A Silver Lining Part 5
"I was hoping that we would be able to keep it a surprise," Quatre's image on the vid screen frowned in disappointment. "Duo always loved surprises."
A frown fell on Heero's own face at the thought of how different things were going to be following the rescue of their braided friend. "I know that you all mean well, Quatre," he began quietly, sincerely. "But I don't think that he is quite ready for a surprise. He's... been through a lot."
Recalling a time when Duo had told him that he hated being the bearer of bad news to the Arabian because his sad face could tear a person apart, Heero now had to agree with the sentiment.
"Besides," he reassured the other, "it won't matter to Duo how he finds out what you're planning, just the fact that you're planning it at all will mean the world to him."
Finally, the Arab's small smile returned as he replied, "All right. You can tell him in advance, then. Sally and Wufei will be able to make it back to the house to let us in before Duo's debriefing is finished."
Inwardly cringing at the word 'debriefing', the Japanese Preventer was forced to remember the procedure that Duo would have to face before he could be released from headquarters. Duo would have to be questioned about what had happened to him while he was in captivity. It was protocol in these type of rescues.
Heero forced those thoughts from his head, Heero nodded, "Okay. I'll give them the keys to the house before they leave. Lady Une will be joining them as well."
At that, Quatre's smile grew at the surprising announcement. "She's more than welcome," he grinned. "We'll see you both in a few hours, then." Before he cut off the connection, the blonde Arab said quietly, "Heero... thank you for proving me wrong before."
The screen then went black as Quatre cut off his end of the connection. Heero just smirked at the monitor a moment as he chuckled deeply. Closing the portable video phone, he heard the bathroom door open. Duo stepped out into the room, dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a simple black T-shirt as he toweled his damp hair following his shower.
His elbows were covered by the wraps that Heero had made from his infamous green tank from the wars once again. Something about seeing that his shirt had gone to such a use actually warmed the once named 'Perfect Soldier'. His violet eyes met Heero's when his partner turned back to face him from the table where he had been sitting.
To the unspoken question in his friend's eyes, Heero gestured to the closed video phone, "That was Quatre, sending his best." Duo nodded and walked over to sit on the bed that the two of them had been sharing for the last few nights.
As Duo continued to towel dry his hair, Heero turned completely in his seat to face him as he told him, "Quatre, Trowa and a few others wanted to see you tonight. They and a few others are going to be at the house when we arrive."
Lowering the towel, Duo blinked his eyes in confusion and asked, "Did they want you to tell me about it before hand?"
The other pilot shook his head and admitted, "They wanted it to be a surprise, but considering, I didn't think that would have been a good idea." He smirked, "He finally relented and let me tell you about it before we got there."
Duo gave him a small smile and replied quietly, "Thanks." With that, he closed his eyes and returned to drying his hair.
Sighing to himself, Heero was relieved to know that he handled the situation correctly. In knowing how jumpy his comrade was at any sudden noise, he couldn't imagine several people rushing towards him as they stepped into the house going over very well.
When the long-haired Preventer lowered the towel to reach for the brush on the small table on the other side of the bed, Heero asked softly, "May I?"
Brush in one hand, Duo faced him. Slowly, a smile crept on his face and he nodded. With a small smile of his own, Heero moved to sit behind his friend as he took the brush that was handed to him. Carefully, he spread the long locks of hair across his partner's back.
Hands that were able to kill without the assistance of a weapon and bend metal worked with a gentleness as they parted and brushed out the knots from the lengthy hair. After a long silence between them, Duo whispered, "I... I was afraid that they would cut it."
Pausing in his brushing, Heero bit his lip before replying just as quietly, "I'm glad that they didn't. I know how much your hair means to you, not to mention that I really like your hair like this." He froze for a moment, his cobalt eyes wide that he actually admitted that last part out loud.
Quickly, Heero resumed brushing Duo's hair, hoping that he had not paid much attention to the last part. The fact that there was no reaction from the other pilot was proof enough that Duo was lost in his own thoughts and missed the admission.
