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The Road to Kindness	By : shinigamiinochi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7934 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
- 6
- 7
- 8
The Road to Kindness

Author�s Note 4/17/09: Ok, so
the original plan for this fic was to just have
twelve chapters, but I�m starting to realize the flaw in that. These chapters
are just too damn big and it�s too much for people to read in one go, so I�m
breaking up the chapters into parts. So, there are still going to be 12 main
chapters under different names (this one is still being called �Surgery), but
the chapters are going to be broken up into separate entries. I started this
method on ff.net because there was a problem whenever I uploaded full chapters,
so I just did 30 page parts of each chapter. I think having a ton of parts at
that length, rather than 12 annoying long chapters, will make things flow
better, because this, like the last chapter, is too damn big. Long chapters are
great, but because I suck at paragraph breaks (I�m looking for someone to help
me with that. Any takers?), I can see how it can be frustrating. Plus, this
means more frequent updates (why should ff.net get the benefits when it�s
aff.net that I love the most?) and major congrats to those that give me grammar
and plot suggestions before the chapter is finalized.

Chapter 7: Surgery

Part 1

�It�s
ok, you�re doing great,� Heero said in a soothing tone as Duo�s grip tightened
on his hand. Duo remained silent, staring up at the ceiling as Dr. James
operated on the side of Duo� head. Heero tried very hard not to look at that
side. He wasn�t normally squeamish, but there was something about medical
procedures that left him screaming and sick inside. He hated that feeling and
preferred not to notice the doctor and what he was doing at all. He told
himself that he didn�t have to look, he was here for support. Duo was doing
pretty well, actually. There had been a moment when James had had to inject Duo
with the anesthetic that Heero had thought his friend was going to start to
hyperventilate, but as soon as the needle had gone away, Duo had relaxed. Heero
realized that Duo had never been scared of the pain. Duo was used to pain, it
was needles and drugs that terrified him and after what Wes had injected him
with, Heero could understand Duo�s fear very well. When his skin had gone numb,
Duo had seemed to relax completely, but tightened his hand every now and then.
Heero thought that it was because Duo hated not knowing things. James had
seemed to sense this, too, and had started to inform Duo of every
step as he got to it.

�� The needle was just as tiny as James had said, about the
size of a sewing needle. The doctor had already successfully drained all of the
pus and fluid and Heero had been shocked at how much there was of it. He wasn�t
surprised that Duo had had vision problems with all of that stuff packed up in
there. Right now, James was trying to find the bone fragment. Duo was starting
to show some strain, wanting badly to blink or close his eyes. James had told
him that he could, but Duo was scared to. He knew that it was a stupid fear,
but he hated being vulnerable like this, not knowing what was going on and being
helpless until James finished. Heero was helping more than the Japanese boy knew.
Even if he wasn�t watching, Duo fully trusted him to tell him if anything was
wrong. He felt bad for having Heero do something he obviously was uncomfortable
with. Duo was sure that Heero�s fear of hospitals, doctors, and medicine
stemmed back to his father and wasn�t sure how to help. As James continued with
the procedure, Duo realized that he never should have asked his best friend to
do this, but Heero�s presence made him feel so much better, safe and
looked-after. He squeezed his hand, partially for comfort. It made him want to
laugh. He didn�t know who was more scared at this point.

�� Ah ha!� James suddenly exclaimed,
making the two teenagers tense, startled. Heero looked over and watched with wide
eyes as the needle finally withdrew, its tip clutching a sliver of blood
covered bone. Heero couldn�t believe that something so� almost nonexistent had
caused so much trouble. The anesthesia was still working, so Duo couldn�t feel
anything, but he heard the slight �plunk� when James dropped the bone into the
metal surgical tray by the chair.

�� Is it� over?� he asked, feeling a tiny bit shaky.

�� Yes,� James said happily, swiping the wound clean with
cotton swaps and sprayed some antiseptic on it, covering the small hole with a
band aid.

�� We�re all done,� James announced, �the bone and fluid are
out, so the wound should be able to heal itself, finally.�

�� Duo sat up and lightly touched the band aid, but his temple
and the corner of his eye were still numb.

�� How do you feel?� James asked. Duo shrugged.

�� My eye feels kind of weird. It doesn�t hurt, it just feels
weird,� he said. James nodded.

�� Your body is aware of the trauma of surgery, but can�t
feel the pain. The feeling will pass. Once the anesthesia wears off, that area
will probably ache for a few hours, but over the counter pain medications like
Tylenol will take care of it. You should notice a change in your vision
gradually over the next couple of weeks. If there isn�t a change, we�ll have to
schedule another MRI, but I don�t think that that will happen,� the doctor
explained.

�� Duo rubbed at the band aid again.

�� Will I have to clean it?� he asked.

�� Only if it doesn�t stop bleeding,� James said, �but that�s
extremely rare.�

�� Are you sure you�re ok?� Heero asked, unable to hide his
suspicion and fear of surgery.

�� Yeah, I just can�t believe how easy that was,� Duo said in
awe getting off the examination chair and standing. James chuckled.

�� I told you it was only a small procedure. Now, I want to
schedule a follow-up two weeks from now,� James said, keeping an eye on Duo. It
had been a very small operation, yes, but everyone�s body was different and he
wasn�t sure about Duo getting up and walking around so soon after surgery.
Still, he seemed fine.

�� I can do it on another Thursday night,� Duo offered.

�� Alright, I�ll put you down at the same time in two weeks.�

�� Can we really go?� Duo asked.

�� Of course,� James patted his shoulder, �But I want you to
call me if you experience any problems or have any questions, ok?�

�� Duo nodded, happy just to be allowed to leave. As much as
he liked Dr. James, he still didn�t trust doctors all that much.

�� We�ll see you then, thank you,� Heero said, in a hurry to
leave, nearly dragging Duo out of the door.

�� Heero felt like singing in joy when the two of them got
into his car. He looked over at Duo, looking for any sign of pain or
disability, almost positive that there had to have been something that had gone wrong, but aside from the band aid just
underneath his eyebrow, at his temple, there was no indicator that he had ever
had surgery.

�� You�re really ok?� he asked in paranoia. Duo nodded.

�� It�s starting to ache a little,� he confessed, �but I�ll
just take a couple of Tylenol when we get home. Everything went fine,� he assured the blue eyed boy.
Heero managed to smile at him, feeling a little bit of his fear and paranoia
leave him as he started up the car.

