A War Worth Fighting Part 36
May 11, 1945
It was a sunny day in Montana when Duo woke in the military base that he had been trained in upon his enlistment. Given the late hour that it was the night prior when he was flown into his home state, he was not quite awake enough after his long travel to head home right away.
After sleeping in his old quarters, he showered and changed into a clean uniform before packing his few belongings acquired from his days in Japan. Most cherished of those items was a simple, blue sweater that Heero had worn on their last night. It still smelled of his lover, the closest thing he had to actually having the sergeant with him.
Once he was packed and his uniform cap was on his head, Duo reported to the facility's headquarters where a driver was assigned to take him to his residence. Handshakes and words of appreciation were exchanged between the private and his officers as he left the base behind him.
Without looking back as the site disappeared behind him, the braided soldier just stared through the passenger window to take in the familiar landscape of his home state. It was surreal to him that he was actually looking on the place that he had dreamed of, fearing that he would never see the rolling fields, mountain ranges and shimmering lakes again.
For a moment, while he was locked away in that cell without a friend prior to his growing relationship with Heero, he almost forgot what he had been fighting for. Being back where he was born and raised, he was quickly reminded. A lump formed in Duo's throat in his hope that he would get the chance to share this with his lover.
The miles rolled on as the time passed quickly before he spotted the familiar ranges near his home. His heart hammering in his chest, he chewed anxiously on the inside of his cheek as he stared ahead, willing the house to come into view.
As the car rode over the last hill, the large estate appeared in the short distance ahead. Just the mere sight of the secluded residence amidst the green fields and blue lakes around brought tears to Maxwell's violet eyes.
Home. He was really home.
The gardens and the flower beds around the house were in full bloom in testament to his mother's care and efforts. Outside, linens that Dorothy would have cleaned hung on the lines to dry. In the driveway, Zechs' car sat besides his mother's vehicle.
Duo took in every detail. Every beautiful detail as his escort brought them closer. For a moment, he thought to simply throw his door open and run the rest of the distance. Instead, he satisfied himself with gripping the door handle tightly until the car came to a complete stop in the driveway.
Reaching over to shake the hand of the private to offer his appreciation, the braided veteran took hold of his pack and quickly left the vehicle. On his way up the driveway at the side of the estate, his ride pulled away and he froze when he heard the front door of the house close.
Quietly humming to herself, his mother appeared as she descended the porch steps with a wide-brimmed hat shielding her eyes against the bright sun overhead. Her long brown skirt and loose green blouse flowed along with the warm breeze that picked up. With a pot full of fresh soil to add to her flowerbeds under her arm, she walked right past her son without even knowing that he was there.
Tears filling at just the sight of her, Duo's breath hitched in his throat. "M-ma?" he breathed, his voice cracking.
Freezing in mid-stride, Lady Une's brown eyes widened with a small gasp. Slowly turning her head in the direction of the voice, she raised her head to be able to see clearly from under the brim of her hat. When she found her son standing there, her arms went limp and the pot in them crashed to the ground at her feet.
"Duo?" she whispered as though afraid speaking too loud might scare the apparition before her. Her own eyes shimmering when the vision did not fade away, she cried, "Duo!" Springing forward, her hat fell away as she ran for him.
All but throwing aside his pack, Duo easily caught his mother up when her arms wrapped around him. Lifting her from the ground, he spun her around as he buried his braided head in her shoulder. Lowering her down, he clung to her tightly and sobbed, "Ma."
Raining kisses on his head, Lady Une shook with relief as she breathed, "Oh, my baby." She came unglued into a fit of sobs. They were still holding each other when they heard sound of the front door flying open.
Dorothy ran to the edge of the porch and turned to the scene at the edge of the driveway. Gasping sharply, her blue eyes widened with a shouted, "Duo!" She was just running down the steps when Zechs made his way to the edge of the deck.
Briefly releasing his mother to smile widely at the blonde girl running for him, the veteran opened his arms to hold her tightly. "Hey, sis," he greeted after lightly kissing her cheek. Rubbing her trembling back as she cried quietly, he whispered, "I'm all right, doll."
Zechs approached slowly, not wanting to impose on the moment between the returned soldier and his true family. Grinning widely, he had a difficult time keeping his own gaze from watering at the relief flooding him.
When he pulled away from Dorothy and kissed her forehead, Duo looked up at the politician. Biting his lip, he closed the distance to surprise the tall man by giving him a tight, one-armed hug.
Eyes wide, the tall man returned the gesture as he said quietly, "Welcome back... son."
