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Author's notes:

Howdy!  ^_~ This is a PWP-type story I wrote for Tzigane as a Christmas present.  It's my first Gundam Wing story ever, so there were some big inconsistencies as I tried to get a grip on characterization.  Feel free
to point out any OOC behavior you see, as I'm still learning and hope to make my next GW fic better.  ^_^ I hope I don't really need to warn you that it's both yaoi and a lemon, meaning that it has sexually explicit
boy/boy interaction.  It also features some really mild B&D type stuff - but if lemon, yaoi or B&D offends you, [don't read]. ^_^

Just for the sake of pretending like I have a legal leg to stand on, I figured I should mention here that I did not create either Gundam Wing or Ranma ½, that I have no rights to either series and that I mean no
disrespect whatsoever to the creators, nor is this story meant to be taken as a claim to either the characters or the situations which were not created by me.  Also, I not only have no money, I'm in debt past my
eyeballs, and suing me would be pretty durn pointless since there wouldn't be anything to gain by it.

Gee, I hope that does it. ^_~

Duo Maxwell was having a very bad day.

"Shit," he muttered, as the last of his Gundam's emergency lights started flashing.  Ten well-piloted mechs he could have handled, but eleven was just one too many.  "Shit, shit, shit!!!"  The other pilots were almost as good as he was, and there were just too damn many of them for him to handle alone.  "Shit!"

"I can be there in five minutes," Wufei's calm voice announced over the intercom.

"Five minutes, and there might not be anything left," Duo muttered.  His attention was distracted by the oddest thing... between blasts of staticky interference, he could swear his vidscreen showed a lone person walking through the battlefield.

"He's gonna get himself killed!" Duo gasped.

"Heero is nowhere near here," Wufei answered.  "Four minutes."

The vidscreen showed a mech's huge foot landing straight on top of the guy.  Duo winced at the carnage, then stared in disbelief as the foot exploded.  The guy was still walking!

 "What in hell...?" Duo muttered.  "Can't be."  His Gundam was rocked by another blast, and the machinery squealed in protest.  "Shit!"  There was no way he could hold on till Wufei got there.  He'd have to destroy the Gundam to keep the enemy from getting their hands on it.  "Shit, shit, shit!"  Duo quickly set the self-destruct sequence and started to extricate himself from the doomed Gundam.  The last thing he saw on the vidscreen was a bright sphere of light rising up from where the lone figure stood.  Duo ran for the exit and paused, staring down at the earth far below.  It was a hell of a long jump... but Heero did this kind of thing all the time.  With one second left before detonation, Duo jumped for all he was worth, feeling the first of the Gundam's self-destruct blasts tossing him forward.  The thought occurred to him that Heero did this stuff all the time, but then again Heero was crazy.

"Oh, shit," Duo whimpered, as his wide-open eyes took in the sight of the ground fast approaching.
 

*

Ryouga flung a ShiShi Hokodan at one of the annoying robots and snarled at it as the ki blast tore right through it.  He didn't know where the hell he was, but any time he saw an individual being ganged up on, itinfuriated him.  He glanced up at the lone robot just in time to see a door open in its chest and a human figure leaping away from it as it exploded.  He saw slender limbs flailing and a long braid whipping
out...

"My God, it's a girl!" he gasped, and leaped up, catching her and taking the brunt of the impact as they fell awkwardly to the ground.  One of the offending robots tried to step on them, and Ryouga quickly rolled them away from it, scooped the girl up and started bounding out of harm's way.  Her long  eyelashes fluttered, and her amethyst eyes widened in horror, giving him all the warning he needed to see the giant robot foot descending on them.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" he shouted, leaping up with his finger outstretched and blasting the appendage into so much scrap metal.  The girl's eyes were scrunched shut, but she opened them again to see that they were still in one piece.  Looking up at the vehicle Ryouga had just damaged, the girl started to smile.  She turned to look at him, still smiling angelically, and he fainted dead away.

*

"Hey, that was Wufei's- whoa!" Duo exclaimed as the stranger collapsed under him, bleeding at the nose.  The battle wasn't going to wait for his benefactor to wake up again.  Wufei was handily dealing with theremaining three mechs, even with his Gundam crippled.  Duo dragged himself to his feet, a little  ruised and very tired but none the worse for wear, really, after five hours of battle and losing his Gundam.  Hedraped the unconscious guy across his shoulders and started staggering off of the battlefield.  He had a million questions to ask this guy.  Who was he, and where had he come from?  What kind of bomb was it he had used?  How had he damaged Wufei's Gundam with his bare hands?  Whose side was he on, exactly, since he had helped and hindered both sides in this skirmish?  And, perhaps the most perplexing of all, why had he kept going around the battlefield in circles instead of just getting out of the danger zone?

*

"I still say we shouldn't have brought him here," Wufei grumbled for at least the twentieth time as Duo deposited his burden on one of the king-sized beds in the Gundam pilots' temporary quarters.  "He's obviously the spy Heero was looking for, and a dangerous one at that."

"He doesn't look all that dangerous to me," Duo answered cheerfully, his eyes drinking in the innocent, sleeping face.  Just adorable.  "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Making sure he can't cause us further harm," Wufei asserted grimly, as he quickly fastened handcuffs around the unconscious man's wrists and ankles.  "I don't know how you can say he's not dangerous.  You saw what he did to my Gundam."

"Yeah, I wanna know how he did that!" Duo said enthusiastically.

"I want to question him as well," Wufei said with a menacing glower of which the stranger was blissfully unaware.

"Ngh," the young man mumbled, slowly opening his eyes.  Wide brown eyes, foggy and confused as the boy took in his surroundings.

"Hey, you're awake!" Duo observed.

"Y-you're a guy?!?"

"Last time I checked... aren't you?"

"Uh... yeah."   The stranger was unaccountably blushing.

"Who are you?" Wufei asked sternly.

"Hey, why am I... What is this!"  The young man's eyes widened fearfully, and he started struggling against the steel bonds.  Wufei grabbed a fistful of the stranger's shirt and pulled him up into a sitting position on the bed.

"Who are you?" the Chinese man growled.

"Hibiki Ryouga," the stranger answered, wriggling ineffectually.  "Where the hell am I?"

"I'll ask the questions," Wufei spat, dropping Ryouga and letting him fall back onto the bed.  "Who are you working for?  What's your mission?"

"I'm trying to find the Tendo Dojo," Ryouga answered, confused.  "I work wherever I can find a job, to make money to get back home."

"And where is home?" Duo asked.

"Nerima."

"Nerima!  See, I told you he was a spy!" Wufei shouted.

"Aw, c'mon!" Duo said, shaking his head in disbelief.  "What kind of spy would say he was from Nerima?"

"Well, what kind of civilian would say he was from Nerima?"

"I AM from Nerima!" Ryouga shouted.  "Now let me out of this-!"  His cry of protest was cut short as Wufei hauled him upright again.

"Nobody is from Nerima," the irate Gundam pilot hissed into his face.  "It was destroyed a long time ago."

"Wha-?" Ryouga glanced at Duo, who was nodding in confirmation.  "Th-that's impossible!"  His eyes widened as horrified realization slowly dawned.  Nerima was gone.  That meant...

"He's lying," Wufei snarled, dropping Ryouga and stalking over to the dresser to get his gun.  "I say we kill him now."

Duo crossed the room quickly and laid a hand against Wufei's arm.  "I don't think he's lying," he whispered, gesturing with a toss of his head toward the bed.  Wufei turned to see that the young man was weeping,
choking on his sobs as if trying to silence them.

"Akane..." Ryouga whimpered.  "I never got to say goodbye..."

"I still think he's a spy," Wufei whispered.  "That could all be an act.  I've seen Quatre turn on the tears, too - and no way is this guy old enough to have lived in Nerima."

"Ok," Duo answered wearily.  "Why don't you go find Heero, then, and tell him you've found his spy?  I'll keep an eye on him until you get back."

"Good idea," Wufei said.  "I'm going to search him first, though."  He pulled out a large, sharp knife and approached his bound victim.

"No!" Ryouga gasped, horrified.

 "He's only going to cut your clothes," Duo said.  Ryouga's eyes were wide with fright and sudden anger, and he tried to wriggle away as Wufei grabbed him by one manacled ankle.

"Hold still," Wufei gritted out through his clenched teeth.  In a few moments, the knife had easily sliced through the sturdy fabric of the boy's shirt and trousers, leaving his boxer shorts intact.    Wufei peeled the remains of the cut garments aside, then flipped Ryouga over onto his stomach.  Resheathing the knife, he cautiously ran his hands up under Ryouga's arms, inspecting even his ears and hair for hidden
weapons or tracking devices.

"Let me go!" Ryouga shouted, his voice muffled by the pillows.  Wufei's hands traveled efficiently down to the waistband of the boxers, and Ryouga squealed in protest as the Gundam pilot pulled the garment down his thighs.  Unaware of Duo's sudden interest, Wufei spread the prisoner's buttocks apart and pushed a dry finger up inside him, searching.  Ryouga cried out hoarsely and kicked out with his manacled feet, struggling to get away.  Wufei quickly finished inspecting his victim's privates, then moved on to his legs and even his toes.  Duo mercifully pulled the boxer shorts back in place.

"I'll bring Heero back as soon as I can," Wufei announced, and stalked out of the room after one last glare at the weeping Lost Boy.  Duo waited until he heard the sound of the front door latching shut before he turned to Ryouga with a compassionate expression.

"Hey, don't get all upset about it," he offered gently, crossing the room to lay a hand on Ryouga's shoulder.  "It's just standard procedure."

"I- I can't..." Ryouga sniffled.  Duo went to the bathroom and came back with a tissue.

"Here," he said, gently wiping the tears from Ryouga's face.  Ryouga glanced up at him, and Duo watched as fresh tears trembled for a moment, sparkling on his long eyelashes before tumbling down his cheeks.

"Are you sure Nerima's gone?" the Lost Boy whispered.

"Yeah.  I've seen it."

"You might as well just kill me, then," Ryouga said quietly.  "I don't have anything to live for now."

"Nobody's gonna kill you," Duo answered, exasperated.

"That other guy-"

"He's just having a bad day.  That Gundam you messed up was HIS."

"You mean that was him in the big robot?"

 "Gundam.  Don't call it a robot in front of Wufei."

"Serves him right if his robot got messed up.  He was going to step on me," Ryouga sniffed.  "I was only defending myself."  Duo tried not to smile.

"How did you do that, anyway?"

"I hit the Breaking Point," Ryouga answered matter-of-factly, unaware of Duo's confused reaction.  "Could you let me loose, please?  I'd really like to get out of here before that guy comes back."

"You don't have to be afraid of Wufei-"

"I'm concerned that he'll give me no choice but to hurt him," Ryouga interrupted with a touch of arrogance.  "I'm not afraid of anyone."

"You and Heero," Duo answered with a wry grin.

"You remind me of Ranma," Ryouga said suddenly.  "Always smiling.  Can you undo the handcuffs, please?"

"I can't do that," Duo said, spreading his empty hands to indicate his
regret.

"I have to see Nerima for myself."  Ryouga's focus had turned inward, to a nightmarish vision of Nerima in chaos, the Tendo Dojo destroyed, nothing but charred corpses where his beloved Akane had lived...  "I
have to go now."

"Sorry, I can't let you go."

"Umm... have you ever heard of the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo?" Ryouga asked suddenly as an idea occurred to him.

"No.  Sounds like something Wufei would know, though."

"Could I please have some cold water?"

Duo nodded his assent and went to the kitchen to get some ice water.  Ryouga was certainly taking his captivity well.  No excessive pleading for release or attempts to escape...  Duo knew that it would take Wufei and Heero the better part of the day to come back.  It certainly made his job of watching over the captive easier, having him cooperate so readily.

"Here ya go," Duo said cheerfully, helping the bound Lost Boy sit up and holding the glass to his lips.  Ryouga turned his head aside at the last second, causing the cold water to spill down across his broad chest.

 It can be said to Duo's credit that he handled the following events rather well, all things considered.  Ryouga's body shrunk down to that of a small black pig, his tiny feet sliding easily out of the human-sized cuffs.  Duo clutched the Lost Boy's soggy boxers, goggling in absolute incredulity as it appeared that Ryouga had vanished into thin air.  In his place, a tiny black blur of a piglet was bounding off the walls looking for the exit.  Having goggled for perhaps longer than he would admit, Duo jumped up and grabbed the piglet midair.  It squealed furiously at him, and he noticed that it sported the same checkered bandanna Ryouga had worn.

"Ry-Ryouga?" he mumbled.  The piglet stopped squirming and nodded disconsolately.  "How?  Magic?"  The pig nodded again.  "Listen, I don't want to hurt you or anything, and I won't let my friends hurt you, either.  I really just want to talk to you.  Um, is there any way you could switch back?"  The pig nodded, and Duo cautiously set him on the ground.  "Just please don't try to run away again, Ok?  I'd shudder to think what Heero would do to me if he got all the way here and found you gone," Duo said with an unintentional shiver.

The pig led the way to the bathroom and jumped into the tub.

"You want to take a bath?" Duo asked, confused.  At the pig's nod, he turned the tap on.  The first splash of hot water transformed Ryouga back to his human form.  His hard, muscled, naked human form.

"Wow," Duo said, staring.  Ryouga blushed and covered himself with his hands.  "Sorry, I only mean... I've never seen a shape-shifter before.  That's really cool!"

"You wouldn't think so if it happened to you.  Please, I really have to see Nerima for myself - I don't want to get you in trouble or anything, but I have to go there!"

"Tell you what," Duo said after having thought a moment.  "I'll take you there myself, if you swear you'll come back here with me.  That way Heero can see you and tell Wufei you're not the one they're looking for,
and everything will be settled.  Ok?"

Ryouga nodded.  "Thanks.  I promise, I won't try to run away again.  Just don't let him do...that to me again."

"So, tell me how you did that magic trick," Duo suggested.  Ryouga explained a little about Jusenkyo and how the curse operated, and Duo had to experiment for himself, pouring hot and cold water alternately on an embarrassed Lost Boy as he sat in the tub.  The transformation into P-Chan was interesting, but it was seeing him turn back into Ryouga that had Duo fascinated.  All those perfectly sculpted muscles, the smooth skin and silky mop of hair...  Duo realized with a start that he was having an entirely different reaction to all this than mere curiosity.  Hoping to keep Ryouga from noticing the hard-on tenting his trousers, Duo asked the first question that came to mind.

 "So, who's Akane?"  It was the wrong question.  Ryouga's eyes filled with tears, and within a matter of moments he was crying uncontrollably.  He mumbled a few incoherent phrases between heartbroken sobs, and Duo mentally kicked himself.  He gently pulled Ryouga into his arms and patted his back, holding on as Ryouga made a token resistance to the intimacy.

"She- she-" Ryouga gasped.  "She was perfect!  And now she's-!"

"Shhh..." Duo whispered, grateful to have the tub's cold porcelain side between his aching shaft and Ryouga's warm, naked body.  "Ok now, it's Ok..."  The Lost Boy rested his head against Duo's shoulder and slowly began to wind down, and Duo drew a deep shaky breath as he tried to bring his racing pulse back under control.

 "You need to get dressed," he said at last.  "I'll take you to Nerima."  Ryouga nodded, and backed out of the embrace to wipe his eyes.  Duo took advantage of the opportunity to dash out of the bathroom and try to calm his raging body.  What the hell was wrong with him?  It wasn't as if his feelings for Heero had changed any.  He just wanted Ryouga, too.  Wanted to comfort him.  Wanted to drive himself over and over again into that perfect, perfect body...  Duo groaned and banged his head against the wall a few times.  Here the poor guy was mourning over some lost love, and all Duo could think about was getting into his pants.

Ryouga stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his hips and his tears dried.

"Um..." Duo said, trying not to stare at the chiseled muscles of Ryouga's belly, the bulge in the towel at the juncture of his thighs.  "Here, I think you might be able to wear some of Heero's clothes.  They'll stretch."  He tried not to watch as Ryouga struggled into the skin-tight clothing, his mind's eye seeing Wufei's finger invading the Lost Boy's tight body.  Duo stifled a groan and tried instead to conjure up an image of Heero.  Ah, Heero, his deep eyes, his stern face...  Actually, thinking of Heero wasn't doing much to still Duo's raging hormones.  Maybe Relena-sama...

