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Born Again	By : Naomi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > General Views: 721 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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BORN AGAIN

CHAPTER TWO-

DAWNING REALIZATIONS

* * *

When he walked into Heero�s hospital room, he was surprised to see the boy hiding underneath his blanket. The wool blanket was pulled high above his head, and only a pair of his white knuckles could be seen outside the cover.

Sighing and shaking his head, Duo closed the door and walked towards the bed. He noticed that Heero was still lying on his back, and he hadn�t touched the tray of food offered to him. Duo sighed again and placed the little ragged teddy bear on the table with the tray. He then turned to face Heero again, and when he listened carefully he could tell that Heero�s breath was a little frantic, like a fear stricken animal.

Eyes filled with grief, Duo reached down a hand to pull the cover away.

Heero let out a frightened whimper, his breath quickening.

�It�s okay. It�s just me.� Duo let out softly, tugging the blanket away.

Heero�s knuckles were held tightly around the blanket, refusing to let go.

�Was the light bothering you?� Duo asked, wondering out loud.

The boy on the bed whimpered and quickly let go of the blanket, covering his ears instead.

�Heero?� Duo tried again, now getting a little worried. �Are you okay?� He asked, slowly pulling the blanket away.

�Ah!� Heero called out in protest, but did nothing to try and stop him. He continued lying on his back, hands over his ears and his eyes shut tight.

Duo sighed sadly, reached down for Heero�s hand. �It�s okay.� He soothed, trying to pry Heero�s hands away from his ears.

�Iya!� The boy called as if in pain, pulling away from Duo�s touch. �Nah! Nah! --adda!� He begged, thrusting his head form side to side, his eyes still shut and his ears turning red for he was holding them so tightly.

Defeated, Duo let go of the boy and slumped heavily into a nearby chair.

On the bed, Heero came still again, panting a little from his effort. He remained with his eyes closed and his ears covered, refusing to move.

Anguished violet eyes filled with tears and Duo hurried to wipe the traitorous fluid away. He sniffled once, his dull eyes looking down at Heero in numbing pain. After a while in which Heero did not even stir, Duo�s eyes slowly trailed up until they rested on the small bear lying on the table. Face hesitant, Duo reached up for the bear and carefully picked it up. He examined it a little, and then turned to look back at Heero. A thoughtful frown appeared on his weary features and then slowly, carefully, he placed the bear on Heero�s chest.

The Japanese boy flinched, letting out a startled cry.

Duo remained silent and let go of the bear, leaving it lying on Heero�s chest. He sat there silently, watching and waiting for Heero�s reaction.

Slowly, hesitantly, Heero�s long and slim fingers trailed up to his chest, the pale digits feeling around uncertainly. Duo watched as Heero carefully felt around the bear, petting its fur a little and trailing his hand over the small form, his eyes still closed. A second hand joined the first one, as Heero let go of his ears completely. The trembling hands carefully picked up the bear, feeling it from all sides. And then a small smile touched Heero�s lips.

Duo held his breath in anticipation, and then a striking crack of blue cracked open, looking up at the scruffy bear.

Another smile touched Heero�s pale lips and his opened his eyes fully, wide orbs looking up at the bear in awe.

Duo let out a relived sigh and allowed himself to relax. He watched Heero as the boy slowly raised the bear up in the air, looking at it with his large and innocent eyes. Judging from the awe and wonder in Heero�s eyes, Duo couldn�t help but think that he was seeing the bear for the first time.

Heero let out a small chuckle, his blue eyes drinking the sight of the bear hungrily, turning it from side to side, wanting to see and feel all of it.

A small smile touched Duo�s lips at the sound of Heero�s joy, and his smile grew as he caught the sight of Heero�s eyes. The light had returned to those hauntingly blue eyes, and the blue jewels seemed to be sparkling once again.

Heero was clearly delighted by the sight of his precious bear, and he turned to look up at Duo, smiling broadly. He nudged the bear towards the braided boy, showing it to him, as if he wanted the other boy to share his joy.

Duo smiled down sadly at Heero. �It�s a very nice bear.� He whispered, trying to speak over the lump that stood in his throat. �What�s his name?�

The Japanese boy seemed to ignore him once again, his attention focused solely on the bear.

