Perfect Prey.

Natea <natea2x1@hotmail.com>
Title: Perfect Prey
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: AU, sap, angst, squick, shounen-ai, possible yaoi and citrus content.
Pairings: Focusing mainly on 1+2+1 leading to 1x2x1, other pairings 3x4, 5xS.
Summary: After being washed up on an island following a crash, Heero and Duo find themselves in the company of a woman who is not all she claims to be.
Disclaimer: None of the boys belong to me and I\'m not making a single penny from the writing of this fic (shame)...the idea for the story is inspired in part by a published work by Richard Connell called \"The Most Dangerous Game.\" Excellent story!

Perfect Prey.

Chapter 3.

A Dinner Date and Dessert.

 
At precisely eight thirty PM the two undercover Preventers agents pushed open the double doors to dinidining room and stepped inside. The oversized tank tops they had been wearing earlier had now been replaced with well tailored, loose fitting slacks secured with a belt and long sleeved, camel coloured shirts provided by their hostess. They had pushed their sleeves up to their elbows due to the humidity and at first glance they both looked respectable enough; however, a glimpse at their feet revealed rolled up trouser legs and slip on sandals that were decidedly out of place with res rest of the ensemble.

Neither boy really cared though, they were alive to wear it and that was enough.

Despite their eagerness to get back to Singapore they had decided not to ask about the radio straight away. The solid wall of olfactory stimulation they walked into on entering the dining hall was enough to forestall any queries on that subject, bringing them both back to reality quickly. Neither of the boys had actively noticed the hollow in the pit of their stomachs until that moment when the delicious smells assaulted them with the same force as a sucker punch straight to the gut.

Seems that crashing a shuttle into the sea and being washed up on an island in the back of beyond really gave a guy an appetite.

Ivana was already there waiting for them; the middle aged woman had pulled her hair up into a complicated looking style that bared her neck. The navy blue silk dress she was wearing brushed the floor when she stood up movemoved to welcome them; it was plain except for the front panel, which was covered in detailed embroidery. The swirling silver lines swept up the length of the dress and curved over the boned sleeveless bodice, sweeping over her breasts and drawing the eye to them. A black, velvet choker, elbow length black gloves edged in silver, and tastefully applied make-up completed her look, which was both regal and ridiculous when you considered just where they were. Duo had to forcefully stop himself from rubbing his eyes when he caught his first glimpse of their hostess. She was so overdressed for the occasion it was ludicrous.

She didn\'t seem to notice Duo\'s incredulous look though as she waved aside their apologies for being late. Indicating the chairs to either side of her she sat back down at the head of the table with a flourish of satin skirts. \"No talking.\" She greeted them with a smile; \"You must both be starving. Eat first, we can talk later.\"

They sat down in silence, both of them feeling suddenly ravenous. The bowls of soup on their table settings had been covered with a lid to keep the contents warm and Duo whipped this off with a flourish, seeing the soup inside for the first time.

Dear God in Heaven, he thought, his stomach lurching a little in disgust, it looks like snot.

And it did. Thick, gelatinous, and a translucent green/yellow colour, it resembled something you would cough up if you had a lung infection. Sitting opposite him, Heero had already started eating, obviously not bothered at all by the slimy consistency of the dish, his manners impeccable as usual. Not one to be outdone and ever game for new experiences Duo picked up his spoon and gave a few, dubious stirs of the mucous like liquid. He knew he would eat it, if for no other reason than the fact that Heero was, but that\'s not to say he wouldn\'t check it out thoroughly first, for things like floating eyeballs or frog\'s legs. The saddest thing was, he knew, he was so hungry he would still eat the slime even if he did find something grotesque in there.

Still, it wouldn\'t hurt to be cautious. \"Anou...Ivana, what is this exactly?\"

Seated at the head of the table close by Ivana laughed at the expression on his face. She reached for her napkin, placing it in her lap with one well-oiled movement before replying. \"It\'s schi.\" At Duo\'s blank look and Heero\'s silence she continued, faintly amused. \"I take it neither of you have had the pleasure of experiencing traditional Russian cuisine?\"

Heero didn\'t answer; Duo on the other hand now looked intrigued. \"What is it?\"

\"It\'s an entree we serve.\" Ivana explained, \"In simple terms it\'s cabbage soup...\" Duo pulled a face before he could stop himself and Ivana smiled. \"I suggest you try it before you decide you don\'t like it, Duo.\" She said.

