No Place to Hide

By: Spooks

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Ha Ha Ha

"Alright, ready, guys?" Duo asked the other four pilots. The all nodded, expressing various degrees of excitement and unease.

The five Gundam pilots were stationed at a safe house together. This particular house was relatively secluded from civilization, tucked inconspicuously in a tree-covered valley. It was also only ten miles from an OZ base. The miles of terrain that separated the house from the base were covered with a multitude of caves and patches of woods, providing excellent cover for the pilots to infiltrate and destroy the base by foot and escape.

In order to prepare for their trek over this challenging terrain, the pilots decided on a creative way to train. They were going to play hide and seek in the forest.

"Okay then, why don't you go first, Heero?" Duo grinned at the Wing pilot.

"Fine. The duration I must wait in the house is ten minutes, correct?" Heero asked coldy.

"Yup, and if you don't find us in thirty minutes we get to come back. And no peeking!"

With that, Heero went into the house, the appointed base for the game, and the others split up and headed into the forest.

Heero sighed softly as he closed the door behind him. He sank down to the floor and leaned his back against the cool cedar wood of the door. He was afraid that he would be unable to concentrate on this training game. Lately he found his thoughts more and more distracted by the longhaired Shinigami he was always partnered with.

Checking the time, Heero rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. It just wasn't something he was prepared for, these feelings. They were not part of his training, and were definitely in the realm of things he never expected to experience during the war. It made him feel vulnerable. Heero did not like that. It was confusing. Worst of all, it challenged his self-image as a dauntless soldier. He didn't want others to know about this weakness.

'Hn. I will confront Duo about this. If I find him before the others, he'll have to give me straight answers by the rules of this game.' Heero mused, deciding to use this game to his advantage.

Duo ran to the front corner of the cabin, crouching down in the bushes and blending in with the shadows easily. He didn't think Heero would expect him to hide so close and in such plain sight. Besides, he almost wanted to be found and "taken prisoner." Duo snickered quietly, thinking of the double meaning behind his thoughts.

The pilots had decided to up the stakes in this game, as incentive to get Heero and Wufei to participate. They had refused until Duo had come up with the "prisoner" idea. The first person the person who the finder managed to seek out had to be that person's slave for one day. This condition for the game proved to be an excellent bargaining chip indeed.

'Besides,' Duo thought, licking his lips and settling deeper into the shadows, 'When it's my turn I'll make a point of finding him first. Who could resist having the Perfect Soldier wait on you hand and foot, brush your hair, massage your neck, get on his hands and knees...hmmm.'

Duo stopped his internal musing abruptly when he heard the sound of the front door opening. Heero stalked out, scanning the area around him efficiently. Duo tensed, hoping the shadows and his black clothes would hide him sufficiently.

Heero squinted in his direction, a smirk crossing his face. Duo slowly looked down at himself, trying to see what might have caught Heero's attention. Damn. He had forgotten about his cross. It was glinting softly in the light.

Seeing Heero take a step in his direction, Duo knew he had to move, and right then. Leaping from his hiding spot, Duo flung himself in the direction of the trees. Maybe he could get to a cave and Heero would give up. He didn't want to make this easy, right? Right. Make it a challenge.

Heero's smirk widened as he saw Duo dash out from among the bushes, braid flailing behind him as he ran for cover of the trees. Feeling eyes watching him when he stepped out of the door, Heero's vision had immediately focused in on the bright glint of gold and the dull violet shine of Duo's eyes in the semi-darkness.

Heero took off, running full tilt after Duo. The American pilot had already reached the cover of the trees and was dodging nimbly over logs and dashing in between the densely spaced trees and bushes. Duo's black garb blended well with the dark underbrush of the landscape. Heero squinted as he ran, gaze fixing on the bouncing chestnut braid as the boy got further and further ahead.

Within minutes, Duo had evaded Heero. Anger welled up in Heero's body. He suspected that Duo had done this on purpose, just to goad him into the deep woods. So he thought it would be fun? Heero's eyes gained a dangerous gleam.

'I'll show him.'

Internal questions forgotten for the moment, Heero began to search for his prey. Duo was going to be sorry.

After finally losing Heero amongst the foliage, Duo found a tree with low enough branches to be climbable. Grasping the lowest branch with both hands, he swung his legs upward and hooked them around the trunk. He then managed to brace his feet and legs and pull his upper body into the branches. He quickly climbed higher, knowing that his short lead wouldn't last if he didn't capitalize on it.

Actually, he remembered, he wanted Heero to catch him, but just not immediately. Duo wanted to work the Japanese pilot into a frenzy, teasing him, staying just out of reach. The American youth had noticed his friend watching him from the corner of his intense dark eyes. It was time to test the theory, and yes, the hope, that Duo had kindled deep within himself.