Duo sighed, closing his eyes sadly. Well, at least he had gotten Heero to open his eyes...

�HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO SAY THIS TO YOU!?!?!�

A loud commotion was suddenly heard from down the hall and the boy on the bed flinched, crying out in fear.

�It�s okay!� Duo hurried to assure him, jumping out of his seat and hurrying to take the boy�s hand in his. �Heero, it�s okay. Just some loud doctors, that�s all.�

But the boy on the bed just whimpered pathetically and pulled away from Duo�s touch. He curled into a fetal position; one hand hugging his bear while the other covered his ear tightly. His eyes were shut again, his expression distressed.

�I TOLD YOU NOT TO PUT THE CRATES HERE!� A loud shout was heard from behind the door, followed by a whole lot of noise as something heavy was moved, rattling loudly.

Heero whimpered, his face turning red as he began to slap in own ear, holding the bear tightly as tears ran out of his shuteyes. His expression turned from distress to torment, as the noise in the hall continued.

Duo watched him with wide and shocked eyes, his face covered with stunned realization.

Gradually, the noise in the hallway faded, the commotion moving away.

Only the sound of Heero�s whimpering could be heard in the silent room.

Slowly, Duo slumped back into his seat, his eyes on Heero�s curleguregure. He took a deep breath, and reached down for Heero�s hand.

�It hurts you, doesn�t it?� He whispered in horror, tears filling his eyes.

On the bed, Heero whimpered, his body tensing at Duo�s touch. He curled deeper within himself, brining down his hand to hug the bear tightly, both arms wrapped around the small stuffed animal, as if shielding it from some unseen menace.

�Shhh... it�s okay...� Duo soothed, petting Heero�s hair gently. �It�s okay... I�m gonna take you home now, okay?� He asked, his voice gentle as his soothing touch. �Do you wanna go home? Ne Heero? You want to go home, right Heero?�

Heero did not reply. Instead, he just yawned and stretched his limbs a little, looking like a small kitten as he did so. He nestled himself more comfortably into the bed, and sighed pleasantly. He was asleep in no time.

Duo just kept sitting there, looking down numbly at his friend. He sat there until his blurry vision cleared, and then gathered the slumbering boy into his arms. Maybe it was better that the boy was asleep. He didn�t want him to suffer even more on the way home.

* * *

He arrived at his apartment around the afternoon hours, Heero�s sleeping form cradled in his arms. It was a two rooms apartment, located in a middle-class apartment building on the city�s center outskirts, bordering on the suburbs. The apartment was quite nice, not too fancy, but not too poor either. There was a large leather sofa and a TV couch in front of a large television set. A large collection of music and video CDs was stacked as high as the ceiling, by a large stereo system. The couch and coffee table were littered with clothes, magazines and snack wraps. At the end of the large living room were two large balcony doors, facing the city�s skyscrapers. The kitchen was joint to the living room and between the two was the hallway entrance, leading to a bathroom and two bedrooms.

All in all it was a typical bachelor�s apartment.

�You gotta excuse the mess...� Duo mumbled with a groan, hoisting Heero up a bit for the boy kept slipping out of his hold. �I promise I�ll clean it up later, so you won�t have to glare and me and scowl me for being so damn messy.� He continued as he walked into the apartment, kicking the door close with his foot. �I�m not as bad as I used to be during the war.� He informed his sleeping friend, making his way towards the hall. �Hell, I even cook for myself, so don�t ya listen to Sally when she says that I only eat junk food. I�ll cook ya something nice later, kay?�

He entered his bedroom and carefully placed Heero on the bed. The boy stirred, drawing his teddy bear nearer, but he did not wake. Sighing, Duo tucked him well with his blanket. �Sleep tight.� He wished his slumbering love, a faint and sad little smile playing on his lips. �Don�t let the bed bugs bite.�

He watched as Heero nestled himself into the covers, nuzzling his head against the soft pillow. A small smile touched the boy�s lips as he felt the soft cushion and he brought the bear closer to him, so that its head was resting on the pillow as well. He then sighed pleasantly and sunk deeper into his sleep.

All the while, a pair of sad and tearful violet eyes watched him in his sleep, a wretched look on their owner�s face.

