The moon was bright in the clear sky, lighting the trees with a pale glow. It didn't matter though, since he had excellent night vision. He hadn't lied when he'd
told Heero he liked to run, he'd been running since he was a child. And that's what he was doing, running. Staying in the forest, he followed the road far
enough away to see it, but not close enough to be seen. Not bothering to pace himself, he ran as fast as he could, ran away. He wasn't running from Heero,
or Relena, but from his own guilt. He didn't blame himself for the kiss, he knew that hadn't been his fault. It wasn't that, but the longing he had for more. This
combined with the knowledge that even Heero's being engaged didn't stop him from coveting the boy was the driving force behind his flight.
Breath coming hard, he forced himself to keep going. It wasn't that he expected anyone to come after him, but it was harder to think when he had to
concentrate on the ground he was covering, the trees he had to avoid both standing and lying dead on the forest floor. Pushing himself to his limits, he kept
moving, the only sound reaching his ears being his own harsh breaths and the pounding sound of his footfalls on the cover of dead leaves and brush. When
the pain in his side grew too large to be ignored, he let himself slow to a stop beside a tall tree, leaning against it heavily. Without the continued motion, his
body was quick to tell him how much it resented the workout and he slid to the ground, his back against the tree-trunk as he put his head on his knees and
panted. A glance at the road he could barely glimpse through the forest told him he'd made excellent time, and he closed his eyes for a well-deserved
breather.
Sighing as he stared at the dark shadows of leaves beneath his feet, he felt a tear slip down his cheek. It was times like this that he doubted his faith.
* * *
Although he'd never been to the Maxwell church, Heero knew where it was. He'd passed it many times, and normally it wouldn't have taken him long to get
there. It did this time though, as he drove slowly, his eyes sharp as he watched for a familiar figure. Duo wasn't stupid, so he knew the boy would take the
quickest route to the church rather than risking the dangers of lesser-traveled areas. He kept reminding himself of this as he got steadily closer to his
destination with no sign of the boy. When he finally reached the church, he had to accept the fact that Duo must not have taken that path as the boy hadn't
had time to travel the distance on foot. On the off chance that he'd gotten a ride, Heero left his car to pound loudly on the gates of the church.
Seeing the intense boy who glared at her from outside the gates, the woman on watch turned and disappeared. Disbelief warring with anger, Heero stared
after the woman who hadn't given him a chance to speak before bolting. He was just about to resume his pounding when an older woman approached him,
her expression disapproving to say the least as she unfolded a pair of glasses and slipped them on so she could see the boy better in the dark.
"I assume this is important or you wouldn't be here at this time of the night," she said, voice warning him that if it wasn't he was in for trouble.
"I'm looking for Duo Maxwell," Heero ground out, not liking the woman's tone in the least but controlling himself in deference for her position.
Eyes narrowing abruptly, the woman looked him over slowly as she frowned. "And who might you be?"
"I am Captain Heero Yuy," Heero said, eyes narrowing as well as he glared. He was used to his age giving the wrong impression, but he didn't have the
patience to deal with it at the moment. "You do know Duo Maxwell, don't you?"
Nodding, Une blinked as she stared at the young man before her. She'd had no idea he was so young. Then his question registered and she felt cold fear try
to work it's way to her. "What happened to Duo?"
"There was an altercation," Heero said, not wanting to hear the outrage the specifics would result in. "He ran off." Seeing the way the woman glared at him,
he wondered if he'd helped himself at all by sparing her the details. As it was, she looked ready to tear him apart.
"What did you do to him?" Une asked slowly, voice cold. "He's dedicated, he wouldn't have run without good reason."
"He's not here." Realizing that meant he was still out there somewhere, Heero turned to leave, his eyes widening in surprise when the woman reached through
the gate to grab his arm. Turning back with a glare firmly in place, he noted that her glare rivaled his.
"Where do you think you're going? I want answers."
"I'm going to find him," Heero said sharply, pulling out of her grip. "I'll be back in case he manages to get by me and comes here." Not giving the woman
another glance, he stalked toward his car.
"You won't find him if he doesn't want to be found!"
Stopping abruptly, Heero turned back.
Nodding sharply, Une frowned. "I speak from experience. He's very good at hiding and he can run faster than anyone I've seen."
"I could catch him." Pausing as he remembered pinning the boy on his grounds on a night similar to this one, Heero opened his car door. "And he can't hide
from me."
"If you're determined to find him," Une called quickly, "he'll stick to the woods and fields." She didn't like helping the boy without knowing *why* Duo had run,
but she could tell the he was the most likely candidate to search. "He'll stay away from any place that has people," she added as Heero nodded to her and
started to climb into the car. "He doesn't like people..."
* * *
Hiding. The thought simply hadn't occurred to him. He'd assumed the boy would go to the church, to the place where he'd be safe and where he could take
whatever penance he thought he deserved. Although Heero didn't attend church, he knew of their traditions and penance was one he was familiar with
himself. He'd often viewed his growing hatred of war as penance for ever having fought.
Knowing that Duo wouldn't be on the road, Heero wasn't sure where to start looking. He hadn't discarded the possibility that he was making a bee-line for the
church though, and decided to head him off. Leaving his car on the side of the road, he entered the woods, moving in the direction of his estate. He would
have liked to get Zechs and Treize to help, but didn't want to risk missing Duo. Even if the boy wasn't planning to return to the church, Heero was basing his
search plans on that being the *direction* he was moving in.
Not bothering with stealth yet, Heero moved through the woods at a steady pace, knowing that even a runner couldn't have moved *that* far in so short a
time. //What do I plan to do when I find him? Of course I'll tell him that I'm not engaged, but that may not change things. Would he really run from me?//
Glaring as he slowed and quieted his movements, Heero fumed at himself. //I shouldn't have kissed him. Even if I wanted him, I should *not* have moved so
fast. I shocked him.// Picturing Duo's expression as it had been when the long-haired boy had left the music room, Heero clenched his fists. //I screwed up. I
totally screwed up.//
* * *
Getting slowly to his feet, Duo berated himself for his thoughtless sprint. His legs felt unsteady beneath him, and his calf muscles were definitely aching
something awful. It had been a long time since he'd run full-out for such a distance and his body simply wasn't used to it. Groaning as he trudged along, Duo
wondered where he was going. His first thought had been the church, but as he'd run he'd begun to doubt the decision. //How could I ever explain what
happened? I can't just go up to Une and tell her, 'Yeah, well, it's like this. I kissed the guy and I want to do it again and I don't care if he's getting married to
someone else because I really, really like him.'// Smacking himself on the forehead, Duo rolled his eyes. //Yeah right. I'd never have the nerve and if I did it'd
probably kill her.//
Staring at the sky as he continued along the road, he realized where he wanted to go. It wasn't a permanent place, but it would be good enough until he
decided what to do. Walking as quickly as he could without making his legs scream *too* loudly, he let a small smile come to his lips. At least he knew where
he was going tonight, he could figure out everything else tomorrow. //Maybe I'll even figure out Heero.// Shaking his head, he grinned. //Doubt it. But at least
I'm not sulking anymore.//
.-.
PART 10
.-.
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