Reaching a level of branches that were in line with and within reach of the other tree branches, Duo paused, waiting for Heero to come into sight. Hide and seek, indeed.

Duo wasn't disappointed. A few moments later, Heero came into view, sneaking quietly only twenty feet below Duo's perch. Grinning, Duo plucked a dead twig from a nearby branch and lobed it at Heero's head.

'Score! Direct hit!' Duo cheered mentally, smirking down at the Japanese pilot.

Heero rubbed the top of his head and glare up at Duo. Within seconds he was climbing the tree.

'Uh-oh.'

Taking one last look at the ground below him, Duo focused on a branch of an adjacent tree. Holding his breath, he leapt off of his branch and grabbed onto the branches of the next tree over, transferring to it in a daring bound.

A glance back at Heero revealed to Duo that the Japanese soldier had seen this maneuver. A mild look of shock crossed the pilot's features before he gathered up his strength and followed Duo's example, leaping to same tree.

Duo grinned as he watched Heero grapple onto the branches and start to climb up higher towards him.

Laughing, the American boy climbed even higher on his tree, stopping when he was thirty feet off of the ground. He shifted his grip and edged out onto a limb, then again leapt to the branches of another tree.

Heero looked up again just in time to see Duo make another gravity defying leap to switch trees. Duo landed solidly in a crouch, arms wrapping momentarily around the trunk of the new tree. Well, if Duo wanted a chase in the trees, he would get one.

Taking a deep breath Heero followed Duo and leapt into the next tree, too.

Duo looked down in satisfaction when he saw Heero follow him. The longhaired pilot could see the gleam in Heero's eyes as the soldier started to climb up, getting almost within five feet of Duo's boots.

Grinning widely, Duo started to climb higher. The branches were getting closer together, but they were getting thinner, making his upward ascent more difficult the higher he went. Throwing another glance downward, Duo stuck his tongue out at Heero and turned to another tree.

Heero's hands ached already from grappling the rough bark of the trees. He paused for a moment, approximately thirty feet off of the forest floor. He looked up to check the progress of Duo, just in time to see the boy almost twenty feet above him stick his tongue out and leap into the branches of the next tree over.

Before Duo was even half the distance to the next tree, he knew he was in trouble. He hadn't been able to get a good look at the thickness of the branches before he'd jumped, he was too caught up in the game. Shock coursed through his body as he flew through the air, and he braced himself for a painful landing.

Heero's heart almost stopped in his chest when he saw the thin branches break under the strain of Duo's landing. He watched helplessly as the American boy flailed wildly, hands grasping at air as he slipped down the tree, body twisting as he fell and collided with thicker branches. Duo fell about ten feet down the trunk of the tree before he stopped, landing abruptly, stomach down on a thicker branch, his body doubled over either side of the branch painfully.

Heero could hear the breath forced out of Duo's lungs by the brutal impact. Then the branch, a full forty feet still above the forest floor, started to bend.

It was going to break.

Without hesitation, Heero launched himself at the tree, following Duo to save him.

Landing solidly on the thicker branches of the lower part of the tree, Heero hugged the trunk and began to climb as fast as he could up to reach Duo. Glancing upwards, he could see the wide-eyed look of fear and surprise on the youth's face as he tried to catch his breath.

After what felt like an eternity of desperate climbing, Heero reached Duo. He carefully eased the gasping boy off of the branch, slinging him over a shoulder. Branches creaking ominously under their combined weight, Heero descended the tree and got them both safely to the ground.

Duo finally caught his breath by the time they had reached the forest floor. Still cradled deliberately in Heero's arms, the American grinned weakly.

"Guess you caught me, huh, Heero?" He said quietly, wincing slightly at the dull ache of pain in his stomach caused by speaking. He felt very light headed and woozy.

Heero looked down at Duo in mild surprise. He had momentarily forgotten about the game in the adrenaline rush caused by Duo's dangerous fall.

"Hn," Heero grunted noncommittally, beginning to walk back to the safe house, still carrying Duo.

Timidly wrapping his arms around Heero's neck, Duo burrowed himself closer to the warmth of Heero's muscled chest. He felt safe and warm, even if every muscle in his body was screaming in pain.

It was getting darker by the minute, and Heero was having a hard time seeing over Duo to place his steps in the tangled underbrush. It never occurred to the Wing pilot to put Duo down.

Inevitably, Heero's foot caught on a root, causing him to stumble forward, almost falling before he caught himself. Unfortunately, he jostled Duo harshly in the process, evoking a pained groan from the longhaired pilot.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Heero asked quickly, concern shining in his eyes.