* * *

That evening, Duo sat alone in the kitchen, a TV dinner in front of him. The cold and hard light of the kitchen crashed down on his solemn form, as he sat there with his shoulders slumped, the fork in his hand but he is not touching his meal. He just stared numbly at his meal, watching it as it grew cold and tasteless.

After some time, he got up with a sigh and cleared the dish into the garbage. He didn�t even feel like showering and just threw himself on the couch, curling into a small human ball. He kept his gaze at the dark hallway, his violet eyes thoughtful and sad. He was too upset to think or brood, so after some time he just drifted into a restless sleep, seeking a dream full of the comfort of the familiar cobalt and blue.

* * *

The next morning, Duo awoke to the sound of crying. His eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar sound, and his body tensed, his hand reaching for the gun that wasn�t there. Sighing, he slumped back into the sofa, musing that it was probably the neighbor�s annoying baby crying his morning sobs.

But then he realized that the sound came from much closer, and was not muffled by the floor or ceiling. No, it came from his apartment.

Jumping out of the couch, Duo ran towards his bedroom, the memories of the last few days rushing back into his sleep fogged mind. �Heero!� He called, panicked, as he came into a quick halt and stormed into the bedroom. �Heero, are you okay?!� He panted, eyes worried as he ran over to the bed.

He found Heero lying curled on the bed, looking so small in the middle of the queen size bed, the covers and pillows all around his trembling form. His eyes were closed tightly again and he was hugging the bear close to his chest, as if shielding it from the world. His face was buried between the tangled sheets and blanket, his features damp with tears.

�Heero, it�s okay, you�re safe. This is my home, you�re safe here.� Duo hurried to soothe him, slightly panting from his morning effort. He carefully crawled up on the bed, settling on both his knees as he gathered Heero into his arms. �Heero... shhh... it�s okay... it�s okay...� He whispered while petting the boy�s messy long hair. �You�re safe... you�re with me now, Heero... you�re with me...�

The boy in his arms whimpered, but his trembling were slowly calming down. He was clutching Duo�s shirt now, his face buried in the boy�s lap as he cried. He was wearing the clothes Duo had brought for him in the hospital, a large sweatshirt that was four times his size, slipping off his bony shoulders and revealing his scrawny chest. The sleeves were also too big and only the tip of Heero�s slim white fingers peeked out of the dark fabric. Duo had also brought a pair of sweatpants for the boy to wear, but he had to fasten them with a belt so they will not fall off.

After some minutes of hushing the boy and gently stroking his hair, Heero seemed to calm down, and now lay motionless in Duo�s hold, tearful and numb cobalt eyes staring ahead into nothing.

Duo sighed and then took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Something was very wrong here. Amnesia or no amnesia, Heero was definitely not himself. He could only hope that once Heero will get over the initial trauma and shock, he would start to get better and return to just being his normal self. Duo didn�t fool himself; he knew that it would take time. Two years of torture were not an easy thing to get over, even for a soldier like Heero. But in time... he hoped... that maybe... maybe he will have his love back for real.

Looking down at his friend, Duo was sure that the boy had drifbackback to sleep, and he gasped as he was faced with a pair of shinning cobalt eyes, looking up at him curiously. The innocence in those eyes... it was nearly overwhelming. They seemed so large all of a sudden. So... child-like.

Duo forced himself to smile down at the boy, petting his hair gently. �Hey.� He whispered, remembering that Heero did not respond well to loud sounds. �Are you feeling better now?� He asked, hoping to get some answers this time. His hope was that once the two of them were alone, outside the hospital, Heero would open up a bit. �You have nothing to be afraid of. This is my home. I brought you home.�

The blue eyes just stared at him intriguingly as the boy titled his head aside in curiousness.

Duo sighed, closing his eyes briefly. �You can talk to me, you know. I will not hurt you for speaking. I�m your friend.�

The blue eyes blinked, confused.

�Yeah, friend. Remember me? Duo? We�re friends. You can talk to me if you like. I will not hurt you.�

Heero just frowned and then turned his head away, looking around the room with his curious blue eyes. Those ocean blue eyes scanned the various things scattered around the small bedroom, until they reached the window, where they stopped, widening in awe.

