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Hard Knock Life	By : AkiraSoulburn Category: Gundam Wing/AC > General Views: 1129 -:- 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. I just enjoy the fact that people read it, and hope they comment.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
Authors Note.: I have to say that I'm SO excited that people are reading my fic! To Reiko, thank you for the review. And yes. This is set after the war. I hope you'll continue to read, and let me know what you think. I will try to keep updating. ^_^
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Chapter six: Unexpected Aftermath

Erin groaned softly. She lifted a hand to the back of her head, her eyes fluttering as she tried to open them and focus on her surroundings. The last thing that she had recalled was a man and the overbearing smell of cheap liquor and general filth. Flashes of what had transpired flooded her, and she sat up, trying to get into a position to run.

"GET OFF YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed, as she felt arms encircling her. "LET GO!" She screeched, panick starting to grip her. Her chest began to tighten, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe, as her heart pounded at a dangerous speed.

"Erin! Stop! It's okay. It's us. You're home. You're safe." However, the words didn't register. She continued to struggle, trying to get her feet under her unsuccessfully, until a warm, slightly calloused hand gently touched her face. She pulled air into her lungs raggedly as her eyes opened wide in shock and fear.

She saw deep cobalt blue eyes looking back at her, swirling with a mixture of emotions that seemed out of place in those dark orbs. She saw his lips moving, but it was what seemed like an eternity before she could hear the thrum of his voice over the sound of her rushing blood. Slowly, she calmed, losing herself in his eyes as he spoke with soft deliberation. Her body relaxed, limply leaning into the person who had been holding her, feeling the shift of the arms as they went from restraining her to supporting her.

"...going to be fine. We're here. Just calm down. That's right. Calm. It's alright."

She saw relief overtake all other emotions in his eyes as her breathing softened to a normal pace. *His demeanor's changed a bit.* She thought off handedly. *How strange. And sudden.* A twitch pulled at the corner of her lips as she smiled ever-so, her own eyes half lidded while she nuzzled his hand, trying to reassure him that she was better now.

*It's Heero.* She thought. *It's not that man. It's Heero.* She broke eye contact with him long enough to look around. She saw Trowa and Wufei standing behind Heero, both wearing looks of relief, though Wufei seemed to be trying to hide it. As soon as Erin had looked at him, he turned his face and looked off to his right. Trowa slowly blinked, nodding his head once, as to silently say 'Glad you're okay.' Sitting at the edge of the bed close by was Quatre, his hands clasped to his chest as a slow smile began to cross his tear stained face. *Which means Duo's holding me.* She turned her head to see violet eyes watching her closely, brimming ever so slightly with tears as well. He gave her a small squeeze as he hugged her carefully.

Erin pulled in a hissing breath as pain pricked her body in various places. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she pushed back against Duo's chest, waiting for the pain to subside. To her dismay, though it dulled the tiniest bit, it didn't stop. She heard both Duo and Quatre whimper in concern.

"Erin," She heard Heero start, as she again felt that warm hand on her cheek. "Are you okay? Where are you hurting?"

"Ah-" Breathing deeply as she tried to will the pain to dull more, so she could think. "The back of my head mostly. My face, arms and back just ache. What-" She opened her eyes to look at him. "What happened?"

"In a nutshell," Duo began, "we tried to follow you to appologize." She heard Quatre's sound of agreement. "You're pretty fast though, so we kind of lost you. But then we heard you screaming. By the time we got to you, he had hit you in back of head and was getting ready to-" He trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Heero ran at the man and pulled him off of you." Quatre picked up the recap. "Duo and I got to your side as fast as we could, once aware that you were unconscious and not dead, we- we uh-." Quatre's face showed his discomfort with a deep red as he continued. "Fixed your clothes. Meanwhile, Heero along with Wufei and Trowa at this point, were doing a fair amount of damage to that guy." He breathed In deeply, almost whispering the next sentence. "In the end Heero shot him." Quatre lowered his eyes. "Duo and I tried to support you, so we could get you back to the car, but Heero insisted on carrying you himself. He had Duo and I go get the car, and we all got in and came home."