�� The Tylenol did wonders with helping the aches just behind
Duo�s eye. Even Name had been surprised that it had been so quick and had been
more than glad to supply the painkillers for his aches. They had a pleasant
dinner with Trowa and Quatre, glad in knowing that an entire day had passed
with noting bad happening, with the exception of Williams� usual subtlety of
trying to embarrass Duo, but, as usual, Duo made sure he was always two steps
ahead in his work, making the history teacher look like an idiot.

�� Duo noticed the first change when he woke up early Friday
morning for school. He hadn�t put his contact lenses in yet and he noticed the
small change rather quickly, but it was something that he could never explain
in words and he knew that he wasn�t going to tell Name or Heero about it. The
colors weren�t as distorted in his vision and shapes seemed more defined, but
he wasn�t sure if it was just wishful thinking or if his vision really was
getting better. He shrugged it off and put his contacts back in, ready to face
the day as though nothing had changed.

�� At that particular moment, Duo didn�t know what he felt
more as Heero pulled up to the Cottage parking lot, anxiety for not really
knowing what was going to happen or excitement for finally having a job. He
felt oddly small, sitting in the car, clutching his dinner in a paper bag.

�� I�ll pick you up later, ok?� Heero interrupted Duo�s
thoughts. Duo just nodded. In a brief moment, he didn�t want Heero to leave. He
was afraid of what would happen once he left, but the feeling passed. He
recognized it as just another step he had to take.

�� See ya,� he said before getting
out of the car and closing the door behind him. It was hard not to look back as
he walked inside, even after he heard the car leave.

�� He stepped inside the Cottage and walked up to the customer
service desk. The brunette was manning the desk again, taking care of a
customer wanting to return something. Duo waited patiently for her to finish,
feeling a bit amused when she broke out into a huge, beaming smile when she
finally noticed him.

�� You came back!� she exclaimed, �biiiig
mistake,� she teased. Duo laughed a little.

�� Yeah, well, I figured that you might need some help after
the chaos I caused last time I was here,� he shot back. She rolled her eyes.

�� You kidding me? You probably made
Mr. H feel twenty years younger. Hey, I never introduced myself!� she left the
desk to shake his hand.

�� I�m Sarah.�

�� Duo,� he greeted, shaking her hand back, �I don�t suppose
you know what I�m supposed to do?�

�� Mr. Hastings told me that this is your first day,� she
assured him, �You�re soooo lucky, stockers don�t have
to wear these stupid uniforms,� she moaned, half-joking. Duo eyes her green
t-shirt with the cottage logo on the pocket over her left breast. He thought
that he would look pretty stupid wearing it, though he had never worn any sort
of uniform before.

�� You can stash your lunch in the back break room,� the brunette
pointed to the door Duo had gone through his first visit there, �Mr. H is
waiting for you in the cargo bay. Just follow the hallway,
it�s the very last door. I�ll probably see you later.�

�� Thanks,� Duo said as she returned to her station, the two
of them watching a group of old ladies as they wandered through the aisles.

�� Duo was glad that Sarah had been right; stockers didn�t
need to wear uniforms like the cashiers. He put his dinner in the fridge in the
employee lunch room and found the cargo bay.

�� Duo!� Hastings called him over as he entered,
standing in front of a huge stack of boxes.

�� Hello, Mr. Hastings. What do you want me to do?� he asked.

�� First off, at the end of tonight, I�m going to give you
your punch card. The clock is in the lunch room. Just wipe your card when you
need to punch in and out. You have to punch out for breaks, but not if you have
to go to the bathroom,� the man explained, �As soon as you punch in, I need you
to check out here. We get packages all the time. The over night employees take
care of inventory, you just have to put the product out on the shelves and make
sure that every shelf is well stocked. Each box will be marked with what is
inside and where it goes. Once you finish unpacking the boxes, you just have to
keep patrolling the floor and keep the shelves full. You got all that?�

�� Duo nodded. It sounded too easy, but he supposed any job
would sound that way after his other job.
Hastings patted
his shoulder.

�� If you need help with anything, I�m in my office. You�ll
be paged to the break room for breaks.�

�� Ok,� Duo said, looking at the huge pile of boxes with
interest. Hastings
left him alone and Duo went to work. He had never done much menial, busy work
in his life, but as he moved the boxes onto the floor and stocked the shelves,
he found it oddly soothing.

�� The Cottage was busiest on the weekends, but customers
mostly left Duo alone as he worked, but towards the last few hours of his
shift, the store was nearly deserted, so Duo wasn�t surprised when Sarah had
come into the back of the store to find him. He was only halfway through the
boxes and knew it was going to take more than one day to finish it, but was eager
to tackle it tomorrow. It was a strange goal for him, just something normal
that he wanted to prove to himself that he could accomplish. He hadn�t gotten
around to stocking the other shelves, but Hastings
had told him not to worry about it, the boxes were more important.

�� You tired of this yet?� she asked with a teasing smirk.

�� Not really,� Duo murmured, unpacking mugs with the town�s
name on one side and a painted picture of one of their forests on the other. It
was true that this sort of work was mindless, but selling himself had been the
same way. He felt that he could give a blowjob in his sleep he had done it so
many times. But, it wasn�t the repetitiveness that had made it mindless; it was
the fact that he had forced himself into that mindset, so he would never have
to really think about what he was doing. He had tried very, very hard not to think of those memories recently.
They were always at the back of his mind, but he focused completely on his life
at school and home, lying to himself that those painful things had happened to
someone else. As wrong as it felt to bury such a prominent part of himself, it had worked so far. Stocking shelves, compared to
selling his body to men, wasn�t boring, it was normal, soothing, and, as flat
and repetitive as it was, it made him feel useful.

�� You were really worried about this job, weren�t you?�
Sarah asked in a soft voice, leaning against the wall. Duo stared at her in
shock. They hadn�t talked much, especially not enough for her to know much
about him.

�� I can see it in your eyes,� she explained, �You just look
so� relieved. You don�t see that very often with this sort of job.�

�� Duo shrugged. Solo had once told him that his eyes made him
an open book. He had learned, gradually, to hide his feelings from Wes. It had
had nothing to do with survival; it was just a stupid game. Wes loved knowing
every part of him, so not being able to predict how he was feeling or what he
was going to do had always annoyed him. A small win,
but in those times, he had taken any win,
no matter how small. Wes had always seemed to win where it really mattered, so
those little things had been important to him. Of course, he had won the
biggest battle of all, hadn�t he? He had escaped. Duo couldn�t help but smile
at that thought. He had won where it had really
mattered. He was alive, healthy, and with people that loved him. Best of
all, he had proven Wes wrong. He was something;
he was more than just a whore. Hell, he hadn�t had sex in over two months! That
thought made him feel dizzy.

