A War Worth Fighting Part 14
The day started off with a string of changes.
For one of those changes, Duo woke up just before sunrise.
As he slowly climbed back into consciousness, the first thing that he felt was the warmth around him. Enjoying that change from his usual starts to the morning, he nestled himself closer to the source and slowly opened his eyes.
... Then realized the biggest change of them all when he quickly figured out that he was not sleeping alone.
When he found an arm draped around him and a firm chest beneath him, the private fought a sharp gasp to avoid waking the person holding him. Looking up, he blinked in shock at finding Heero sleeping peacefully. Instantly, the memories of the prior day's events rushed in.
If there was any further question to whether or not he was dreaming, Duo was quickly reminded he was awake when he shifted enough that it agitated the wounds on his back. Wincing a bit against the pain, he still managed to keep quiet enough for his friend to continue to rest.
For the next hour, the braided soldier contented himself to just watching the sergeant sleep. It was rare that he was ever able to be this close to him.
And it was the first time that he got a good look at how peaceful Heero was when the worried lines on his face were smoothed away. Even with a bruise on his right cheek from where he had been struck, he seemed at peace.
He was... beautiful.
So much so that it took Duo's breath away.
A bit surprised at his observation, he wondered if he felt that way only because the officer had once again come to the rescue. Like a knight in shining armor, he was always there to look after him. What was more, he was the only other person that he had any real contact and camaraderie with, even if they were supposed to be enemies.
But, when he really thought about it, Duo knew that it was more than just that... Somewhere along the line of the time that they had known each other, he was certain that he had fallen for the Japanese sergeant. Closing his violet eyes, he buried his face against the shoulder his head was nestled on.
'How the hell did I let that happen?' he wondered silently.
Moments later, just as the sun was rising to brighten the gray sky, Heero sighed and began to stir. At his first attempt to move on his side, he found that something was weighing him down.
Blinking his cobalt eyes open, they widened when he found Duo staring up at him. It did not take long for his panicked mind to recall how he had wound up sleeping with his friend curled around him.
Feeling his cheeks burn, the sergeant sputtered, "G-good morning." For the braided warrior's part, he never thought he had ever seen something as adorable as Heero blushing and at a loss for words.
With a wide and friendly smile, Duo greeted, "'Morning." Cautiously, he reluctantly shifted as much as he could to allow Heero to move out from underneath him without causing himself as great deal of pain.
Aiding his companion to lie back on his stomach, the officer turned to the bottle of pills and covered glass of water at his side of the conjoined cots. "There should be enough of these pills to last through the worst of your recovery," he informed as he handed the offerings over.
Duo stared at the capsules and sighed deeply. "I hate taking pills," he grumbled. Wincing when he moved a hair, he gritted through his teeth, "Though I am not exactly a fan of the pain, either." Hesitantly reaching over, he took and threw the medicine back along with the whole glass of water. "Thanks," he muttered as he lay back down.
Taking up a fresh uniform that was neatly folded in the corner of the room, Heero stepped out to change. By the time he returned, the pills were already taking effect and the private was yawning widely. Smiling at the sight, the officer drew the blinds over the windows and sat down beside his dozing friend.
Without even a thought, the sergeant reached over to gently brush the bangs out of the heavy-lidded violet eyes watching him. "I have a few things to oversee," he said quietly. "I will be back with something to eat before you're even awake. There are dozens of closed off, unused rooms in this prison and no one knows that you are in this particular one, so you do not have to worry. Just rest now."
Easing at that reassurance, Duo allowed his eyes to drift closed as he muttered a soft, "'K." His breathing evening out, he was taken by sleep once more.
Heero pulled his hand back and observed his friend for a quiet moment before rising back to his feet. Adjusting his uniform coat and finishing the look with his cap, he headed out and into the hallway.
The Sergeant Major would be arriving any moment.
* * * * * *
Hands trembling, the graying commander reached up to dry wash his face. Heero stood to attention with his arms folded behind his back. Standing beside him, Kenshin's shoulders had a deep slump while his head was bowed.
Slowly inhaling a deep breath, the Sergeant Major lowered his hands and walked around his desk to glare at the humbled soldier. "Well, Kenshin, you may receive a far lighter sentence than your friend Yuri," he began in a less-than-pleased tone.
