"A War Worth Fighting"

Written By: SkyLark

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters. I just love playing with them.

Pairings: Eventual 1x2

Warnings: Swearing, angst, violence, angst, torture, did I mention angst?

Betaed by ShenLong Deb *hugs*

Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm and
http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html

Rating: R

Summary: Duo is fighting in the second World War when he's captured by the enemy.

To view the pic by shiyasim that inspired this fic; click HERE

"A War Worth Fighting"

"If there is anything further that I can do to be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to let me know," Lady Une read aloud from the letter in her hand. Sitting on the couch across from her, Zechs and Dorothy were on the edge of the sofa in rapt attention.
 
Clearing her throat, the young woman concluded, "Signed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt." Gingerly, she folded the three filled pages of paper in her possession.

Her ice blue eyes wide, Dorothy breathed, "A hand-written letter from the President, himself. That was extremely kind of him to take the time to write that."
 
Zechs nodded, "Yes. He was quite taken by learning about Duo at the Senate's Christmas party last month. He was one of the very few sons of a politician that offered to enlist for the war effort. This was a very gracious offer from him."
 
Nodding, Lady Une tucked the letter back into the carefully opened envelope it had[added had] arrived in. "It just goes to show what kind of a man he is," she commented quietly. "He did everything he could to keep us out of the war. When our own were attacked, he certainly did not have any other choice but to get involved."
 
Memories of the Christmas party flooded her as she frowned, "I could tell by the look on the President's face as I was telling him about Duo that it was as if he felt responsible for his being missing. He truly does have a weight on his shoulders right now."
 
"Well," Zechs drew[said] with a smirk. "The way that events are shaping up in Europe right now, that may not be the case for much longer." Instantly, Lady Une and Dorothy snapped their heads and widened eyes towards him. Raising his hands to stop the barrage of questions that was about to come, the political sponsor grinned, "I have heard good news from the Senate this morning regarding the battle in the Ardennes."
 
The young maid sat upright, gasping, "Our forces won?" It was easy to see by Lady Une's face that she was hoping for the same news.
 
Chuckling deeply, Zechs replied, "As of yesterday, the twenty-fifth of January, a message of a clear victory was sent to the White House." Both young woman rose to their feet laughing as they embraced tightly, jumping around as though they were both teenagers.
 
Quickly regaining her composure, the lady of the house cleared her throat and brushed down the front of her long, brown skirt to appear a bit more dignified. Turning to face her amused lover, she smiled, "That's wonderful news."
 
Slowly rising to his feet, the sponsor snickered and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Yes it is," he nodded firmly. The grin of his face slipped as he sighed, "But not without its price, of course. We are still receiving the numbers of casualties as they are found, but so far we are looking at over eighty thousand soldiers killed or missing."
 
Bowing her head with a saddened look, Dorothy made the sign of the cross in a silent reverence for those lost. Lady Une's eyes closed as she turned her head away from her lover so the figure could sink in.
 
It was well known that nothing in war, especially a victory, came without cost. But that still did not make it any easier to learn of so many that had given the ultimate sacrifice. This particular, staggering figure was much higher than any of the other battles the Americans had faced.
 
"The Germans faced even greater losses than that," Zechs went on. "The fact that they needed to save what they could was the only reason they retreated back within their borders. To be defeated in the midst of one of their winters will undoubtedly be a huge blow to their morale."
 
Shaking his head of long blond hair, his smile returned as the young women looked to him once more. "It is too early to really say," he began, "but I believe that it is within reason to believe that the war in Europe will belong to the Allies soon. There will be resistance other obstacles to come, of course, but this was a huge win. Those that were lost would not have died in vain."
 
At least there was that.
 
Dorothy spoke up to question, "Any idea now on how long before Germany's border will be crossed?"
 
With a deep breath in[and] wishing that he could give a better answer, Zechs replied simply, "Soon. It will be a slow, but sure progression. Right now, the Soviets are in Germany's neighbor- Poland. They have nearly taken over its city of Auschwitz. Once we have more from that advancement, the officials in charge over there will be able to act accordingly as to the best way of bringing Germany down."
 
Lady Une nodded to herself at that. Much as she had hoped for a more clear idea to when the strike would begin, she knew that these things took time. Better to take a careful approach, regardless of how good things were shaping up.
 
Once Germany did fall, the focus would fall on Japan. Without friends on their side to turn to when that happened, one could only think that the Japanese government would do the wise thing and surrender.
 
If they did not... God help the people there.
 
* * * *
 
January 27, 1945.
 
In the city of Auschwitz, many a Soviet soldier stood before the barbed wire gates of a closed off city. Behind those lines, dozens of men and women stood with ragged clothes hanging from their skeletal frames. [1]
 
Sunken eyes looked out at the liberators in shock and disbelief at what they were seeing.
 
Equally stunned, the troops stood frozen at what their wide eyes beheld.
 
Instantly coming out of his stupor, the Soviet commander at the front looked back to his men over his shoulder and cried in their tongue, "Get those gates open! Now!"
 
* * * *
 
The travel was slow. He had expected that much.
 