�� Are you ok?� Sarah asked in concern, seeing the younger
boy�s eyes cloud over with something dark and heavy, only to lighten in a
strange sort of joy.

�� Yeah,� Duo recovered from his thoughts, �It�s just that
I�ve never had a job before, I didn�t know what to expect, but this really
isn�t so bad.�

�� How old are you?� she asked.

�� Fifteen,� he said, trying to keep the uncertainty out of
his voice. Her hazel eyes widened.

�� Wow, I�m glad I couldn�t work up the courage to ask you
out or I�d feel like a cradle robber. I�m 22.�

�� You wanted to ask me out?� Duo asked with wide eyes,
�why?�

�� Sarah looked away from him, clearly embarrassed.

�� Well, you�re really cute, but you�re not arrogant about
it. I like guys like that,� she murmured, �Hey, is it true that you live with the Heero Yuy?!� she asked perkily,
quick to change the subject.

�� Duo felt jealousy strike him like a wave. Was Heero Sarah�s
type, too?

�� Yes,� he said warily. He hated feeling this way. It was a
stupid, ugly emotion, but powerful. He liked Sarah, she didn�t make him feel
threatened or small, but when Heero was involved, he had a hard time thinking
logically.

�� Are you related to them somehow?�

�� Duo shook his head.

�� I�m just Heero�s best friend. His mom took me in when I
got sick and couldn�t pay the bills. My dad still doesn�t know that,� Duo told
her, trying to be as honest as he could afford to be.

�� That�s cruel,� she whispered, �Your father doesn�t know
where you are? Doesn�t that bother you?�

�� He wasn�t a very nice person,� Duo said in a clipped tone.

�� Oh,� Sarah murmured, getting what he wasn�t saying, �It�s so nice of them to just take you in like
that.�

�� You have no idea,� Duo muttered so quietly that she didn�t
hear him.

�� Soooo� what�s Heero like?� Sarah
suddenly blurted out.

�� Duo was silent, unsure of whether or not he wanted to say
anything. It probably hadn�t been a good idea to tell her anything. He had been
more honest with people in the last month than he had ever been his entire
life. He was used to glossing over the truth, but it was hard to come up with
reasons for lying anymore. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose before he could
stop himself. It was quickly becoming a nervous tic for him. He was immensely glad
that neither Hastings nor Sarah had asked him about his not wearing glasses. It
seemed like forever since he had not needed glasses to see and now he felt
naked without them. He couldn�t stop himself from touching where the bridge of
his old glasses would have been, too used to pushing
them up since they had been meant for someone much older. He hated himself for
letting Zechs getting the drop on him, not because he had let his guard down or
that he had gotten hit, but that he had lost the very first, real gift anyone
had ever given him, something that was deeply precious to him. He didn�t think
he would ever forgive himself for them being destroyed. His hands strayed
towards the band aid by his temple, but he hesitated to touch it. He had been
more upset at himself than Heero had been. Instead of getting angry, Heero had
just moved on, trying out new ways to solve the problem as though nothing had
happened. Duo would always miss the glasses, but Heero�s actions had put him in
awe. He wondered if his best friend even understood the concept of giving up.
Probably not after all, he was still trying and patient with him, despite all
his issues, right? He smiled at that thought.

�� Well, he�s tenacious and very kind, a bit bullheaded, I
guess. He�s very smart and, well� normal,� Duo had never thought he would be
using those words to describe Heero. His kindness and readiness to forgive him
despite his flaws, and his patient affection weren�t normal from what Duo had
experienced in the world, but Heero tried very hard to act like a normal kid
and that was how Duo saw him. Compared to how Duo had lived his life, Heero was
just a normal teenager; he had friends, liked certain movies, had a family, and
went to school. What could be more normal than that?

�� Sarah snorted.

�� His family is the richest and most powerful in the world! That�s hardly
normal!� she pointed out. Duo shrugged.

�� Maybe not, but he doesn�t act that way. He�s not a god.
Heero�s just� Heero. When I first met him, he was a
bit arrogant, but when I got closer to him, I realized that that wasn�t who he
was. I guess I don�t put him on a pedestal like everyone else,� Duo said in a
soft tone.

�� Still, it must be pretty cool living with them,� the
brunette girl pressed, �I mean that makes you pretty special by default! I�m
surprised you don�t have people hounding you all the time.�

�� Duo almost snorted at that. The last thing he wanted was to
be special. He had been �Special� his entire life and he wanted nothing more to
do with it. Why couldn�t he just be a normal, teenage boy for a little while?

�� Not really,� he confessed. He wondered about that, how
Name had managed to keep reporters at bay, but he wouldn�t put anything past
the woman. He was glad he didn�t have to deal with it, though.

�� But why are you working here if you live with them? Are
they forcing you to or something?� she asked worriedly.

�� No, nothing like that,� he assured her, �I just don�t want
to be one of those useless people that leeches off other people�s kindness. I�m
fifteen and getting a job seemed like the right thing to do.�

�� Duo finished with the box he had been working on and moved
on to the next one in his little pile. He frowned when he noticed that the
shelf he was supposed to stock the contents in was already full, which meant
that he had to put it on the very top shelf. Sarah watched in amusement as the
younger boy got onto his toes and struggled to put the box on the top shelf.
Duo glared at the height in frustration, realizing that he was going to have to
climb up on the first shelf, which he didn�t dare to do, in order to reach the
top. It was pretty impossible, but he refused to let a stupid shelf beat him
because he was too damn short. It was just one of those things that he hated
about himself, but could never change. He doubted that he would ever have been
tall, but what little height he would have had was stolen away by years of
neglect and starvation. He hated being
short. People thought that he was weak and they could push him around with no
problem. Sure, he was like that, but it had nothing to do with his height. The
worst part was times like this when he couldn�t reach something, but was too
embarrassed to ask for help.

�� Maxwell!� Both Sarah and Duo flinched as Hastings yelled, noticing Duo trying to put
the box on the shelf and failing miserably.

�� You�re in trooouble!� Sarah sang
teasingly, abandoning him and Hastings as she walked back to the front of the
store. Duo paled a little bit. Was he really in trouble on the first day of his
job?

�� Yes, sir?� he asked timidly, cradling the sealed box in
his arms. Hastings
gave him a stern look.

