THIS PART IS DEDICATED TO ODIE-CHAN, FOR HER AMAZING PATIENCE WITH ME DURING THIS WRITING. YOU RULE GIRL!  LOVE YA!

Hey everyone!  It's the second part of Illusions(finally!).  I hope everyone
liked the first part....but I wouldn't know since NOBODY EMAILED ME! GRRR
PEEPS!  Okay, I'm calm....Guys, I would really appreciate some feedback.
However, I'm fighting a losing battle here.  You guys should try to write a
story and see how you feel when no one emails ya!  Not fun.  Oh well.  Sorry
the last part was so short.....i think this one's even shorter, sorry-at
least it's the end.  Oh yeah...I've undergone a name change.  I am now
Skylark, or just Sky.  Now that's over with, here's the fic.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gundam Wing.  I don't know who does.  I would make a
sarcastic comment here, but I don't feel like it. Don't sue me.

*Oh yeah, this part has minimal strong language.  Don't say ya weren't
warned.   It's more of a thought ficcy than action.  Enjoy!

*Yet one more thing....Quatre lovers beware. I'm one of you, really I
am....... *runs from screaming Quatre fans armed with shovels*
 
 

                           I l l u s i o n s
                                Part 2

                              By Skylark
 
 
 

      Duo's violet eyes glimmered with unshed tears as he stared out the window
of the spaceship.  He had been silent for the last hour or so, ever since
they'd brought the wreck of Sandrock in.  Amazingly, Quatre was still alive,
but barely.  He'd need a miracle to pull through.
      And that was exactly what the rest of the team was hoping for-a miracle.
      The four stood in the hallway outside the ICU.  Trowa leaned against the
wall, eyes down.  Every once and a while a small tear would slip down his
face. Heero was perched on one of the windowsills, eyes sad, but still alert
and indifferent.  He felt it was right to not show his emotions well.  Wufei
was unusually quiet, a miracle in itself.  He stood in the center of the
hall.  Duo simply stared out the window, refusing to acknowledge anyone or
anything.
      ~It's my fault.~, Duo thought to himself. ~How could I do that?~  A replay
of the horrific incident continued to dance in his mind's eye, despite Duo's
attempts to ignore it.  The silence was driving him up the wall, and yet he
would be the first to snap at anyone who spoke.  The pilot didn't know how
to feel anymore.  He was the master of death, the only one of the team who
actually got a amount of enjoyment out of slaying the enemy.  He had never
though he'd go this far.  ~It wasn't your fault.~ a little voice inside his
head said.  Another quickly rebelled.  ~Oh yes it was!~  Duo shut his eyes,
trying furiously to shut them up. The pain in his soul was immense.  He had
probabaly killed the only one in the team who understood him, however
slightly.  They were so different, yet Quatre was the only person who
actually seemed to know what Duo was thinking.  He could see the truth in
everything.
      Unlike Duo.
      Duo didn't take the time to even try to see.  He killed, and was done with
it.  Looking foward to the next battle.  The strange pleasure of hearing the
cries of enemies felled by his hand. Looking back, he found it sick.  ~What
is happening to me?~
      The sound of an opening door sounded insanely loud to Duo.  He jerked his
head up, snatched out of his thoughts.  Violet eyes stared accusingly at the
tall man who stood in the hall.  His experssion quickly turned to hopeful as
he realized he was the doctor.  Trowa's voice broke the air.
      "So......" He broke off, unsure of what to say.  The man's face was grim.
      "I won't lie to you."  He took a breath, looking them in the face.  "It's
not good.  He's slipped into a coma.  I don't expect him to make it through
the night."  There was only a tense silence for his reply.  The man sighed.
"I'll tell you if there's any change."  With that, he disppeared back into
the door.
      Duo looked around at the others.  Trowa's face wasn't visible beneath the
shade of his hair, although Duo could see the tightness of his jaw.   Wufei
stared straight ahead stubbornly, anger flickering across his features.
Heero's eyes were remote, distant.
       Suddenly, Duo couldn't take it anymore.  Wordlessly, he pushed away from
the wall and raced down the corridor, trying to hold back his tears. The
breath rasped in his lungs as his feet pounded down the floors.  Duo had no
clue where he was going.  He just wanted to escape.  If only he knew exactly
what he was running from....
       Ten minutes later found Duo leaning over the railing at the
docking/repair bay, panting.  As his violet eyes scanned the scene, he
groaned.  "Is this God's idea of a fuckin' joke?"  The sight of the smashed
Sandrock sliced into Duo's soul.  The tears ran freely as he sank down
against the railing, sobbing like a child.
       As Duo cried, images of his life as a pilot flashed through his head.
Trowa, Heero, Wufei, him, Quatre.  Together and apart.
       The tears were running out now.  As violet eyes purged of their rage, Duo
felt a presence beside him.  Wiping his face, Duo looked around curiously.
A whisper reached his ears, and Duo strained to listen.
       ~Only the heart can see truth.  It cannot be fooled as the eyes can.
Your heart will always show you the way.......~
       Duo'e eyes widened. ~Why in hell am I listening to the fucking wind?~
he thought.  But the words cut deep inside him.
       ~Listen to your heart......~
       Duo stifled a gasp of surprise as he felt a metallic weight on his
shoulder.  Turning to see what it was, Duo's eyes shimmered with tears as he
looked upon the glowing gaze of Sandrock.  Nobody was in it.  The machine
had walked over to Duo by itself.  ~Or maybe not...~
       In a rush, Duo understood.  He had been running from the truth, and now
he had found it.  With the help of his friend. Duo stood, staring into its
eyes.  He managed to summon a smile.
       "See ya later, Quatre.  Save a spot for me, will ya?"  Duo could have
sworn he heard a quiet chuckle emanating from the Gundam.  The eys glowed as
Sandrock turned and strode away.  Duo watched as it returned to its original
place.  A small tear ran down the braided pilot's face as the glow of the
Gundam's eyes died.  "Have fun up there, Quatre."
       Duo stood there for a long time, thinking. The violet eyes held a new
understanding, a new truth.  Duo's soul had found the peace he had always
looked for, even though he didn't know it.  ~I was looking for exactly what
I was running from.~  But now it was with him, and that was all that
mattered. "Thanks, Quatre. I think I understand now."

Well, that's it.  I'm sorry it was so short, and sorry if it was too sappy.
I tried, and I hope you guys liked it.  Again, please email me.  I would
really appreciate it.  Really.   My address is skylightning10@hotmail.com.
Love ya all, Skylark.