The clear white curtains were flapping lazily against the soft wind, revealing the view that lay outside the fifth floor�s bedroom window. The window overlooked the suburbs, giving a bright and colorful view of green parks, blue skies and tiled red roofs.

�Oowoo...� Heero let out, slowly pushing himself up on the bed.

Duo watched him with stunned eyes as the boy carefully crawled to the edge of the bed, his bear in hand, his eyes fixed on the window all along. The blue orbs were wide with awe and wonder, shining under the bright morning sunshine, glistering with a spark of astonishment.

Duo forced himself to breathe again and cautiously came to sit by Heero�s side. �Yeah, cool view, huh? Makes this apartment a hell lot expensive, but it�s worth it if I can get up to see that each morning, right?�

He received no answer, for Heero was too busy looking down at the floor, as if trying to figure out a safe way to get off the bed. He had apparently forgot all about the window.

Duo frowned. �Heero, it�s not that high. You can get off the bed easily, see?� He got up to his feet and gestured down at himself. �Tada! See, no problem.�

Still on the bed, supported on all fours, Heero turned his head up to look at Duo, eyes wide with awe. He resembled a small and defenseless puppy, looking up at its owner with his large blue puppy-eyes. He then turned to look down at the floor again, seeming hesitant. He reached down an uncertain arm, feeling around the sides of the bed and then the floor.

�Ah!� He cried out as his fingers brushed against the soft wall-to-wall carpet, and he jerked his head up, looking up at Duo with fearful eyes.

Duo sighed and kneeled down before Heero. �It�s just a carpet. It�s not dirty or anything. What, you don�t like brown? I know it isn�t such a great color, but it goes well with the rest of the place kno know?� He blabbered, unwilling to just go ahead and say it- Heero didn�t know how to get off the bed. �And don�t be afraid, it might be soft but it�s steady, see?� He jumped once and then looked down at Heero. �See? No harm done.�

As the boy just kept staring at him with none comprehension, Duo sighed and got up again. �Fine, I�ll help you, but just this once.� He bent down and carefully scooped Heero off the bed. The boy let out a silentl cry, not a distress cry, just this little startled sound. He quickly wrapped his arms around Duo�s neck as the boy cradled him in his arms, his blue eyes watching in wonder as he was lifted up in the air, and the bed remained all the way down there.

The next thing he knew he was on his feet as Duo placed him down on the floor.

�Nah! Nnan--ahh!!� He called, panicked as his trembling feet made contact with the floor. His arms flung wildly in the air, searching for something to grab onto before he fell. He desperately grabbed Duo�s firm shoulders, just as his feet gave way.

�Wow!� Duo called, quickly grabbing the boy by his slim waist. �Easy there!�

Heero let out another small sound and buried his face in Duo�s chest, his knuckles closed tightly around Duo�s shoulders. He was trembling slightly from fear, and his eyes were closed again.

Duo sighed heavily, drawing the frightened boy into a tight embrace. He rested his chin on the top of Heero�s dark head, and closed his eyes sadly. �It�s okay... Sally said it might take some time before you�ll be able to walk again...� He explained quietly to the boy, rubbing his hand up and down Heero�s trembling back, feeling the bumps of his spine underneath the fabric of the shirt.

He sighed sadly, drawing the boy closer, feeling this sudden urge to protect him. Heero was shorter than him now, and he fit perfectly into his arms. He felt as if he was holding a small child as he slowly rocked Heero form side to side, waiting for the boy to calm down.

After a while the boy�s trembling ceased and he slowly lifted his head up, large and vulnerable cobalt eyes looking up at Duo.

The braided young man forced himself to smiled kindly at the boy, and reached down a hand to gently wipe his tears away. �C�mon.� He said softly, gathering Heero into his arms. �What you need is a nice and warm shower. It will make ya feel a whole lot better, ne?�

Heero remained silent and just rested his head on Duo�s shoulder, empty blue eyes looking ahead numbly. He was still clutching Duo�s shirt with one hand, and in the other hand he was holding his small bear, the brown and scruffy toy swinging from side to side as Duo carried Heero into the bathroom.

* * *

Walking into the washroom, Duo flipped the lights on, earning another awed sound from the boy in his arms. He looked down and saw Heero look around in wonder, clearly enchanted by the bright white walls and the glistering of the ceramics under the bright light.