�� Use a stool,� he ordered.

�� Duo blushed.

�� Sorry,� he apologized, �I thought for sure I could reach
the top��

�� Hastings
snorted.

�� There�s no shame in using a stool, Duo. If you�re short,
then you�re short, I won�t have you hurting yourself.�

�� Duo nodded.

�� Ok,� he agreed, �I�m not going to be able to finish all of
this tonight, though.�

�� The older man shrugged.

�� That�s fine. I don�t expect miracles.�

�� Duo watched as Hastings
went back into the back office and he put the box back on the ground. He almost
rubbed at the band aid, but stopped himself again. There were so many things he
still had to get used to, but it was getting a little bit easier each day that
he put between his present and his past.

�� Duo stared at the paper incredulously. Name bustled around
him, cleaning the kitchen after they had all had lunch. The weekend had gone quickly,
but since today was a holiday, they were all enjoying a day when they had
nothing to do. Heero had left right after lunch to get his tires checked,
stranding Duo at home, but he didn�t mind. He had been worried during work
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, that Zechs would show up again, but he never did.
He tried not to let his defenses down again. Living with Heero, he had
forgotten that he had enemies. It was stupid, really, in living with Heero, he
had undoubtedly made more enemies
instead of less, but he had stopped worrying about Zechs in between having too
much going on in his life to bear worrying about him and simply being too tired
to care. He had let his guard down because, at first he had thought that his
life couldn�t possibly get any worse, then he had thought that he was finally safe. Even now, when he realized that
the bad things in his life weren�t going to go away so easily, he didn�t feel
very worried about Zechs or his fucking sister. He hated both of them, more
than any person had the right to hate another human being, but he was tired of being
afraid. He hated Zechs for almost destroying his and Heero�s friendship and all
of the crap he had put him through before then. He hated Relena for butting
into his new life, for what she had done to his best friend, but most of all,
he hated her for taking the one thing he had wanted and wanted now more than
anything else and destroying it. She had had Heero as a fianc�, Heero had been willing to at least try to love her, and her selfishness had destroyed their engagement
and their friendship. It pissed him
off more than anything, that Relena had had that
chance that he would never have, how
could she have ruined things like that? But he was tired of being afraid of
people like Zechs and Relena. He had told Zechs that he couldn�t hurt him
anymore and that was true. There were bigger things for him to worry about,
like the problems that lay in his own mind, so deep down, it seemed like not
even time was going to heal them.

�� Are you going to look at that piece of paper all day?�
Name�s voice broke through his thoughts and Duo blushed darkly. Name shook her
head with a sigh, but made no move to take the paper away from him.

�� In his hands, Duo held his very first paycheck. He had
gotten it yesterday and hadn�t stopped examining it since. He had quickly
realized that he had never discussed his wage with Mr. Hastings. He also
remembered thinking that he would consider himself lucky if he got ten dollars
a week, because that was usually more than Wes had given him to survive on. Of
course, in the recent economy, ten dollars was basically pocket change, but he
was used to living on less. The number on the check was a bit more than he had
been expecting. Over a hundred dollars more. The paper
told him that he was being paid nine dollars an hour and that the check
accounted for 17 of the 24 hours he had worked this week, so the math wasn�t
wrong, it was just a bit� overwhelming. He had never owned this much money in
his life. He had held this much, yes, but he had never owned it, and that made a huge difference. He didn�t need this
much, either, and it was just the first weekend.

�� I� I don�t know what to do with it,� he confessed in a
soft voice, feeling a bit lost. Name pulled a chair next to him and sat down
gingerly taking the check from him.

�� Well, you can cash it or put it in a bank account, both of
which you have to do at the bank. You can always cash it and keep it in a
secret place in your room,� she suggested with a smirk, �that�s what Heero did back
when he was a little kid with his allowance.�

�� Duo sat still, feeling more relaxed. He loved hearing
stories about Heero, especially as a child. He had seen pictures of him at young
ages and Heero had been a very adorable child with his smoldering blue eyes and
stern expressions, trying to look like an adult and failing. Name was always
ready with an amusing story from her son�s childhood, either because she found
Heero�s embarrassment funny or because she knew how much Duo enjoyed them.
Lacking a normal childhood, it was nice to hear about the sort of life he
should have had, though quite a bit painful, too. Also, he wanted to fill in
the gaps between the Heero he knew now and that defiant child in the pictures.

�� Of course,� Name continued, �he was never good at hiding anything
and he usually ended up spending it on some toy the second I gave it to him.�

�� Duo smirked at that. He couldn�t imagine spending a cent of
this money unless he really had to. The concept of conservation was too deeply
ingrained in him. Save and cut corners as much as you can, don�t spend unless
it�s a matter of life or death, those were the things he had lived by and they
had been necessary. Money had always been fleeting for him. He didn�t exactly
relish the idea of hoarding his paycheck, but the only things he had ever
really needed, food shelter, clothes, and his health, were already being taken
care of by Name. He could use some of it to buy more toys and treats for his
cats, but he somehow knew that Name would be pissed if he spent a hundred
dollars on his pets. But, he wasn�t used to having so much money and nothing
that was a life or death situation to buy. He didn�t know anything about bank
accounts, either, and the thought of trusting a complete stranger with his
money was unsettling. Now that he actually had
money, he had no intention of letting anything take it away from him.

�� It�s your decision, Duo,� Name told him, �and you don�t have
to tell me what you decide.�

�� Duo nodded. She smiled at him and patted his knee.

�� Why don�t you go upstairs and play games or something with
Quatre, Heero will probably be gone for a few more hours,� she suggested.

�� You don�t need help cleaning?� he asked. He almost always
helped her with the chores since it made him feel useful, but she shook her
head.

�� Shoo, Duo,� she teased shaking her head as he ran out of
the kitchen.

�� Duo was always nervous going into Trowa and Quatre�s room.
The two lovers were very discrete about their relationship, never kissing or
making out in front of the rest of them, but Duo was always worried that he
would walk in on them in an intimate situation. He wondered why, after all he
had seen and done, the thought of walking in on his two friends having sex
embarrassed him so badly. Fortunately, today their door was wide open and he
breathed in relief. As he stepped into the door way, he smirked at the sight of
Quatre playing with Cassy, a bright colored rope with a bell and feather tied at
the end in his fingers as Cassy tried to bat at it. Trowa was on his laptop,
probably e-mailing his sister.