Finished brushing out all of the knots, Heero parted the long strands into three parts. With experience from the wars in having to aid Duo with his hair before, the Japanese Preventer easily braided the parts together. Tying the end of the braid with a rubber band that been sitting beside him, he told the other, "Finished."
Duo came back to life then, his eyes opening after he nearly fell asleep from the soothing sensation of having his hair cared for. He smiled his gratitude as he looked over his shoulder.
A woman's voice announced over the com, "Attention. Quasar has been granted permission to dock. We will be landing on the Earth in five minutes." With that, Heero and Duo moved to change into jeans and sneakers as they gathered their belongings.
* * * * * *
Sally sighed deeply as she asked, "Are you sure? You know that Lady Une would understand if you wanted to wait some time before having to do this. She would be more than happy to pull strings and throw protocol out the window for you. No matter how old you, Heero or Wufei get, she'll always consider you her 'boys'."
Stepping forward, Heero added, "Neither of us would think any less of you if you wanted to give it some time."
Duo bit his lower lip, sitting at the lone table in the center of the small conference room, his two friends standing across from him. He did take a moment to reconsider, finally he replied quietly, "I just... want to get this over with."
With a deep breath, Heero exhaled slowly before speaking again. Turning to Sally, he suggested, "We should tell the others that we'll have to postpone the gathering that they had planned." A deep frown of concern for the braided pilot on her face, the young woman nodded her agreement.
Again, Duo intervened as he shook his head, "No, it shouldn't take long. I-I'd really like to see everyone when we get home."
Heero couldn't deny him such a request. With a small smile of reassurance, he nodded, "All right, Duo. We'll get this out of the way, then." Even Sally put own concern aside as she gave a small grin.
"Just not here," the American pleaded quietly. Looking around the small, white-walled room, he rubbed his upper arms in a nervous gesture. Heero understood immediately the reason for his anxiousness. The cell that he found Duo was in many ways very similar to the space they were in.
When Duo looked up and their eyes met, the silent question was clear to the Japanese Preventer. "Just the two of us," he promised. "We can take care of this in our office."
At the surprise in Duo's widened eyes at the words 'our office', Sally chuckled deeply, "Heero refused to let anyone else take your place in the office that you shared. All this time, he kept your desk clean and just as it was the last time you saw it." His head somewhat lowered in embarrassment, Heero shrugged.
Walking around the table, the braided woman bent down to place a soft kiss on Duo's head, causing him to blush slightly. "We'll be waiting for you back at the house, then," she told him in a gentle voice with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Sally," Duo replied with a slight blush. On her way out of the room, Sally squeezed Heero's shoulder for his own reassurance.
Once they were alone again, Duo's legs began their nervous bouncing as he looked down at the table. As anxious as he was to get this out of the way, he had been dreading having to relive his experience. He jumped slightly when a hand fell gently on his shoulder.
Their eyes met, Heero was peering down at him with a lop-sided grin as he asked, "Ready to get this over with?" Nodding his answer, Duo rose from his seat.
* * * * * *
Stepping into the office, Duo's eyes widened when Heero turned the light on. Sally certainly had not been kidding when she said that his space was exactly how it was when he left it. Heero just watched as his partner walked over to his deck, running his fingers over the leather seat.
The American's violet gaze spanned over the photo frames and knickknacks that he kept. Duo wiped at his shimmering eyes as he sniffed, overwhelmed at how at his belongings were treated with such care. Everything was kept clean, not a speck of dust touching any of his things.
Picking up the silver frame that held his favorite picture, he gazed at the image taken during the Eve Wars. It was a group shot of the five Gundam pilots, the only photograph that Heero agreed to be in, that he was aware of. It was taken on Peacemillion in the hanger, the heads of the Gundam pilots lined up behind where the five pilots stood on the balcony.