Duo grimaced.  Well, thinking of Relena had certainly broken that mood.  He'd have to remember that trick, any time he wanted to deflate a hard-on.  He turned around to see that Ryouga had managed to squeeze into the borrowed clothing.  The tight, long-legged shorts left very little to the imagination, and the tank top strained to contain the Lost Boy's broad, thickly muscled chest.  It wasn't at all that Heero had a bad build, Duo concluded.  It was just that there was more mass to Ryouga.  He was sure as hell heavier than any of Duo's comrades.

Duo smiled at Ryouga, who looked more than a little uncomfortable.  The clothes Wufei had cut off of him had been baggy and concealing, so Duo concluded that Ryouga's problem was one of excessive modesty.  After all, it was a shame to have a beautiful body like that and hide it under a ton of clothing.

"You ready?" Duo asked cheerfully.  Just think about Relena-sama, he reminded himself.  Relena, Relena, Relena...

 "Uh... you don't have anything a little bigger?"  The Lost Boy hardly dared to sound hopeful.

"Sorry.  I don't think you could fit into any of my clothes," Duo answered honestly, but without any real regret.  He was glad there wasn't anything else for Ryouga to wear.  He was rather growing to like the sight of him bulging out of the skin-tight clothes... Relena, Relena, Relena...

"H'rm.  Let's go," Duo said abruptly, leading the way down to the street.  Ryouga followed him meekly, looking around to be sure nobody could see him and shivering in the November chill.  He'd probably die of embarrassment any time now.  Then again, if Wufei's inspection hadn't embarassed him to death...  Ryouga blushed so hard his cheeks smarted.  The tight little shorts were riding up on him obscenely.  He just hoped to God nobody he knew would see this.  If Ranma saw him dressed like this, he'd never hear the end of it...

Duo hopped onto a motorcycle and waited.  After a moment's hesitation, Ryouga gingerly climbed on behind him, wrapping his arms around the slender boy's waist as directed.  Duo started the engine, and Ryouga  almost jumped off again, at the feeling of the thrumming engine between his thinly-clad legs.  Blushing furiously, he held on tight as Duo drove off, his long braid snaking back in the wind to trail over Ryouga's left shoulder and thump across his back.

"Is it far?" Ryouga shouted into the wind.

"Only about 10 minutes.  Hold on!" Duo shouted back, the wind of their passing tearing the words away almost before Ryouga could hear them.  Duo accelerated even more, and Ryouga clutched him tightly in sudden fear.  They didn't even have helmets on.  What if they crashed?  Not that Ryouga hadn't survived trauma before, but it would be unpleasant and probably painful to be in an accident.  Especially in these clothes.  The wind tore at Ryouga's hair and wrung tears from his eyes.  He shivered and pressed up against Duo, aware that as they drove even faster, the slender boy's hair whipped back and forth in the wind,
lashing at him with its silky length.

The motorcycle slowed after a while, and Ryouga peered over Duo's shoulder in horror.  Nerima was worse than his worst imagination.  Where once had been bustling streets and charming houses, there now was nothing but a charred mess.  Duo brought the motorcycle to a halt and Ryouga climbed down, staggered with the horror of it all.  He stumbled over to the ruins of the nearest house, and saw among the charred rubble a small flat wooden duck shape.  Through the soot and grime, the name "Akane" could still be read.

Unaware of Duo's presence behind him, Ryouga sank to his knees, cradling the sign against his chest.  "The world..." he gasped, "is a dark and lonely place..."

Duo backed up as he saw a bright blue aura starting to glow around the Lost Boy.  With a shriek of "Akane-san!" so tortured it sounded like it had been ripped from Ryouga's soul, the blue light coalesced into a shimmering sphere and tore off into the distance.  Where the light landed, a huge explosion followed.  Duo's eyes widened fearfully.  The enemy would undoubtedly notice a blast of that size.

"We have to get out of here!" Duo called.  The blue light was starting to form around Ryouga again, but as Duo reached out and placed a hand on Ryouga's shoulder, it stopped.  "Hurry, before they find us!"

Duo had to all but carry Ryouga to the motorcycle, he was weeping so hard.  They climbed on, and Duo put one hand on the handlebar and the other against Ryouga's cold fingers, pressing them against his belt and hoping the Lost Boy wouldn't lose his grip in the excess of his grief.

"Hold on!" Duo cried, and pushed his motorcycle to its limit in his haste to get away from the blast site.

"Akane..." Ryouga whimpered.  Duo winced.  What was it about him that drew him to men like Ryouga and Heero?  Men who were so painfully fixated on women like Relena...  He wondered if Akane had been like Relena.  He wondered if Ryouga had had an admirer panting at his heels the way he did after Heero.

He had to take a roundabout route home.  Duo grinned as he realized that Wufei would consider this to be evidence of Ryouga's treachery.  Wufei would probably accuse himself of treachery, if he didn't know any better.  He was second only to Heero in his capacity to mistrust others. Duo knew that Wufei's argument would be that Ryouga had deliberately set the blast in order to reveal their location to the enemy... but with what?  How could he possibly create a bomb out of light?  And aside from that, this mysterious Akane had existed, and Ryouga's sorrow had been all too genuine.  His hot tears were even now trickling down the back of Duo's neck.

It was with a deep sigh of relief that Duo finally returned to his temporary home.  He was certain they hadn't been followed.  He carefully parked the bike, then led Ryouga back upstairs by the hand.

"I'm sorry, Ryouga," Duo said softly as he closed and locked the door behind them.  "You did ask to see it."  Ryouga nodded, still crying so hard he couldn't speak.  Duo went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of brandy.  It was far from his favorite drink, but it would do in a pinch.

"Here, have some of this," he offered gently.  Ryouga shook his head, sniffled weepily and sank down onto the couch.

"Just give it a try," Duo urged.  Ryouga dashed his tears away and took a swig from the bottle, swallowing quickly and grimacing.

"That's terrible!" he gasped.

 "Yeah," Duo answered, taking some himself.  "But sometimes the best thing you can do is take the edge off the pain and wait for it to get better."  Ryouga gazed at him intently for a moment, then took the bottle back and took a long pull from it, trying to swallow it without having to taste it.

"It still tastes terrible," Ryouga said, feeling the liquor's false warmth thaw out the cold knot of sorrow in his throat.

"The last drop in the bottle'll taste terrific," Duo promised with a wink.  Ryouga mustered up a weak half-smile and finished off the rest of the bottle in a matter of a few minutes.  Duo stared in astonishment.

"Sorry," Ryouga mumbled self-consciously.  "Did you want more?"

"No, that's Ok," Duo answered, grinning broadly and traipsing off to the kitchen for another bottle.  This was going to amount to one world-class hangover in the morning, but he hoped it would at least help Ryouga get through the night.  He was glowing again when Duo walked back into the room, and once again the simple contact of Duo's hand on his shoulder snuffed the deadly light.

"There's lots more where this came from," Duo announced happily.

"That last drop really didn't taste good, either, y'know," Ryouga said with a soft smile.  Duo grinned back, delighted to see him loosening up a little.

"Do you want any lunch?" Duo asked as Ryouga tilted the second bottle up in the air.  "It's usually not such a good idea to drink on an empty stomach."

"I couldn't eat," Ryouga mumbled.  "You go ahead, though."

"That's Ok, I'm not really hungry either," Duo said, leaning back on the couch uncomfortably.  Relena, Relena, Relena...

"Here, have some more of this, then," Ryouga offered.  Duo shrugged and took the bottle, taking a light sip from it before handing it back. Ryouga drank deeply for a moment, then abruptly put the bottle down on the end table.

"I need to find my own clothes," he said, and floundered awkwardly on the couch for a moment before struggling to his feet.

"Ok, I'll help you find something else.  You look like you could use some rest, though.  Are you tired?" Duo asked.  Ryouga nodded mutely, and Duo led him to one of the two adjoining bedrooms in the suite.

"This is where Heero, Wufei and I sleep," he explained.  "The other room's for Trowa and Quatre."

"Maybe I should sleep on the couch..." Ryouga mumbled.  "I mean, Wufei-"  "He won't care if you sleep here.  He left you here, remember? Besides, this is my room, too, and I have some say in who stays here. You can go ahead and sleep in your boxers, if you want.  I'll do the same."  The two boys quickly undressed and climbed in from opposite sides of the bed.

"You're sure they won't mind?" Ryouga asked again.

"They won't," Duo asserted.

"And Wufei won't- I mean..."

"He won't search you again."

"You sure?"

"Very sure," Duo sighed.  "Go to sleep."  Duo normally had no trouble at all getting to sleep.  Part of his training had involved sleep deprivation, and he had learned early on that it was always good to catch up while he had the chance to sleep safely.  Today, though, he was having a hard time settling down enough to lie still, staring up at the same ceiling as this incredible, gorgeous young man.  After a few minutes of silence, he realized that Ryouga was crying again.  He turned toward the Lost Boy, intending only to comfort him, and reached out to lay a hand on one brawny shoulder.

"Hey," Duo said softly.  Tears were streaming from Ryouga's closed eyes and trickling down along his ears.  He turned to look at Duo, wiping the tickling streams away and trying to give his new friend a brave smile.

"Sorry," Ryouga whispered around the lump in his throat.

"S'okay," Duo mumbled, pulling Ryouga closer to him.  "C'mere."  Ryouga turned onto his side facing Duo, and allowed the slender boy to pull him into a loose embrace.  The simple human contact broke down the last of Ryouga's barriers, and for a long time he buried his face in Duo's shoulder and wailed like a baby, his sobs shaking his whole body.

"She's gone, and I never even- I never even told her how I felt about her-" Ryouga gasped between sobs.

"Shh... It's Ok, Ryouga.  It's Ok," Duo whispered gently, stroking the boy's thick, silky hair.  He knew it wasn't Ok, and that it might not ever be Ok for Ryouga.  But he wanted so much to ease this pain... and Ryouga's hopeless longing for the dead girl struck a deep chord in Duo, whose love for Heero was still, as far as he knew, totally unrequited. Without planning to do it or really even thinking about it, Duo reached out and planted a delicate kiss on Ryouga's salty lips.  Ryouga froze after a moment, and opened tear-blurred eyes to stare at Duo in confusion.

 "Duo..." he whispered, amazed to find that it all seemed right and natural somehow, being here in the arms of his beautiful friend... male or female was irrelevant in the face of Duo's good-humored zest for life and his radiant sensuality.  Ryouga found that that life, that *fire* was irresistible to him, that he longed to touch it and share in it, to be part of a life that burned so brightly.  His love for Akane remained pure and unsullied in the depths of his heart as a new, desperate need for love and companionship, for Duo, surged to the fore.  And he knew that Duo would understand.

"Sorry," Duo said softly, and tried to extricate himself from Ryouga's embrace, only to find that loosening Ryouga's grip was no easy task. Ryouga merely held onto him and waited for the long-lashed amethyst eyes to meet his again.

"Please don't be sorry," Ryouga murmured.  "I'll be sorry enough for both of us, later."  And with that, the Lost Boy returned the kiss, just as gently and with just as much longing.  Duo moaned and raised both hands to the sides of Ryouga's face, trying to capture the boy's dizzyingly responsive mouth with his own.  He knew he had succeeded when he heard Ryouga's answering, husky moan, and felt iron-strong arms pulling him in closer.

"Oh, Duo," Ryouga moaned.  "Please..."

"It's Ok, Ryouga," Duo whispered in between Ryouga's earnest, urgent kisses.  "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."  Duo pushed gently on Ryouga's shoulder, encouraging him to lie back.  He took a long moment to just look at the Lost Boy, his deep brown eyes cloudy with the beginnings of passion, his lower lip caught between his teeth in a gesture of uncertainty.

Ryouga gazed up into Duo's brilliant amethyst eyes with almost guilty longing.  Duo was leaning over him, smiling that delighted smile, his long bangs falling forward into his eyes.  It occurred to Ryouga that he had never had a friend before, not like this.  Not someone he could drop his guard with.  It was a liberating and frightening thing, Duo's easy smile.  Duo seemed to notice the brief shadow that flickered in his eyes, because his own expression became more serious.

"Ryouga, we don't have to do anyth-" Duo was interrupted by a desperate kiss, Ryouga's hands rising to gently rub his shoulders.

"Please..." Ryouga whispered.  "I want to do anything you want..."

"You sure?"  Ryouga's solemn nod was all the permission Duo needed. With an impish grin, Duo bent down and kissed him again, his hands caressing down the length of Ryouga's arms until he held the Lost Boy pinned flat against the huge mattress.  "Just lie still, then, Ryouga, and let me be good to you," he whispered against Ryouga's feverish lips. Ryouga nodded, and Duo kissed him deeply.  He had to grin at Ryouga's disappointed moan when he pulled away and began kissing along his jawline.  Ryouga had smooth, smooth skin and such silky hair...

 "You're beautiful," Duo whispered directly into a perfect ear before attacking it with his mouth, driving his tongue into it and teasing the lobe with his teeth.  Ryouga shivered violently, whimpering as Duo's nibbling teeth traveled along the length of his neck.  It was the oddest sensation, Duo's mouth loving him.  He hadn't been touched anywhere but his face and neck, yet already it was the most erotic experience of his young life.

Duo paused to see that Ryouga was absolutely caught up in the web of sensations he was weaving.  The Lost Boy's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, a slight frown of concentration creasing his brow; his hands, still where Duo had placed them, were now balled into fists.  Duo grinned and kissed Ryouga's brow, caressing the silky locks that tumbled down over the checkered bandanna.  As soon as Ryouga had relaxed a little, Duo resumed his knowing assault, kissing and nibbling at the column of Ryouga's throat and working his way down to his collarbone. He traveled with his lips down to one sensitive nipple, gently sucking and teasing it with his teeth.  Ryouga gasped sharply, and his hands rose to pull weakly at Duo's hair.

"D-Duo..." he moaned.  Duo merely smiled and treated the other nipple the same way, savoring Ryouga's moans and whimpers like a gourmet. Ryouga started to writhe beneath him, and Duo paused for a moment,
wondering if he were hurting him somehow.

"Are you Ok?" he whispered.  Ryouga nodded after a brief pause.

"It all just feels so..." Ryouga trailed off, unable to put the experience into words.

"Haven't you done this before?" Duo had to ask.  Ryouga's wide, trusting eyes rose to meet his, a little insecure as he shook his head.  Duo smiled at him again, one of those infectious smiles that Ryouga just had to mirror.

"I'm honored," Duo said, "I've never been anybody's first before."  And he had to stop for a long, long kiss before he continued.  "Just tell me if anything hurts, Ok?"

"It doesn't hurt, it just feels so..."

"New?"

"Yeah," Ryouga answered with a shy smile.  Duo smiled back at him, gently and affectionately, then returned to his task with a will. Ryouga reached back and grabbed hold of the headboard as Duo continued his loving assault on his nipples, pinching and nipping at them lightly. Duo pulled his braid down over his shoulder, using its serpentine length to trail across Ryouga's stomach, tickling him with its silky ends. Ryouga giggled as the hair brushed just above the waistband of his boxers.

"Ticklish?" Duo asked, deliberately brushing his hair across the sensitive spot again.

 "Yeah!" Ryouga laughed.  Duo moved on and trailed the braid over Ryouga's thighs, noticing as he did that Ryouga was definitely responding to the stimulation.  Duo gently tugged at the waistband of Ryouga's boxers, placing his fingertips just under the elastic and caressing the skin there.