"However, your actions are inexcusable and it will not spare you your duties here. You shall be stripped of your uniform and any awards you have been garnished with while in service. When your friend wakes up, he will wish that you had killed him with that shot."
Kenshin swallowed roughly and lowered his head further with a quiet, "Yes, sir."
Waving his hand to the two guards standing at the closed door, the old man hissed, "Send him away. He remains in holding until I can take him with me to speak before the Council." All but jumping into action, the two strong men gripped either of Kenshin's arms and led him away none too gently.
Once the door was closed, the Sergeant Major released a long sigh and shook his head, "Bastards." Appraising the sergeant, he frowned deeply, "I thought that I got through to these men after what happened to Akio. Now I know that neither of you are safe here. I will have to remedy that."
His cobalt eyes widening, Heero asked, "Sir? What do you suggest?"
"There is a secluded flat not far from here that is owned by the military," the old man shared. "Few know of it since it is to only be used for the most unique of situations. I believe that this situation calls for it. Sending you with all of the prisoners being held for Treize would be too much on you. Yet having that one captive here is too much for one person to look after alone... including myself."
Rubbing his chin, the Major thought aloud, "So, you will go there with that one American that everyone seems so hell-bent in getting their hands on. I will stay here at Muroran and keep watch over the others."
Slowly pacing back and forth, he continued, "We need to return order here and what we have been doing is not working. Right now, for both of your safety, I need to get you away from everything and everyone. When Treize finally shows, you will be in charge of a whole new unit and back in battle as you have wanted for some time now."
Quickly putting together what was not being said, the young officer frowned, "In other words, you are sending me away as well because you know my differences make me as much a target for trouble as the braided soldier. So rather than deal with either of us, you would rather we were both out of your hair."
Sighing deeply, the Sergeant Major placed a hand on either of his subordinate's shoulders. "This is not easy for me, Heero," he told him. "The last thing that I want is to send you off, or make you feel unwanted. But, I have to weigh where the issues that have been arising stem from. You need to be in charge of better men than what we have here.
"You need men that do not see you as anything other than a man they need to respect and take orders from. Until then, you need to be away from the ones that see you as no better than the soldiers locked away in our cells."
It all made sense. There was a great deal of logic behind it. Starting off fresh after Treize arrived with a new regiment would be the best thing for everyone-especially Heero. But he still did not have to be thrilled over the matter.
Regardless of his initial reactions to the news, the First Sergeant straightened and bowed at the waist with a reserved, "Very well, sir."
The old man folded his hands together behind his back and smiled, "Think of this as a chance to prove yourself even more to me... to your country. This is an immense amount of trust that is being placed in your hands over a very important task. Frankly, I see no other that is up for the challenge."
Word play.
Every word spoken was used to make the situation sound better than it was. Heero knew it all too well. In the end, this was nothing more than being sent to a resort when he should be fighting for his own when his own would not accept him. His own prevented him from carrying out the duty he was more than willing to offer.
Finally... the reality of that took hold. And it hurt.
Heero's mind was already lost in a dozen different thoughts. What if a new regiment of soldiers that would accept him as their leader could never be found? Would that mean that this would be his future- being sent on petty missions like this where he was out of the way?
Gently slapping his soldier on the shoulder, the Sergeant Major broke his thoughts and grinned, "Well now, go back and check up on your charge. I will make certain that everything is ready for your arrival at your new station. Clothes and food that will last the two of you for months will be provided. Though, let us hope that you will not have to stay there that long."
Nodding, Heero gave one more bow and turned on his heel to leave the room without another word.
The last thing he wanted were more words.
As soon as he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him, the First Sergeant was struck with a realization. This would be his last day in Muroran. Regardless of his reasons for leaving the prison, he was finally leaving it behind just as he had wanted from the day he first arrived.
Maybe... just maybe this was not such a bad thing after all, he thought to himself.
For the first time in all of his stay there, Heero moved with a lightness in his step through the prison halls.
This certainly was one change that he could get used to.
* * * * * *
"I choose him," Heero's voice echoed just before the explosion of a single pistol fire filled the air.
