"A War Worth Fighting"

Written By: SkyLark

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundman 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"

Considering the rate that things were moving with the rebuilding of Kalavryta, it would be a fully functional city once more by Spring. It had been one of the most fulfilling experiences that the soldiers of the Indian 4th Infantry had ever experienced. From the ashes, they were able to bring a town back to life amidst the death and destruction around them.

Along with the rebuilding, there was the occasional switch of duty to protect Greece’s borders with the other Allies guarding the country. Working in shifts between who stayed and who went for a couple of weeks on end at a time, the infantry began to find a normal routine.

Tired and hungry upon his return from his latest two-week visit to the borders, Quatre smiled when he spotted his familiar haven just a few feet across the field he and his team were walking through.

It had taken quite a bit of time and effort, but Saint Peter’s Church was brought to its full glory prior to fall of Greece before the worst of winter hit-much to the relief of the Indian soldiers stationed there. Night was falling on yet another bitter night as the lights within the closed facility made the glass windows glow.

Sighing deeply, the Arab led the way to the building through the light coating of snow on the ground. As soon as he entered, his smile grew when he spotted the familiar faces of his comrades that had stayed behind. Seated around the church in the various pews and on the floor, the men talked and laughed amongst one another to make quite the scene of Indian soldiers inside a church.

Not a one of those men paid any mind over the Catholic symbols or glass windows around them as they had already come to respect and honor another religion. Quarter had reminded them that prayers all went to the same place in the end, regardless of the name of the Supreme Being. And that was how his ‘brothers’ all came to feel.

A brief moment passed before those troops gathered around looked up to find their returned ‘family’ in the doorway. Cheering, they greeted them with one-armed embraces and pats on the back. Hari was the first to greet his Arab friend and slapped his arm. “Good to have you back, little brother,” he grinned widely. “How were things at the borders?”

“Quiet,” the blonde soldier sighed in his comrades’ language. “Which one can never complain about.” His tall friend snorted and nodded in agreement over that. ‘Quiet’ was a very nice thing for a soldier to experience in a time of war.

Looking up from her place amongst her neighbors as they sat on the floor near the front of the church, Isis gasped and beamed, “Quatre!” At hearing his name, the Arab smiled brightly when he spotted the ‘little mother’ they all came to know and care for running for him.

With his arms wide, he accepted and returned the tight embrace she offered. “I am so glad you are back safely,” she greeted. Kissing his cheek, she turned to the others returned and greeted them the same while speaking in their language that she had come to pick up quite a bit of during the soldiers’ stay in Kalavryta.

Not long after they became acquainted, Isis took the time to sit and learn the language so that a translator would not be needed. It was yet another reason the soldiers came to respect and appreciate her presence amongst them. And they, in turn, came to learn Greek as well. 
 
Rubbing her hands together, the young woman grinned, "I will have some food prepared for all of you. For now, just sit and rest. You all look tired." In a rush, she hurried off along with her neighbors for the basement where a kitchen was set up.
 
More than happy to get off his feet, Quatre sat on one of the pews along with his friends where they caught up. As it turned out, there were more stories to be shared by those troops that stayed in the city than by those who had very little to do at the borders. It was just as it should have been as it was a step towards normalcy in the world again.
 
Hot food was soon passed along and enjoyed as the conversations continued until late into the night when everyone decided to rest themselves for the evening.
 
Unable to sleep right away despite how tired he was, the Arab soldier just lay on the floor on his back with his arms folded behind his head. Staring at the ceiling lit by the dim, natural light that peered through the windows, he sighed and banished the images that continued to haunt him since his first days of battle.
 
Those visions continued to be fended off until the first bright beams of sunlight peered over the horizon to brighten the church. Frowning deeply at being unable to get any rest, Quatre pushed himself up and carefully stepped over his sleeping 'brothers' to reach the front doors of the building. As he buttoned up his coat and strapped a rifle over his shoulder, he stepped outside to watch the sunrise.
 
A chill lingered in the air, but the lack of so much as a breeze made it tolerable as the soldier sat himself on the top step. Looking to the glowing horizon, he breathed slowly in and out as he began a quiet mediation and silent prayer.
 
When the sun was the same height as his line of sight, Quatre shielded a hand over his eyes and blinked a few times. The moment he did, he froze with a sharp gasp at finding three figures moving towards the church. While it was not uncommon for people to be coming to and from the area, it was the direction that they were coming from that startled him.
 
There was nothing to be found in the direction they were coming from. The only place in that direction were the ruins of the Jewish town that he'd seen, and no one had been back there since their gruesome discovery.
 
Ever careful, Quatre kept a hand on the rifle at his waist as he descended the stairs to greet the approaching trio. When they neared, his skin paled and the hairs on his neck stood on end at the sight of their sunken faces that old of an unspeakable horror.
 
The first of the three men suddenly fell forward and was caught by the Arab just in time before he hit the ground. Carefully helping the man to his feet, Quatre urged the other two in their tongue, "This way." Stunned, the men blinked in shock to the soldier and willingly followed him to the church while assisting the weakest of their small group.
 