After closing the door, Heero said quietly, "I knew that you would be back, so someone had to take care of your things." He was rewarded with a watery smile that spoke volumes of the appreciation from his best friend. Heero looked forward to the day when the spark in those violet eyes lit up with his smile again.
Retrieving the recorder from inside his own desk, the Japanese Preventer checked to see that the digital CD was at the beginning before walking to the round table in the center of the room. Taking a seat there, he lowered the recorder onto the table surface.
Duo stiffened as he gazed at the small device. Forcing his legs to work, he moved to take the seat next to his best friend, their chairs pulled out so they could face each other. Heero leaned forward, resting a hand on his nervous partner's bouncing knee with a concerned frown. "We can still hold off on this if you want," he said quietly.
Having to force himself not to jitter so much in his seat, Duo took a deep breath and shook his head as he whispered, "I... I don't think that I'll go through with it if I put this off."
Something hurt inside Heero when he heard that. Resolve in his cobalt eyes, he nodded firmly and squeezed his partner's knee. It was the best response that he could give, not sure that he could trust his voice just then.
Getting right to business, as he knew his friend wanted, he pressed the record button and began, "This is the testimony of Duo Maxwell, following the recovery of ninety-seven prisoners from the White Out Organization. The day is May twenty-eighth after Colony 200."
With a deep breath, Heero met his partner's eyes as he asked, "Duo, we'll just start from the beginning. How is you end up in the captivity of the White Out Organization?"
* * * * * *
Time was not a factor in Duo's mind as he answered the questions asked of him. As if in a trance, the braided pilot just told the recorder what he knew, leaving out the worst of the details for his own sanity. Even the answers that he was able to give were difficult enough. The details would just have to be kept out, all that Lady Une wanted was the basic knowledge of what he knew of the organization the Preventers were now after.
Duo knew that he was crying when the questions became more difficult. Were you raped? Were you ever used to test serums against your will? Were there any other prisoners who were killed? Those questions were met with simple 'yes' and 'no' responses. Even then, it was a challenge to get through.
Staring ahead at nothing in particular, Duo was not aware that Heero had stopped the recorded as a mark that the interview was over. Only when his best friend suddenly appeared before him did the American blink his shimmering eyes to return to the present. To his surprise, Duo realized that the other Preventer looked as though he was holding back his own tears as he knelt before him.
Reaching out to his partner, Heero whispered, "Come here." At that, Duo fell into his embrace, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. Rubbing his hand down the trembling pilot's back in soothing circles, Heero rested head on Duo's shoulder as he said quietly in his ear, "You got through it."
As they just clung onto each other, Heero's mind was still processing everything that he had learned. It was one thing to understand some of what Duo had gone through, but to know that there was much more to it that couldn't be mentioned was as enraging as it was terrifying.
Now Heero knew that the rebels that held the two of them before their escape were actually accomplices to the White Out Organization. They were just holding the two Preventers until their transport ship came to gather them.
Heero would have shared the same fate as his partner, had Duo not made him leave his side when he was hurt. Instead, the braided pilot was taken back into the hands of their enemies and taken from the Colony before Heero and his team made it back to search for him.
There was an overwhelming surge of guilt that joined the many conflicting emotions that the Japanese Preventer was struggling to grip as he held Duo, the other pilot still trembling against him...
He never should have left him, he should have insisted that they both continue onto the site where the rescue team would pick them up. Instead, he left and the only person that he ever considered as more than just a comrade in arms was thrown to the wolves. It was a guilt that he knew he would carry with him for a very long time.
When Duo stopped shaking, Heero stayed knelt before him as the American forced himself to sit up again, wiping at the tears that streaked his face. At the emptiness in those violet eyes watching him, Heero decided to put his own inner demons to rest to focus on the mission that he had set for himself.
Giving him a small, reassuring smile, Heero reached up to cup his partner's cheek as he brushed a few more tears away with his thumb as he asked softly, "Are you all right?"