"You wanna take these off?" he asked gently.  Ryouga froze, and for a moment Duo thought that was the end of it right there.  The Lost Boy quietly nodded and lifted up his hips as both he and Duo slid the garment off.  He shyly covered himself, and Duo kissed him again, gently pressing him back against the pillow.  He waited until Ryouga had relaxed again before moving on, his lips trailing back down Ryouga's broad chest, then across his flat belly.  Ryouga muffled a giggle as Duo passed over the ticklish spot, then the giggle stopped as Duo's mouth went a little lower.  Duo positioned himself and gently kissed his way up one of Ryouga's thighs, finding himself finally facing Ryouga's erect manhood.  It was a little bigger than Duo had expected, but his surprise didn't show on his face.  He gently ran his tongue up the length of its underside, stopping at the tip and savoring the salty drop of fluid there.

"D-Duo," Ryouga whimpered, struggling to remain still.  His manhood twitched involuntarily as Duo took just the tip into his mouth, flickering his tongue along the small ridge that joined the tip to the shaft.  "Duo, Duo, Duo..."  The Gundam pilot tried not to smile at Ryouga's sharp gasp of pleasure as he finally drew the shaft into his mouth, as much of it as he could take, and slowly started to build an irresistible rhythm with his lips and tongue.  It had been a long time, too long, since Duo had had the chance to do this, and he loved it.  He loved the feeling of Ryouga's shaft filling his mouth, loved knowing the kind of pleasure he was giving him.  It was over all too soon, as with a sudden groan of warning Ryouga came, unable to hold off any longer.  Duo swallowed the hot fluid that coursed into his mouth, and smiled at Ryouga when he finally lifted his head.

"That was good," Duo whispered, moving to lie beside Ryouga and kiss him, letting him take in his own taste and scent.

"B-but you didn't-" Ryouga mumbled, blushing.  "I mean..."

"Did Wufei hurt you, earlier?" Duo asked seriously.

"Ah..." Ryouga blushed even darker at the memory.  "He... Uh... it hurt, at the time, but..."

"Do you want to stop now?"

Ryouga looked at Duo and considered the question seriously.  This was his friend, his precious friend, who had already given him so much pleasure and taken none for himself.  He was offering to leave it at that... but that didn't seem fair... and Ryouga's body was already recovering from the sudden pleasure, and ready for more.

"I don't want to stop unless you do," Ryouga answered sincerely.  "I want to do anything you want to do."

 "Do you understand what you're saying?" Duo asked.  Ryouga blushed again, and nodded.  He had a pretty good idea what Duo was asking.  It might hurt, but it would make his friend feel good...

Duo smiled gently and reached across Ryouga's body to the nightstand, where the small drawer held a tube of lubricant.  "If you're sure..." he said, showing Ryouga what he held.  Ryouga nodded again.  "Roll over," Duo suggested, and Ryouga complied.  With Duo nudging him, Ryouga got up onto all fours with his head resting against his folded arms, his knees braced wide apart.

"Now, I want you to tell me if any of this hurts," Duo said, smiling gently as Ryouga nodded again.  He was tense and obviously nervous, but his manhood was already hard again.  Duo gently caressed the upturned buttocks, feeling Ryouga flinch at the first contact and then finally start to relax a little.  Duo squeezed some of the lubricant onto his fingertips, and slowly rubbed them together, warming the lube a little before reaching out to caress Ryouga's tight opening.  Ryouga gasped, but remained very still as Duo pushed just the tip of one finger inside.

"Am I hurting you?" the pilot asked, smiling gently.  Ryouga shook his head again.  It didn't hurt, not like when Wufei had done it.  It just felt... weird.  New.  Duo slowly pushed his finger in a little farther, then just as slowly withdrew it all the way and pushed it in again. Ryouga found that the weirdness was starting to feel sort of good... and then Duo hit a spot on his inner wall that felt incredible!  Ryouga jumped up,  cracking his head against the headboard.  Duo struggled not to laugh as the Lost Boy cradled his head in his arms again.   That was definitely a reaction.

"Are you Ok?' Duo asked gently.  Ryouga was actually moving his hips now, hunching backward against Duo's hand.  He nodded in answer to the question, though Duo already knew the answer by then.  Slowly and carefully, Duo inserted a second finger.  Ryouga moaned a little, but pushed back against both fingers, prolonging the contact with that incredibly good, good spot as long as he could.  Duo spread his fingers apart just a little, even adding a third, and Ryouga felt his body opening in response.  It was a burning, achy sensation, but it felt so good when he hit the right place!

Duo finally moved away long enough to remove his own boxers and quickly lubricate his aching shaft.  Ryouga was moaning in supplication, his upturned rear waving invitingly... and Duo had never been one to pass up a generous invitation.  He quickly crawled onto the bed behind Ryouga and positioned his eager manhood right at the Lost Boy's virginal entrance.

"Are you ready?" Duo asked, and Ryouga pushed back against him in reply. Duo's eyes rolled back as his manhood sank into Ryouga's body, the tight ring of muscle caressing his shaft.  He could just stay this way and let Ryouga do all the work - already the Lost Boy was thrashing his hips, trying to keep Duo's manhood in constant, moving contact with that sweet spot deep inside him.  Duo placed his hands on Ryouga's hips and started to thrust purposefully, and Ryouga howled in response, his back arching as he threw his head back.

 "Uh!  M-more!" Ryouga gasped, and Duo gave it, slamming himself into Ryouga's body again and again, his own cries of pleasure mingling with Ryouga's.  He reached one hand around to stroke Ryouga's eager shaft,
and Ryouga whimpered gratefully, his manhood sliding easily through Duo's still-slick fingers as he pumped his hips up and up...

Ryouga came in a blinding rush, his seed spilling out through Duo's fingers as his whole body convulsed with pleasure.  Duo groaned, thrusting a few more times into Ryouga's still-thrashing body as his own orgasm overtook him.  For a long moment he stayed there, his body still joined with Ryouga's, then at last he withdrew, the sensation of his manhood pulling out giving them both one last little jolt of pleasure.

Duo flopped down beside Ryouga, both of them still panting and wide-eyed.  Ryouga started blushing again, and Duo grinned at him.

"Thank you," Duo said, reaching out to brush Ryouga's bangs out of his eyes.

"I was just going to thank you," Ryouga answered with a bashful smile. "I've never..."

"I know," Duo said with another grin.  "You're incredible."  Ryouga looked as though he were mulling something over, so Duo quietly stroked the Lost Boy's hair, giving him some space to think.

"I... I don't want to hurt you," Ryouga mumbled sincerely, though obviously he also meant that he didn't want to be hurt.

"It's Ok," Duo answered with a quick kiss, moving a little closer to embrace Ryouga because he looked like he needed some reassurance.  "You won't hurt me.  You love Akane, and I love... well, I..."

"Love your Heero," Ryouga interrupted, almost ignoring the sharp stab of pain at the thought of Akane.  This time it was his turn to smile and steal a kiss.  Dear, precious Duo.  It was such a frightening thing to be defenseless.  It made it so much easier to know that he wasn't the only one.  Duo's expression was vulnerable and almost lost for a moment, then he nodded.

"Yup, I love him," he confessed.  "I don't know why, but I love him. And I'm starting to grow terribly fond of you," he added with another kiss.  "I think you and I will be very good friends."

"I'd like that," Ryouga grinned.

 "So would I," Duo said, his own infectious grin springing back to life. He had not forgotten that he was being held in the arms of a beautiful man, who was more or less passively letting him do whatever he wanted. Ah, life was good.  Life was very, very good.  Still smiling, he bent to kiss Ryouga once again, slanting his mouth across Ryouga's soft lips. Ryouga growled low in his throat, and Duo slid his hands down along the Lost Boy's stomach to find... he was already hard again.

"Wh-?" Duo muttered, pulling his mouth away from Ryouga's to verify what his hands had told him.  "Wow, that was fast."  Ryouga blushed and started to back away, but Duo held on to him.  "I mean, it's great for you to be able to recover so quickly."

"You think so?"

"Why on Earth would that be a bad thing?"

"I dunno," Ryouga admitted shamefacedly.  "I... uh... thought you were going to call me a pervert or something."

"Oooh, I hope you ARE a pervert!" Duo cried, his eyes all wide and starry at the prospect.  "We'd have so much in common!"  He started to laugh, and Ryouga couldn't help but join him.

"What's going on in here?" said a voice from the doorway.  Ryouga jumped, covered himself quickly with a rumpled sheet, and turned to face two of the most imposing people he had ever seen.  One of them he had
already met - Wufei, who stood glowering at him over the other young man's shoulder.  As for the new one... he was twice as intimidating as Wufei, if such a thing were possible, and appeared to be twice as angry. His cobalt blue eyes fairly snapped with ire, and Ryouga found himself unconsciously backing up against Duo's reassuring warmth.  This just had to be Heero.

"Hi, guys," Duo said with an unabashed grin, stretching out lazily on top of the sheet Ryouga was trying to hide under.  "We were just waiting for you two and decided to entertain ourselves.  Ryouga, you remember
Wufei.  And this is Heero.  Heero, Ryouga."

"Nice to meet you," Heero responded automatically, in a voice completely devoid of warmth, his eyes boring into Duo furiously.

"Uh... my pleasure," Ryouga mumbled, a humiliated blush rising to his cheeks.  It was bad enough to be caught naked by Wufei, let alone Heero, but worse to be so obviously in the middle of... what they were in the middle of!

"I believe you were going to verify that this isn't the spy you're looking for?" Duo reminded sweetly, and Ryouga held his breath, certain that Heero was going to explode.

"This isn't the spy," Heero snapped.  Wufei glared at Duo and Ryouga, then stalked out of the room without a word.  "So, who are you?" Heero asked, his attention finally focusing on Ryouga.

"Hibiki Ryouga," The Lost Boy answered, tactfully not mentioning that he had come from Nerima.
 

"He's my friend, Heero, and I want to keep him," Duo interrupted, throwing a possessive arm across Ryouga's chest and smiling coyly. "Don't worry, Ryouga, Heero just likes to... be friends with all of my friends."  Heero raised an eyebrow quizzically, watching as Duo pulled Ryouga around till the two were facing each other, and gave him a quick kiss.  Ryouga lay on his side, staring into wide violet eyes as he felt the weight of the second boy settling on the bed behind him.

"Y-you mean-?" Ryouga stuttered, his astonished question interrupted by another kiss.  Duo's hands were stroking his still-hard shaft, and he moaned against the slender boy's mouth.  He still hadn't decided whether he wanted to cooperate when he suddenly felt Heero's hands pushing his knees up, and an unmistakably hard, thick member nudging him.

"Mmm-!"  Duo kissed Ryouga again, muffling his whimper as Heero very slowly and carefully started pressing forward.  Heero's manhood was well-lubricated, but a good deal thicker than Duo's, and it felt to Ryouga as though he was being torn apart.

"Relax," Heero grunted into his ear, and pushed forward a little more. "Breathe."  Ryouga squirmed, whimpering, trapped between two wiry bodies.  Duo pulled Ryouga's legs until they were wrapped around his hips, and that left Heero all the room he needed.  With one slow thrust, Heero drove his manhood as deep as it would go.  Ryouga bit his lip, trying not to whine as his body slowly started to adjust.  Heero simply waited until the Lost Boy's breathing had evened out and the knotted muscles across his shoulders started to smooth back down.  Very slowly and carefully, Heero began to withdraw from Ryouga's tight heat, savoring the sensation as well as the impassioned little groans Ryouga was making.

"You Ok?" Heero asked.  Ryouga nodded, and Duo grinned at them both. Heero worked up to a gentle rhythm, and Duo wriggled his way out of Ryouga's tight embrace and dove down to taste his manhood again.  Ryouga gasped as Duo's mouth teased his shaft, and the doubled sensation of Duo's mouth loving him and Heero piercing him almost drove him over the brink.

"Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God..." Ryouga whispered, and then Heero hit the spot, the sweet spot, and Ryouga froze, every muscle tense and every nerve on fire.  Heero grinned and drove himself in again and again, driving right at that sensitive spot, and Duo drew Ryouga's manhood into his mouth, and it was good, it was too good...

"Oh!" Ryouga cried, his face frozen in a grimace of ecstasy as he came, filling Duo's mouth once again.  Heero pumped a few more times, quickly bringing himself to the masterful orgasm he had been holding off.  Duo grinned at him, and climbed back into Ryouga's arms, kissing and consoling him.

"Shh, it's Ok, Ryouga," Duo said gently.  Heero reached out and rubbed Ryouga's tense shoulders for a few minutes, then got up and went into the bathroom to clean up.  "You're not upset, are you?"

 "He doesn't even really care who I am," Ryouga whispered, not sure if Duo would understand what he meant.

"Oh, he does care," Duo answered.  "Heero doesn't just sleep around, Ryouga.  Neither do I, for that matter.  Listen, I'll try to explain." Ryouga sat up, wincing a little and then pulling the sheet to cover his lap.

"There are five Gundam pilots in the whole world.  We fight together, we often live together, and we sometimes..."

"Sleep together?"

"Sometimes.  It's a closed group, though.  Each of us has been with most of the others in one way or another, you see, but we've never been with anyone who wasn't a Gundam pilot.  Do you see?"

"So that's why Heero's mad at me.  I'm an outsider."

"Wufei, too, but it's not really that they're mad at you, or even me. It's just that neither of them deals with surprises well, if you know what I mean."

"And I'm an unwelcome surprise."

"I wouldn't say that," Heero interrupted from the bathroom doorway.  "I think you were a very nice surprise."

"Oh... thanks," Ryouga said with a sudden blush.

"No, thank you," Heero answered solemnly.  "I'm going to go talk to Wufei.  See you soon."  And with that, he left.  Ryouga stared after him, a little puzzled.

"He's really the strong, silent type," Duo continued.  "Anyway, what I was trying to say is that you're a very welcome surprise.  You even present something of a mystery for us to try to figure out," he finished with a wink, leaping up off the bed and jauntily making his way to the bathroom, his braid swinging.

"Wanna wash up?" Duo asked with a mischievous grin, and Ryouga smiled and followed him.

"So, there are five of you?" Ryouga asked as he started scrubbing up. Duo nodded in response.  "Are the other two like Heero and Wufei?"

"Not at all!" Duo laughed.  "You'll just love Quatre, everybody does. He's as sweet as a soul could possibly be.  And Trowa...  Uh, I forgot to mention that Trowa and Quatre are pretty much exclusive to each other n not that you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at them.  They play with the rest of us sometimes, but mostly keep to themselves in the bedroom."
n
 "So they won't, uh..." Ryouga trailed off, blushing again.

"Oh, they might want a piece of you, too," Duo answered with a roguish grin.  "They're only human, after all.  But I don't want you to think that any of us is casual about this kind of stuff.  They'll like you, Ryouga.  Heero wouldn't have done anything with you if he didn't already like you.  Hey, do you like music?"

"I play guitar."

"You do?  That's great!  Trowa and Quatre are terrific musicians. You'll get along great with them, you'll see."

"I just don't want you to think that I... that I'm..."

"Cheap?" Duo suggested.  Ryouga nodded, his eyes downcast.  "We'd never think that of you.  I, for one, am thanking my lucky stars I found you. You know, this really started out being a bad day for me."

"That's right, your robot blew up!" Ryouga exclaimed, only now recalling the fate of the machine the "girl" had jumped from.

"Gundam.  Please don't call them robots in front of Wufei, Ok?"

"Sorry.  Gundam.  It blew up?"

"Yup.  Had to destroy it, to keep it out of the enemy's hands.  Hated to do that."  Duo frowned at the memory.  "But the point is, now that I've found you, it's turned out to be one of the best days of my life."

"Mine, too," Ryouga said with a bashful smile.  "I've never... I've never had friends before, not really.  Not like you."

"None at all?"

"Well, there was Ranma.  Sort of.  We fought a lot, though."

"Why did you fight?"

"He was a jerk," Ryouga said dismissively.  "He deserved it."  Duo nodded sagely as he rinsed himself off and stepped down into the tub.

"Hey!" Duo said suddenly, "I have an idea.  Would you let me do something?"

 "Um, I guess," Ryouga answered hesitantly.  "Depends on what you want to do, I guess."  Instead of answering, Duo leaped up, scattering hot droplets everywhere, and rummaged around in one of the cabinets.  With a triumphant cry, he surfaced with an apparatus in his hands.  Ryouga peered at it in confusion for a few moments.  It looked like a... it looked like an enema bag.