Allowing himself a small smile, Duo gently lowered Heero down to his feet. The boy didn�t bother to stand and just settled down on his knees, looking around curiously. Duo sighed, his smile slowly fading. It really looked like Heero was experiencing all of this for the first time.

He kneeled down in front of the white bathtub and turned on the tap, which earned him another awed sound from Heero. As the water began to fill the tub, Duo felt Heero come closer, hesitantly crawling towards the tub. He looked down at him, smiling a little at the sight of Heero�s stunned features. The boy was looking down into the tub, his knuckles wrapped around the edges of the white porcelain, his blue eyes shimmering in wonder as he watched the water fill the tub.

When the tub was half full, Duo closed the tap, and Heero let out a startled cry, his head snapping in the direction of the faucet, as if surprised by the fact that it stopped all of a sudden. He then slowly turned his gaze down to the still water, looking a little confused. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached up a hand and carefully brought it down to the water. He stopped just before his fingers touched the warm liquid, his hand backing off a little as if he was regretting his action.

Duo�s warm hand came resting on his shoulders and the Japanese boy tensed, a bit startled. He jerked his head up to look at Duo, blue eyes wide and fearful.

Duo just smiled kindly at him, his gaze reassuring. �It�s okay. Try it.� He gestured at the tub with his head.

Frowning in thought, Heero blew some messy bangs out of his eyes and then turned back to face the water. He brought his hand down again and carefully dipped it into the water.

�Ah!� He called, surprised by the warm touch. �Nanda?� He mumbled, looking up at Duo with questioning eyes. �Atsui...�

Duo frowned, not sure he understood what the boy was saying. He dipped down his own hand into the water, just to make sure that it wasn�t too hot. When he was certain that the water were good, he turned back to Heero, and reached for his shirt.

�You�ll have to take your clothes off.� He said, nudging the large shirt.

Heero�s eyes widened in horror, but Duo failed to see that. �I don�t think it�s safe to leave you here by yourself.� He explained as he pulled the shirt off of Heero�s body and tossed it aside. He winced at the sight of Heero�s skinny form, his ribs clearly showing.

Heero whimpered and bowed his head sadly.

�C�mon, lets get these off and get you all sparkling clean...� Duo encouraged with a sigh, getting up and pulling Heero up as well. He tugged at the waistband of his pants, but stopped when the boy whimpered. He looked up at him, seeing how distressed the boy became.

�Heero, it�s all right.� He assured him. �You don�t have to be shy around me. I assure you, it�s nothing I haven�t seen before.� The boy didn�t seem to be listening to him, so Duo gently placed his hand under Heero�s chin and slowly turned the boy to face him.

Again Heero whimpered, closing his eyes sadly. His eyes were shut so tight, that tears were squeezed out of them. Once Duo let go of his chin, Heero cracked half an eye open and looked up at him. He was still on his knees, but Duo was standing, so his head was right in front of Duo�s crotch. Whimpering sadly, Heero closed his eyes again and opened his mouth wide.

Duo gaped.

As time ticked by and no one made a move, Heero opened his eyes again, daring a peek up at Duo, his mouth still wide open. The blue orbs widened as the boy caught the glister of two silver trails running down the braided man�s cheeks. He gaped silently up at Duo as the taller boy looked down at him, violet eyes full of anguish.

Slowly, Duo came back down to his knees; Heero�s eyes following his every movement. He sniffled, bringing two hands to rest on Heero�s shoulders. The Japanese boy continued looking at him in confusion, his innocent eyes shimmering with none-comprehension.

�Heero.� Duo finally spoke, his voice hoarse with tears. �I don�t want that from you, do you understand? Not like this. Do you understand?�

The boy tilted his head aside in confusion, large blue eyes looking up at Duo in puzzlement. As the boy kept sitting there, unmoving, Heero reached down a trembling white hand, tugging at Duo�s pants.

�No. No!� Duo cried, beginning to get frustrated. �That�s NOT what I want, Heero! Bad!�

As that finale word was spat in his direction, Heero whimpered and staggered back. He curled into a small ball in the corner of the room shielding his head with his arms while crying out meaningless words and pleas.