As soon as they stepped inside, Quatre called to his stirring comrades and friends, "We need help here!" Instantly, everyone that was awake turned to face the lot in the entrance way. Those that were not already awake soon were as they got their bearings and did the same.
 
From the front of the Saint Peter's, Isis slowly rose to her feet. Brown eyes wide, she breathed, "Simon?" Watching the blonde soldier aid the middle-aged man to sit on the closest pew, she cried, "Simon!" Her neighbors yelled their missing friend's name in kind as they ran for him.
 
Only when they were close enough to the warmly clothed trio did the young woman suddenly recognize the faces of the others. Her trembling hands reaching the first standing young man as she whispered in shock, "Nikon." She then moved and did the same to the second, whimpering, "Kyros." And lastly she moved to the oldest of the three that had taken a seat. "Simon."
 
Shaking her head, Isis looked to the stricken and thin faces. "My God, I was afraid that we would never see you again," she said in little more than a breath.
 
Tightly squeezing her hands in his own, Simon smiled sadly, "For a time, I thought that we would never see you again, either, my dear." Tears filled his brown eyes as he frowned, "We spent the night in the remains of our homes. We... we had to see it for ourselves."
 
Quatre slowly sat himself on the floor and asked quietly, "You were from there, then? You were taken by the Germans during their occupation here?" The three nodded solemnly. Eyes widening, he asked in a rush, "What on earth happened to all of you?"
 
Nikon, the tallest and youngest, lowered the pack hanging from his shoulder and he answered simply, "Hell. Hell is what happened to all of us." Simply the way that he spoke those words in that haunted tone was enough run a chill up the spine of all listening. It was enough to keep anyone from pressing for more information.
 
"There are others that will be returning as soon as they are well enough to travel," Kyros stated. Biting his lip, he added, "Though, I am afraid that there is little more than a handful that survived the stay at Auschwitz."
 
Blinking in surprise, Hari looked to his confused brothers that were having a hard time understanding and translated simply, "They have returned from a camp in Auschwitz, Poland, where the Germans were holding them and the other Jews that they captured." Their own eyes widening, the soldiers turned their wide eyes on the three men.
 
Isis knelt on the floor beside Quatre and requested, "Simon, can you tell us what happened out there? We have not heard anything of what happened to you and the other Jewish members of Greece that had been sent off. Is... is it truly as bad as the rumors say?"
 
Simon's eyes clouded over as the dark thoughts of his experiences seeped in. "Worse," he whispered. "Whatever you have heard, it is far worse than anyone can imagine." Turning to the younger men as they took their place on the floor, he silently asked them to go on. Hari leaned close in anticipation and to act as translator for his comrades. 
 
Reluctant at first, Nikon took a deep breath. "It all began, at first, with the wearing of stars on our clothes in our city so that we stood out," he began with a distant voice. "What happened from there... after the city was destroyed... I honestly have a hard time believing that it actually took place. For months, we had been living and walking through a nightmare."
 
Gripped by the retelling of the barbaric way the Jews from Greece had been crammed into the box cars of trains and the arrival at Auschwitz, the troops and neighbors alike listened with wide eyes and pale faces. Stories of the gas chambers that had been once used as shower rooms, mass shootings, brutal treatment and beatings echoed through the still church.
 
Many of those listening left the group to empty the contents of their stomachs or to simply be alone to deal with the reality that had been the prisoners' existence. There was not a dry eye or an unsympathetic expression to be found amongst those that forced themselves to hear it all.
 
When Nikon could not continue, Kyros went on with what he had witnessed, every bit as horrific as his friend's experience. Finally, Simon concluded with how the Russians liberated and cared for them until they were well enough to journey home.
 
A long silence loomed as everyone sat close together, just the thought of thousands... millions of people brutally massacred without any regard sinking in. What was left unsaid amongst everyone was that they knew there had to be many other camps like Auschwitz throughout Europe where similar heinous acts were being committed.
 
 "That is far worse than any rumor I have heard," Isis muttered. Unable to trust her voice further, and not knowing what to say, she lifted herself to embrace Simon tightly. Shaking, the man sobbed and held onto her. Other women from the town moved forward offer their own hugs to Nikon and Kyros.
 
Several soldiers soon followed to squeeze the survivors' shoulders and offer what support they could.
 
His own face doused in tears, Quatre rose onto wobbly legs and quickly stepped outside. Once he moved past the step leading into the church, he let out the sharp sob that he had been holding back and whimpered, "Oh, Allah, how could you let this happen?"
 
Raising his hands, the blonde soldier dried his face just as the door behind him opened. At the sound of footsteps approaching, he found Captain Chetan watching him. "One such as yourself should never know of tragedies like this," he frowned sadly. "The world needs people like you who find the good in everything."
 
"It is quite hard to find any good in this," Quatre sighed as he brushed away the last of his tears. "Nothing good can be found in such a cruel thing as to wipe out an entire people without regret."
 
The Captain took a deep breath and suggested, "Perhaps try and see the good in the fact that there were those who survived... that the villains responsible were not able to succeed in their wish to destroy them all."
 