"I'm fine. It's okay, don’t worry about me," Duo smiled weakly up at the Japanese pilot. Another dizzy spell punctuated the ache in his gut as Heero started walking again.

"But I do," Heero muttered quietly, trying harder not to bounce Duo more than necessary. A tight ball of concern was growing in Heero's chest as he looked down at the braided pilot. Duo didn't look so good.

"Wha?" Duo asked almost incoherently.

"I worry about you, Duo," Heero said clearly as he continued through the woods. It was almost dark, and Heero thought he saw the lights of the safe house through the trees.

"Why?" Duo asked, hope edging his voice. Damn, he must be really out of it.

"I don't know. You confuse me. I want something from you, and I don't know what. I think I like you, but I'm not sure what that means," Heero replied, frustration evident in his voice as he strode purposefully through the clearing to the safe house. He could see Quatre standing in the front window.

Duo giggled lightly, another wave of dizziness hitting him as they entered the safe house. 'I must be delirious, I swear Heero just said he liked me,' he thought before he passed out.

Heero glared down at the unconscious American in worry. Duo had been asleep for hours, and upon closer inspection of his injuries, Heero had discovered a huge knot on the back of Duo's head, hidden under his thick hair. It was only by an incredible stroke of luck that Duo didn't have a concussion. Heero wondered what had possessed the American to pull such a foolhardy stunt. The undertone of such risk could be either innocent or self-destructively sinister, and Heero intended to find out as soon as Duo awoke.

Protective feelings welled up in Heero's chest as he gazed down at the boy laid out on the bed. He couldn’t help wondering how much Duo would remember about their short conversation when he woke up. The anticipation mixed with strong affection he felt was threatening to overwhelm the usually stoic Japanese youth.

Right when Heero thought he was going to burst, Duo opened his eyes and blinked up at Heero with a look of clarity. "Hi."

"Hi," Heero returned somberly.

"How long have I been out?" Duo asked, sitting up slowly and rubbing his head. "Ouch."

"A couple hours. Why did you take such a risk in such a meaningless game? You might have died if that branch hadn't stopped your fall," Heero asked, a dark edge in his voice.

Duo blinked. "What do you mean? It was an accident that I fell."

"Duo, you were being reckless and careless, turning a training exercise into a life or death situation. Did you not consider this when you kept climbing higher? You knew you'd have to reach the top of the trees eventually, and then you'd be trapped. What was the point?!" Heero finished angrily, glowering at the American boy.

"Jesus, Heero. I don't know. I guess I wanted you to catch me or something, but not really. Oh, I don't know. I didn't really think about it. Climbing up there kinda seemed like a good idea at the time, ya know? I mean…well, I didn't want to fall, it just happened," Duo answered, violet eyes wide.

"Right. Duo, you goaded me into chasing you. Don't deny it. Why?" Heero asked, eyebrows knitting together. Duo wanted him to catch him?

"Oh come off it," Duo returned crossly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "We both know you would have came after me first. Why shouldn't I have fun with it?"

"What do you mean by that?" Heero asked in response, sitting down on the bed by Duo, staring intently into the American's eyes.

Duo snorted. "God, Heero, you already confirmed my suspicions earlier. I wasn't *that* out of it. I remember you saying I confused you, and that you liked me but didn't know what to do about it," Duo paused and chewed on his lip for a moment. "Like I said, I had pretty much figured that out, but I wasn't going to do anything about it."

"You had?" Heero's eyebrows raised up in shock. "Why were you just going to ignore it? Do I repulse you that much?" His voice trailed off at the last question, uncertainty tainting his voice as he stared down at his hands.

Duo rolled his eyes and pushed Heero lightly, "Of course you don't repulse me. If you repulsed me I wouldn't talk to you. To tell you the God's honest truth, Heero, I was afraid. I can never hide from you, and it freaks me out. You always manage to figure me out. I just thought if I bided my time, you'd figure this out on your own, too."

"Figure what out on my own?" Heero stared at Duo with an unguarded expression of hope.

"I like you too. And just as I can never quite hide from you, you cannot hide from me. I always seek you out, too, Heero. Haven't you noticed that?" Duo replied in a whisper, hand unconsciously coming up to cup the side of Heero's stunned face.

"I never realized," Heero responded in a whisper, his own hand reaching up to gently brush Duo's bangs out of his face, then settling on the back of the American's neck.

The silence was thick as the two boys sat and stared at each other for a long moment. Almost unconsciously they began to lean forward until their forehead were lightly touching, neither boy breaking the Prussian and cobalt fused gaze.

"No more hiding from each other, Heero. You know it's futile," Duo whispered.

"Yes. Because will always find each other," Heero whispered back.

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~Owari~

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