Looking decidedly doubtful Duo raised a mouthful of the schi to his lips; he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was good. The expression on his face was enough to make even Heero hide a smirk and Duo, catching sight of that small, almost-expression, grinned to himself as he loaded his spoon with another helping of the soup. Pizza it wasn\'t but it was still edible and to a starving castaway that was all that was important really.

They ate in silence for a while, sheer hunger overwriting the need for knowledge. There were small pockets of banal conversation during the main course, mainly Ivana inquiring into whether or not they were finding their rooms comfortable? Did they need anything at all? And so on and so forth. The schi was long gone and the main meal almost over when Heero finally spoke up, delving into one of the more important matters with his typical bluntness.

\"There is one thing we need.\" He began, without preamble. \"If it isn\'t too much trouble Ivana-sama we should like to use your radio tonight. We have friends in Singapore who we really need to inform of our safety
I
Ivana had the grace to look apologetic as she finished off her mouthful and dabbed at her lips with a napkin before replying. \"I\'m sorry Heero but I\'m afraid I don\'t have a radio in the house.\" She held up a hand to forestall the worried questions from the two boys and continued quietly, \"I don\'t have any sort of communication device here, we have neither the electricity nor the inclination to run it. I have no desire to mingle with the outside world any more than I have to.\"

Heero blinked, for once at a loss as to what to say. That had definitely not been the answer he had been expecting. They had to inform the others at Singapore of their survival and location as soon as possible. Not for the mission\'s sake but for their own peace of mind. Quatre in particular must be worried out of his mind by now. He caught Duo\'s eye across the table, the braided boy looked as flummoxed as he felt.

Duo frowned. \"Do you have a boat or a plane of some kind Ivana?\" He asked in curiosity. \"We\'re not rich but we have enough. We\'d be more than willing to foot the fuel bill or even buy the thing from you if--\" He wasn\'t even able to finish, Ivana was shaking her head in a silent answer as he spoke.

\"I have no boat and no plane. I\'m sorry boys,\" she said. \"I\'m afraid you\'re stuck here for a while.\"

\"But... what happens if you fall or get sick?\" Duo countered, \"Surely you must have some way of getting medical help?\"

\"I have one member of staff who is fully trained in first aid, another who is competent in homeopathic remedies, and I myself have a degree in medicine from the University of Oxford. I am more than capable of dealing with any injuries that people may acquire.\" Ivana informed them. \"However...\" she smiled, \"I\'m afraid even I cannot live without a little extra help from others. There is a supply ship, which calls to my island on a fortnightly basis. There are some items of stock that I need to have replenished regularly. They come from Borneo and I know they\'d be happy to take you back with them once they arrive. They have an old two-way receiver on board and I\'m sure they\'d let you use it, although whether it would reach Singapore I\'m not sure. You could still call ahead to the port in Borneo and have them pass a message on for you though, also charter an aircraft of some sort to get you back home. Is that of any help to you?\"

Heero sat back is sis seat with relief. \"Hai, thank you Ivana.\" For one horrible moment he had believed they were truly stranded. Duo however, still didn\'t look convinced.

\"When will they arrive next?\"

\"In ten days from now I believe.\"

\"And there\'s no way you can contact them beforehand?\" The braided boy asked, \"No way at all to get them to come earlier?\"

\"With what exactly?\" Ivana smiled. \"I have no radio here. No,\" she raised her champagne flute up in the air in the manner of a toast, \"I\'m afraid the boat comes when it comes.\" She raised an eyebrow, \"Is my company so very terrible?\" she asked, tilting her head to one side in a gesture of innocent curiosity that all women the world over manage to master early on in their lives.

Duo\'s face flushed crimson and he hastened to apologise. \"No, no, not at all Ivana-Sama. It\'s just... well... we want to get home.\"

She nodded, \"I understand. You must have wives or fiancees at least waiting for you, two good-looking boys such as yourselves.\" She sipped her champagne once more.

Heero shook his head; \"We\'re not married.\"

\"Family?\" She inquired, \"Brothers? Sisters? Parents?\"

\"No, no, and no.\" Duo replied, feeling a little uneasy at the turn of the conversation. The look on Ivana\'s face did nothing to relieve him either. It was sad, sympathetic, but there was an underlying something there, which made him feel distinctly wary.

