Part 14
Heero woke first. He sat up automatically, and gasped when his arm resisted. He bit back tears. He hadn't actually cried since... Heero shook his head. This was neither the time or the place to think about it.
Duo woke as his arm was jerked up. He glanced at Heero through slitted violet eyes. "Oh, you're still here," he said, sitting up. He gingerly prodded his swollen leg. Heero glared at him.
"Where was I supposed to go? I'm stuck here..." Heero pointed out. Duo glared at him.
"I don't know, back to the rest of your townie kin, to hell, whatever works," Duo said. He sighed and shook some more dust out of his braid. Heero grabbed the braid and gave it a sharp tug. Duo snarled and flailed out by reflex, hitting Heero in the shoulder. Heero's eyes grew wide and hit back, crunching Duo in the solar plexus before they both gasped and passed out, again.
They woke at dusk, that same day. Neither one would speak to each other as they shivered in the cold. Heero dragged Duo up, looking for any spare wood around the cave. Heero found a few pathetic weeds and that was it. Duo growled at him and sat down, forcing him to sit down too.
"What, you expected there to be trees here? It's a desert, for Shinigami's sake!" Duo said with as much contempt as he could muster. Heero glared at him.
"Shut up. And who is Shinigami?" Heero demanded. Duo remained firmly silent. Heero waited and finally prodded Duo in the side. "Hey! Aren't you going to answer my question?" Duo pressed his lips firmly shut. "Answer me, damnit!"
Duo glared at him. "You told me to shut up. I did. Make up your mind townie..." Duo grumbled. Heero glared back.
"I want to know who this Shinigami is, bandit," Heero gritted out.
"Shinigami is the God of Death. And I have a name, you know..." Duo said, glaring at Heero.
"Hn. So do I," Heero said. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.
"Duo Maxwell," Duo said after a while, studying the cave wall with much fascination.
"Heero Yuy," Heero said in return, drawing in the dirt on the cave floor. Duo attempted a slight smile in Heero's direction. Heero started to smile back, then caught himself and glared at Duo. Duo blinked in surprise and glared back, forcing down his hurt feelings. He's just a townie. And a townie sheriff to boot. What am I, nuts? Duo lay down on the ground, careful of his leg and curled up on his side, bringing his hands together under his head.
Heero was thrown off by this and his arm ended up around Duo, and he rested on his stomach, eyes next to the coil of Duo's braided hair. After being sure that Duo would never see him, he smiled gently and slowly touched Duo's braid with his other hand. He shook himself and went to sleep.
Duo mumbled and Heero froze. Duo whispered something and Heero crept closer to him, listening.
"Solo..." Duo whispered. "Solo... no..."
TBC...