�� Hey,� Duo walked towards Quatre, who was sitting on the
bed. Cassy curled up next to his leg.

�� Hi, Duo!� Quatre said brightly. The
blonde watched with wide eyes as Cassy�s ears stood straight up and she ran
over to Duo who scooped her up in his arms.

�� Hey, honey. Have you been a good girl for Quatre and
Trowa?� he cooed. The tiger striped cat purred and rubbed her head against his
cheek.

�� She�s been a very good girl,� Quatre assured him, �she�s a
sweet heart.�

�� Duo put her back on the bed where she curled up to take a
nap, her body pressed against Duo�s leg.

�� I can see how much she loves you,
she gets so excited whenever she sees you. I know you said it was ok if she
sleeps with us, but I feel like I�m stealing her from you,� Quatre said
mournfully. Cassy�s ears twitched in his direction. Duo snorted, drawing
Trowa�s attention away from the computer.

�� I have seven cats to keep me company and it�s not like we
live a long way apart. If she�s happy with you, then I�m happy, too. I�m just
glad that she�s not picky like the others. If you want a cat so badly, you can
have one of Patches� kittens when they�re born. I love my cats, but I can�t
keep her babies, it�ll be too much for me to handle. I�d feel better knowing
that someone I trust is taking care of one of them,� Duo said warmly. Quatre�s
face lit up like a small child�s on Christmas morning and he hugged Duo
tightly. Duo stiffened, his heart pounding and a small voice in the back of his
head screaming at the sudden contact, but after a few seconds of trying to get
his subconscious to accept that he was being touched by a very good friend and
not an enemy, he finally started to relax.

�� Trowa watched his lover hug their friend, holding his
breath. His green eyes searched for any signs that it was too much for Duo to
handle, but relaxed when Duo did. He didn�t understand how Duo coped with all
that had happened to him, but, despite what Duo thought about his efforts, he
was doing remarkably well. He was adapting to his new life quickly and trying
to put his past behind him. Trowa knew from first hand experience that you
couldn�t bury your past, that was why being around Duo was so painful for him,
it forced him to remember his own trials and hardships when he just wanted to
forget them, even if he knew that such a thing was impossible. He also knew
that Duo knew that very same thing, but he was trying anyway. He wanted to sigh
about Quatre wanting a cat, but he wasn�t really surprised. His blonde lover
had always had a soft spot for things that needed love and affection, so it was
easy to see why he was protective of Duo and his eagerness to have a pet.
Despite being the youngest of a huge horde of children, Quatre had grown up
lonely and feeling distant from his family. Trowa could easily see why Quatre
was so excited at the prospect of getting a cat and he knew that it would be
good for him. Trowa had never begrudged or denied him anything, besides, he loved the little creatures, too.

�� Thank you, Duo,� Quatre said as he finally released the
other boy, not realizing the stress his simple hug had given Duo.

�� The sound of someone knocking on the front door reached
them and Duo tensed again.

�� Who�?� he murmured in confusion.
Cassy opened her eyes slightly in annoyance. Duo moved to get up, but Quatre
grabbed his hand.

�� Don�t worry, Name will take care
of it,� Quatre tried to assure him, but Duo looked far from convinced.

�� Name huffed in annoyance as she heard someone knocking on
the door while she made her bed. She had hoped that today was going to be nice,
quiet, and boring and she wasn�t in the mood to talk to anybody, but she went
to the door, checking the security system to see who it was first. It was
stupid paranoia, but ever since Duo had moved in with them, she had been doing
that more and more often. She agreed with Duo that it was unlikely that Wes
would try anything so stupid like kidnapping Duo from their home, but she knew very
well the sort of monster Wes Maxwell was and refused to take any risks, no matter how small,
especially with Duo and knowing what sort of sick things the man would do to
him given half a chance.

�� Name�s eyes widened as she saw who was standing on her doorstep.
Hard, light blue eyes looked back at her through the security system, eyes that
were sharp despite the man�s age, his once brown hair completely gray and
thinning, leaving the top of his head bald and the small bit of facial hair on
his chin a light pepper, nearly white, but he was just as impressive as he had
been in his youth. It was hard to remember that she had only seen Noventa, an
ex-partner of hers, last year because it seemed like it had been much longer.
The Noventa�s had been closer in business than personal life with the Yuy�s and
she had parted ways with the head of the Noventa clan on much more pleasant
terms than with the Peacecraft�s, but the sight of him made her stomach knot.

�� Few years ago,
markets all across the world had tanked, resulting in the economic draught they
were currently experiencing. No one knew exactly why, economic researchers had
been hypothesizing for years, but still no one knew why the economy had been
dragged through the mud so badly and they probably never would. Both the rich
and the poor had been affected and families like the Noventa�s and the
Peacecraft�s had been hit hard. She and Charles Noventa had been business
partners for years and had had a good personal relationship. She would never
call the man her friend, but they were pleasant to each other. In the business
world, it was hard and bad sense to make friends. Anyone could stab you in the
back and personal feelings could cloud judgment. Noventa had made some poor
decision during that time and had almost bankrupted his own company while the
Yuy Corporation had flourished. Name had quickly realized that the company
could help others rebuild, but only if it remained strong and having Noventa
and his bad choices as a partner might drag both of the Yuy�s reputation and
its prosperity down with them. Name had learned a long time ago that owners of businesses
had to disregard their own personal feeling in order to survive, but she had
still felt pity for Noventa and his granddaughter, Sylvia. Despite his age,
after his daughter and son in law�s deaths, Charles had taken the girl in and
Name had known that any action she took would affect his granddaughter as well,
but she also knew her duties and responsibilities well.

�� In the end, Name had severed the partnership, but had made
it clear that she was willing to help the Noventa�s if they needed it. About a
year ago, the two of them had sat down and discussed way to help Noventa�s
financial situation. It had been Charles who had brought up her son�s failed engagement
with Relena Peacecraft. He had made the point that, if their children were to
get married, it would improve the Noventa�s reputation and Name would be able
to take over his company without creating any ill will among anyone else in the
company. Name had agreed to herself that it sounded like a good business deal,
but refused to say such a thing out loud; afraid that if she admitted that it
was a good idea, it was like agreeing that it was something that they should do.