\"So you might say, you\'re both alone in the world.\" she murmured.

\"We have friends.\" Surprisingly it was Heero who answered her. Duo glanced over at the Japanese boy, seeing the flicker in his eyes that announced he too was unsettled by the questions.

\"Of course.\" She nodded, \"In an ideal world friends are a wonderful thing to have, I agree, but they\'re not on the same level as family. They can\'t hurt you as deeply.\" Duo and Heero remained silent as she continued. \"It\'s a blessing really that you\'re all alone. After all, friends and family always equals vulnerability wouldn\'t you agree?\"

\"Not necessarily.\" Heero started. A wideeepieeping gesture from Ivana stopped him.

\"Always.\" She said. \"Take my friend behind you for instance.\" She indicated a spot on the wall behind Heero and he turned in his seat to better see.

It was a tiger head. Stuffed and mounted, hanging on a wooden plaque on the wall. Underneath the head itself was a brass plate stating in carved cursive where and when the beast had been killed. The plate was in dire need of polish and the head itself looked more than a little dusty. Even so it was a formidable sight.

Heero narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the head. The sight of it sent a shiver down his spine for some reason he couldn\'t discern. Perhaps it was the sheer size of the beast; the head had to be a foot long at the very least, or perhaps it was the way that it still seemed so lifelike. The positioning of the mount, directly behind him, made it seem as though the creature was stalking them; getting ready to leap from it\'s hiding place and rip apart jug jugular of the people who dared come so close to it. That was probably one of the reasons Duo had been on edge so far, Heero realized, he\'d had an unobstructed view of the thing throughout dinner and, even though it was long dead, the look captured on the animal\'s face was not a confidence inspiring one.

The taxidermist responsible for immortalizing the hhad had chosen a highly emotive expression. The tiger\'s features had been permanently frozen into a snarl, the jaw open exposing the huge incisors, brow drawn down into a glare that could rival Heero\'s own. It was incredibly effective.

And yet it still fell flat.

It was the eyes, Heero knew. That vicious snarl, for all its effectiveness, just didn\'t reach the eyes. You can preserve the fur, the bone, the shape of the creature, Heero thought, but try as you might you can\'t preserve the soul. Those two dull, yellow glass eyes staring down at him were, quite simply, empty; and with the absence of that majestic fire burning bright gold within all you really had was a glorified teddy bear. Expensive, rare, and cruel to obtain but in reality little more than a toy.

Beside him, Ivana was still talking. \"Family was the reason this animal fell.\" She murmured softly.

Heero pulled his gaze back from the beast and looked over at Ivance nce more. The middle aged woman starstaring hard at the mounted head, “She was a hard beast to corner,” she said at last, “In the end it took the distraction of one of her cubs to give me the shot I needed to bring her down.” Raising her champagne flute in the direction of the mount as a mock salute to past battles she inquired casually. \"Do you hunt?\" Heero blinked once in surprise. The question was innocent enough but something in the tone told him that this was far from a casual enquiry.

\"Iie, I have never had the opportunity.\" He said, meeting her gaze head on.

There was something judgemental about the way she was looking at him, at them both, almost as though she was sizing them up. He felt a small shiver make its way unbidden up his spine and raised his own glass in an attempt at masking his discomfort. He glanced across at Duo briefly; hoping to see that he wasn\'t the only one ill at ease. What he saw reassured him a little, Duo’s eyes had narrowed slightly and he was gazing at Ivana with an air of wary curiosity. His whole posture was guarded.

Ivana smiled at Heero, seemingly not noticing the sudden tenseness in the atmosphere. \"But you have handled a gun before.\" She said, not asking a question as much as stating a fact.

Heero gave her a sharp look, feeling inexplicably threatened. \"Hai, I have. We both have.\"

She laughed suddenly, sitting back in her chair, a movement that unconsciously relaxed the two boys. \"Forgive me my bluntness, Heero,\" she said lightly. \"I\'m afraid social graces are one of thinthings I\'m sadly lacking. I only ask as I\'ve spent a lot of time around various implements of weaponry and the people who actually used them. You both have a look about you...\" the mirth died down a little, her tone becoming more speculative as she murmured, \"Yes, you\'ve seen too much too soon, haven\'t you?\" Both boys kept their silence but they shifted in their seats as she stared at them seriously. Nodding a little the older woman again stared at the large tiger head adorning the wall behind Heero.

