" Fragile Faith "

Fragile Faith: Chapter 34 - Unwritten Futures

~~~Winner Memorial Hospital, Intensive Care Unit, Room 102~~~

“…And then Heero said that because he was her fiancé… you could never be with him anymore…” Lady Une continued, occasionally sniffling. Duo’s tears continued to stream down his face, having long since escaped the confines of his eyes. Catherine held a tissue against her mouth and the others tried to keep the emotion inside as they listened to every word. When she finished, the air was heavy with sorrow and Duo remained silent. Dr. Po once again motioned for everyone to leave the room, but this time they all did so willingly.

“Here Duo,” Catherine said quietly. Duo looked up at the plushie she held in her hand. It was the one of him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, smiling slightly. She handed him her packet of tissues before turning to leave. When he was alone, he glanced at Heero.

“Heero…” he called softly, reaching out to gently caress his cheek.

“I’m here now. Please wake up Heero… Wake up…” he pleaded.

“Let me make it up to you…” Duo laid his head next to Heero’s, staring at him for a moment longer before exhaustion took him into a deep slumber… so deep that he didn’t notice nor awaken when fingers that weren’t his own moved slightly.

~~~Winner Memorial Hospital, Recovery Room 102~~~

“Duo, come on. You must get ready for the ceremony tomorrow,” Quatre told the braided teen. He looked sadly at Duo who was still sitting in the exact same spot next to the hospital bed. Ever since Duo had come to the hospital six days earlier, he'd rarely left that spot for very long. No amount of begging would convince him to leave for the night, so Duo would sleep by merely leaning forward on the chair and resting his head on the pillow that Heero's was on. Signs of fatigue were evident in the dark circles under his eyes. Dr. Winner and Dr. Po both bought food for him and insisted that he eat unless he wanted to worry Heero when he awoke. At least his health hadn’t gone down because of this.

“Duo…” The American continued his silent vigilance over the unconscious teen. Quatre sighed and motioned another person in.

“Duo.” This time, Duo looked up to see Lady Une with a concerned expression on her face.

“Duo, I know you mean well. I know that if I was in your place, I would be right where you are now,” she said, gesturing to the seat he was occupying.

“However, graduation is important and you must be there. If not for your sake… do it for Heero’s. Tomorrow… once you graduate and turn eighteen, you can be with Heero for as long as time will let you. I have all the paperwork drawn up already so…” She walked up and placed her hand on Duo’s shoulder.

“Go home Duo. Prepare for tomorrow and I’ll look after him. I promise I’ll call if anything happens.” Duo glanced back at Heero once last time before reluctantly agreeing.

“If *anything* happens, please let me know immediately.” Lady Une nodded and Duo left with Quatre.

That night, he wasn’t able to sleep… not because of anxiety like everyone else but because of worry.

~~~White Fang University, Graduation Ceremony~~~

It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze, making the air comfortable for the hundreds of graduates in their formal attire hidden underneath caps and gowns. They were all conversing excitedly as the ceremony was about to begin. However, Duo was standing in his own cap and gown away from the crowd, talking anxiously into his cell 'phone.

//Sorry Duo, nothing has happened. He’s still sleeping peacefully.// Lady Une tried to assure the braided teen.

“Remember Lady Une, you can call me anytime during the ceremony if anything happens. I have it on vibrate so it won’t interrupt anyone.” Duo looked up and realized that the ceremony was starting.

“I have to go. Remember call me anytime.”

//I'll remember Duo. Just enjoy your graduation ceremony okay? And… congratulations.//

“Thank you,” he said before snapping the 'phone shut.

~~~Later in the ceremony~~~

Duo touched his cell phone that was in his pants pocket as diplomas were being distributed. It still hadn’t rung. He closed his eyes, wishing desperately that it would.

~~~Winner Memorial Hospital, Recovery Room 102~~~

Lady Une glanced over at Heero again. He still hadn’t awoken. Dr. Po had been in earlier to check on his progress and to remove the bandages around his head. She had said that he was recovering at an impressive rate but it still might take a few more days until he woke up.

Lady Une sighed and continued looking after the still unconscious teen.

~~~White Fang University, Graduation Ceremony~~~

“YEAH!!!”

A cheer erupted from the graduates as they all tossed their caps up. The ceremony was over and with tears in their eyes, they turned to embrace their friends. Only Duo, seated on one of the chairs, didn’t join in. Quatre, Trowa, Dorothy, and Catherine who were standing around him also didn’t join in.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s fine,” Quatre said, patting Duo’s shoulder.

“But Dr. Po said he’d wake up in a few days,” Duo uttered quietly.

”Heero needs to recover at his own pace. You can’t rush something like this,” Dorothy put in.

“That’s right. Be patient Duo. I’m sure that Heero will wake up soon,” Catherine added.

“We’ll all go visit him after this. How’s that?” Quatre entreated. Duo just nodded. Even though it was graduation day, the others couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate anything, not even Duo’s 18th birthday because the braided boy was so dejected. It affected all of them and nothing they did could make him feel better. Only a certain Japanese teen could do that.

It was then that Trowa’s eyes widened and a smile formed on his lips. He gently nudged Quatre who looked up at Trowa. Tilting his head slightly to the side, Quatre’s gaze followed what Trowa was indicating at and he focused on something in the distance. Opening his mouth in happiness, he tugged on Dorothy’s gown while Trowa caught Catherine’s attention. Both girls held their hands up to their mouths as joy surged through them all.

“D…Duo…” Catherine was the first to speak. Duo kept his head lowered. It was only when her hand grasped his gown did he look up. He saw that all four of them was staring at something and he turned his eyes to see…

His heart seemed to stop at that moment. There he could see Lady Une smiling but next to her was… Duo slowly got up.

‘I… I must be dreaming…’ He took one step forward. Lady Une had her hands on the shoulders of a slightly pale teen with messy brown hair. Cobalt blue eyes were focused on him and a small smile was on those pink lips before they moved.

“Duo.”

That was all it took. Duo broke out into a run, his cap whipped from his head in the wind to land on the grass among the others. It seemed like an eternity and Duo’s heart and lungs were about to burst from the joy he felt.

“Heero!” he sobbed out when he finally wrapped his arms around the Japanese teen. He held him close… held him tightly… not wanting to let go.

“Duo…” Heero’s voice wavered as tears sprang into his eyes. He returned the embrace with equal passion. He felt Duo around him again, a feeling that he'd missed so much.

“Onegai… Don’t let me go…”

“Never… never again, Heero.” Heero smiled as he burrowed into Duo’s neck. Before he had the chance to savor the warmth, he was pushed away and Duo claimed his lips with his own. He wrapped his arms around the braided teen’s neck as he felt arms wrap around his waist. When they parted, they looked at each other and smiled through their tears before embracing again.

Lady Une made her way to the others, who were smiling, crying, or both.

“He just woke up about half an hour ago and I was afraid we wouldn’t make it in time,” Lady Une whispered.

“We’re… so glad you did,” Catherine said in a choked voice. The others nodded as they glanced back to Heero and Duo, thinking that this was the best present that Duo could ever have… being with the person he loved most.

Owari