"Heh." She felt Duo chuckle a bit. "He wouldn't let any of us touch you. He did a quick once over of you as soon as we got you into your bed. Checked your vitals, made sure you weren't bleeding internally, looked for signs that you didn't have a serious concussion.... He was starting to check your head, which had been bleeding where that bastard hit you, and that's about when you woke up."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Heero asked her, his eyes showing concern where his face remained passive. She looked deeper into those stormy orbs locked behind his stoic features. *Is this really the same Heero Yuy? He'd been nothing but icy toward me. Now he seems almost human...*

She nodded once. "If I'm not, I will be." She saw his concern deepen. "I mean it's nothing too serious. Give me time to take a bath, eat some food, and sleep a little bit. Then I'll give you the rundown of how I feel after that. I'll tell you every little pain, and I'll follow your instructions. Just please don't look at me like that. It makes me feel weird and I can't tell if it's a good or a bad feeling yet." She lowered her eyes as she said this last bit.

"Affirmative." Heero said with a sharp nod. She lifted her eyes back up in enough time to see Heero give a glare to Duo. She felt the arms surrounding her leave as he moved off the bed, the corner of her eye catching Duo's hands up in the 'I surrender' pose. Heero extended a hand to her as he helped her up. Unsure if she was just imagining all this because of a possible concussion, or if the incident brought about this change in him for some reason, she stumbled in slight confussion to the bathroom. Holding her head between her hands, she wondered if she had remembered to bring any painkillers with her. Upon entering, she began to rummage through everything, but to her dismay she found none.

"Erin, we're going to give you a bit of time to yourself, okay?" Quatre said, as she heard her bedroom door opened.

"Wait!" She cried out. "Can- can you guys do me a few favors?" She asked softly, poking her head out.

"Sure. Anything you want." He replied.

"Um, I'm out of painkillers. I also feel kind of scared about being left alone, given my head was hit and all. I- I don't trust myself to stay awake if I take a bath, or be stable enough if I decide on a shower instead. I also beg one of you to get me something to eat. I know I'll need it, even though I'm not really hungry right now." She gave a pleading look to all of them.

"I can get you some food." Quatre said.

"I'll get the pain meds." Duo piped up. "I always have pain meds." He grinned at her, giving a sly wink.

Erin watched as Heero pulled up a chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"I guess Heero's staying." Quatre smiled. "That means Trowa and Wufei, you two are coming with me to get her some food."

Erin gave a slight giggle at Wufei's sigh before she slid back into the bathroom and shut the door. She started running the water for a bath, undressing with care due to the pain that seemed to be present everywhere. However, as she stepped in the bath tub, she changed her mind. Holding in a screech as the cold water hit her skin before it started to warm up to her liking. She then reached for her body wash and poof. She felt beyond dirty, scrubbing every inch of her skin as hard as she could without aggravating her injuries. After ten minutes, she figured if she wasn't clean enough, she would never be so again, and moved on to washing her hair.

Over the sound of the soothing water, she heard the door open and shut, then the voices of Quatre and Duo as they began talking to each other.

"Do you think she's really okay?" Quatre asked. "It seems like she's more upset about this than she's letting on. I can feel it."

"Wouldn't you be too though?" Duo retorted. "She probably just doesn't want us to worry about her too much. Keep in mind that, like us, she's not used to people watching out for her. I don't really think she's had a lot of contact with others. When it comes to her emotions too, a lot of times she kind of reminds me of Heero's opposite. She tries hard to fit in."

"Hn." Came Heero's response.

"No offense, you know? I'm just saying. What if the reason why we all get along with her so well is because she grew up a lot like we did, just didn't fight in the war like us? She lost her parents when she was little, she's got a lot of training in weapons, tactics, offensive and defensive fighting, computer skills, she never got close to anyone else in her life, and there's a fair amount of things that she couldn't handle any better than some of the rest us. I don't think she's ever even had a boyfriend, and she stated earlier, before you and I pissed her off and caused her run off, that she's never felt feelings associated with love, or even lust." Duo took in a breath as Erin heard what she assumed was the chair hitting the floor.

"Repeat that last sentence." Heero growled.

"That she's never-"

"Repeat the whole sentence!" Heero seethed out.

"I- I don't think that she's ever even had a boyfriend-" Duo stuttered.

"Keep going. Say the whole thing." Heero growled again.

"A-And she stated earlier, before Quatre and I p-pissed her off and c-caused her to run off-"

"Stop there." She heard him quietly growl. "You two caused this? This entire situation could have been avoided?!" His voice rose in deep anger, then fell to a deathly whisper, "Ore wa omae wo korosu..."

Erin turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, stumbling as she made a bound for the door, having heard what she thought was a gun being cocked.

"You're the reason why she almost got-"

"Heero stop it!" She screamed as she opened the door, standing before them in the towel, dripping water all over the floor.