"I don't think so," Ryouga mumbled dubiously.

"Aw, c'mon!  You might even like it!" Duo whined, his wide, pleading eyes gazing hopefully up at Ryouga.  "C'mon, Ryouga, please?"

"You really are trying to make me die of embarrassment, aren't you?" Ryouga grumbled.  Duo took that as all the permission he needed, and immediately started preparing the apparatus.

"This is gonna be fun!" he promised gleefully.

*

A short time later, a very red-faced Ryouga walked out of the bathroom, clad only in his now-dry boxer shorts.  Duo followed him, grinning smugly.  The two stopped short as they saw that Heero, Wufei and two other young men were sitting on the freshly made-up bed, obviously waiting on them.

"Have fun?" Heero asked.  Duo nodded emphatically, not the least bit abashed, while Ryouga ducked his head a little, his face scarlet, his hands knotting and unknotting anxiously in front of him.

"Yup, he's clean as a whistle now," Duo announced to Ryouga's exponentially-increasing shame.  The others weren't laughing, though, just smiling pleasantly.

"Are you going to introduce us, Duo?" a sweet-faced blond boy asked.

"Sorry," Duo said unapologetically.  "Everyone, meet Ryouga.  Ryouga, you already know Wufei and Heero.  Well, you really know Heero," he added with an irrepressible wink as everyone turned to glance at Heero. Heero merely glared unwaveringly at Duo until he continued.  "Anyway, this is Quatre and Trowa.  And now you know everyone in our little family."

"But he doesn't *really* know us," Quatre said with a small, mischievous smile.

"Not like he *knows* Heero," Trowa added, glancing again at the silent Gundam pilot in some surprise, not that he could blame Heero.  He couldn't help but notice that Wufei was also looking at Heero, his expression furious.

"Wouldn't you like to know us, Ryouga?" Quatre asked sweetly.  "We'd really like to know you."

 "Ah... I..." Ryouga stammered, starting to do odd isometric exercises with his hands.  Duo nudged him and smiled encouragingly, and Ryouga finally managed to stutter out a simple "yes."  Quatre beamed up at him and slowly rose from the bed.  Ryouga was a little surprised to see that he was taller than Quatre; somehow he had expected that all the Gundam pilots would be his height or taller.

Quatre stretched up on his toes and kissed Ryouga, a hot, wet kiss that left them both a little weak in the knees.  Ryouga felt Quatre pulling him gently, guiding him toward the bed, and the young blond broke off the kiss long enough to climb up onto the bed and beckon.  Heero silently left, followed by a glaring Wufei and grinning Duo, who gave Ryouga one final encouraging thumbs-up before ducking out of the room.

Ryouga knelt on the bed beside Quatre, following his lead, and then laid carefully on top of the smaller boy, kissing him tenderly.  Ryouga's weight was being supported by his arms, so when Trowa started pulling the Lost Boy's boxers off, he really couldn't do more than widen his eyes in surprise.  Quatre gave him an angelic smile.

"Don't worry, Ryouga," the little blond said.  "We won't hurt you."

"Just relax and enjoy yourself," Trowa added.  Ryouga lifted his hips up to allow Trowa to  slide the garment off more easily.  Quatre was smiling up at him, so delicately beautiful, and Ryouga couldn't help but give him another hot, gentle kiss.  He couldn't begin to understand why or how his heart went out so quickly to Duo and Quatre, but already he'd gladly do anything either of them asked of him.  Was it because Quatre's gentle smile reminded him of both Kasumi and Akane?  Not good to think about that right now...  The thought of Akane sent an achy little stab through his heart, but Quatre was kissing him, his mouth demanding now, his arms wrapping around Ryouga's neck with surprising strength.  Ryouga felt Trowa pushing his legs, guiding him until he found himself straddling Quatre's body, his knees spread wide apart.

One of Quatre's small hands stroked down along Ryouga's bare back, while the other gently worked its way between their bodies to caress Ryouga's hardening shaft.  Ryouga gave himself over to that kiss, lost in it, slowly starting to move his hips in an unconscious drive as Quatre's small hand closed around his manhood.  Trowa gently caressed Ryouga's smooth buttocks, enjoying the Lost Boy's muffled moan of response.  As soon as Ryouga's hips started to churn, Trowa bent down and pressed his lips against the small of his back.

Ryouga froze in shock as he felt Trowa's warm, wet lips traveling down the crack of his buttocks.  Strong hands pried them apart, and then he felt... his manhood surged forward fully into Quatre's hand, and he felt Trowa's mouth pushing against him from behind, teeth nibbling gently at his secret, hidden opening before Trowa's tongue delved inside.  Quatre was smiling up at him, and he realized suddenly that this was why Duo had wanted to wash him out.

 Quatre gazed up at Ryouga, knowing from the stunned realization on his face what Trowa was doing.  Ryouga's eyes squeezed shut, his face reddening as he whimpered with the pleasure, the nasty thrill of it. Quatre lifted his own hips, rubbing against Ryouga's hardness, his delicate hands still toying with the tip of Ryouga's manhood.

"Trowa," Quatre whispered urgently.  "Trowa, I want some."  Trowa pulled his face up, smiling the secret smile only Quatre had ever seen, and nodded his approval.  He gripped Ryouga's shoulders, urging him to pull up far enough that Quatre was able to squirm out from underneath him. Ryouga sat back on his heels, his manhood pulsing with need as Quatre scampered over to the nightstand, discarding his clothing along the way. Quatre returned with the tube of lubricant, and with a shy smile for Ryouga he bent to kiss the Lost Boy's organ, tasting the little drop of fluid at the tip.

"He's big," the little blond whispered, squeezing a measure of the lube onto his small hands and spreading it over Ryouga's manhood.  Ryouga groaned as Quatre liberally greased him with the slippery stuff, his hands sliding over the sensitive flesh with gentle urgency, then turned and went down on all fours in front of him.

"Please, Ryouga?" Quatre said, his pale, upturned rear spread wide. Ryouga glanced back at Trowa, who simply nodded, then moved forward to take his place behind Quatre.

"Are you sure?" he asked simply.  Quatre seemed so small and delicate...

"Mm-hmm!" Quatre answered emphatically, moving his hips to bump gently against Ryouga.  Ryouga picked up the lube himself, spreading some across his finger and slowly plunging it into the smaller boy's tight entrance.  He wondered if he had grunted and squirmed when Duo had done this to him.  Quatre thrust his hips backward urgently, and Ryouga finally positioned his manhood, slowly and carefully pressing forward. The feeling of Quatre's tight body slowly opening to him was unlike anything else he had experienced, and Ryouga found that his own pleasure-filled groans echoed those of the fair-haired boy.

Trowa waited until Ryouga had sunk himself into Quatre fully, then placed a hand on the Lost Boy's back, halting him before he could begin to move.  He quickly greased his own hungry shaft one-handed, and  nudged Ryouga's knees apart.  Ryouga gasped in shock as he felt Trowa's manhood slowly opening him, while his own member was still buried deep inside Quatre.  Trowa grabbed hold of Ryouga's hips, and pulled them toward him, guiding him, and Ryouga's eyes rolled back in his head at the wild sensation of Trowa's manhood piercing him as Quatre's tight body caressed him on his way out.  Within a few moments, Ryouga established a rhythm, and Quatre and Trowa followed his lead, letting him do most of the work.

 Ryouga knew he wouldn't last very much longer; the incredible combination of sensation was too much for him.  Trowa's long, slender manhood was just hitting the right spot deep inside, and Quatre's tight, lithe body thrashed under him, the ring of muscle clinging to him on each stroke.  Ryouga reached around with his still-slick hand and caught Quatre's manhood in a gentle grasp, stroking it and rubbing his palm across the tip.  Quatre gave an adorable little gasp, and Ryouga felt the smaller boy's seed spilling out across his hand.  Smiling, Ryouga let himself go, his own hot juices flooding into Quatre's body as he groaned with ecstatic relief.  Trowa thrust into Ryouga for a few more moments, his long member driving deeper and deeper, till he finally came as well, drooping over Ryouga's muscled back with a contented sigh.

Ryouga pressed a gentle kiss to Quatre's pale shoulder as he slowly withdrew from the boy's heat and lowered himself to the bed beside him. Quatre turned to face him and kissed him again, gently, and Trowa
pressed his lips just under Ryouga's ear.

"It's nice to *know* you," the blond whispered with an impish grin, and Ryouga could feel Trowa nodding agreement behind him.

"My pleasure," Ryouga whispered back, smiling shyly.

*

"I just don't like it," Wufei snarled for the fifty millionth time, according to Duo's silent count.  "We don't even know where he came from.  We don't know anything about this guy."

"I know enough about him to like him," Duo answered hotly.  Heero merely glanced from one of them to the other, his expression revealing nothing of what he thought.  Duo was starting to worry a little, in spite of his earlier reassurances to Ryouga.  If Heero decided to vote Wufei's way... "Look, why don't we order some dinner?  You can ask him any questions you want to then.  At least he'll only have to answer once, instead of having to say everything five times."

"Fine," Wufei snapped, his eyes narrow with ire.  "What kind of food do you want?"

After a long debate on the merits of Chinese, American and Indian foods, including a sushi argument that Heero broke up with one snappish command, the three of them decided on Italian food.  Duo bounded over to the phone to cheerfully place his order at Mamma Mia's, where he was always guaranteed a good deal.  The delivery girl, Rhonda, had been thoroughly charmed the first time she'd met Duo, and he had light-heartedly exploited the attraction ever since.  After all, he reasoned, she knew there wasn't anything serious in their little flirtation, and they both ended up happy.  A few good-humored jokes here and there, and an occasional stolen kiss for Rhonda, always got him the best possible Italian food with a few extra goodies thrown in.

Trowa and Quatre came out of the bedroom, hand in hand, the smaller boy smiling broadly.  Duo stifled a sigh of relief and began to dial the restaurant's number.  Those two just had to be willing to side with him instead of Wufei.  Duo waited for Ryouga to come out, but there was no sign of the Lost Boy.  Rhonda answered the phone, and Duo quickly gave her the order, barely even remembering to be charming.  As soon as he hung up the phone, Duo headed straight for the bedroom, where he found Ryouga struggling to remake the bed on his own.

"Silly," Duo said, stepping up to help.  Ryouga smiled at him gratefully.  "You could have asked for help, you know."

 "I didn't want to impose," Ryouga answered sheepishly.  "Duo, do you suppose I could borrow some clothes?"

"Oh, I get it," Duo said, efficiently tucking in the sheets on his side of the bed.  "You just don't want to be the only one in his shorts. Tell you what, you can borrow my robe and some pajamas.  Would that be
Ok?"

"You won't need them?"

"Nah, I hardly ever wear them," Duo answered with an unrepentant grin. "Wufei gives me pajamas every birthday and Christmas - I think he's hoping to civilize me.  I usually just sleep in my shorts, or nothing."

"Oh," Ryouga said, his cheeks coloring a little at the thought of Duo wearing nothing.

"Here," Duo said, fishing around in the dresser drawers until he found what he was looking for.  "Ooh, green is a good color for you, too!"

"Thanks," Ryouga said, ducking into the bathroom to clean himself up and put the clothes on.  Luckily, the pajamas were oversized for Duo, and just right for Ryouga.  They were high-quality, very soft flannel. Ryouga found himself wondering if Wufei wore flannel pajamas to bed, then had to dismiss the thought.  He didn't care what old sour-faced Wufei wore, just as long as he and Ryouga didn't have to cross paths too often.  He wouldn't show disrespect to a friend of Duo and Quatre's, but Wufei had better not even try to touch him.  He was lucky Ryouga was willing to overlook the earlier incident.

Ryouga stepped out into the living area, surprised to find that Duo, Quatre, Trowa and even Heero were all dressed in pajamas.  Wufei still wore his day clothes, and stood scowling against the wall as Ryouga
entered.

"We didn't want you to feel weird, being the only one in PJ's," Quatre said, smiling at him warmly.  "You don't feel weird, do you, Ryouga?"

"Not really," Ryouga answered, shaking his head in amazement.  "Thank you all."  In his entire life, nobody had really given that much thought to what he would want or how he might feel.  He was so touched by their thoughtfulness, he had to swallow around a sudden lump at his throat in order to muster up a smile for them.

"Rhonda should be here with dinner any time now," Duo informed him cheerfully.  "Wanna watch some TV?  Or we also have board games.  Just don't ever play chess with Heero.  He's killed everyone who ever beat
him at chess."  The others laughed at this pronouncement, but Heero just glared at Duo, and Ryouga wasn't sure whether to take him seriously or not.  He'd remember not to play chess with Heero, at any rate.

"Is there anything all of us could play?" Ryouga asked.

 "We could play poker," Duo suggested with a sly grin.

"Ok, but you'll have to teach me how," Ryouga answered.  "I never really had a chance to learn it."  The others all groaned, even Heero.  Wufei merely glowered silently.

"Don't you let him cheat you, Ryouga," Quatre said.

"Moi?"  Duo's innocent expression didn't fool Ryouga - he had seen both Ranma and his father use the same look.

"Toi," Ryouga said.  "If you're teaching me, we're not betting money. Oh!"  At that, Ryouga ran back to the bedroom, where his ruined clothing still lay in a small heap in the corner.  There was his wallet, thank goodness.  He stuffed it back in the trouser pocket, so at least he'd remember where it was, and turned to see that all his new friends were gathered in the doorway watching him.  "I, uh, couldn't remember if I had any money with me," he said sheepishly.  "I was afraid I might have left the wallet in my backpack."

"Where's your backpack?" Duo asked.

"Your guess is probably better than mine," Ryouga admitted.  "I have no idea where I was when I last saw it.  There were trees..." Ryouga shrugged helplessly.

"Anyway, you do have your wallet, right?" Quatre asked.  "So it's Ok for now.  I don't want to play poker, though.  I think we should play Clue. Or Monopoly."

"Ooh!  Monopoly!"  Duo called happily.

"I like Clue better," Ryouga said timidly.

"Clue is bloody-minded," Heero chimed in.

"Is not!" Quatre cried.

"The guy dies, and you have to figure out how."

"Ok, so Heero votes for Clue," Duo said.  "Quatre and Trowa?"

"Clue," Trowa said, and Quatre nodded agreement.  Duo shook his head ruefully.  Trowa could vote to make Rush Limbaugh a saint, and Quatre would agree with him.

"Clue it is, then," Duo said, then he quickly went about setting up the game.  Duo didn't really mind being outvoted on the game, as long as he got his way on the Ryouga issue.  He was almost finished with the setup when the doorbell rang.  Duo bounded across the room, his braid dancing behind him, then tossed a devilish grin Ryouga's way and opened the door.

"Duo darling," said the gorgeous redhead on the other side, flashing him a come-hither smile that would have made Shampoo envious.

"Rhonda, my love, I just know you've brought us something wonderful," Duo said with a grin, savoring the heavenly aroma from the cartons she carried.  "How much do I owe you, sweet?"

"Nothing, darling, it's my treat.  A going-away present."

"Rhonda, my precious, I'm going to miss you terribly."

"So when are you moving?" the redhead asked, handing the cartons over and straightening her skin-tight, purple dress.  Ryouga, watching discreetly from a distance, had to wonder why she would wear such a skimpy outfit on such a cold night.  He found himself shivering in sympathy and huddled into his borrowed robe for warmth.

"We have to go in the morning," Duo said, his voice full of regret. Ryouga glumly realized that that meant they'd be leaving him in the morning, too.  He wondered where he should go, since he no longer had a house.  He should probably look for a tent and backpack, and head away from ruined Nerima.  He never wanted to see that place again, but he already knew that he'd be visiting it often in his dreams.

Ryouga looked up to realize that Rhonda had gone, having gotten one last grateful kiss from Duo for her trouble, and that all five of the Gundam pilots were staring at him.  He wondered how long he had been sunk in his thoughts.

"Sorry," Ryouga mumbled, and joined them at the table.