�� Trowa and Quatre called Sylvia Noventa �the Poodle�. It was
something that she could laugh at now, but at the time, it had worried her. She
had learned many lessons dealing with Relena. After the proposal Name had
watched Sylvia with Heero very closely and had found the nickname �Poodle� to
be sickeningly apt. Sylvia, physically, was a lot like Relena, down to her pale
skin, long blonde hair, and blue eyes. She as pampered and followed Heero
everywhere, just like Relena had, but she had one major difference from the
other girl. Relena had always tried to force her will onto her son. Sylvia had
been the exact opposite. Like her grandfather, Sylvia had been spineless,
seemingly incapable of speaking out or giving her own opinion. She had followed
Heero around, loyally, but, like a poodle, as though she didn�t have a single
other thought besides obeying him. Name didn�t want her son tied down by such a
person, such a vapid� robot. She had felt instantly better about her and
Noventa�s conversation when she had spoken to Heero about it. Her son wasn�t
oblivious to the Poodle nickname and had told her that, not only was he not
attracted to Sylvia emotionally, physically, or mentally, he could never be
involved romantically with someone that his friends hated. Shortly after that,
they had moved to America.
They had left Charles thinking that the marriage had not only been a possibility,
but a sure thing. Name felt bad about
that, wishing she could have found a solution for both of them, but right now
after all of the other stuff she had had to think about, she really didn�t want
to deal with Noventa. It was a terrible thing to think about an old partner,
but she considered Duo and his problems much more important than Noventa�s.

�� Name hesitated, but unlocked and opened the door anyway.
She didn�t want to talk to the man, but she felt like she owed him and at least
now she finally had an answer for him.

�� Hello, Charles� she greeted when she opened the door, �to
what do I owe this pleasure?�

�� The older man smiled and shook her hand.

�� You�re a hard woman to track down, Name.�

�� She almost snorted at that. She had done absolutely nothing
to hide their move to Maine
and anyone with internet access could have found them. Charles was more like
Sylvia than he would ever know. She was quite sure that he had known where she
was, but had been too indecisive and anxious to seek her out. He had probably
decided to just wait for her to contact him, but had lost patience. She opened
the door for him and led him to the living room.

�� Have a seat,� she offered, gesturing to one of the chairs.
He nodded and sat, seeming to study her.

�� I�m sure you�re away of why I�m here, Name,� Charles began
once she had taken a chair close to him.

�� The marriage between Sylvia and Heero must be finalized
and soon. Things are getting worse instead of better and Sylvia is becoming
more and more depressed about the delay. We need to set up a date, the sooner, the better.�

�� Name sighed.

�� I am aware of this, Charles, but there are some things we
need to discuss first,� she said wearily.

�� Duo stood outside of the living room door, frozen in shock
and pain, unable to do anything but stand there and listen. He felt a sharp
sense of d�j� vu at the news of Heero�s supposed marriage. His heart throbbed
in his chest and he gripped at his shirt at the very real pain. He felt weird,
his head hot and muffled, like it was filled with smoke or cotton. He felt
oddly numb at the same time that he felt the agony in his chest.

�� Heero had promised him that he would never abandon him, yet
it seemed like the rest of the world wanted him to. He didn�t belong here, he knew that, but why couldn�t he have what
he wanted, just once? Both Heero and Name had promised him that there would be
no more secrets, Heero had promised him that he wasn�t getting married, but
here was one more person, insisting that Heero�s heart belonged to someone else
and Name had confirmed it. He had trusted the both of them, partially because
he needed someone in his life that he could trust, but mostly because he loved
both of them, but they had lied to him. Even if the marriage wasn�t happening,
they had never told him about the engagement. He didn�t deserve to know
everything in Heero�s life. Realistically, there were probably a lot of things
he didn�t know about Heero�s past and he didn�t have the right to ask about any
of them, but it hurt. He didn�t know what was worse,
the thought of Heero getting married, or that no one had thought he was
important enough to be privy to that information. He knew that if Quatre or
Trowa or even Solo had done something like this, he wouldn�t feel so hurt.
Relena had taught him to always doubt things when it came to the Yuy family.
After all of the things that she had said and done, he knew that he couldn�t
trust what anyone said. Even if Name agreed to it, he had to hear it from Heero
in order to believe it.

�� Duo knew all of these things and knew that, logically, he
had no reason to feel this bad about something he had simply overheard, but
logic had nothing to do with it. He wasn�t in love with Quatre or Trowa or
Solo. He was in love with Heero All the logic in the world couldn�t stop his
heart from breaking. Duo rubbed at his arm, at the scar made from one of Wes�
cigarettes, and he looked over at one of the tables in the hallway, pushed
against the wall, covered with pictures of a child Heero with his parents,
everyone smiling and happy, an expensive vase in the middle with small, perfect
roses in it. A sharp sense of alienation overwhelmed him.

�� What am I doing here?� he thought to himself. He knew who
he was, didn�t he? Why was he here, worrying about the love of a boy he would
never have? He had always been too concerned about just living to the end of
the week to be worried about something that seemed so trivial in comparison. He
had been born and raised amongst trash and blood. He had no real place in the
world. He was just one of those forgotten many who suffered through life,
ignored by people who claimed that they were sympathetic. He loved Heero more
than anything, but hadn�t he always believed that, in the end, he would forget
about him like everyone else? Heero was special, more so than anyone on the
planet, what business did Duo have to be his best friend? What made him so
different, so much better than the rest of the world? Why was he living in
luxury when there were so many people more deserving than him that were
suffering? What was he doing here?

�� Tears prickled at his vision. Why couldn�t he just accept
the things he had? Why did he have to feel this way? He was dirty, he had been
born that way, but Heero couldn�t accept that, either. They had these visions
of each other and kept trying to accept things that weren�t true. They were
lying to each other, circling over the same lies over and over. He had thought
that he knew Heero and could trust him, but he didn�t really know anything, it
seemed, and Heero had only told him a few things about himself, but Duo wanted
to know everything about the boy he fruitlessly loved. Heero thought that he
could save him, that Duo had a chance at a normal life, but wasn�t that a lie,
too? He had too many memories, horrible things that he could never forget, how
could he ever be normal?

�� He would never be the person that Heero wanted him to be.
How could Heero truly care about him when he felt so strange and useless? He
wanted to be who Heero wanted and needed, he wanted to be able to change and be
loved, but he couldn�t. It was impossible and that made his heart feel like he
was being ripped apart from the inside out. He wanted to cry, but he felt too
numb to let go. He wanted to curl up on the floor and break into pieces, but
just being in the house was making him feel slick and displaced, all the things
he had been forcing down over the last few weeks of normalcy finally rising to
the surface. So, he did one of the few things he had always been naturally good
at; he ran.