They all averted their eyes.

"They didn't know! It's my fault for reacting like that! If you're going to blame anyone for what almost happened, blame me! I let my anger get the better of me! I took off! I let my guard down! It's my fault!" Erin fell to her knees, clutching her head as tears mingled with the water from her shower. "I fucked up!" She sobbed in embarrassment and anger. She felt arms wrap about her shoulders as soothing sounds were made, rocking her back and forth slowly.

"Erin, shh. Calm down. It's not your fault. It's not. It was all an unfortunate accident. Nobody knew it was going to turn out like this. It's okay." Quatre said softly. "Don't ever blame yourself for that. Ever."

"I let my guard down and put myself in a compromising situation." She said, her voice breaking with resentment. "I let my emotions control me and broke protocol. Because of that, I got injured. I put my life in danger. I made you all fix my mess and worry over me." Her breath hitched.

"You sound like a trained soldier, Erin." She felt Quatre pull back form her a bit, as his hand lifted her face up, his eyes showing sadness and confusion.

"I was raised to be. He tried to pass all of the training he was giving me off as necessary pre-cautions, to keep me safe when I ended up on my own. I overheard a conversation he was having one day. He was going to send me out once my training was complete. Partner me up with someone he called Zero One... But he couldn't do it." She watched as Quatre, Duo, and even Heero gave her a wide eyed look of disbeliefe. "When Uncle J caught me listening to the conversation, he tried to justify himself by telling me he'd only 'thought about it'." She made air quotations with her fingers. "That I'd be a valuable asset in the assimilation of Zero One into paired assassination tactics after the war was over... But he wouldn't really have done it. Because if something happened to me, if he broke his promise to my parents, he'd never be able to forgive himself." She closed her eyes as she sighed.

"Oh, Erin." Quatre whispered, at a loss for words. His thumbs brushed across her cheeks carefully, wiping away her fallen tears. They sat in silence measuring a span of several heartbeats before he spoke again. He took one of her hands in his and stood. "It's all over now. All of it. Let's forget everything for now, okay? I sense there are some things we'll all have to discuss as a group at a later date, but not tonight." He gave a small tug as he helped to pull her up.

Her free hand wrapped around the top of the towel to keep it from falling. Duo walked up to her and handed her a set of folded clothes, his eyes trained to the ceiling.

"I feel like a dirty old man for digging in your delicates drawer, but I thought you'd want clean ones once you were done. We had all figured you'd have preferred to not enter into a room full of guys in just a towel, but no one knew this was going to happen either!" She nodded her head, accepting the bundle.

"Thanks." She said, hiding a smile behind a sniffle as she walked back into the bathroom. "I can't express to you how grateful I am. To all of you."

A few minutes later, Erin walked back out in a set of pajamas, her still damp hair framing her face. She acknowledged Trowa and Wufei's rejoining of the group as Duo walked up to her.

"Come and sit down all comfy-like in your bed. We've got everything else all set up for you, okay?" A smiling Duo piped at her. She smiled back softly, and did as requested. Once settled underneath the blankets, Duo handed her a few painkillers with a can of soda. Next came the tray of food.

"You're really good at pinning my likes, Quatre. Should I worry that you're investigating me?" She joked.

"Maybe." He joked back.

She looked around the room as she ate. Quatre and Duo sat at the end of her bed. Heero peered at her from the corner of his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking, as he sat in the chair beside her. While, as usual, Wufei and Trowa stood quietly off-set from everyone else. As soon as she was finished, Duo took the tray, setting it on the small table that was by the door.

"Time for your check-up." Heero said as he stood from the chair. "All your requests are met, aside from sleeping, and until I make absolutely sure you don't have a concussion, you aren't doing that." He stated in a flat tone, as though he had locked up that concern she'd peeked at earlier.

"Yes Dr. Yuy." She snickered softly, the confusion of his once again changed attitude calling up her defense mechanism that was 'humor'.

"There must be something wrong with her," Wufei commented. "She made a joke at Yuy."

"Be nice, Wu-Man." Duo said with all the glare he could muster.

"That was nice, Maxwell. And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!? My name is Wufei, you braided baka!"

"All right you two, if you're gonna argue take it outside." Quatre made shooing noises as he flapped his hands, herding them toward the door. "Come on Trowa. We don't all need to be in here for this. I'm sure once Heero's done, Erin's going to bed anyway. So let's go. Out."

"But-" Duo started.

"Get out!" Quatre said, giving him a serious look. "I mean it."