"No problem," Duo answered.  He looked around at the others, and finally started to ask the questions they had discussed.  They'd get all the information they could out of Ryouga, then vote after he had gone to sleep.  "So, Ryouga, tell us about yourself," he suggested, dishing out a huge portion of lasagne to each of the diners.

"Uh... not much to tell, really," Ryouga answered.  "I, uh, get lost a lot.  I mostly just walk around trying to find my way home... except there isn't one anymore."

"You get lost?"

"It's a hereditary thing," Ryouga explained.  Duo sighed.  Getting any kind of real information out of Ryouga was going to be a trial.

 "What about Ranma?  Can you tell us about him?"  The question set Ryouga off, and he started a long explanation about the bread feud, which he shamefacedly had to admit was silly, and the curse, which hehad to demonstrate for an incredulous group  of Gundam fighters.  Ryouga had to laugh along with the others when he related the story of the rich couple who wanted to adopt him as Pork Chop, and he found himself deliberately emphasizing the funny parts of his life history.  He had explained all about the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics competition and the Charlotte Cup by the time the group had finished gorging themselves on lasagne, spaghetti, linguine, antipasto and tiramisu for dessert.

Everyone adjourned to the comfortable couch and chairs, and Ryouga explained about Akane and the whole P-Chan charade, and suddenly found that there wasn't anything left to laugh about.  Wiping away his sudden tears, he moved on to the subject of the Chinese Amazons, and told all about Shampoo and her efforts to snag Ranma.  Wufei seemed to find this particularly interesting, and actually laughed out loud when Ryouga described the relationship between Shampoo and Mousse.

On some level, Ryouga realized that he was being given the third degree, but it was so nice to talk to someone and actually have them listen, he found that he just couldn't stop himself.  He wondered if maybe he was drunk from all that brandy he'd had earlier.  Ignoring that, and the fact that he was getting events all out of chronological order, he told about all the times Ranma had defeated him in battle using some kind of trick.  He explained about the Breaking Point, which he again had to demonstrate, and the ShiShi Hokodan, which he declined to demonstrate indoors.  He even described Akane and Akari, and Kasumi, the three most important women in his life outside of his immediate family.  The thought of immediate family led him to the topic of siblings, and he had to relate the whole story of how Ranma dressed up as a girl and pretended to be his long-lost sister, Yoiko - and that got him started on a list of all the ridiculous disguises Ranma had used.

At long last, Ryouga started to wind down, struggling to stifle yawns in between phrases.  Duo gently suggested that he might want to go to bed, and Ryouga merely nodded, letting his new friend direct him to Quatre and Trowa's room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to talk so much," Ryouga mumbled.

"Don't worry, Ryouga," Duo answered, kissing him gently as he lay back against the pillows.  "Everything will be fine."

*

The others were all waiting to vote when Duo stepped back out of the bedroom.

"I say we keep him," Quatre whispered softly but emphatically.  "I like him."  Trowa nodded his agreement, and Duo turned to Heero hopefully.

"He's a sad guy," Heero commented.  "He'll fit right in."

"Yes!" Duo cried.  "Thank you Heero!  Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"  And he threw himself onto Heero's lap, kissing him soundly on the cheek before moving on to the others.  "I'm going to verify his story," Wufei said quietly.  Nobody had even bothered to ask him what his vote was, since the tide had swung entirely in Ryouga's favor.  They would have been surprised, at the least, to find that the vote would have been unanimous.

"Let's tell him first thing in the morning," Duo said excitedly.  Wufei announced that he would be leaving first thing in the morning, but would catch up to them at their new location in the evening.

Shortly afterward, everyone went to bed, eager to get a good night's sleep and move the next day.  Duo lay awkwardly in the middle of the bed; both Wufei and Heero had their backs turned to him, and neither of them seemed to want to talk.  Quatre, on the other hand, snuggled up to Ryouga, who had been curled up shivering.  Trowa pressed himself up against Quatre from behind, and the little blond slept snugly that way, cuddling up between his two beautiful bed partners.

*

The next day dawned grey and chilly, with a drizzle that promised a full rain later on.  Ryouga woke to find that all his friends were already up, staggering around the two bedrooms bleary-eyed as they packed their few small bags.

"Time to go already?" he mumbled, and rolled out of the bed.  Quatre smiled at him and handed him his own clothes, neatly mended and folded.

"Wufei got up early and sewed them back," the small blond explained cheerfully.  "Said it was the least he could do.  He didn't think the repairs would hold very long, though - the fabric was really worn to the
woof."

"Thanks," Ryouga replied, stunned.  "Where is Wufei?"

"He left already.  Said he'd meet us at the new place tonight."

"Oh."  Ryouga went to the bathroom to dress, wondering how he was going to manage to say goodbye to his new friends.  He supposed he should tell them to thank Wufei... although it really was Wufei's fault his clothes had needed repairing.  It was awfully chilly in the apartment this morning, and Ryouga shivered as he pulled the well-worn garments on.  He wished he could find his pack, and all his warm winter clothing.

"Ryouga?" Duo's voice called.  The Lost Boy pulled the bathroom door open and smiled his greeting as he finished folding his borrowed pajamas.

"Guess you guys have to leave, huh?" Ryouga asked, struggling to keep his face and voice under control.

 "Uh... actually, I was hoping you'd come with us," Duo said, impatiently brushing long bangs out of his eyes so he could see Ryouga's reaction.  "You know, uh, stay with us."

"Really?!?" Ryouga cried, his eyes going wide as he grinned a delighted, toothy grin.  "You mean it?"

"Yeah!" Duo gasped as Ryouga swept him up into a crushing bear hug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!  Thank you all!" Ryouga cried, hugging each of his new friends in turn as they gathered around him.  "I'm so happy! I promise I won't be a bother!"

"Let's go," Heero said, his expression impassive.  Duo grinned at him impishly, knowing that a neutral expression for Heero was about as close to a smile as they were likely to get.

"Where are we going?" Ryouga asked, suddenly aware that he didn't know what he had agreed to.

"A cabin," Duo answered.  "You'll love it!  But first you and I are taking a plane trip.  Everyone else gets to fly their Gundams today."

"Mission," Heero explained.  "You two move in, and we'll join you when the work is done."

"Good luck," Duo said earnestly, and Ryouga realized that the mission, whatever it was, was a serious matter.  Duo actually looked as though he might be saying goodbye for the last time...

"Be careful," Ryouga added.  Heero gave him a brisk nod, and Quatre and Trowa gave quick goodbye hugs to Ryouga and Duo.

"See you tonight," Quatre promised, and then they were gone.  Ryouga and Duo went through the apartment quickly, checking one last time to be sure everything had been packed, then loaded Duo's motorcycle with themselves and the few bags they'd have to bring.

"We travel light," Duo explained, and Ryouga nodded - not that he had ever had a need to travel light.  There wasn't much he couldn't carry in his backpack.  The motorcycle sped through the ruins of Nerima, and Ryouga buried his face against Duo's shoulder, hiding from the brutal reality of it.  The wind whistled past, tearing its way through his clothing to trail all along his flesh with icy fingers.

"It's freezing!" he exclaimed, yelling into the wind so Duo could hear him.

 "We'll be there soon!" Duo shouted back.  Ryouga huddled against Duo's back for the meager warmth and protection from the wind the slender boy's body offered, and grimly waited.  The ride seemed to take forever, but at last they pulled into the airport.  They had no sooner stepped indoors than the sky opened up in a downpour.

"Wow, that was lucky," Duo commented.

"Weird.  I've never had good luck with cold water before."  Duo laughed at Ryouga's shocked expression, then led the way to the ticket counter. Ryouga watched in some awe as Duo charmed the lady behind the counter. Ranma had always had a bizarre attraction for the women he met, but had been totally without class.  Duo actually drew people in with finesse and wit.  Of course, Ryouga reflected, the fact that Duo was
good-looking didn't hurt, either.

Duo cheerfully waved two tickets at his friend and pulled his carry-on bag over his shoulder.

"Let's go look at the duty-free shops!" he cried, and the two of them rushed over to the one true attraction an airport held, grinning like children on Christmas morning.

"Ooh, look at these," Ryouga cooed, picking up a small box with woodcarving knives in it.  If he could ever find his pack, he'd have a much better set than this, but still...  It would be Christmas soon, the first Christmas in a long time that he wouldn't be alone, and the knives gave him some ideas.  He purchased them, grinning in glee, and also bought some paper and pens and one new pair of black jeans and a red sweater.  He felt a little odd about wearing red, but Duo assured him that the color would be gorgeous on him.

Duo led the way to the plane, and the two boys seated themselves and settled in for a long flight.  Ryouga shivered, wondering whether he shouldn't have gone ahead and changed into his new clothes.

"It's cold in here," he muttered.  "Aren't you cold?"

"No, I think it's fine," Duo answered, shucking his jacket and folding it.  The Gundam pilot put his folded jacket into the overhead compartment and handed Ryouga one of the plane's blankets.  Ryouga quickly bundled himself up in the thing, and sneezed.

"Oh, you must be coming down with a cold," Duo commented, brushing Ryouga's bangs aside to feel the skin just above his bandanna.  "You're a little warm."

"I'm never sick," Ryouga answered.  "Not even when I was little."  Duo nodded thoughtfully, then pulled out a magazine.

"Want one?" he asked, indicating his assortment of reading materials. "It's gonna be a long flight."

"I think I might sleep a little," Ryouga answered, and closing his eyes he slept almost immediately.  He slept through the pre-flight announcements, the take-off, the airplane meal, the landing, and most of the disembarking.

 "Ryouga," Duo said, shaking his friend urgently.  "Come on, we're the last ones.  We have to leave now."

"Mmh?"  Ryouga groggily staggered to his feet, shivering violently as Duo pulled the blanket from him.  His teeth were chattering by the time the two boys had made their way through the baggage claim and outside to hail a taxi, but Duo didn't think anything of it because he was shivering himself.  North America could be downright frigid in November, as Duo was only now recalling.

The Taxi ride was some small relief, since the cab was well-heated, but Duo was keenly aware that they were both ill-equipped for harsh conditions.  Luckily it hadn't snowed yet.  The cab let them off at the bottom of the hill where the cabin sat, lonely and dark in the fading light of the afternoon.  Duo tipped the driver handsomely for driving them so far out of the way, then he and Ryouga gathered the bags and made their way up the hill to the house, shivering all the way.  It was at least some help, being able to shut the icy wind out.  The cabin was a snug, well-insulated rustic little house, a far distance from any village or town.  It was perfect.

"Hang on, I've got matches somewhere," Duo said, fumbling around in the dim light from the windows.  After several tooth-chattering minutes, the pilot had a cheery fire started.

"Lucky I thought to lay a fire before we left last time," he said smugly, giving Ryouga a saucy wink.  "You just stay here and warm up. I'll go get the lights."  Ryouga huddled by the fire and watched as Duo went about the room lighting kerosene lamps.  The light revealed a charming, comfortable house, with a cozy couch and chairs by the fire, handwoven rugs, an ancient piano by the window, copper pots gleaming from the walls in the large kitchen and a loft overhead, accessible only by a ladder.

"Come on up!" Duo called cheerfully.  Ryouga climbed the ladder a little hesitantly, noticing that there was a fence between the edge of the upstairs floor and the long drop to the downstairs, though Ryouga could make the jump easily.  The upstairs was the sleeping quarters, with three double beds all outfitted with down pillows and comforters.  At the foot of each bed, a large chest held additional linens and hand stitched quilts.

"Wow," Ryouga said, noticing the handiwork.  "Somebody worked hard on these."

"I know, it almost makes me feel like I have a mother," Duo chirped, grinning infectiously, as he peered out the window at the wooded yard below. Ryouga was looking at the cabinets against the far wall, each of them a lockable box made of wood.

"There are six of them," Ryouga noticed.

"Yup.  We always just left the extra one empty.  Now you can use it," Duo answered.  "Come on, I'll bet there's lots of good stuff in the kitchen!"

 The kitchen boasted a huge wood-burning stove, and Duo wasted no time in firing it up.  Ryouga made a quick check of the cabinets, his mind boggling at all the food they held.  There was even a door to an uninsulated pantry, a short flight of steps down from the kitchen level. The pantry was stocked to the brim with all kinds of canned, dried and preserved foods.

"Wow!" Ryouga cried.

"Isn't it cool?" Duo asked proudly.  "There's even a smokehouse out back loaded up with smoked meat, and a barn, too.  I'll go over in the morning to get Bessie and the chickens from Mr. Schell.  He takes care of them for us during the year."

"A cow?"

"And chickens.  Fresh milk and eggs.  The downside is, one of us has to get up early to take care of them, but we rotate turns."

"I've never milked a cow," Ryouga confessed.

"Nothing to it.  You just have to treat them like a woman.  Love and respect her, and she'll take good care of you," Duo said with a wink. "Let's get some supper started before the others get here."

With the stove and fireplace both going, the house was starting to warm up.  Duo led Ryouga through the steps of making biscuits from scratch, then pointed out where the smokehouse was through the window.

"I'll be right back," he promised.  "We can have some smoked ham."

Ryouga decided that canned green beans and peach preserves would go well with the meal, and he stepped into the pantry to get them.  Except he was in the bathroom.  He tried again, only to find himself outdoors with the biting cold wind tearing through his threadbare clothes.

"Not again," he moaned.  He finally found a house where he was welcome, he couldn't bear to get lost again!  And he was unprepared, with no backpack, no tent, no warm clothes...  He couldn't even see the house
anymore.  Had he been walking while he thought?

"Duo!" he called, then yelled, then screamed.  Maybe if he sat down. That way he'd at least be sure he wasn't moving anywhere.  He huddled down into a miserable heap on the leaf-strewn ground, teeth chattering as the wind ruffled his hair.  What if they never found him?  What if he froze to death waiting for them to come looking?  His eyelids drooped slowly, and he huddled up even closer, pulling his hands into his sleeves and ducking his head down between his knees.  He could just go to sleep...

 "Here he is," a voice called, and a light flashed in his eyes.  Quatre was pale with relief, the worried frown fading from his brow as Ryouga looked up at him, confused.  "Why did you go so far away?" the young pilot asked, helping Ryouga pull himself up and leading him by the hand. "This is no night for going on a walk."

"I was trying to find the pantry," Ryouga mumbled, his cheeks coloring with shame now that he knew he was safe.  He had promised to be no trouble, and he had already gotten lost, on the first day!

"You really do get lost, don't you?" Quatre gasped.  Ryouga nodded miserably.

"It's been happening ever since I was little," he mumbled.  "That's why I always kept my backpack with me.  I never knew when I might have to break camp.  I'd just find myself in Timbuktu or Paris or someplace, and not remember how I got there."

"Wow, that must've been really hard for you," Quatre said thoughtfully, leading him into the house.  The other pilots had all returned to the cabin, and were waiting for them.  Wufei glowered at Ryouga as he stepped into the welcoming warmth.

"I brought someone to see you," Wufei said solemnly.  Quatre led Ryouga over to the fire and helped him get settled on the couch, where a wrinkled old crone was waiting.

"C-Cologne?' Ryouga gasped.

"Silly pig boy," the old crone answered.  "My great-grandmother died a long time ago."

"Y-you're... you're Shampoo?" Ryouga cried.  "What happened to you?"

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other," the withered old woman said.  "You haven't changed at all, Ryouga."

"So you really do know him?" Wufei asked, his manner gentle and respectful as he addressed the elderly Amazon.  She nodded in answer, then addressed Ryouga again.

"Ryouga, do you even know what year it is?" the old woman asked.

"And you speak so much better, too," Ryouga stuttered through chattering teeth.

"What year is it?" the old woman repeated.

"1998."  Ryouga noticed everyone around him face faulting.  "What did I say?"

"Ryouga, it's been more than 200 years since you vanished from Nerima."

"Wh- ...What?!?" Ryouga yelped.  Shampoo nodded at him, and he suddenly heard the rushing sound of his pulse in his ears, and blackness reached up to cover him...

 "He fainted!" Quatre cried as he and Duo jumped up to catch Ryouga before he could slump to the ground.

"He's feverish," Duo announced.  "That little jaunt outside probably didn't help him any."