Duo took a deep, unsteady breath, and nodded as he all but whispered back, "I think so." Rubbing his upper arms anxiously, he gazed out the large windows of their office. With it now being mid-afternoon, the sun was still high in the clear sky as it brightened the lively city below.
"Can we go home now?" the braided pilot asked brokenly.
His own smile growing, Heero answered, "Of course." He rose from the floor, taking one of Duo's hands in his as he helped him up from the chair.
Once they were both on their feet, Heero pulled the other into a full, tight embrace and kissed the top of his friend's braided head. The smile he was rewarded with was one of gratitude, though still not quite breaking the emptiness in those violet eyes.
With his free hand, the Japanese Preventer gathered the recorder, placing it in the pocket of his light jean coat. "I'll make sure that this goes straight into Lady Une's hands. She'll see that no one else ever hears this," he promised Duo at the look of concern on his face as he looked to the pocket holding the recorder. The tension in Duo's shoulders faded as he nodded once in appreciation that his unvoiced fears were understood.
As they moved from towards the door, Heero noted that Duo's grip on his hand was still pretty tight, still in need of his reassurance, so he did not move to break from the grasp. He broke apart from his partner once, he wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
* * * * * *
Removing the keys from the ignition, Heero looked over to his friend beside him. Duo's violet eyes were glued onto the white-sided house that they shared along the shoreline. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," the American breathed after a long silence between them.
Heero chuckled deeply, reaching over and robbed the back of his braided head as he said, "Welcome back home." Their eyes met as they smiled to each other. Finally, they both opened their doors to step out of the car.
After the car ride back from headquarters, the sun was just beginning to set. The array of colors that spread across the clear sky into the horizon over the ocean made a breathtaking sight.
There had been many a morning and evening that Duo recalled sitting on the back front porch, in the swing seat that he had installed there, watching a sunset just like this. The realization that he was finally going to be able to do that again was almost too overwhelming.
"I've been watching the sunsets a lot these last couple years," Heero's voice broke through his thoughts, startling him. Blinking in shock, Duo processed the words that he just heard. Heero never took the time to sit and watch a sunset all the while they lived together, try as he might to get him to appreciate it.
As if to answer the questions in his mind, Duo watched as the other Preventer looked over his shoulder to meet his eyes as he stated, "You were right, they can be amazing. If the invitation is still open, I'd like to watch more with you."
Quickly putting his shock aside, Duo nodded with a small grin as he replied sincerely, "I'd like that." The young man that he once knew to have a hard time showing any emotion on his features graced him with a bright smile that said all that needed to be said. Wonders never ceased, he thought to himself. He was looking forward to learning more of his best friend's changes while he was gone.
While they walked to the front of the house, Heero noted how Duo walked very closely behind him, their shoulders almost touching. When he thought about it, he recalled that ever since the other pilot had been rescued, he tended to stay as close as possible to him whenever possible.
Reaching the steps of the front porch Duo froze, looking up to the front door nervously. At the concern in his partner's cobalt eyes, he frowned and took the end of his braid to fiddle with it as he asked, "How do I look?"
Another warm smile spread on Heero's face as he cupped the side of the American's cheek. The cut and bruise on Duo's face head nearly healed completely, only a slight discoloration was left where the large mark had been and the cut was a very thin line now.
Shaking his head, the Japanese Preventer chuckled deeply, "Duo, they haven't seen you in over two years. Despite the fact that you look fine, I'm sure that they could really care less right now if your hair is just right or any detail like that."
Put that way, even Duo had to snicker as he grinned in embarrassment. Straightening himself a bit, he nodded firmly and announced quietly, "Okay. I think I'm ready now." Heero returned the firm nod before leading him up the porch steps.
When he opened the door, Heero peeked in first to see that there was not a mob waiting to ambush his skittish friend. Relieved to see that the entrance of the house was clear, he stepped inside, Duo right behind him as his violet eyes gazed around the familiar entryway. Taking hold of Duo's hand, Heero squeezed it in support as he led them to the living room.