Duo closed his eyes sadly and forced himself to take deep and long breaths. It took him some time to gather himself back together, and when he opened his eyes, the violet orbs were cool and detached all of a sudden. Without a word, he gathered Heero into his arms and carefully slipped the large trousers off of him. The boy was still trembling and crying as Duo carefully lowered him into the water, which had cooled down by now. He opened the tap to add some warm water and then picked up a soft sponge, pouring some soap into it. Without any words or questions, he began to wash Heero, as the weeping boy sat curled in the middle of the bathtub, his head buried in his kneecaps, his arms wrapped around his knees and his body quaking with sobs.

The bathroom was silent for a long while, only the sound of the water dripping out of the sponge, accompanied by Heero�s sobbing was heard. When Duo put the sponge aside and prepared to wash Heero�s shoulder length hair, the boy fell quiet once again.

He looked up as he heard the POP! of the shampoo bottle being plucked open, his curious blue eyes studying the colorful soap as it poured down into Duo�s hand. Fascinated by the sight, Heero followed Duo�s movement as he brought his hand towards him. Before the braided boy had a chance to put the soap on Heero�s hair, the boy moves and grabbed his hand with both of his.

Duo stopped, looking down at Heero with detached eyes.

The boy carefully poked at the shampoo with his finger, letting out an awed sound as he felt its texture. He coated his finger with the soap and slowly brought it up to his face, examining it from every direction. He sniffed it a little, smiling as he encountered the sweet scent. He looked up at Duo, smiling happily at his discovery.

Duo forced on a little smile, his face suddenly stony and numb. He watched as Heero examined the soap, and he had to stop him when the boy tried to taste it. He didn�t rebuke him this time though, and just proceeded in washing Heero�s hair, massaging his scalp while the boy kept trying to bring his head up as if it will help him to see what Duo was doing up there.

Duo�s movements were like an automaton as he took the showerhead into his hand and washed the shampoo out of Heero�s hair. The boy seemed a little bothered by the running water, making all sort of unpleased faces and trying to avoid the warm stream. Duo ignored him and just continued working, his gaze numb and far far away.

As the tub fillith ith soap and fluffy foam, Heero seemed to forget all about his discomfort and turned to examine the shiny bubbles. He began playing around with the white foam, splashing about and giggling silently to himself. From time to time he looked up at Duo, blue eyes sparkling with laughter, as he wanted to share his joy with the other boy. But the braided boy failed to see that. His gaze was fixed on the wall, violet eyes dull and numb with shock. His hand remained secured above Heero�s head, holding the showerhead in place, and he was as immobile as a statue. Heero threw foam up in the air and it landed in Duo�s face but the boy didn�t care. He was too shocked to care, to move, to do anything, really.

Realization had finally hit him and now there was no way of denying it. His Heero was acting like a small baby...

* * *

�Something is wrong here. VERY wrong... Could it... could it be some sort of shock? Post traumatic stress?� Duo spoke desperately into the phone, looking up at Heero who was currently sitting by the kitchen table, squashing his breakfast with his fingers, making all sort of weird sounds as he did. His bear was right next to him, clad in a small shirt. After dressing Heero, the boy had insisted that his bear would get the same treatment. He shoved the small animal into Duo�s arms and while at first Duo was confused, Heero pulled at his own clothes and then gestured at the bear, trying to show Duo what he meant. Still confused and even more heartbroken by Heero�s behavior, Duo surrendered and gave the bear a small shirt Sally had once forgotten in his place while she, Wufei and the baby were over for dinner.
Duo sighed into the phone. �It�s just the trauma, right?� he asked, voice hopeful though he already knew the answer. �He�ll be okay soon, right?�

On the other side of the line, Sally sighed. �I don�t think so, Duo... I was afraid that something like this might happen.�

�Vaaaaaa... boom!� Heero called as he threw his fist into the cereal bowl, giggling as milk splattered all over the place, including on his face and fresh clothes.

Duo sighed, looking away. He closed his eyes sadly and took a deep breath before speaking. �Well... what is it then? What happened to him? Why is he like this?�

Again Sally sighed. �You better bring him over, Duo.�

�aaaaaaaa... BOOM!� Heero called happily, throwing the bowl down to the floor.

It crashed with a loud sound and shattered into a million pieces.