"He always did get lost so easily," Shampoo said, smiling a little fondly.  "I often wondered how he managed to survive his wandering.  Now I suspect that his talent for getting lost may have rescued him from the calamity that befell Nerima.  I wonder, though, how he managed to get lost in time..." she mused.  She jumped down from the couch to feel Ryouga's forehead, suddenly solemn as a thought occurred to her.

"Did he by any chance go anywhere near what used to be Nerima?" the old crone asked, her eyes widening in sudden fear.

"Yes, we drove right through it twice," Duo answered.  "Why?"

"The plague," the old ghoul said.  "There was a plague that swept through Nerima a few years after Ryouga disappeared.  The Jusenkyo victims were among the first to die..."

"Even Ranma?" Duo asked.  "He was supposed to be so strong."

"Ranma was the very first," the old ghoul said, her haunted eyes reflecting the horror of the memory.  "The fever runs uncontrollably, but as soon as you put ice or water on a Jusenkyo-cursed patient-"

"They turn into a pig," Duo interrupted.  "Or whatever."

"Yes.  But a pig's body, for example, cannot withstand the rigors of the illness.  Ryouga as a human might stand a chance of surviving, but if he turns into his cursed form... I'm afraid he'll die as the thing he hated
most."

"Is that what happened to Ranma?"

"Ranma died as a woman," Shampoo said, her mouth tight as the remembered pain resurfaced.  To this day, she blamed herself... though she hadn't even suspected her great-grandmother until after they had returned to China.  Shampoo's position as the tribe's leader-to-be had been assured, once the Amazons were informed that both the man and woman who had brought dishonor to her had died horribly.  "His wife followed him soon after, and his father, and his in-laws... and Mousse."  Shampoo's husband, the man she had only begun to learn to love in the wake of Ranma and Akane's wedding... tears gathered in her wide eyes at the memory of beloved Mousse smiling at her, his body ravaged by the fever.

"I'm so sorry," Quatre said earnestly, his compassion showing on his sweet face.  "But isn't there anything we can do for Ryouga?  I don't want him to die!"
 

"I'm afraid his fate is sealed," the ancient Amazon replied.  "The only way he can survive the plague is if he were somehow cured of his curse."

"Is he a danger to us?" Heero asked, ignoring the hurt look Duo shot him.  He had to know.  It was the kind of question a leader was supposed to ask.

"No, the plague is no threat to any of you, as long as you were vaccinated as children.  It's part of the standard vaccines given these days."  Heero frowned, vowing to pull up everyone's medical records as soon as possible.  If one of them was going to be a victim of this disease, it was better to know now.

"Let's get him upstairs," Duo suggested.

"We can't carry him up the ladder," Quatre protested.  "Why not let him stay on the couch?  That way we can all keep an eye on him."

"I have to be returning to my tribe," Shampoo said.  "If there were anything I could do... Poor Ryouga.  I can't believe he skipped through two hundred years only to fall prey to the same disease that killed off all the others."  Wufei escorted the ancient woman out of the house, posing a few carefully chosen questions as they left.

Duo gasped as Ryouga's eyelids slowly started to flutter open, so all eyes were on the Lost Boy when he woke back up.  He glanced up at all his friends gathered around him, and his cheeks colored with embarrassment that he had once again created a stir.  But something was different... there was a light overhead.

"Electric lights?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Duo answered with a grimace.  "And TV, and cable, and central heating and computer access and all that stuff.  But isn't it cooler with just the fires and lamps?"  Quatre laughed.  Ryouga nodded reluctantly, then found himself grinning.  It would have been so much easier to just flip a switch when they first got to the house...

"Speaking of the computer, I'll be on it," Heero announced, his face totally devoid of expression.  Duo glanced after him worriedly.  He looked like he was going into battle.

"Hey, Ryouga, can you climb upstairs?" Duo asked.  Better to have him do it now, while they were all there to help.

 "I could probably..." Ryouga said.  He sat up abruptly and then had to sink back down on the couch as another wave of dizziness assailed him. Determined, he sat back up again, slowly, and just as slowly rose to his feet.  His friends walked with him, and Ryouga was appalled to realize how little strength he had.  His legs were shaking with the effort by the time he climbed up the ladder and fell across the first bed.  Duo climbed up after him and went to the upstairs bathroom, getting a wet washcloth.  He left the door open in case Ryouga needed to see where it was.

"Here," he said, wiping Ryouga's flushed face with the cloth.  The Lost Boy mumbled his thanks as his eyes closed again.  Quatre clambered up the steps, carrying some printed pages.

"Heero did some research on the disease," the little blond said, his face mirroring his distress as he noticed that Ryouga had passed out again.  "We've got to get him cooled off."

"I've got the medicine kit," Trowa announced, climbing the ladder one-handed.  "We pretty much just have aspirin and cold medicine.  Some thermometers... some bandages... ointment..."

"Ok, help me get his clothes off," Duo said.  Quatre raised an eyebrow at him.  "So we can get him cooled off?"  The three boys started pulling at Ryouga's clothes, only to have them rip right along the seams Wufei had mended.

"Oh, shoot," Duo said.  "I can't sew 'em back, either."

"Now what?" said Quatre.  The patient had noticed the change in temperature, and was curled up on his side shivering.

"Aspirin.  You said we have aspirin?"  Trowa quickly fished out the appropriate bottle, and Duo tried to wake Ryouga.

"Ryouga, you have to take this."  Ryouga opened his eyes to see Duo and Quatre leaning over him, smiling.  They helped him to sit up, and Duo handed him two pills.  Trowa stepped out of the bathroom a moment later with a glass of water.

"It's cold," Ryouga mumbled.

"No, you're feverish," Quatre answered.  "Please take the aspirin, Ryouga."  Ryouga willingly swallowed the pills and drank the water, because he couldn't say no to Quatre.  The little blond was smiling at him, and he found himself smiling back.

"Are you tired?" Duo asked.  At Ryouga's nod, he continued, "We'll just leave you alone, then, so you can rest."

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"You're no trouble, Ryouga," Duo said firmly.

"No trouble at all," Quatre echoed.

 "Thanks," Ryouga mumbled, and fell into a fitful sleep.  Duo, Quatre and Trowa watched over him all night, occasionally wiping his face and limbs with a cold, wet cloth or waking him up to take more aspirin.  By morning, the fever had worsened, and Ryouga mumbled incoherently as he dreamed, and it became harder to wake him.  He thrashed restlessly on the bed, alternately throwing off the sheet that covered him or huddling up in it shivering.  His three friends were rubbing him down with cold washcloths when Heero climbed up the ladder and poked his head over the edge of the floor.

"Mission," the stern-faced pilot said simply, and started to climb back down again.

"Wait!" Duo cried.  "What'll we do?  He's burning up!"  Heero paused and considered for a moment.

"If we had a tarp, we could cover him with it and put ice on it."

"We don't have a tarp," Quatre pointed out.

"We do have a mission, and it can't wait," Heero said, his face revealing none of the pain the statement invoked.  Duo was looking at him as though he were heartless, but it hurt him just as much to think of leaving Ryouga to fend for himself in his condition.

"You two go on ahead, and we'll be right behind you," Quatre said with sudden decisiveness.  "Duo, help me get him in the tub."

"We can't put cold water-" Duo began to protest, even as he helped drag the Lost Boy from his bed.

"No, but the tub is cold," Quatre answered.  "And we can cover him with a damp towel."

"Don' wanna die..." Ryouga mumbled, then whimpered as his friends lowered him into the cold porcelain tub.  His eyes opened blearily but didn't focus on either of them.  Duo sniffled as he covered Ryouga's shivering body with a cold, damp towel and reluctantly followed Quatre down the ladder.

"What's going on?" a voice asked from behind them.

"Mission," Quatre answered, turning to see Wufei walking in.  "And poor Ryouga-"

"Where is he?"

"In the tub, upstairs," Duo answered.  "Where were you all night?"

"You go, I'll stay here and listen in," the Chinese pilot answered enigmatically.  "Call if you need me."

"Come on," Quatre said, and ran out the door.  Duo followed, relieved that at least Ryouga wouldn't be all alone.  Wufei watched them leave, then without a word climbed the ladder to the upstairs.  The radio was hidden behind a panel in the wall, and he switched it on.  He all but held his breath as he walked into the bathroom.  Ryouga looked worse than he had expected; his cheeks were sunken in slightly, and he had dark circles under his eyes and a bluish tinge around his mouth.  He was shivering violently, and started to cough just as Wufei entered the room, a dry, hacking cough.

"Only one way to tell if this'll work," Wufei muttered to himself, and with shaking hands he pulled out a flask of cold water, whispering a prayer for luck, and poured it out over the Lost Boy.

"Cold," Ryouga muttered, then his eyes opened blearily, and he stared down at himself in confusion.  "No P-Chan?" he muttered, noticing that he was still human.  "Must be a dream."  And with that he slipped back into his uneasy, fevered sleep.

Wufei smiled at last, satisfied that his efforts had proved fruitful. He had no idea what he would have done if the Nannichuan had turned out to be a fake, but it wouldn't have been pleasant.  He supposed he should be grateful for the soft spot the old woman claimed to have for Ryouga.

"It's no dream," he answered cheerfully, bending down to lift Ryouga out of the tub.  The boy remained unconscious as Wufei carried him back to the bed and rolled him over onto his stomach, but started to wake when the pilot pulled his shorts off.

"Wh-?" Ryouga muttered, reaching dazedly for the covers as Wufei pulled them out of the way.

"I have to check your temperature," Wufei announced, quickly preparing a rectal thermometer and leaning across Ryouga's body as he started to try to get up.  "This is the most accurate way."

"Wufei!" Ryouga cried, outraged as the pilot pried his buttocks apart and slid the thermometer in.  "You leave me alone!  Get off me!"  A fit of coughing interrupted Ryouga's angry diatribe, and Wufei ignored the Lost Boy's furious, feeble struggles, resting one hand across the curve of Ryouga's buttocks to hold the thermometer in place as he calmly counted off the time until he could be sure he had an accurate reading.

"106.5," Wufei gasped.  Ryouga pulled the covers around himself as soon as Wufei let him go, and curled up in a shivering, humiliated little ball on the bed.  Wufei wordlessly went to the tub and started the cold water running in it, then climbed downstairs to get some ice.  He made several trips while the tub filled, then crossed back over to where Ryouga huddled on the bed.

 "Wufei..." Ryouga mumbled as the pilot picked him up.  "No..."  Wufei unceremoniously placed him in the tub, and Ryouga shot up with a loud gasp, floundering in the icy water.  Wufei held him down in it, getting soaked himself as Ryouga thrashed in the frigid cold.  As soon as the Lost Boy had his breath back, he screamed.  The water was so cold it was painful, and he couldn't help but scream, his mouth filling with water as Wufei struggled to keep him down in the tub.

"Help!  Someone help me!  You're killing me!" Ryouga shrieked, sobbing in pain and cold and terror.  His heart felt like it was trying to explode in his chest, and he screamed again and again, he screamed until his coughing stopped him, then coughed until he could scream again.  It seemed an eternity, a torturous forever before Wufei pulled him out of the tub, and by then he no longer even had the strength to struggle.  He hung weakly from Wufei's arms, his body racked with coughing, then flopped gracelessly onto the bed where Wufei put him.

Wufei got a towel and quickly dried his patient off, then took his temperature again, grunting in satisfaction.  The ice bath hadn't been pleasant, but it had certainly been effective.  He pulled the covers over Ryouga, frowning in concern as he noticed that the cough was getting worse.  There was a danger of pneumonia with this disease, he knew at least that much from what Shampoo had told him.  Pneumonia had killed Ranma.

Wufei glanced down at himself and noticed that he too was soaked to the skin.  He quickly changed clothes, draping his sodden garments over the railing in hopes that they would dry soon.  Ryouga was shivering violently under the covers, his teeth chattering.  Wufei lay down behind him, pressing up against Ryouga's chilled body.  Ryouga relaxed a little, scooting backward instinctively to take in more of Wufei's
warmth.

"I know you hate me Wufei," he sighed, "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."  Wufei stared at him in surprise.  Ryouga thought he hated him?

"Where did you get that idea?" Wufei asked, but Ryouga was already long gone, sunk into a deep, drugged state of unconsciousness now that he had achieved a small measure of comfort.  The radio softly transmitted the sounds of battle, and Wufei fell into a light sleep, listening to the harsh rattle of Ryouga's breathing and the sounds of his friends fighting.

During the course of the long day, Wufei got up every few hours to check Ryouga's temperature, force feeding him cough medicine and antibiotics when it was necessary.  The antibiotics couldn't help Ryouga to fight the disease, but they might help stave off secondary infections.  Twice Wufei had to repeat the ice-bath procedure, but Ryouga no longer had the energy to fight him. He merely lay in the tub shivering and whimpering from the cold, and turned his face away, silently refusing to even look at Wufei.

Wufei also listened to the radio, chafing at the thought that his friends needed him.  The battle might have been over by now, had they had all five Gundams to fight.  Several times Quatre or Duo wondered aloud how Ryouga was doing, and Wufei had to smile at Heero's terse reassurances that he was in good hands.  Heero also took the opportunity to remind them that they did have a mission to attend to.

Sunset brought a glorious array of color to the western sky, and Wufei watched as the rosy glow slowly lit the house.  Ryouga stirred uncomfortably, then opened his eyes and saw the pilot looking at him.  "You... leave me alone," he rasped, his voice hoarse from screaming. He slowly sat up, and tried to shake off Wufei's hands.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Wufei asked, irritated.

"Bathroom.  Leave me alone."

"I'll walk you there."

"You keep your hands off of me!" Ryouga snapped.

"Look," Wufei growled, his eyes boring into Ryouga's.  "I don't have time to go looking for you if you get lost, and you're in no condition to go wandering around.  Either you let me help you, or I'll tie you to the bed and catheterize you."

"You wouldn't!" Ryouga gasped.  Wufei's gaze never wavered, and after a long moment Ryouga's eyes dropped, his head lowering as his cheeks flushed.  "Fine.  Have it your way."  He meekly let Wufei lead him to the bathroom, and tried not to let it bother him that the stern pilot watched him the whole time.  Ryouga was shaking with fatigue by the time Wufei led him back to the bed, and found that he was forced to be
grateful for a strong shoulder to lean on.

"Here, you might as well take your medicine while you're up," Wufei said.  Ryouga glared at him mutinously for a moment, then took the medicine and tried to swallow it without tasting it.  At least it was better than having Wufei cram pills down his throat.

The medicines had the predictable effect of forcing Ryouga to sleep, in spite of his struggles to keep his eyes open long enough to give Wufei a baleful glare.  It seemed only a few minutes later that Wufei woke him and ordered him to eat some of the hot, thick soup the Chinese pilot had prepared.

"No, thank you," Ryouga said, turning his head away.

"You need it," Wufei said, starting to frown ominously.  Ryouga scowled at him, determined that he was not going to be spoon-fed by anyone.

"I don't want it," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"You're going to eat it," Wufei snarled.  Ryouga pressed his lips together and glared his defiance.  With a stifled oath, the Chinese boy set the bowl down on the nightstand and stalked away.  Ryouga lay back on the pillows and closed his eyes, too weary to even think about gloating.  He didn't notice until it was too late that Wufei had brought the handcuffs with him.  Ryouga's eyes snapped open in shock as the cuffs pinned his wrists behind his back in a frighteningly quick motion. Wufei smirked at him, piled pillows up to force Ryouga to sit and picked up the bowl again.

 "You can't make m-" Ryouga's statement was interrupted by a spoonful of soup as Wufei crammed it into his mouth.  "That's no fair, y-"  Wufei was grinning now, just daring him to try to speak again, and Ryouga
couldn't bear it.

"Bully!" he managed to say before Wufei could stop him.  The Chinese boy scowled.

"Because you are sick, I'll overlook that this time," he said, feeding his unwilling patient several more spoonfuls of the thick soup.

"If you didn't act like a bully-" Ryouga began, then swallowed the next spoonful quickly.

"I suggest you stop talking that way," Wufei said ominously, but Ryouga was reckless in his drugged, humiliated state.