Gasping, Duo's eyes snapped open widely. Panting for air, he could feel the dampness from sweat covering his face. Quickly placing himself in the new holding room, he sighed long and slowly to calm himself. Wincing when his back began to sting, it was pretty evident that he had been writhing a bit during the nightmare.
The sudden sound of the door unlocking and opening made the private nearly jump. Once his violet eyes confirmed the sight of Heero entering with a plate of food and some water, he settled down once more.
Closing the door behind him, the sergeant moved to open the window blinds and sit beside his charge. "You're awake," he acknowledged aloud. "Have you been waiting long?"
Before his friend could answer, Heero got a good sight of the sweat covering his face and body. Frowning, he asked gently, "Nightmare?"
"Yea," was all that Duo could manage as his eyes turned to stare at the ground between their now separated cots. "Woke me up just a few minutes ago."
Nodding solemnly, the officer helped his companion to turn onto his side and then sit up as carefully as he could without opening any wounds. Once the braided soldier was seated comfortably, he took up his plate and glass of water for some much needed nourishment while the other soldier just stared out the windows.
After a bit of silence between them, Heero reached into his coat pocket and removed the small wooden casing of a switchblade. Holding the weapon out, he smirked, "I believe that you lost this."
Duo grinned widely, "There it is! I was sure that I lost it!" Rubbing his hands together to clean them, he took up his blade and blinked in surprise to the sergeant. "You're just giving it back to me?"
His smirk growing, Heero shrugged, "The few people that know about it from examining Osamu's stab wound assume that I confiscated it for myself. I am just extending another proof of my trust in you."
A brilliant smile lit the private's face. "Thanks, 'Ro," he whispered. Gently running a free hand over the wooden sheath, he stated, "It's a gift from my mom's boyfriend, Zechs."
Chuckling, he hid his treasured protector back in its resting place in the braid at the back of his head. "He told me that after all the trouble he went through to see that I kept my hair, I had damned well better make it useful."
"I see," the officer snickered as his head shook in amusement. "Well, I can certainly see the advantages of having hair like that now."
All laughter subsiding, the pair just turned to the windows to stare through them for a while. Clearing his throat when he trusted his voice, Duo kept his gaze on the passing clouds as he spoke quietly, "'Ro, I... well... what you did for me yesterday-"
Slowly turning his head to face the other soldier, Heero reassured, "You don't have to say anything, Duo. I did what I had to do."
Frustrated, the braided youth shook his head and stared into the cobalt eyes watching him. "No, I do have to say something," he retorted. "And you didn't have to do what you did back there. You choose my life over one of your men."
Against his defenses, small years filled his eyes as he said brokenly, "I can't even begin to imagine, or act like I know, what that must have been like for you. I could never repay you for something like that."
Taken aback by the sincere emotions pouring out of his friend, the sergeant's eyes blinked in surprise. Even though they were still on opposite sides of the war, the sacrifice that he'd made was understood and appreciated.
Like a few times before, Heero's body moved without his conscious willingness. His hand reaching up to wipe away a stray tear from the heart-shaped face beside his own, he questioned, "Would you have done the same thing for me if the tables were turned and it had been your own fellow soldiers?"
It took everything that Duo had to fight from leaning into the touch, but without a moment's hesitation he replied, "In a heartbeat."
Smiling, the officer shrugged, "Then there is no repayment needed other than knowing that."
Not expecting that response, the braided soldier's mouth opened and closed. After a few attempts to speak, he just grinned, "Well, I still wish that I could thank you more than just that. Maybe someday I'll get to return the favor."
That was a pretty big 'maybe'. But neither of them really dwelt over that detail.
Grunting as he rose to his feet, Heero advised, "We should expect to have some company shortly. It seems that you and I will be sharing a change in scenery." At his friend's widening eyes, he stated, "I'll fill you in more once we get there. But for now..." Reaching back into his coat pocket, he removed a long, black cloth.
"Ah," Duo nodded in understanding. Carefully throwing on a gray, long-sleeved shirt to go along with the jeans he already had on, he rose and stood with his back facing the sergeant.
Stricken once more by the complete trust that his prisoner was showing him, Heero froze for a breath before placing the blindfold over his eyes. There was a knock on the door as soon as he finished tying the knot in place.
Arm-in-arm, they walked together into the unknown.
TBC...
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