With a small smile, he shrugged, "And find the good in that now we have proof that the war in this country will end with the Russians and Americans moving in on Germany."
 
 Blinking his widening eyes at that, Quatre nodded with a quiet, "Yes. Yes, of course there is good to be found in that." He swallowed roughly past a lump in his throat before whispering, "Thank you, sir."
 
"Just do not lose who you are," the tall man responded. "As I said, we need people like you in the world. Not many will be able to see the good in any of this. Kind hearts like yours will be the ones that bring the world back when the war is over."
 
Moved by that, the Arab's jaw fell slack for a moment. Unable to find anything to say in response, he lowered his head in an appreciative bow. When he lifted it back up, his commander was already stepping back into the church.
 
Against the chill, Quatre wrapped his arms around himself and turned to the horizon to meditate quietly once more.

* * * *

There was an ideal cave high in the mountain range that Heero and Duo called their home. Back far enough, they were able to have a fire going to keep the nook warm while not calling attention to their location to anyone below. The small plumes of smoke trailed off into almost nothing when they passed through the opening.

Using a large bowl they had taken from the flat’s pantry, they melted snow and warmed for water for a crude but effective way to clean themselves and their clothes when the need arose. All in all, the whole living arrangements were ordeal as a hideout where they could pass the days.

One of the few novelties that the sergeant held onto of his belongings was a deck of playing cards to keep them occupied when they were not out looking for food and fresh snow. Yet somehow, between that and their conversations, it was more than enough for the both of them.

Days of being secluded from anyone else in the world also made things a bit… tense between them from time to time. This was one of those particular nights when that happened to be the case.

Seated across from their small fire Duo lowered the cards in his hand, and grinned widely, “Full house. You’re going to have to try better to cover your bluffs, Blue Eyes. I’m starting to read you like a book.”

Heero took up the cards and began to shuffle them as he snorted, “We have nothing better to do in here than study each other, baka. If we can’t read each other by now, something is terribly wrong.”

“True,” the private snickered. When his friend rose, his violet eyes followed the officer’s tight rear. One thing Duo certainly enjoyed was how a simple pair of tight jeans accentuated Yuy’s best… attributes.

Weeks of simply kissing and cuddling were slowly but surely becoming not enough to ebb the raging hormones that were taking over the braided soldier’s every thought when he was with his companion. Inwardly groaning, he shifted himself to readjust his hardening length.

Suddenly deciding that he was tired of dancing around yet another topic with the sergeant, Duo rose to his own feet and crossed the cave to where Heero was standing at the entrance to watch the sunset. Licking his lips, he asked in a low and sultry voice, “Maybe we should take our studying to the next level.”

Cobalt eyes wide, the officer turned just in time to have his lips taken in a fierce kiss. Allowing himself to sink into his own need, he closed his eyes and returned the exchange with just as much fervor. Just as their last night in the flat, hands moved under clothing and played over forbidden territory.

Gasping sharply when they pulled apart for air, Heero stared into the fiery violet gaze boring into his eyes. And in that gaze there was no question what his friend wanted. Once he was honest with himself, the sergeant knew that he wanted the same thing. “Duo,” he panted when their stiff members were pressed together. “Are you sure about this? Because once we start, I won’t be able to stop.”

A wicked smirk tugged the private’s lips as he answered, “You better not.” It was the only warning he gave before capturing his partner’s lips once more.

In moments, clothes were removed and lowered to serve as a soft padding for Duo to lie on as Heero moved between his thighs. Grabbing the hair tie, the officer removed it and unraveled the braid until every silken strand was free.

With a chuckle, the American asked, “Like the hair, I see? ” He was answered with another deep kiss when the sergeant lowered himself onto him.

Taking their time and carefully working their way up to Heero pushing himself into Duo’s willing entrance, the pair cried out at their initial joining. In that instant, there was nothing else in the world but the two of them. There was no war. There was no fear. Nothing mattered but the person they were with.

Easing into a steady pace, their bodies burning, they found their way and came together with another shared yell.

Heavily falling onto his lover, the officer echoed Duo’s heavy pants for air. “My God…” he breathed. “That was… I never…”

Unable to help the wide smile on his face, the private held onto his partner and replied with a whispered, “Yes.” Really, there were no words for them to describe what had just happened between them.

After lovingly cleaning the other soldier and himself, Heero settled himself down while pulling a blanket over them. Pulling the American close, he kissed the top of his head and ran a hand through his long hair.

Contently sighing, Duo nuzzled himself against his partner while resting his head on a firm shoulder. His violet eyes closing, his purred as the hand continued to run through his locks. As far as he was concerned, the world could have stopped spinning at that moment if it meant he would never have to leave those arms.

In little more than a whisper, the officer requested, “Tell me more about Montana.”

His smile growing, the private opened his eyes to meet the cobalt eyes watching him. “Sure,” he replied just as softly.

Then again, he thought to himself, the world could keep spinning. So long as it meant they would still be together in the end.

TBC

 

chapter 26

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