed his eyes, memories both wonderful and horrible running through his mind unchecked...
...Duo smiling at him, just because of who he was...
...Duo grimacing in pain but still cracking jokes as he tried to redress a wound all by himself...
...Duo in a serious mood, fixing his beloved Shinigami meticulously...
...and Duo as he last saw him...
"Oi, Heero! Don’t frown so much, your face might freeze that way, and then the lovely ojou-chan might not like you so much anymore!"
"Stop acting like an idiot."
"It’s the only way he knows how to act," a light feminine voice teased.
"Hido~i, ojou-chan! Do I ever take cheap shots like that?"
"Frequently," Relena smiled sweetly.
"At you?" Duo clarified.
"Oh, in that case," she said, still smiling, "always."
Duo grinned, "I just can’t win, can I?"
"Stop it," Heero scowled irritably. "Why do you always do this?"
"Ah," Hirde sipped her strawberry Italian soda, eyes twinkling mischievously, "but it’s fun to watch."
"Depends on your perspective, I guess," Duo shrugged. He stood up, "I suppose we’ll see you tonight?"
"I still don’t believe that the only reason the Romefeller Foundation is throwing this ball is for the memory of Treize Khushrenada," Heero frowned.
"Heero, they aren’t trying to stage another coup," Relena argued. "They firmly embrace the peace ideals now, they aren’t plotting anything. If they were, would they invite the Preventers, and the ex-Gundam pilots, to the ball?"
Heero disagreed, "They could just be doing that to throw us off --"
Duo’s eyes strayed to watch the street next to the little cafe they were in. A little girl was chasing her puppy, it’s leash a bright, merry tail just beyond the girl’s reach. ’ri-chan!" she cried. "Please come back!" Heedless of the oncoming traffic, she continued running after the energetic pup. She stretched out, jumping for the leash futilely and tripped...
...into the path of a speeding car. Duo’s eyes widened. He could tell from the panicked expression of the driver that he wouldn’t be able to stop on time...
...and in a split second, the world went off kilter.
Running faster than he could ever remember moving, Duo yanked the girl to her feet and pushed her out of the way...
...Duo was right. The car didn’t stop in time.
In the hospital... hooked to machines, barely breathing... "Oi, don’t be sad..." Duo rasped, his voice wheezing almost in time to the unsteady beeps echoing in the silent room. He tried to grin weakly, "Always a hero, even at the end... that kinda seems more like your deal," Duo joked.
Heero didn’t smile. "Baka. When you get out of here, we’re going to have to put *you* on a leash."
"Don’t be that way, Heero," Duo said softly, closing his eyes briefly. "This is my problem for being me, the other guys understand that." He opened his eyes, "Why can’t you?" His eyes searched Heero’s carefully blank Prussian gaze, "But barring that, just try to forget me..."
Heero shook his head in a sharp denial of Duo’s words...
"Try to forget..." Duo repeated. His indigo dark eyes looked at Heero beseechingly... and then the light went out of them. Heero was left looking into the vacant eyes -- in more ways than one -- of his friend...
Heero felt his hands clench at the sheets helplessly. "I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you..." he whispered, unheeding of the alarms set off when Duo had breathed his last...
A few minutes later, the others found Heero still staring at Duo’s body, mouthing the words ‘I’m sorry...’ over and over again.
Just before he was led away, Heero took a final look at Duo. ~I’m supposed to be the strong one... why couldn’t it have been me?~ he thought.
"Duo..." Heero said unconsciously.
Hirde had moved on. His friends had moved past it... why couldn’t he? Why couldn’t he let go of the memories of his laughing, smiling, perpetually shining Shinigami...
Why couldn’t he?
~Maybe before I even knew it, before I even had a chance...~ Heero closed his eyes, fists clenched hard at his sides. ~I wish...~
I’m alone again.
Um... did this make any sense whatsoever? ^^;;
Duo: {smirks}At least for one fic, *I'm* not the one being smacked around...