Erin didn't miss the small smile that crossed Trowa's lips as he walked to Quatre's side, helping to clear the room. Once the others had left, each saying goodnight in their own way, Heero had her sit up. Seating himself behind her, he carefully pushed her hair away from the back of her neck. Erin shivered slightly at the touch.

"Tender?" He asked her.

"A little." She replied, glad that he couldn't see the blush filling her cheeks.

"It looks like the damage isn't too bad. The wound has already started to heal. You won't be needing stitches. " He said as he just as carefully moved her hair across her neck, placing it back behind her shoulders before standing back up. Once more, she shivered, but he didn't miss the blush a second time. This time he was watching her, watching for signs of pain so that he could make sure she wasn't trying to hide how bad it hurt. It surprised him to see the blush instead of the wince he had expected.

Erin lowered her eyes, the blush deepening as he continued to watch her face. Unconsciously, he ran a hand across her cheek, causing her to make eye contact with him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, unable to fight the tenderness in his voice, or hide the soft look from his eyes.

"Y-yeah." She smiled shyly.

"Good." He said, a hint of a smile showing in his features. Had she not been looking so intently she might have missed it. "You're most likely going to be very sore in the morning, and you may feel very dizzy if you try to walk around, so I want you to stay here in your room. You have a slight concussion." He stated in a carefully neutral tone.

"Will you stay in here with me?" She pleaded. "I just- It sounds stupid, but I'd rather not be alone tonight." Her truthful statement was like a smack to the face.

"Nani? Why me?" He asked, trying to hide his confusion at the request. Part of him wondered if somewhere deep down she knew that he was Zero One. Wondered if the reason she was here at all was due to a carefully crafted plan set in motion by Dr. J. A secondary plan that neither of them were privy to. The feelings set in motion after harm had befallen her seemed both alien and... Not really programmed... Normal? Is this what it ment to have feelings and emotions? "I don't understand." He said aloud unintentionally.

"I'd probably fight with Wufei. Quatre would fuss too much over me, and then I'd get annoyed. If I were to snap at him I'd feel absolutely horrible. I wouldn't have a moments peace with Duo around, and if I didn't rest, you'd want to kill him. And Trowa- I feel kind of calm around him, but at the same time I feel anxious. If he sat all night in the room with me, I'd just want to get up and walk around. I think having you in here with me might serve best. Please?" She took his free hand in both of her own as tears threatened to fall. "I don't want to be in here with anyone else but you! I feel safe with you!" She blurted out, her eyes widening as she sucked in a breath once she had realized what she had said.

The moment seemed frozen in time, as Heero watched her in stoic silence, and for that time she thought she may have made the worst mistake of her life. She waited for him to do something, but when he finally did, it wasn't what she was expecting.

"I accept." He whispered, pulling her into a hug carefully. He felt compelled to stay at her side, to protect her... Love her? He wasn't sure exactly... What he was sure about for the time being was that every fiber of his being refused to allow him to say or do anything else other than what she asked of him.

Now it was her turn to freeze and let what had just happened sink in. She hugged him back, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Thank you." She mumbled against his skin.

"You're Welcome." He said softly. Erin smiled against him before a yawn escaped her and she squeaked in his ear. "Getting tired?"

"A little bit." She said around a second yawn.

"Then let's get you comfortable for bed." He slowly let go of her. Regretfully she released him, leaning back into her pillows.

"Will you stay till I'm all the way asleep?" She asked him.

Heero nodded once. "If that's what you want. Just let me get a book or something."

"Deal." She smiled, wiping her eyes.

"I'll be right back." He said as he stood up from the bed, walking toward the door. Before he walked out of the room, he glanced back at her. Erin was shifting about, trying to get onto her side, but her eyes never left him.

As he had promised, Heero walked back into the room within a few minutes, his laptop in hand. Though he had returned to Erin already sleeping, he turned off the light and sat in the chair next to her. Heero watched her for a few minutes, in the glow of the illuminated numbers from the clock radio on her nightstand. He brushed back a lock of hair from her face, a smile causing the corners of his lips to twitch as she sighed contentedly and took his hand in one of her small ones. The laptop forgotten, Heero merely sat in silence until he too fell asleep.

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And that's it for this chapter. I hope it's not too corny or anything. I just write what comes to mind. Like I always say, I'm open to suggestions if anyone would like to add an idea to this, and I will rightfully give credit where credit is due. ^_^ Please continue reading! I really appreciate it.
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Hard Knock Life