Sitting on the furnishings and on the floor when there was no room to hold all of them, their friends waited together, talking quietly amongst themselves. Clearing his throat as he stood in the doorway, Heero smiled at the faces that turned quickly to face him. Duo stepped out from behind him, slowly, as he peered into the room.
At his appearance, there were many sharp gasps, some strangled sobs and many whispers. Quatre was the first from his seat on the floor, almost tackling the reunited pilot as he threw his arms around him, crying, "Duo!"
Unable to hold back his own tears at hearing the distress in the Arab's voice, Duo closed his eyes as he hugged him back as tight as he could without aggravating his recovering muscles.
"Hey, Quat," was all he could manage in a broken whisper. Pulling back to allow the others a chance to see him, Quatre was absolutely beaming in joy through his tears as he wiped at his eyes.
Trowa was the next to step up, his emerald eyes shimmering the slightest bit as he pulled Duo into a tight hug. Kissing the top of his head, he whispered, "Welcome back, little brother."
With a small laugh, Duo sniffed and replied softly, "Thanks, Trowa." When they separated, his eyes widened at the young woman next in line. "Relena? But, I thought there was a meeting..."
Shaking her head, with a wide smile and tears running down her face, Relena wrapped him in her arms tightly. Kissing him on the lips in a friendly gesture answering quietly, "This is far more important than any government meeting." She cupped the sides of his face in her hands as she whimpered, "It's so good to have you home again."
Lady Une, Dorothy, Hilde and even Catherine all made their own tearful reunions with their long lost friend. Sally and Wufei helped settled everyone down again after they were all satisfied that they got to reunite with Duo.
There were only a couple times when Sally had to remind the others to be careful when hugging him too tightly on account of his injuries. All the while, Heero stood with his back leaning against the living room doorway as he watched the emotional gathering.
Once everyone had their seats again, Duo given a place on one of the couches surrounded by everyone, Dorothy rose from her place and suggested, "Why don't a few of us start getting the food that we brought out so we can start serving dinner?"
With nods of agreement, Catherine, Relena and Hilde stood and followed her to the kitchen. The former Gundam pilots remained close to their braided friend, still in shock that he was in fact alive and among them again.
"You and Relena? A baby?" Heero heard Duo gasp. He chuckled deeply, knowing all too well that he had the same reaction to the news that he had been informed. Indeed, he found his partner's violet eyes wide and staring at Quatre with his mouth open.
Laughing as he pointed at the American, the blonde pilot said, "That's exactly how Heero looked when I told him."
As their conversation continued, Heero saw that Lady Une was watching him. Seeing the gesture to front door with a quick movement from his head, she took the signal and rose from the recliner. Before following her outside, Heero saw the fear in Duo's eyes in realization that he was leaving. 'I'll be right back,' he mouthed. His friend seemed to relax at that as he nodded.
Lady Une was standing at the far right end of the front deck outside when Heero joined her. With her arms wrapped around her waist, she asked, "Was he able to act as a witness?"
Instead of answering with words, the Japanese Preventer handed her the recorder. Sighing deeply, the young woman closed her brown eyes in relief and dread at the same time. She placed the recorder in the pocket of her suit jacket, seeing to it that no one else got their hands on it.
Heero's back was to her as he looked out to the ocean, the wind blowing his unruly hair. His voice deep and threatening, he stated clearly in a deep growl, "I want the bastards that did this to him," Lady Une's eyes opened as he turned back to face her. "I want them all," he hissed quietly.
With a sly smirk filled with her own need for revenge, his Commander nodded firmly. Her voice smooth as silk, she replied, "Oh, and you will have them. I'll see to that."
"Make sure that you save some of them for us, then," a familiar voice spoke up from behind them.
As he spun, Heero's cobalt eyes widened at the two people leaning against the banister of the patio... The same two people that he had not seen in several months who seemed to appear form nowhere. "Noin... Zechs..."
TBC...
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