\"Two and a half metres in length, weight over one hundred and eighty kilos.\" she murmured absently, a small smile forming on her face at the memory. \"She was a canny soul, a worthy chase. One of my last. Until she grew foolish enough to let her love for her babies cloud her judgement. But then, as I\'ve already said and as I\'m sure you know, family and friends make you vulnerable.\" She sighed with regret before visibly pulling herself together. \"Forgive me my friends, it\'s been so long since I had an opponent worthy of my metal. I tend to wallow in my memories after a time.\"

Duo gave the tiger head a long, appraising look before twisting round in his seat to take in the rest of the long room. \"So you hunted all of the animals here...\" He trailed off as he stared at the multitude of animal heads that adorned the walls of the dining room. He had seen them when they first walked in of course, but seeing them now, and knowing that the slight woman sitting next to him, dressed in all her satin and velvet finery, was responsible for their deaths...

\"All of these and more.\" Ivana confirmed. \"What you see in this room is only a small sample of the trophies I\'ve acquired. They are my best, the creme de la creme of my collection, but I have many others. You must understand, hunting is my life. I killed my first animal when I was little more than a toddler.\" She smiled at them a little, \"I hope you don\'t mind if I neglect to mention exactly how long ago that was but a lady must have some secrets.\" Her voice took on a tone of remembrance as she continued, \"It was a rabbit; my father had given me a small knife for my birthday present two weeks earlier. It was only meant to be a letter opener but it worked surprisingly well. Since then I\'ve hunted using a variof wof weapons from knives up to automatic rifles.\" She laughed suddenly at the expression on Duo\'s face. \"You seem surprised Duo. Is it because I\'m a woman?\"

Duo blinked, obviously thrown by the question. \"No...yes...well,\" he fumbled for a while before reorganizing his thoughts. \"I\'m sorry Ivana. It\'s just...\"

Ivana chuckled good-naturedly, waving Duo\'s apologies aside. \"Don\'t worry Duo. You\'d be surprised at just how many people have had the same reaction.\" she looked down at her blue dress, smoothing the satiny fabric down before smiling wryly. \"For some reason people don\'t seem to be able to picture me in khaki.\"

Duo smirked. \"I can understand that.\" He glanced once more at the lavishly decorated dress Ivana was wearing. Opposite him, Heero was characteristically silent, watching Ivana with a piercing gaze as she began to tell them about her past hunting experiences. How she had become more and more skilled with a gun and how her kills no longer filled her with satisfaction.

\"Hunting in daylight no longer challenges me.\" she explained to them, \"I find it almost ridiculously easy when I have a clear sighting. This is why I always hunt at night now, it adds... spice.\" She sighed and filled her champagne flute up once more, emptying the bottle in the process. \"Spice is something I\'ve been lacking recently though. It seems I\'ve become too good at my talent.\"

\"Too good?\" Duo queried.

Ivana nodded, \"Yes, too good,\" she sighed. \"I killed a jaguar a short while ago in the Amazon. Someone once told me that out of all the big game the jaguar was the most cunning and intelligent. It wasn\'t.\" She looked disappointed and sipped her drink before continuing. \"I killed it within three hours of picking up its trail. That was when I really began to believe I had reached my peak.

\"I\'ve already told you, hunting y liy life.\" Ivana smiled. \"I could no more give it up than I could do without air but it was hard when I no longer found it stimulating. But listen to me,\" she laughed suddenly, sounding for all the world like a little girl. \"All I\'ve done is bore you with my stories, I\'m sure you\'re tired after your ordeal.\"

Heero shook his head. \"I\'m finding this very interesting Ivana-Sama.\" he murmured, causing Duo to cast a swift, hard look in his direction. \"If you no longer found it enjoyable then why continue?\" He queried, \"You said yourself that the challenge was gone. Why continue to spend money and time on something that you find unsatisfying?\"

Ivana\'s eyes gleamed. \"I very nearly did give it up once, you know.\" she said, leaning forward a little in her chair, almost as if she was about to divulge a secret. \"Just like you say Heero, I wondered why I was wasting time and money on something I no longer enjoyed. Then I realized; the problem wasn’t with me, it was with the animals I hunted. All I had to do was find a game worth hunting and the spark would be back again.