"I wouldn't call you one if it wasn't true!"  It was the last straw.

Wufei set the bowl down with a loud clatter and flipped Ryouga over onto his stomach with no difficulty.

"You keep your hands off me, Wufei," Ryouga cried, a tone of fear creeping into his voice.

"If you persist in using that term, I'll be forced to punish you, sick or not," Wufei said quietly.

"You mean you'll be forced to bully me."  Ryouga gasped in outrage as Wufei tore his boxer shorts off in one swift tug.  "You stop it, Wufei! You wouldn't dare!"

Wufei dared.  His hand rose and fell on the Lost Boy's exposed bottom with a series of resounding thwacks.  Ryouga cried out in shock, his voice cracking hoarsely as he struggled in vain against the handcuffs and Wufei's hand planted in the small of his back.  His feet kicked uselessly and he whimpered into the pillow as Wufei spanked him thoroughly, only stopping when the round, taut cheeks of his buttocks were a bright shade of pink.

Wufei stopped, glancing down at Ryouga's punished bottom with some satisfaction.  He had had that coming for a while now...  Suddenly, Wufei realized that the Lost Boy was crying, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed into the pillows.

"Please don't be mad at me..." he was whispering.  Wufei pulled the shorts back into place and released the handcuffs, then turned Ryouga back over.  His eyes were tightly shut, but tears leaked out, soaking his long, dark eyelashes.  "Please don't hate me anymore," Ryouga whimpered.  Wufei brushed at Ryouga's wet lashes, then for some reason he couldn't understand, he bent and kissed the boy's soft lips.  Ryouga mumbled in confusion, then suddenly opened up to the kiss, responding with a warmth that left Wufei's heart racing.  Wufei kissed him for long, long minutes, ravishing the responsive lips with his own, inwardly delighted at Ryouga's passionate moans.  Wufei pulled away, taking a deep breath and trying to bring his body's needs back under control.

"Akane..." Ryouga mumbled.  Wufei stared at him in wounded shock, suddenly realizing how far out of it Ryouga was.  He hadn't even known who he was kissing, or that it was real.  Shaken, Wufei took the rest of the soup and went about washing up in the kitchen.  When he was done, he had regained some measure of his self-control.  He went through the motions of checking Ryouga's temperature, forcing him to swallow the medicines, alternately washing him with cold cloths or allowing him to bundle up in the blankets... and all the while his mind kept replaying that kiss, and the name of the dead girl spoken so reverently.

*

By the next morning, Wufei was starting to worry.  Ryouga's temperature steadily rose, and his too-bright eyes glittered above fever-flushed cheeks without seeing anything.  He carried on conversations with the long-dead Ranma and Akane, and seemed oblivious to anything Wufei said or did.  Even the icy bath failed to drag him from his hallucinations, and his fever was now barely kept in check by frequent treatments.

At the same time, Wufei was agonizingly aware that his friends needed him.  Enemy reinforcements had apparently arrived during the night, and the Gundam pilots were having a hard time of it.  Wufei clambered down the ladder, pulling on his jacket.  He'd just have to end the battle and come back quickly.

"Curse you, Ranma!" Ryouga cried, and Wufei turned in alarm just in time to see the Lost Boy fling himself over the second-story rail and fall to the floor below with a sickening snap.  With a panicked gasp, Wufei ran over to him.

"Rrrrranma..." Ryouga muttered, and Wufei snorted, realizing how lucky it was that he hadn't broken his neck.  He turned Ryouga over and quickly checked him for injuries, trying not to notice that Quatre's voice over the radio was almost tearful with exhaustion.

Ryouga's left arm was broken, but other than that he didn't seem to be hurt.  Wufei shook his head in amazement, then paused a moment to consider his options.  He couldn't take Ryouga with him, and he couldn't carry him upstairs... and if he left him alone there was no telling what the boy might do in his delirium.  Wufei quickly came to a decision and fastened handcuffs around Ryouga's wrists and ankles and carried him over to the couch.  Just to be on the safe side, the pilot ran to the barn and came back with a long length of rope.  He wound it around both Ryouga and the couch, crossing it over his shoulders and around each leg.  There was no way the Lost Boy could wriggle out of that.  Just for good measure, Wufei put all the ice they had into plastic bags and tucked them in among the ropes.

"Don't hate me anymore, Daddy," Ryouga pleaded.  Wufei paused long enough to brush silky bangs out of Ryouga's eyes, then left at a run, wishing he could be two places at once.

*

 Quatre was about to die.  He knew this, because he was out of ammunition and dizzy with fatigue after all those hours of fighting, and the fresh enemy troops in their fully-loaded mechs had somehow cut him off from the other Gundams.  He could hear Duo screaming his name as Sandrock reeled under the heavy fire, and Quatre closed his eyes for a moment, only a moment...

He opened his eyes and blinked.  And blinked again.  His vidscreen showed nothing but Shenlong's back.

"Wufei!" Quatre yelled, wiping a tear of pure relief from the corner of his eye.

"You were supposed to take care of Ryouga," Heero's dispassionate voice intoned over the radio.

"We weren't going to call you," Quatre added.

"Let's finish this!" Wufei yelled.

"Yeah!" Duo cried enthusiastically, swinging forward in Deathscythe with renewed vigor.

"Quatre, go home," Heero said.

"But..."

"You have no ammunition."

"Ryouga needs help," Wufei added, blasting one of the enemy mechs with a grim smile of satisfaction on his face.  "His fever's worse."

"Go ahead, and we'll keep anyone from following you!" Duo cried, and Quatre left without another word.  "Ha!  Eat that, you dog!"

"You're having entirely too much fun," Heero deadpanned.

"Might as well enjoy what I do, since I have to do it anyway," Duo answered cheerfully.  "Gotcha!  Thought you could sneak up on me, did you?"

Wufei grinned at Heero's exasperated snort.

*

Quatre scrambled up the hill to the cabin, ignoring muscles aching with fatigue and the cold air searing his lungs in his haste to get to Ryouga.  He found the Lost Boy near the couch, still attached to the heavy piece of furniture by one frayed coil of rope.

"Oh, Ryouga," the little blond breathed.  He ran over to the unconscious boy, noting with relief that he was at least still breathing - though the sound of his breathing had progressed to a harsh, slow rattle deep
in his chest.

"You don't sound so good," Quatre said.  Ryouga didn't answer, and didn't react at all when Quatre dragged him back onto the couch with a series of massive heaves.  Quatre sat back on his heels and panted for a while after having gotten the patient on the couch, then went about looking for the handcuff keys.

"I can't find them anywhere," he muttered to himself, since nobody else was listening.  "I'm sorry I can't make you more comfortable, but at least I can get rid of these," and he picked up an armful of the plastic bags.  "I wonder why Wufei left a bunch of water?"  Shrugging the question off, Quatre carried the bags over to the sink and emptied them out.  That was when he noticed the empty ice trays.  Realization dawned, and Quatre quickly refilled the trays and ran back to Ryouga.

"You're so hot," he whispered, brushing Ryouga's thick bangs aside to feel his forehead.  "And we don't have any more ice, and I can't put cold water on you, and oh, Ryouga, what am I supposed to do?"  The question ended on a distressed wail as Quatre realized how few his options were.  Just as he was getting ready to panic, he heard Wufei's voice over the radio, which had been left on.

"...mention about Ryouga - his curse is cured now."

"WHAT?" Duo's voice cried.  Quatre listened, wide-eyed, as Wufei explained about the Nannichuan.  With a grin and a sudden burst of energy, Quatre heaved the Lost Boy across his shoulders and staggered over to the downstairs bathroom, bent nearly double under the weight. Ryouga flopped heavily into the tub, and that was when Quatre noticed the odd angle of his left arm.

"Oh, no!" the little blond wailed.  "I'm so sorry, I broke your arm!" There wasn't any time to worry over the arm, though, if Ryouga wasn't going to live long enough to heal.  Quatre quickly started the cold
water running in the tub.

"Cold," Ryouga mumbled, then his eyelashes slowly fluttered open for a brief moment.  "Ranma?"

"No, Ranma's not here," Quatre answered gently.

"Oh, Quatre," Ryouga sighed.  "Please don't let Wufei spank me any more."

"Wufei spanked you?"

"He hates me because I ate the bread."

"You ate the bread?"

 "Ranma no baka."

"Ranma's not here," Quatre said reassuringly.

"Don't let Wufei..."

"Don't worry," Quatre said, struggling to hide a mischievous grin. "I'll protect you from Wufei while you're sick.  Once you're better, you're on your own."

"Once I'm better, I'll beat the living daylights out of him," Ryouga said, then sank deeper into a faint.

"Hn," Wufei said from the doorway.  "You can try."  Quatre turned around to see Wufei, Trowa and Heero crowding in the doorway.  Duo was jumping up and down behind them in his efforts to see, his braid flying wildly. Quatre smiled broadly at the sight of all of them safe and sound, and tried not to giggle at the thought of Wufei spanking Ryouga.  He knew that Wufei had a proclivity for... certain types of play, and that meant that Wufei obviously had some strong feelings for Ryouga.  Looking up at the Chinese pilot, Quatre wondered how much he had overheard of what Ryouga had been saying.

"He's saying all kinds of things," Quatre said.  "I think he's delirious."

"Hn," Wufei said again.

"Time to sleep," Heero said.  Trowa was nodding his agreement, and Quatre wanted to do what Trowa wanted... and yet...

"I want to stay up with him a while," Quatre said.

"You've been up for 48 hours," Trowa protested in his soft voice.

"But I'm not really tired," Quatre said, the slightest note of pleading creeping into his voice.  "And I... I broke his arm..."

"You didn't break it.  He threw himself over the railing," Wufei answered, moving out of the way to let Heero into the room.  Duo quickly stepped into the vacated space, a little breathless from jumping.

"It's broken," Heero agreed.  "Need the handcuff keys."  Wufei handed the keys over, grumbling half-heartedly that Quatre shouldn't have gotten the cuffs wet.  Heero quickly released the cuffs and reset the bone, ignoring the way the others winced, and bound the arm securely. Ryouga frowned slightly, but gave no other indication he had even felt the bone being snapped back into place.

"But I don't love Ukyo," he protested softly.

 "Why would he throw himself over the railing?" Quatre wondered aloud.

"He's been dreaming about Ranma," Wufei answered.  "At least one of us should stay up with him; there's no telling what he'll do."

"You should sleep," Trowa said, laying a gentle hand on Quatre's shoulder.

"Hey, I'll stay up," Duo said with a grin.  "I can stay up for a whole week without any problem!"

"You're asleep on your feet," Heero argued, giving Duo's braid a slight tug as he rose to his feet.  "The rest of you go to bed.  I'll stay up with him."  Heero's jaw was set, and the others knew there would be no arguing with him.  Duo stayed downstairs long enough to help Heero pull the Lost Boy back out of the tub and get him settled on the couch again.

"You, too," the stern pilot said.  Duo climbed the ladder to the loft, protesting all the way.  Heero glowered in his direction until the upstairs light went off, then pulled a chair up next to the couch.

"I still say you should let me stay up with him," Duo's voice called softly from the darkness.

"Shut up and go to sleep.  Now," Heero answered.  There was no other sound but the slight pop and crackle of the fire, and Heero smiled the tiniest ghost of a smile.  Dear Duo.  He couldn't help but love him, undisciplined and goofy as he could be... but he couldn't afford to let Duo get too close to him.

"I just can't hurt him that way," Heero whispered to the unconscious Lost Boy.  Ryouga sighed in his sleep, and Heero smiled a little more broadly.  Ryouga knew all about feeling unworthy to even love someone from afar.  Although... Ryouga didn't have anyone's blood on his hands. His soul was still untarnished, while Heero dreamed of his victims nearly every time he slept.

All Heero could do was love Duo quietly, protect him as much as possible, hurt when he was hurt and be glad to see his happiness.  He found that he jealously had to sleep with everyone who touched Duo, but he had never actually been alone with him, even though he wanted Duo so much he ached sometimes.  And Duo, stubborn Duo, refused to accept things as they were.  He was always pushing, always testing, always trying Heero's patience to the very limits... and so clearly jealous and hurt over Relena.

 Relena... Heero still thought he ought to kill her someday.  It infuriated him that he couldn't bring himself to just do it.  His life would be so much easier without her hounding him... and Duo's worries would be laid to rest.  Then again, that was probably part of the problem, aside from the fact that she was essential to the world's hopes for peace.  He didn't want Duo to get any more ideas.  If he got rid of Relena, there'd be no way, ever, to have peace from Duo... but at the same time he didn't want Duo to leave him.

"It's just a mess," Heero sighed softly.  He stayed awake the whole night, monitoring Ryouga's temperature and glaring moodily into the flames as he contemplated his situation.  He rarely had an opportunity like this, to just sit and think.  There was always something more important to do or think about, some mission to accomplish.  For now, though, there was nothing to fill the night but his own thoughts.  Duo and Relena.  What to do?

*

Wufei was the first to wake the next morning, silently pulling on his clothes and glancing at his fellow pilots.  Quatre was snuggled up in Trowa's arms, slight shadows of weariness marring his pale face even after a full night's sleep.  Trowa curled around the shorter boy possessively, protectively, his long bangs falling forward to reveal his face peaceful in sleep.  As for Duo... the brash American was sprawled out over the entire middle bed, snoring loudly, his braid dangling over the edge of the mattress.

"Stay awake for a week at a time, huh?" Wufei whispered, then quickly climbed down the ladder.  Heero was looking at him as he crossed the room, and with a terse nod he got up, leaving the chair vacant for Wufei.  Wufei sat and watched Ryouga sleeping, hearing in the background the sounds of Heero running water in the bathroom, walking to the kitchen and rattling pots.  In a short time, the scent of fresh coffee wafted through the room, and Heero returned with a cup for each of them. Wufei nodded his thanks, and the two sat in a more or less companionable silence and watched the sun rise over the edge of the trees.

"Akane," Ryouga sighed, and tears started to trickle from between his closed eyelids.  Wufei watched him silently, trying to ignore the little stab of sympathetic pain.  He knew what it was to grieve.  Finishing the last bitter swallow of his coffee, Wufei set the mug aside and leaned in a little closer to Ryouga.  That rattle in his chest was worse. Frowning, Wufei pulled Ryouga over onto his side and gave his ribs a solid thump.

"Uh!" Ryouga grunted, then coughed.  Wufei thumped him a few more times, noticing with some satisfaction that the cough was a lot more productive now.  Ryouga's eyes opened as Wufei continued to pound on him, and he flailed around in an effort to defend himself, hampered by the soft cushions swallowing him and the binding on his left arm.

"Wu-!" Ryouga started, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by his hacking cough.  Heero silently helped Wufei turn Ryouga onto his other side, then sat back again as the Chinese boy treated this side the same way.  Ryouga miserably waited for Wufei to stop and the coughing fit to end before he dragged himself up into a sitting position.  His sides ached, and his left arm pained him sharply.

"You keep your hands off me," he rasped at last, and Wufei merely glared at him, picked up the coffee mug and left the room.  Heero looked out the window, and Ryouga carefully pulled the thin blanket around his bare legs.

 "What time is it?" he asked, and Heero looked at him at last.

"About 6 am," the pilot answered.

"Oh."

"Ryouga!" a soft whisper behind him alerted him to Quatre's presence.

"You shouldn't be up yet," Heero said with a glare.

"I couldn't sleep any more," Quatre shrugged, stepping around the couch to sit by Ryouga and pulling the ties to his robe closed.  "Ryouga, I'm so glad you're awake!"

"Was I asleep for long?" Ryouga asked, confused.

"Two days," Heero answered.  Ryouga gasped in shock, and Quatre smiled at him.

"We all took care of you," Quatre said, the sun's dawning light glowing across his delicate features.  "Especially Wufei."

"Wufei did?" Ryouga asked, dumbfounded.  "I thought he..."

"He found a cure to your curse, too," Quatre added.

"A... a cure?"

