Secrets and Lies Arc 2 Part 6
Looking at everyone's surprised faces Trowa gulped.
"Heero and Duo had a child during the war. Just slightly after 'that' mission. Heero was not sure he would survive Sasame's birth so he asked me to be Sasame's guardian. He wanted to be sure that the doctors would not get his child and that Sasame would grow up knowing Duo."
"Why you?" Duo asked in a choked voice.
"At first he didn't want any of us to know, but then in his sixth month, he got very sick during a mission. I had to go in and 'rescue' him. There was no way I could ignore the changes in his body; so he told me what happened. From then I helped with the missions. I did double loads in his ninth month, Heero was so sick... He couldn't even stand and I thought he would surely die." Trowa's eyes darkened in remembered fear.
"But, he didn't. I swear the delivery was so bad. There was so much blood... But Heero never cried, he couldn't scream. By then he was too weak to do more than moan silently. Somehow the second Sasame started crying it was almost as if he drew himself together, you could see him gathering his strength. The next day he was on his way to recovery."
Holding Sasame gently as Trowa spoke, Duo carried him into the living room and the others followed. As silence descended, he settled into the couch comfortably holding the boy loosely. Sasame looked around with a smile, his violet blue eyes taking delight in his surroundings. If it were up to him, soon he and Heero would be living there too.
"Hiya Unca Wu, Unca Qwata." His smile was so genuine the two boys couldn't find it in them to complain about their new names. His English was heavily accented and so cute.
"You know who we are?" Quatre asked surprised.
"Of course." he answered in Japanese. His Japanese was much smoother, almost perfect. "Okaatousan told me all about you guys and the war. You guys were the ones he went to help when I was in the tank."
"The tank?" Duo questioned softly.
"Uh huh. I can remember everything from the moment I was born. Okaatousan says I'll learn to block it later. But the first time he went away to help you guys, Okaatousan tried to leave me with this family. I didn't like it at all, so I stopped eating and tried to runaway. It was hard, cause I couldn't walk yet so I crawled into a safe place and stayed there till Okaatousan got back. I got sick and after that Okaatousan never left me alone, instead I slept in a sleep stasis tank while he was gone."
"He was perfectly fine in the tank, it just slowed down his growth." Trowa inserted and Sasame smiled and cuddled into Duo's chest.
"I hate being away from Okaatousan."
"I hate being away from Heero too..." Duo whispered kissing his forehead.
"I get scared sometimes that he might not come back. Uncle Trowa was there when I was born. He was supposed to take me to you, Daddy, when Okaatousan died at my birth. But, Okaatousan didn't die, he knew I needed him and stayed." Wiggly and slipping out of Duo's grasp, Sasame headed to Trowa and picked through the pack he was holding. Triumphantly grabbing a black case and holding it carefully, he climbed back into Duo's lap and opened it. Picking up the first picture he smiled.
"Here's you and Okaatousan with Uncle Trowa, Wufei and Quatre." The others gathered near to look at it.
"Doesn't Okaatousan look weird? He's glaring, he never glares. He cries sometimes when he thinks I'm asleep, but he never glares like that!"
The picture was of them during the war. It was a surprisingly intimate picture; Duo was poking at Heero, laughing as he glared. Wufei was in the corner polishing his sword. Trowa cuddled Quatre on the couch as the blonde boy read a book on business economics.
"Okaatousan's laptop took this picture when I wasn't even made yet!" His voice took on a wondering sound, like all children as if he couldn't imagine the world had gone on just fine before he was even a thought. He took out another picture. It brought a gasp from Duo.
Heero was sitting on a bleak hospital bed. His stomach was gently distended under a hospital gown, but Duo had never seen him more beautiful. There was a soft smile on his lips, a gentle light in his eyes and a glow to his skin that all mothers got when they held a life wrapped protectively in their own bodies.
"I'm six months old in this one, that's me in Okaatousan's belly! It's my first picture, you can keep this one Daddy, it's a copy. I figure you want it since you didn't know about me back then." He sounded mature saying that and the understanding in his voice would have fit an adult better. It was just another reminder that he never was and never could be called a 'normal' human child. Duo's hand shook slightly as he took the picture from Sasame, his eyes never leaving Heero's lips. It had been too long since he had last seen that smile.
Did Heero smile like that now? It must have been hard, unbelievably hard raising Sasame all alone. He should have been there... Heero should have trusted he loved him enough, would love their child enough to go through anything.
The doorbell rang and Quatre got up to get it as Sasame brought out another picture.
"Here was when the war was over, it's me and Okaatousan."
A weary looking Heero was holding a baby carefully; he looked tired, too thin from malnutrition they had all suffered at one time or another during the war. He had his other arm in bandages, but apparently the majority of the serious injuries they had last seen were healed. Glancing at the date in the corner Duo noted with surprise it was just the day after Heero disappeared.
"I look cute ne Okaatousan?" Sasame said and looked up. Duo followed his gaze to where Heero stood in the doorway Quatre standing slightly behind him.
"Heero..." Duo whispered not knowing what else to say. At that moment words didn't really matter.
TBC...
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