\"I searched for a while until I found the most stimulating game to hunt, moved here after the war, my own private hunting grounds, and I\'ve nelooklooked back. Of course...\" she smiled a little, \"...the game I pursue now isn\'t indigenous to this island, I have to have it imported. It\'s a small cost though to have the challenge back in the chase.\"

\"What do you hunt now?\" Heero leaned back in his chair and regarded her with genuine curiosity, \"What could be more challenging than a jaguar or a tiger?\"

But Ivana merely smiled. \"I hunt the most dangerous game in the world. My perfect prey.\" She drained her glass and pushed her chair back firmly. \"Now if you\'ll excuse me Gentlemen, I have a hunt to prepare for, my game was released this morning before you were discovered or I would never be so rude as to leave you like this on your first night here. Breakfast is at eight thirty on the eastern terrace. One word of warning, my dogs are released into the grounds at sunset where they remain ‘till my housekeeper wakes up at six am. They are hunting animals not pets, if you value your limbs I would recommend staying indoors of an evening.\" She smiled whimsically, \"Perhaps one of these nights when you are both feeling better we can hunt together,\" she murmured, \"Until then I trust you can find your way back to your rooms all right?\" They nodded. \"Good. Pleasant dreams Gentlemen; I\'ll see you at breakfast, hopefully with another kill under my belt.\" And with a swish of satin skirts she was gone.

***

They walked back to their room in silence, even their footsteps muted by the thick green carpet that lined the hallways. The oil-lamps that dotted the walls cast a soft, atmospheric glow that was just light enough to spot their way.

On reng tng their room Heero turned to the lamp in their room and lit it, turning it down so that it was only a dim glow, barely worth the oil. Duo immediately began to unbutton his shirt, shucking it off his shoulders and grimacing as the material stuck to his back. \"Damn it, why\'d it have to be so hot here?\" He groaned, falling back on his bed and spreading his arms wide to adsorb the coolness of the sheets.

Heero didn\'t answer but removed his own top, replacing it with the overlarge white vest of earlier. He kicked off his moccasins and trousers and then walked over to the window seat, sitting down by the open window with a faint sigh of relief. There was silence in the room for a while.

\"Well that was an interesting dinner.\" Duo murmured as he pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked over at the Japanese boy. \"Is it cooler over there Buddy?\" He asked.

Heero moved over to one side. \"I\'m surprised you ate it and yes there\'s a decent breeze.\" He said in invitation.

Duo moved over to the window seat and sat down. \"I don\'t always have to eat pizza you know, although in this case I wish I had.\" He murmured ruefully, his mouth close to Heero\'s ear. \"What did you make of it?\" His question was about something other than the dinner and Heero replied accordingly.

Heero sighed his answer; \"Something\'s not right.\"

Duo nodded, thank the Gods he wasn\'t the only one who had smelt a rat down there. \"What do you think?\"

\"I don\'t trust her.\"

\"Me neither.\" Duo admitted.

\"We need to keep our eyes open.\" Heero muttered, \"

\"There\'s not really much we can do is there?\" Duo said, \"There\'s no radio and no transport off the island until the boat arrives in ten days. If it arrives.\"

\"It will arrive.\" Heero said confidently. \"If she truly has no way of getting off this island then she has to have someone coming in. There are things here that need to be replenished and can\'t be grown.\"

\"Like what?\"

\"Medical supplies,\" Heero said, \"Basic food stores...clothes.\" He pulled the vest top away from his body for a second and stared down at it distastefully. In the dim light it seemed more of a grey than a white. He dropped it again and looked at Duo.

\"We can still look for a radio.\" Duo muttered, \"Just because she says there isn\'t one doesn\'t mean we have to believe her.\" In the semi-darkness Duo could just make out the glare Heero sent his way at his comment. He smiled. I know, I know, he thought, you had every intention of searching didn\'t you? Don\'t want me to think peacetime has made you soft, ne? \"What did you make of all her hunting talk?\" He asked in curiosity.

Heero shook his head, pushing aside the mosquito net and kneeling on the seat, glancing out intently into the darkness outside with his elbows on the sill. \"I don\'t know,\" he admitted softly, \"There\'s something strange there though. I\'d really like to know what she\'s been hunting since she arrived here.\"

\"Mmm\" Duo nodded, \"I noticed the way you were questioning her about that. She was pretty vague wasn\'t she. There are a lot of animals that aren\'t indigenous to this area after all.\"

\"Aa.\"

There was silence for a while.

\"See anything?\" Duo asked.