�� Alright, then talk,� Noventa pressed. Name folded her
hands in her lap, deciding to just get the unpleasant visit over with.

�� You�re right, things are getting bad and we need to do something
to help you�re family, but Heero will not
be marrying Sylvia.�

�� For the first time since they had first met, Name saw real
fury in her ex-partner�s eyes, but she forced herself to ignore it.

�� Heero does not love Sylvia and has told me that he does
not want to marry her.�

�� You�re his mother!� Charles snapped, �Make him marry her!
He�s just a child, it�s your job to decide what he
should do! You owe me and it�s what�s best and you know it!�

�� Name�s fury matched Noventa�s easily and surpassed it. She
glared at him, making him flinch.

�� I don�t owe you a fucking thing. It is not my
responsibility to chose Heero�s fate. He�s seventeen, hardly a child anymore,
and he can make his own decisions. You�re right about one thing: he�s my son, not a business tool and I will not treat him like one.�

�� You�re letting your emotions cloud your judgment!� he
nearly growled. Name smirked and Noventa turned beet red.

�� Yes, I suppose I am,� she admitted shamelessly.

�� Charles stood stiffly, as though he were made of wood. His
eyes were those of a furious, desperate man, but she refused to look away.

�� I can see there is no talking to you when you�re in this
state,� he told her condescendingly. Name bristled at the clearly sexist
comment and stood as well.

�� I�ll be back in a few days to see if you�ve changed your
mind,� he said, walking out of the room and to the front door.

�� Don�t bet on it,� Name cautioned, following him closely.

�� Good bye, Charles,� her voice was cold as he stormed out,
keeping a grip on the open door so he didn�t have the chance to slam it. She
closed and re-locked it with a heavy sigh. She suddenly felt very, very tired.
She made an instant beeline for her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She
was profoundly grateful that Heero hadn�t been home to deal with it, though she
knew that he wouldn�t have changed his mind, no matter what Noventa would have
said to him. She sat on her bed and looked at the picture of her and her
deceased husband on the bedside table.

�� It had been taken on their wedding day by her now-dead
mother-in-law. The two of them had been so young, her in her pretty white dress
and him in his handsome tuxedo, both smiling so widely, it hade almost hurt.
They had been so happy, the only day she could remember being happier was the
day Heero had been born. Alexei looked so handsome in the photo, his constantly
unruly brown hair in his eyes. His mother had done all that she could to tame
it for the special occasion, but it had been useless. She remembered similar
battles with Heero�s hair. His blue eyes were shimmering with joy in the
photograph, reminding her of Heero�s when Duo�s doctor had told him that his
best friend was going to live.

�� Name suddenly felt the loss of her husband very acutely,
her eyes prickling with tears and she tried very hard not to let them fall, but
stopping them was as impossible as straightening her son�s hair. She covered
her face with her hands, even in the privacy of her room, she couldn�t cry
openly.

�� Oh, Alex,� she murmured to the painfully empty room and
too-large bed, �What would you think of this mess?�

�� Patches, who had been napping in her cat bed in the corner
by the vent, roused at the sound of Name softly crying. The pregnant cat
waddled over to her and rubbed her head against the Japanese woman�s leg,
purring in a desperate attempt to comfort. Name looked down at her with wide
eyes and managed to smile as blue eyes looked back at her.

�� Myew?�
Patches almost seemed to be asking if she was alright.

�� Oh, you silly little thing,� she said affectionately,
picking Patches up very carefully and putting her on her lap, stroking her
ears, �I�ll be fine,� she assured the cat, not feeling stupid by doing it.

�� Between my son and your daddy, I don�t know who�s giving
me the bigger ulcer,� she confessed. Patches purred again and closed her eyes
happily. Name wondered what Alexei would think about this. She had no doubt
that he would be angry about Relena and Sylvia, which made her
feel better. She was also positive that Alex would have adored Duo just as much
as she did. He would have backed her decision to take him in without alerting
the police. She wished, for Duo�s sake at least, that Alexei was still alive. A
positive father figure would do the boy a world of good, but right now, she was
the closest thing that he had for a parent and that was more than just a little
bit daunting. It was hard enough raising Heero with his problems, let alone Duo
who needed more care and affection than a normal child. She sighed again.

�� Well, enough moping for today. I
still have a little bit of cleaning to do,� she told Patches, who had fallen
back to sleep. Name chuckled. She hated to admit it, but the Calico was quickly
growing on her, just like her �master�. She hadn�t wanted to accept Duo,
either, at first, but when he had looked at her with those big violet eyes,
filled with terrible age, fear, and caution, he had wormed his way into her
heart, whether or not she had realized it at first.

�� She put Patches back into her bed and walked to the kitchen
to find Quatre there, looking confused and a little bit worried, brightening a
little when he saw her.

�� Name, have you seen Duo?� he asked. Her brow furrowed in
confusion, mirroring Quatre�s own expression.

�� I thought he was upstairs with you?�

�� Quatre blushed a little at the accusation.

�� Well, he was,�
he confessed, �but when we heard someone knock, he went down here to see who it
was. When he didn�t come back up, I came down to look for him, but Trowa and I
can�t seem to find him anywhere.�

�� Name paled as she quickly put two and two together. Duo had
probably heard what she and Noventa had been talking about. A normal person
wouldn�t have jumped to conclusions, they would be a little shocked, maybe hurt
by the secrecy, but they would have confronted her about it. However, Duo was
not normal by any means, everything he had, his welfare, his future, was riding
on her and Heero, not to mention that he was emotionally unstable at the best of times�

�� Fuck!� she swore, making Quatre flinch, the fear in her
eyes spreading to the blonde�s heart, though he wasn�t entirely sure why yet.

�� Why fuck?� Trowa asked as he entered the kitchen.

�� Name, who was here?� Quatre asked, paranoia accenting his
tone.

�� Charles Noventa,� Name managed to spit out even as she was
taking her cell phone out of her pocket and dialing Duo�s phone number. Quatre
and Trowa watched with bated breath as she closed the phone hard enough to
almost break it.

�� His phone�s off,� she snapped in irritation.

�� What is going on?� Trowa demanded.

�� Noventa came to talk to me about Heero�s engagement to
Sylvia. I turned him down and he stormed out. Now you two tell me that you
can�t find Duo��

�� Shit,� Trowa�s hands clenched, �You think he overheard?�

�� But even if he did hear that, you turned him down, so��
Quatre tried to reason, but his eyes were wide as he put the pieces together.