Duo�s heart was soon to follow.

* * *

�Take a seat, Duo.� Sally spoke softly as Duo entered her office. Heero was already there; sitting on a chair, his bear in hand and a tired look on his features. As Duo took his seat, he eyed the boy hesitantly, as if eyeing a stranger. Heero on his hand just yawned and rubbed his eyes tiredly, looking up at nothing with his sleepy blue eyes.

Duo sighed and finally settled into his seat. He turned to look up at Sally.

The woman sent him a compassionate look before finally speaking. �Duo, what I�m about to say will not be easy to hear.� She began slowly, searching for any reaction from Duo. The braided young man just nodded his head slowly, urging her to continue. At his side, Heero tried to somewhat snuggle into his chair, his heavy eyelids slowly closing as he brought his bear closer to him.

Sighing, Sally tore her gaze away from Heero and turned to face the violet eyed man in front of her. �Duo, I had some experts check over Heero today. I had to consult in them because I couldn�t believe what I was seeing.� She sighed again, shifting a little in her seat. She looked up into Duo�s eyes, her blue eyes intense. �Duo, Heero�s mind has been completely erased.� She out,out, her gaze ominous. �Now I know that it might sound odd, and up until four hours ago I thought that it was impossible, but the evidence is clear.� She looked gestured at Heero with her hand. Duo turned to glance at his friend, seeing him sleep in the chair, body curled up in an impossible position. He sighed and turned his gaze back to Sally, eyes sad.

�In all means but physical, Heero is a two year old child.� She summarized her findings with a painful tone. �And not a very developed one at that. He doesn�t know how to speak, he can barely walk, and his motoric skills aren�t very good.�

�So he�s... restarted?� Duo asked, his voice as sorrowful as the look in his eyes.

�No.� Sally answered, her gaze sharp. �He is not retarded, but it seems that the kidnapper did not bother to teach him or give him the opportunity to learn. Heero has to start from scratch all over again.�

Duo swallowed down a sob and bowed his head, nodding ever so slightly.

�I don�t know how it was done. Usually, when a person looses his memory, he still remembers things he had learned, especially something as basic as talking, walking and other motoric skills. It seems that Heero does remember a little, or he had tried to learn. I think that the earplugs and blindfold were there to prevent him from learning. The words we thought were incoherent are just a mixture of what he had managed to pick up with his dull senses.�

Duo�s palms closed into fists, anger boiling up inside of him. If that manic wasn�t already dead, he would have killed him now. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and looked up at Sally. �But I heard him say... he spoke a little... in Japanese... maybe there�s a chance that...�

�No, Duo. I�m afraid not.� Sally shook her head sorrowfully. �He doesn�t remember anything. My best guess is that because Japanese was the first language Heero ever spoke, it was rooted deeply into his brain and therefore not all was erased. But he still has to learn everything, from A to Z.�

Duo sighed sadly and nodded his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. �I understand.� He whispered, tears gathering under his closed eyelids.

But he did not understand! He didn�t understand what kind of monster would do such a thing! A �newborn� spends the �first� two years of his life being sexually, physically and emotionally abused?! Where was the justice in that? Heero had lived through so much... he went through so much in his young life, and now this? Hasn�t the damn kidnapper done enough to him already? Wufei had mentioned that the kidnapper had to be Doctor J. He said he had a ninety percent ID on the body. Why would that freak do that to Heero?! Why!? Hadn�t the boy done enough for him already? He gave him his life! He dedicated his very soul to J�s twisted missions! He won the war for him- twice! Why would he want to do that? Why to Heero? Why now, at a time of peace... why?!

But most of all, Duo didn�t understand the reason the higher forces had for making Heero and he go through this. All they wanted was to live their lives peacefully after the war. He had gone through so much to find Heero, to search for his love. And here he was, looking for a lover, and finding an infant in the body of his love.

Duo squeezed out the tears and whimpered sadly, his fists clenched.

There was no other choice but to face the truth. Even though he had found him, Heero Yuy, was dead.

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AUTHOR�S NOTE: Just in case you�re about to give up on this fic, I assure you that Heero will not stay like this forever. These are just the first few chapters, the intro for the story, so please bear with me... Thanks! ^^

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Born Again