\"No.\" Heero answered, pulling his head back in slightly. \"It\'s too dark.\"

\"Hold the light out with you.\"

Heero shook his head; \"I don\'t want anyone to suspect anything. If they see us...\"

\"Fuck that.\" Duo said, \"I want to know.\" He grabbed the lamp and leant out of the window. They studied the ground intently for a while until...

\"There\'s one.\"

\"Where?\"

\"Over to the left, under the tree.\" Heero indicated.

Duo stared, squinting his eyes slightly, following the line of Heero\'s arm. For a while there was only darkness and then, for a split second, there was a twin flash of green. Two eyes stared back at him from the darkness, the weak light from the lamp reflecting back off the dog\'s retinas. \"I see it.\" he said. \"Any others?\"

\"No...wait...there to the left again. Three of them.\" Heero confirmed suddenly.

Duo turned his head as far to the right as possible, scanning the area in the opposite direction to Heero. \"Four others on the right, close to the wall.\" he whispered.

There was a low growl from below them. Heero ignored it. \"Can you tell what breed they are?\" he murmured.

.\" .\" Duo shook his head. \"It\'s too dark, I can barely see their eyes.\"

\"Hn.\" Heero slapped at his arm suddenly and sat back. \"Get back inside Baka, the light\'s attracting the mosquitoes,\" he said.

Duo didn\'t need to be told twice. Even as he withdrew into the relative safety of the room he felt two distinct bites on his arm. Heero pulled the net back into place and sat back on his haunches. For a few seconds they stared at each other as the full enormity of their situation hit. They were trapped on an island with no means of escape and no means of communication with the outside world.

Duo sighed; \"Quatre\'s going to go spare.\" he muttered. He frowned suddenly as a thought hit him. \"What time do you think it is?\"

\"Just gone eleven. Why?\"

\"They\'ll probably be going over the final search and rescue plans now.\" Duo mused. \"WuFei and Sally will be on their way over from London no doubt. Wu\'ll be complaining the whole way of course.\" Heero smirked as Duo continued, \"They\'ll be sitting in the rest room, eating pizza that Une\'ll have let them order... while I\'m here, chowing down on \'schi\'.\" He shuddered.

\"It\'s a delicacy.\" Heero said.

\"It looks like phlegm.\" Duo retaliated.

\"Aa.\" Heero stood up and stretched the kinks out of his back before striding over to his bed. \"We should get some sleep while we can.\" He left it unspoken but they both knew they would be having a busy in in the morning. Searching out the perimeters of the grounds thoroughly would take them most of the morning alone. Especially as they wanted to keep their investigations low key.

Duo grabbed his own white vest, pulling it on swiftly and removing his trousers. He picked up the lamp and made his way to Heero\'s bed. \"You think it\'ll get cold later on in here with the window open?\" He asked pushing sweaty bangs back from his forehead. A few seconds later he had answered his own question with a quiet but heartfelt, \"I hope so.\"

Heero smirked faintly at the comment and slid over, making room for Duo in the double bed. The other bed remained empty, fresh sheets tucked firmly into the mattress, glowing dimly in the faint light. Duo clambered in, remembering to pull the mosquito net closed behind him. Blowing out the lamp he stretched out in the bed, reached for Heero\'s hand in the dark, and began to tap gently against the palm. Hidden in the darkness the two boys began a rapid, silent conversation in morse code, planning out their activities for the following day; eventually the taps became more spaced out, their breathing deepened, their eyes grew heavy and they fell asleep...their hands still the only part of them that actually touched.

A little after three o\'clock the silence was broken by the faint echo of a pistol shot in the distance. A few seconds later it was followed by a second, then a third. In the darkness of the room the two boys remained still, cocooned in the warmth of the sheets. They were seemingly unaware of the sounds, their legs and arms comfortably intertwined as they spooned together for warmth. Their heartbeats were slow and steady, their breathing soft. Duo snorted softly and snuggled further into his companion\'s warmth; Heero inhaled a deeper breath and settled back into the embrace. They both appeared deeply asleep.

But appearances are nothing if not deceptive. And after all, sleep is one of the easiest things in the world to fake. Especially for two ex-Gundam pilots, comfortable in an embrace and too worried about the other\'s reaction to risk waking them.


TBC........

 
Author’s notes.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s reviewed this so far. *hugs* I appreciate each and every comment. THANK YOU!!