Smiling at that, the veteran closed his eyes and allowed himself to take that sentiment in. It actually felt right to have Zechs call him 'son' Perhaps he was finally willing to accept that while the man was not his father, he was still a guardian that had proven he wasn't about to let him or his mother down. He was family.
As he stepped back, Duo wiped his wet face dry and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Thank you," was all that he could manage in appreciation for giving Heero a way to get into the country. He just couldn't get all of the words out that he wanted to say right then.
Zechs just grinned in understanding, knowing the sincerity and relief behind those violet eyes. Nodding firmly, he replied, "It was my pleasure. No need for thanks."
Drying her own face, Lady Une walked up to her son and wrapped him in her arms again from the side. She leaned in to place a kiss on his temple and suggested, "Why don't we all go inside so you can rest?" Adjusting the collar of his uniform, the young woman could not help the grin of pride on her face. "You've had a long trip home."
* * * * * *
More that happy for the chance to settle down, the braided teenager removed his uniform cap and headed to the house with his mother's arm around his shoulder. Zechs beat him to collecting his pack, which he was thanked for with a smirk.
Together, the reunited family moved up to the porch and stepped inside.
Aside from some minor shifting of the furniture through the house, everything was just as Duo remembered it. Even the smell was familiar. In the living room, he felt a swell in his chest at seeing the large picture of himself in his uniform after he'd enlisted.
Recalling those days of training and preparing the for war, he silently wondered if he would have been smiling as he was in that shot had he known what was ahead. How many other pictures of soldiers were hung throughout the States of young men that were gone? Did anyone really know, then, what they were getting into?
Slowly sitting himself down on the couch, Duo turned to the pictures of his father. In a way, seeing those images made it feel as though he'd come back home to him as well. It was almost as if his dad was there waiting for his return.
The lump in his throat was cleared away as he took a seat on the couch. His body, still sore from all it had endured in his journey across Japan, would have cried out in relief if it could when he sank into the soft cushions.
Almost instantly, everything came rushing back as the fatigue at the end of Duo's emotional and physical travels caught up. When his braided head leaned back on the pillows behind him, his violet eyes began to drift closed on him. Just before he was pulled in, however, he forced himself to sit up straight to keep alert.
Chuckling deeply, Lady Une stood before him. Hands on her legs, she leaned forward and reassured quietly, "It's all right, son. Get some rest. You're home now."
Home. That word echoed through the soldier's mind as he lowered himself to lie across the couch. A blanket was pulled over him as he lost the fight to keep his eyes open any longer when his head hit the cushion.
* * * * * *
A couple hours later, Duo came to. Blinking, he peered through the living room to see the placement of the sun. By his best guess, it was another hour or two before sunset. Pushing himself up from the couch, the blanket on him fell aside.
In finding himself alone, he moved to the doorway where his pack and shiny black uniform shoes were left for him. Taking it up, the veteran headed out for the stairs and up to his room. When he entered, he found everything to be as it had been before he left.
Unable to help the smile in seeing the care that his mother had taken to keep the room free of dust, Duo closed the door behind him to finally remove his uniform one last time.
There was no haste in his action, in fact he worked quite slowly in taking off each article. Neatly folding his pants and shirt in the methodical way that he had been taught, the shiny black shoes were placed on top along with his cap. Taking a deep breath, he set the tidy pile and sealed it away in his closet.
Not even bothering to go through the clothes in his drawers in knowing that nothing would fit him the same, Duo moved to the pack. All of his old clothes were from before his training days. Since then, he had grown and filled out considerably from his high school shape.
Picking through the clothes that he had cleaned back at the base, he picked out a simple pair of jeans and a red short-sleeved top. His sock-padded feet walked across the room to the full-length mirror so that he could appraise himself.
It had been the first time Duo really had the sense that he was... normal again. Of course he would never be the same after everything he had experienced, but he felt like himself. His uniform would now be what everyone else wore.
Now... now he finally felt like he was home.
When he headed back downstairs, the kettle whistle clued him in on where the others were. Seated together in the kitchen, his family looked up as he entered. Finding the veteran in his plain clothes, there was a sense of surprise and relief. No doubt they had almost forgotten what he looked like without a uniform on.
Smiling widely, Lady Une rose from her seat to kiss her son's braided head. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"Yea, thanks," Duo grinned in response before taking up one of the free chairs at the table. Dorothy finished pouring him a cup of tea before he even pulled his seat up. Flashing her a wink, he prepared his drink with milk and sugar quietly.
For a moment, there was a bit of an awkward silence. Considering this was the first time they had all been together in two years, there was so much to discuss and yet no one knew really where to start.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Dorothy commented, "Your hair's much longer than I remembered it when you left. I really like it."