Being a well-known confidant to the Germans, Treize was not about to make himself known to anyone who may be looking for him since his disappearance. No doubt any and every soldier knew who he was and that he was to be brought back in.
 
After quietly and carefully going from place-to-place, he had finally snuck across the border into the newly liberated Poland.
 
Here, Treize could breathe and rest easier, even if he was surrounded by enemies.
 
Everywhere he turned, there were Russian soldiers nodding and waving as he passed. Unaware of his influence in the war, not a one had a clue to who they were being so kind toward.
 
Years of Treize's learning other languages came into use. Poland was a place where a made up story of hardship from the war earned him a free room in a hotel and a hot meal.
 
This was a place where he could move about freely, easily having the assistance of a person driving by for a lift to the next town. Little by little, he was making his way across the lovely country spare for the areas that were still rebuilding after their German occupation.
 
Surely by now, Auschwitz would have been liberated and Hitler's mad decree of the extermination of Jews would be worldly known. Now was certainly not the time to be associated with the man.
 
More than pleased with the timing of his successful escape, Treize looked forward to reaching a secured location where he could contact the Japanese emperor.
 
Knowing the pride in the culture there, he was more than certain that there would never be a surrender- even if they were the last Axis power standing. He could work his magic there, earning quite a lump sum of money and other benefits for his assistance.
 
Then, when the Allies were knocking on Japan's doorstep, he would simply disappear again.
 
Lying on the soft bed that he'd managed to talk his way into that evening, Treize smirked to himself.
 
Yes... Life was good.
 
* * * *

Duo moaned deeply into Heero's mouth as they sank onto the couch. Breaking the kiss, the sergeant straddled the waist below him and tugged at the hem of his soon-to-be-lover’s gray sweater. “Off,” he growled.

Obediently, the private sat up as much as he could to remove the offending top. When he was finished, he reached up to help remove the long-sleeved shirt from the other soldier.

Just then, the sound of a slam froze the pair in place before Heero could completely remove his own sweater. Turning to the door that had been forced open, their eyes widened at the sight of a man in shadow standing there.

“Good,” a deep voice chuckled from the mysterious intruder. “You were good enough to get him ready for me.” Stalking towards the couch, he leered, “I will take over from here.”

Suddenly realizing who the man approaching was, Yuy paled. Rushing to readjust his blue sweater, he all scrambled off of Duo and moved into a far corner with his head bowed. Panic-stricken, the private looked to the officer, crying, “Heero?”

Biting his lip, the sergeant shook his head with tears in his eyes. That dark shadow lowered itself onto the trembling prisoner and began to work away the belt on his jeans. Crying out, Duo struggled to fight his attacker off, only to be held down.

His face wet with tears, Maxwell turned to face to his friend as he shouted desperately, “Heero! Help me! Please!” As the jeans were ripped away, the shadow laughed over their screams of his prey.

Unable to watch any longer, Heero spun to face the wall as his fingers clutched his hair, closing his damp eyes tightly as a shrill cry from his friend pierced his ears.
 
Screaming, Heero sat upright in bed panting and sweating. His wide, cobalt eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim moonlight peering through the window.
 
Nearly jumping out of his skin when a hand fell on his arm, the sergeant spun to find an alert and worried Duo beside him. Pushing himself up, the private asked quietly, "Ro? You okay?"
 
The automatic response from Heero was a violent shaking of his head back and forth. What he had dreamed was too real to just shake off in an instant.
 
All that he could envision was that horrific vision of his friend being held down as his clothes were ripped from him. All he could hear was that deep laughter that rose over Duo’s cries while pleading to him for help.
 
When a pair of strong arms wrapped around the officer, he nearly jerked away. Firmly held in place, he gave in after a brief struggle when he realized who was pulling him close. Stifling a sob, he buried his head in a strong shoulder.

Gently rocking the other soldier, Duo ran a soothing hand through his wet locks as Heero’s breathing finally calmed. Whispering reassurances, he bent his braided head to lightly kiss the damp shoulder under his chin.

To say that he was a bit unnerved at the sergeant's state was an understatement.
 
"It was just a nightmare," the private whispered along with other reassurances.
 
'Nightmare,' the word repeated in Heero's mind. The last of his frightened daze faded and he raised his head. Despite the tears that ran from his eyes, he cupped the other youth's face and whispered worriedly, "Are you all right?"
 
Duo felt the lump form in his throat at the realization that the dream involved something happening to him. Given their situation, he could imagine what that 'something' was by his companion's reaction. Tentatively reaching up to dry the officer's face, he reassured quietly, "I'm fine."
 
Taking a deep breath, Heero nodded and pulled away. Rising onto shaky legs, he moved for the door with his concerned friend right behind. On their way to the kitchen, Duo asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
 
His head shaking, the sergeant removed a glass from the cabinet and headed right for the sink. Filling the cup to the rim with water, he finished it in a few gulps and repeated the action once more. All the while, the private sat back and chewed on the inside of his lip to hold his tongue.
 