�� This is Duo we�re talking about,� Name said bitterly �I
doubt he stuck around long enough to hear the rest of it.�

�� She grabbed a pad of large sticky notes from one of the
drawers.

�� Are you sure he�s not here?� she asked quickly as she
wrote a hasty note to Heero. It was more out of habit as she had every
intention of calling Heero once she had some confirmation on her fears.

�� Trowa nodded.

�� Unless he�s found himself a damn good hiding place, he�s
gone,� he said with only a tiny bit of sarcasm. Name dug her car keys out of
her pocket.

�� We�re going,� she ordered, heading for the door leading to
the garage.

�� Uh, and where is it that we�re
going?� Quatre asked nervously, even as he and his boyfriend followed her.

�� When I figure that out you�ll be the first one I tell,�
Name snapped.

�� Duo made it five blocks before he realized that Toby was
following him. It would quickly be dark out in a few hours and there was,
thankfully, no one on the street except for him and the cat. He didn�t want to
talk to anyone or deal with people, he just wanted to
find a place that he knew, a place that he belonged. It was impossible, but he
was panicking. He felt so lost, with nowhere to turn. The threat of walking
around aimlessly in the dark was in the back of his mind, pushed back because
he simply didn�t care. There was a part of him that desperately wanted to find
Heero, the instinct to run to him whenever he was in trouble was so deeply
ingrained, but how could he when Heero was the reason why he was running away?

�� When Duo realized that his cat was stalking him, his first
idea was to simply keep walking, that Toby would get tired of following him and
run back to the house, but realized that Toby was just as stubborn as he was
and stopped and turned to look at the tom. He wondered how Toby had gotten out
of the house, but thinking of his home hurt. His home� that�s what it was, he
felt that more deeply than anything else, had felt that long before he had
started living there, so why was he
running away? But, his chest hurt and he felt like, the further he ran, the
better he could escape that pain. He had been trying to live in denial,
believing that everything was going to be alright, but it wasn�t. It wasn�t ever going to be ok, not for him. It
wasn�t Heero�s engagement, he was sure that Name wasn�t going to force him into
it and Heero wouldn�t go through with it, it was the intensity of his feelings
for him best friend, but knowing nothing would ever change. He loved Heero so much, it made his body burn just to think of him. It was his
fear of losing him, of losing all of the good things he now had, a constant
threat hanging over his head simply based on what had happened to him in the
past when he had tried to dream. He felt like he was constantly teetering on
the edges of his old and new life as he tried to forget the pains of his past
even as they constantly intruded on his present. He had nowhere that he
belonged. The Yuy house was his home, but at least in the past, he had felt
like he had had nothing to lose. Now, there was so much and if he lost it, he
didn�t want to keep going. Now that he knew how wonderful life could be, he
couldn�t go back to how things were. He was afraid, more than he had ever been
in his whole life, because things mattered now and it was like no matter how
hard he tried, he couldn�t keep a good grip on them. It was too much, he felt
overwhelmed. He reasoned that he had to get away, just for a little while, but
he already felt lonely and lost away from his family. Toby didn�t deserve this,
he thought. Just because he was such a fuck-up that he couldn�t be happy when
good things were staring him in the face, that didn�t mean that Toby had to
suffer for his stupidity. His cats were safe, they had
a good home and didn�t have any of this stupid emotional baggage bringing them
down.

�� Go home!� he snapped at the Javanese, �Go on, scat!�

�� Duo�s voice was sharp, loud, and commanding in the still
evening, but the cat only gave him a sharp, �no way in hell� look.
The tawny cat defiantly strode up to him and rubbed his head against Duo�s leg.
Duo kneeled down to look Toby in the eye and scratched his head.

�� Don�t you get it?� he murmured, �I�m no good. You
shouldn�t be following me around like this.�

�� Toby�s response was to briefly put his large paw on the
boy�s cheek and let out a gruff purr. Duo sighed and stood.

�� Fine, you stupid cat,� he said affectionately. As he
continued to walk, Toby walked by his side.

��

�� What do you mean he�s gone?!� Heero screamed into his cell
phone as he sat in the waiting room at the car dealership, �How the hell could
he be gone?! He has nowhere to go to!�

�� The only other people in the waiting room were a husband
and wife and their two young children. The adults watched him nervously, the
wife ushering the children out of the room as her husband glared at Heero for
his yelling, but Heero was ignorant to them, his anger cresting, fueled by
fear.

�� He had a life before us, Heero,� Name pointed out over the
phone, �He probably has hundreds of places to hide in, he�s used to living on
the streets. Just relax and try to remember if he told you about any place that
he could run to.�

�� I�m not going to fucking relax!� Heero exploded, making
the other man flinch, �He never told me where he used to live, just that it was
an apartment and I seriously doubt that he�s going back there! I have to go,�
he snarled, slamming the phone closed and shoving it into his pocket. He
slumped in the chair, covering his face with his hands, panic making his chest
feel heavy. If he had been alone, he would have started to cry. Why was this
happening? It was that hellish night all over again, running around looking for
Duo with no idea where he could have gone. A small voice in the back of his
mind pointed out that this time was different. Duo wasn�t tired or sick or hurt
or even hungry. He had a cell phone and a weapon. He could just have taken a
walk. He could be home at any second, but �could� wasn�t comforting to him at
all. Duo was out in the cold, lonely streets somewhere, all alone, with that
bastard, Wes, still looking for him. That thought was enough to almost drive
him insane. He wanted Duo here, now, in his arms and safe. Whatever reason Duo
had for running, they would figure it out together. All that mattered was
getting him home.

�� The husband sitting near Heero watched his turmoil with
worry.

�� Are you alright?� he asked cautiously. Heero glared at him
with such a vehement expression that the man felt like leaving immediately.
Heero felt his anger boil inside of him. He remembered Duo telling him that no
one cared. Some days, he would come to school with a broken arm and no one
would care. Hell no one would even notice.
These people, they didn�t care that Duo was a wonderful person that could
be hurt right now. No one cared about anyone. He and his family were the only
ones who knew about Duo�s past. They were the only ones that even cared that he
existed.

�� My best friend, who has post traumatic stress disorder,
has just gone missing and there�s a psychopath out there, right now, who would
be very happy to get his hands on him and hurt him! How do you think I feel?!� Heero snapped. The man�s eyes widened and he
paled.

�� I-I�m sorry,� he sputtered.

�� You should be,� Heero growled, getting to his feet and
storming out of the waiting room.

End Part 1
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The Road to Kindness