Grateful for the reprieve in the discomfort that had been lingering, Duo grinned at her, "Thanks, Dorothy." Reaching to the back of his head, he removed the pocket knife that had been hidden there.
"That came in for a lot of use," he commented to the politician across from him. "Thanks for getting that to me before I was shipped out."
A close enough inspection of the wooden case would reveal where splatters of blood had been wiped away. His mother paled. Dorothy's eyes widened. Zechs smirked. "You're welcome," he nodded firmly.
Clearing her throat, Lady Une turned away from the knife and smiled, "Well, Dorothy and I have planned a meal of all of your favorites tonight with cheesecake for dessert if that sounds all right with you."
His stomach grumbling at just the thought of that, Duo beamed, "Sounds great! I've been eating so much fish these last few months I'm surprised I haven't grown gills yet!" Giggling at that, his mother and 'sister' got up from the table to start their preparations.
Quickly finishing his drink, the braided teenager followed Zechs from the room so that they could get out of the way. One thing he never forgot was how the ladies of the house liked to be left alone while at work.
Reaching the living room, Duo stepped out on the back deck overlooking the fields and lake. Slowly stepping to the edge of the platform, he closed his violet eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air hinted with the scent from the flowers in the gardens.
As though approaching a skittish animal, Zechs moved to his side quietly. Looking out to the grounds, he folded his hands behind his back. "I understand that you may not wish to share any of your experiences with us," he began tactfully. "The things that you have been through are more than most will ever know in a lifetime."
The breath hitching in his throat, Duo turned his braided head towards the tall man. When their gazes met, Zechs told him quietly, "I want you to know that you can talk to me if you ever need to. Your mother and Dorothy would worry too much if you shared much of the war with them. But I would be willing to listen if and when you need to talk."
For what was being offered by the politician, tears filled the veteran's violet eyes. While there was a great part of him that needed to get out some of his ordeals, there was another side that was not willing to share that... yet.
But Duo knew there would come a time when he would.
Once that time came, he was aware that he did not want to burden his mother and Dorothy with that. Their reactions to his pocket knife told him that they were too pure to learn the world of war. Now he knew someone other than Heero that he could turn to should he need that.
Someone who knew him before he was forever changed.
Gripped by a wave of emotions, a small sob escaped Duo as he lunged forward to throw his arms around Zechs. Burying his head in the politician's shoulder, he cried quietly as his body shook over the memories of the bloody battles and near misses he had been through.
Tightly holding onto the youth, Zechs whispered, "It's all right. Everything is going to be all right."
Just the way that those words were spoken... Duo actually believed him. Nothing would ever be the same as it had been.
But it would be all right.
* * * * * *
May 14, 1945
"Watch it, watch it!" Wufei shouted into his mask to his friends that could not hear him as they were ambushed in the skies above Okinawa. His fists tightening on his controls, he dodged and weaved through the gunfire soaring past Nataku.
Barely managing to hold on, the Chinese pilot finally gained control of his plane and turned the onslaught around. What remained of his team was able to do the same and returned the favor on their enemies.
From the corner of his eye, Wufei spotted a couple of Japanese planes that managed to break through the airborne wall. Too far away and too engulfed in the battle around him, his eyes widened as he cried, "No, no no!"
It wastoo late.
One of those planes managed to soar into the middle of the Enterprise in a direct hit. Growling deeply, the Chinese pilot turned away from the sight of the burning carrier to focus on the fight at hand.
The thought of his friends and crew aboard that ship that were either killed or injured, he used that rage to motivate him to strike back all the harder.
Not returning to the Enterprise until they had taken out every enemy still in the skies, Wufei and his team landed on a crowded deck just as the last of the flames were put out. Upon dismounting, he and his fellow 'flyboys' examined the damage to the main forward elevator of the ship. [1]
Large, metal splinters were pulled pack and reaching to the skies in jagged spikes. Smoke still pluming from the edge of the hole. All around, wounded men were being tended to and body bags were piled together.
Knowing that there was no chance the "Big E" would be staying in action with such damage, Wufei's fists tightened at his sides. Slowly looking back at Okinawa, he muttered through gritted teeth, "We'll be back for you."
Little did he, or anyone know, that the war would end before the Enterprise could be fully repaired to return to the battle.
TBC...
[1] The forward elevator makes up a good chunk of the deck where many planes would be sitting and waiting. Considering the fuel and equipment of the ships surrounding the elevators, the captains would never risk further damage by saying at sea in battle.
For more on this final blow on the Enterprise during the WWII, it can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CV-6)
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