Lightly panting when he was[remove] finished his second drink, Heero turned the running faucet off and lowered the glass into the sink basin. When he straightened and turned to face his braided companion, he went on his instinct and need by closing the distance between them without warning for a heated kiss.
 
Nearly collapsing when his knees went weak, Duo clutched onto the officer for balance and returned the exchange in kind. Only during that exchange could he feel the tension in his friend's body ease away. Once they came up for air, the cobalt eyes on him no longer held panic or doubt as they drank him in.
 
Still a bit unsteady on his own feet, the American grinned through his rushed breath, "Better?" Not willing to trust his voice quite yet, the Japanese soldier nodded.
 
Taking a hand into his own, Heero led the way into the living room while grabbing a spare blanket from the closet on the way. He already knew that he did not trust falling back to sleep in that bed after that vivid dream. Once he reached the couch, he sat so that his legs stretched along the cushions and his head fell back on the arm rest.
 
Never asking or protesting, Duo allowed himself to be pulled down onto the sergeant's lap and stretched himself out so he could rest his head on a waiting shoulder. Almost instantly, he had to fight his heavy eyelids from closing. Rest could not come until he knew that everything was all right... until he knew that Heero was all right.
 
Pulling the blanket over them, the sergeant just held the braided soldier tightly and said softly, "I need to keep watch for a while. You rest."
 
"'K," the private muttered as his eyes closed. "'Night, 'Ro." Sighing, he curled up as close as he could and allowed himself to drift off.
 
At the feeling of the chest over him rising and falling evenly, Heero turned his head to place a soft kiss on his friend's temple. Staring at the ceiling, he silently wondered once more how the hell everything about this supposedly easy mission became so complicated.
 
Once more, he had to will away the images and sounds from that nightmare that was much more than simply a nightmare. It was a foretelling of what was to come.
 
Someone that neither of them actually knew was coming to pull them apart. That someone was going to hurt Duo in every way he knew how.... And Heero was going to allow that someone to get away with it.
 
Heero's whole body shuddered at the thought and his arms tightened even more around his friend. Was this something he was really willing to let go of so easily? How could he allow another person to be used and harmed in such a way? What was truly more important- his duty or his morals?
 
Of course, the answers were not as easy as he wished they were.
 
For now, he still had time with Duo. There had yet to be any word of Treize arriving any time soon. He could still pretend that there was nothing wrong as they stayed in this blissful existence away from everything. Settling on that notion, his cobalt eyes finally closed.
 
...There was still time.
 
* * * *
 
Neither Heero nor Duo discussed the nightmare the following morning. The sergeant woke to find his friend watching him sleep and received a chaste kiss good morning. After a simple 'Are you all right?' and an affirmative response, they headed to the kitchen and prepared breakfast together.
 
"So what's on the cards today?" the private asked as he drowned his stack of pancakes in syrup. "We could always go for another round of sledding with those trays that we found."
 
With a shrug, Heero filled his fork and replied, "I don't see why not." As far as he was concerned, anything sounded like a good idea if he could keep his mind from drifting back to that nightmare.
 
It was difficult to meet his friend in the eye without hearing his voice letting out those piercing screams for help. Dream or not, he still felt guilty for the way he had abandoned the only person he came to care for in such a way.
 
Suddenly, the telephone in the living room came to life with a loud ring that had the pair nearly jumping from their chairs. Wide-eyed, the soldiers looked from the next room to each other.
 
Quickly rising to his feet, Heero hurried to pick up the receiver and placed it to his ear. Slipping back into his native tongue, he greeted, "This is First Sergeant Yuy."
 
"Hello, son," the voice of the Major replied over the line.
 
Right away, the officer knew that something was wrong judging by the tone of the old man's voice. Bracing himself, he took a deep breath and responded, "Yes, sir. What news do you have?"
 
Without dancing around the topic, the old man answered with a sigh, "There has been a great turn in the war. Germany will fall before summer arrives. And our Emperor has already made it known that when that happens, we will be waiting for the Allies when they turn their attention on us."
 
Skin paling, Heero's mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his shaky voice. "W-what? But he must know that-" He cut himself off right away. To argue against the Emperor's decision was a treasonous act... no matter how foolish his decision was.
 
Letting the little slip go, the Sergeant Major advised, "But there is a bit of good news for you, Heero. Treize Khushrenada made contact with us this morning. He managed to break away from Germany to come here as an aide."
 
His heard racing, the sergeant's hand tightened around the receiver as his cobalt eyes widened further. "He is about five days out of being able to have us collect him from Europe," his superior continued.
 
Days. Five *days*.
 
Stunned, Heero nearly dropped the receiver as his back straightened rigidly. Looking over his shoulder, he found Duo standing in the living room doorway with a concerned look on his face.
 
"Heero!" he heard shrieked in his mind as he stared into that violet gaze. "Help me! Please!"
 
Unable to meet those violet eyes any longer, the officer turned his away from him... just as he had in that nightmare.
 
They were supposed to have so much more time.
 
Now that time was up.

TBC

[1] This is a good website devoted to Auschwitz, the largest and most famous of the death camps: http://www.auschwitz.dk/Auschwitz.htm 

 

chapter 21

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