"Wanna see?" Quatre asked, and bounded over to the kitchen for a glass of cold water when Ryouga nodded.  Ryouga swallowed hard before upturning the glass over his head... and sat there with cold water dripping off his bangs and a goofy grin on his face while Quatre laughed and Heero nearly smiled.  Wufei stood in the doorway, his face an expressionless mask.

"I can't believe it," Ryouga gasped.  "I tried everything... and I...
how did you?"

"Elder Shampoo told me where I could find the Nannichuan, and I went and got some," Wufei said matter-of-factly.

"I don't know how to thank you..." Ryouga said humbly, his head lowering in shame as he realized that he had been inwardly cursing Wufei just a few short minutes ago.

"Just get better," Wufei answered, never letting up on his stern expression.  "Then you can *try* to beat the living daylights out of me."

Ryouga blushed.  "Did I say that?"

"You said all kinds of things," Quatre answered, still smiling.

 "You should rest," Heero interrupted before Ryouga could ask what else he had said.  "Your fever still hasn't broken yet."

"I guess," Ryouga said, and lay back on the couch as Quatre moved out of the way for him. "I really feel fine...Two days?"

Quatre nodded, smiling, then got up to get himself a cup of the strong coffee.

"It's a beautiful morning," he said softly, looking out the large kitchen window and shivering a little.  "Chilly in here."

"I think it's fine," Heero said from behind him, then abruptly stepped up and felt Quatre's forehead.  "Hn.  Thought this might happen."

"Am I-?"  Quatre's question was answered by a solemn nod, then Heero's eyes suddenly widened and he ran over to the ladder and climbed it in a flash.  Duo was huddled up in the middle of the bed, shivering.  His skin was burning.

"Kuso," Heero muttered.  Trowa woke at the sound of his voice and looked lost for a moment until he saw Quatre peeking over the edge of the floor.

"Duo, too?" Quatre asked timidly.

"Get back in bed," Heero said with a curt nod.  "Before you pass out." Quatre obediently climbed back into the loft and sat on the bed by Trowa.

"I didn't mean to-" he started, but Heero cut him off with a wave of his hand.  Trowa sat up and looped a slender arm over his shoulders, and Quatre leaned into the embrace, taking comfort from both the support and the warmth.

"What's going on?" Trowa asked quietly.

"We're sick," Quatre admitted a little shamefacedly.  If he and Duo were out of commission for two days... what if a mission came up during that time?

"What's going on?" Ryouga echoed, climbing up and making room for Wufei, who followed him with a wary expression on his face.  Wufei alone seemed unsurprised to hear that two of the pilots were sick.

"Duo's medical records for his childhood were non-existent," Heero explained ruefully.  "And Quatre's indicated that he had all the immunizations necessary for the colony where he grew up, but for some reason the Nerima Plague wasn't one of them."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Quatre wanted to know.

 "We had a mission," Heero answered, as if that explained everything.

"He just didn't want to worry us, in case it turned out we didn't get sick," Duo mumbled through his pillow.  "I feel like shit."

"You don't look so good, either," Heero answered, and Quatre stared at him in surprise.  Was he trying to make a joke?  Duo didn't seem to appreciate the comment, at any rate.  He threw the pillow he had been hugging and scowled at Heero.  Quatre hid his smile against Trowa's shoulder.  Those two really should just stop wasting time and be honest with each other.

"You lie down," Heero said, his steely gaze fixing on Quatre.  "Trowa and Wufei, we're going to need more supplies.  I'll stay and take care of them."

Trowa nodded, and quickly dressed and left despite his misgivings.  Not that Heero didn't have a right to stay and take care of Duo... but Quatre...

By the time the two pilots returned with the supplies, Trowa was fairly dancing with impatience to see Quatre again.  Heero was pacing the floor and waiting for them, and apparently having a contest of wills with Ryouga.

"I'm telling you, I feel fine," The Lost Boy protested irritably, then glanced almost guiltily at Wufei and Trowa as they climbed up to the loft.  "I can take care of them."

"You can't," Heero said with a scowl.

"You're not strong enough for that kind of thing," Wufei added, his face impassive.

"I'm strong enough to take you on right now!" Ryouga snarled in response.  "I'm telling you, I'm fine!  No fever or anything!"

"Your fever did not break that fast."

"I don't have one," Ryouga insisted stubbornly.  "I've always been a fast healer."

"We have a mission," Heero explained to Wufei and Trowa.  "He thinks we're going to leave the three of them alone."

"If I can beat you in hand-to-hand combat, will you believe me?" Ryouga asked.  Wufei smiled slightly.

"You can have five minutes of my time," the Chinese pilot answered. "I'll go easy on you."

"Don't do me any favors," Ryouga said with a furious scowl.  "I'm more than strong enough for you."

 "No special techniques," Wufei said, climbing down the ladder and waiting for Ryouga to follow.

"Fine," Ryouga said, and leaped over the railing, landing on the floor below as softly as a cat.  He smiled at Wufei.  "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

"Out here," Wufei said, arching an eyebrow as he led the way to the back yard.  "Trowa, let us know when the five minutes are up?"

Trowa nodded, and after a brief exchange of bows the fight began. Ryouga started with an easy side kick, which Wufei dodged gracefully. Wufei closed in swiftly, landing several solid punches and a kick before dancing out of striking range.  Ryouga noted that the pilot was indeed going easy on him, in an effort not to hit his broken arm.

"You're fast," Ryouga admitted.  "Almost as fast as Ranma."

"You're strong," Wufei replied.  "You should be on your knees by now."

"Nah," Ryouga said, closing in with a few more quick kicks, which Wufei again dodged.  "It's a side effect of the Breaking Point training.  I'm really resistant to impact."  Wufei danced between Ryouga's kicks, peppering him with solid blows which he shrugged off.  The two were sizing each other up with new respect when Trowa called the time.  They bowed again, and then Wufei impulsively shook Ryouga's hand.

"Good match," the pilot said.  "You're more than strong enough to take care of them while we're gone."  Ryouga nodded and smiled.

"I'd like to spar again, some time," he said.

"I'd like that."

The three remaining Gundam pilots rushed off shortly after that, and Ryouga bounded back up to the loft to watch over his friends.  He blushed at the thought of some of the things Wufei had done to him... He allowed Quatre and Duo to take turns with an oral thermometer, and realized after a short while that he could never get a good reading on Duo that way.  The boy just couldn't keep his mouth shut for five minutes.

"If you don't stop talking, I'll have to use this one on you," Ryouga threatened with what he hoped was an intimidating scowl, waving the rectal thermometer.

"Ok!" Duo said with a grin, and obligingly turned over.

"Y-you don't mind?"

 "I like to play doctor," Duo said, lowering his eyelids and wriggling his hips suggestively.  Quatre laughed.

"You're impossible, Duo," the little blond said, then closed his eyes wearily.

"Last week I was incorrigible," Duo confided as Ryouga blushingly prepared the thermometer.  "I can't tell if that's an improvement or not."

"It isn't," Quatre answered with a yawn.  "Believe me, it isn't."

"Oh, well, win some, lose some," Duo said with an amiable grin.  "Are you ready yet, Ryouga?"

"Are you sure...?"

"Oh, g'wan.  It won't hurt anything."  Duo's brash manner was belied by the blush staining his face, and Ryouga felt a little better about it when he noticed.  Duo shifted a little uncomfortably as Ryouga slowly slid the thermometer in, and his breathing sped up as Ryouga rested one large hand across his bottom to hold the instrument in place.

"You sure you're Ok?" Ryouga asked worriedly.  Duo was really starting to squirm.

"Yeah, it's just I... uh..."

"He's saving it for Heero," Quatre sighed.

"Quatre!"

"Huh?  Was I not supposed to know?  Oh, shit."

"Quatre!" Duo was even more shocked to hear the young blond curse. Quatre didn't bother to answer, and Ryouga glanced over, relieved to see that his breathing was slow and easy.  Wufei's last words to him had
been a warning about pneumonia...

"Isn't it time yet?" Duo grumbled.

"I only just put it in!" Ryouga said.  "Just be patient.  If you'd kept your mouth shut, we wouldn't be doing it this way in the first place!"

"I know," Duo answered, burying his reddened face in his pillow.  "It's just... Heero..."

"Heero would understand, I'm sure of it," Ryouga said, though he wasn't at all sure.  "If you like, next time we can take your temperature with the other one.  But NOT if you're going to talk the whole time."

"I promise I'll be good," Duo said, twisting around to smile up at him irrepressibly.  "I gotta admit, though, this feels good in a weird kinda way."

"I could've told you that," Ryouga said, resisting the sudden urge to caress Duo's smooth buttocks.

"You mean Wufei-"

"I was talking about you," Ryouga interrupted a little too hastily, his sudden deep blush giving him away.  Duo grinned mischievously and filed the information away for future use.

Quatre woke slowly for pill time, and blinked in confusion as Ryouga urged him to swallow the aspirin and antibiotics.  His forehead was already burning, and with some misgivings Ryouga went to get the thermometer again.

"You can't use that one on 'im," Duo volunteered cheerfully, tossing back his pills with a grin.  "He just drank water."

Ryouga slapped his brow in exasperation.  He really had known better.
"I'm sorry, Quatre," he said as he went to switch thermometers.

"You have my permission to do whatever... you have to do..." Quatre yawned at him and meekly allowed Ryouga to turn him over onto his stomach and pull his loose pajama pants down.  Ryouga swallowed hard as he checked the smaller boy's temperature.  There was something so bizarrely erotic in what he was doing, and yet it was purely necessity... he felt ashamed of himself for having these feelings at a time like this, but his mind inevitably traveled back to the night in the apartment when he had caressed this skin freely, and his body was reacting to the memory.  Quatre merely went back to sleep.

"104," Ryouga muttered concernedly.  "I guess it's time to start..."  He went to the bathroom and started a tepid bath running, then came back for Quatre.

"Sorry about this," Ryouga said, and scooped the slender boy up over his good shoulder, toting him one-armed to the bath in a move that was graceless but effective.  Quatre woke with a startled gasp when Ryouga put him in the water.

"I'm cold," he complained softly.  Ryouga reached out and gently stroked the boy's platinum hair, then scooped up a handful of water to bathe his flushed face.

"I'm sorry you got sick because of me," he whispered softly.  Quatre's eyes were closed, but his brows drew together in a slight frown.

"No, we went to Nerima before you came along," Quatre said after a moment's thought.  "If anything, it's because of you that we know what the problem is."

 "Ryooooouga," Duo called from the other room.  "I want you to give me a bath, too!"

"Wait your turn," Ryouga answered with a grin.

"And I need my pillows fluffed!"  Ryouga snorted in reply and turned the cold water tap on, gradually decreasing the temperature of Quatre's bath.

"It's cold," Quatre whimpered, curling his legs away from the fresh water.

"Shh, I know.  I'm sorry," Ryouga whispered, pressing his lips against the boy's feverish brow in a gentle kiss.  "As soon as you cool off a little, I promise I'll let you curl up in your nice, warm bed."

"Soon?"

"Yeah, I think it'll be soon."  Ryouga stepped out for a moment to get the oral thermometer, anxious that Quatre might drown without supervision.  The little blond was somewhat alert and watching him when he came back.  Ryouga shook the thermometer down and Quatre meekly opened his mouth to accept it.  As soon as he had a satisfactory reading, Ryouga scooped the smaller boy back out of the tub, grateful for what help Quatre could offer with his shaky legs.

"Thank you," Quatre murmured when Ryouga finally tucked the quilt around him.  Ryouga sighed, pitying Wufei for a moment.  He hadn't been nearly that good a patient.  Not as cheerful as Duo, and not as cooperative as Quatre.  As a matter of fact, he had to admit he had been a pain in the ass.

"Is it my turn yet?" Duo asked petulantly.  Ryouga grinned at him.

"Better check your temp first," he said, and this time Duo took the oral thermometer silently.  The reading, when it was done, was a little higher than Quatre's had been.  Ryouga wasted no time in hauling Duo to the tub, which was still full.

"Can we wash my hair, too?  It might be a few days before I get another chance."  Ryouga eyed the long braid dubiously.

"How long does it take all that to dry?" he wanted to know.

"A few hours.  Please?"  Ryouga reluctantly helped Duo lean back in the water so the back of his head was submerged.  The best he could do one-handed was hold on to the boy's slender frame while Duo unbraided and washed his own hair.  Duo was exhausted by the time the thick tresses had been thoroughly soaped, and his teeth started to chatter as Ryouga drained out the soapy water and helped him rinse the shampoo out.

"Do you use this, too?" Ryouga asked, holding up a bottle of conditioner.

"I think it's Trowa's," Duo answered with a shake of his head, sitting forward in the tub with the mass of wet hair plastered to his back in a cold mat.  Ryouga considered for a moment, then poured out a handful.

"I'll buy him some more," he announced, and quickly worked the stuff in. Duo's long, long hair would be hard enough for him to manage without having it tangle, and Ryouga was pretty certain that Duo wouldn't be able to help him much longer.  The mass of hair slid easily through his fingers as he worked the conditioner all the way to the ends and then carefully rinsed it.

"Thank you, Ryouga," Duo whispered, shivering violently under the chilly blanket of wet hair.  It was so important to him that his hair be well-kept... he still remembered being teased as a child because his hair stank.  Water had been so carefully rationed then, just to allow enough for drinking... and they had wanted to cut off his hair because it wasn't sanitary, and because his baths were too few and far between. That long braid was a trophy, the one thing he had managed to keep all these years, when he had lost everything else that mattered to him.  He smiled at the thought that it was really almost a security blanket.

"You're welcome," Ryouga said, and carefully pressed as much water as possible from the soaked hair.  As soon as the last of the water had drained from the tub, Ryouga wrapped Duo's long hair in an oversized towel and his body in another.  Duo lay face-down on the bed without protest, and Ryouga towel-dried both boy and hair as much as possible before looking for a hair dryer.  A quick check revealed that Quatre was sleeping more or less peacefully, shivering from time to time but otherwise fine.

Ryouga's arm was actually weary from holding the hair dryer by the time Duo's hair was finally dry.  He hadn't been kidding - it had taken more than an hour to get the whole mess dry.  Duo groaned fitfully as Ryouga dragged a comb through it, but the end result was a glorious mass of shining hair that tumbled down to Duo's knees in a luxuriously thick, gold-shot chestnut curtain of silk.

"I had no idea your hair was so long!" Ryouga said.

"I need to braid it," Duo mumbled, and quickly wound the hair into its customary braid, trembling with the effort.  Ryouga helped him pull the covers over himself, and Duo sighed in relief when he could finally rest.

"Can you sleep now?" The Lost Boy asked gently, and Duo nodded, smiling wearily as Ryouga caressed his brow before going to check on Quatre again.  It seemed a very short time later that he woke to find Ryouga holding two coffee mugs.

"Don't want any coffee," Duo grumbled.

"It's soup."  Duo slowly dragged himself up into a sitting position and took the mug from Ryouga, noting that Quatre was already sipping delicately from his own mug.

 "Aren't you going to feed us?" Duo asked with a pout.  Ryouga laughed.

"You WANT me to feed you?"

"Sure.  It's part of the whole 'sick package.'  You get someone to take care of you and give you medicine and check your temperature and wash you and fluff your pillows and feed you and sing to you...  Why are you laughing?" Duo asked.  "I'm serious."

"If you want me to feed you, then I will," Ryouga said with a grin. Poor Wufei.  He really would have to apologize to the pilot, who apparently was doing what he thought was expected of him.

"You're supposed to put wet washcloths on our foreheads, too," Quatre said quietly, his eyes glittering a little too brightly above the rim of his mug as he took another sip.  "Thank you for the soup, Ryouga.  It's very good."

"You're welcome," Ryouga said, returning the little blond's warm smile. With a rueful shake of his head, he went to get spoons and fed his patients.  Quatre tried to assure him it wasn't necessary, but by then Ryouga was determined to do everything right.  After they had finished eating, Ryouga rubbed them down with cold cloths, checked their temperatures, gave them their medicine, fluffed their pillows and kissed them each on the forehead before placing a wet washcloth there.

"Aren't you going to sing to us?" Duo whined.  Quatre giggled softly. Ryouga sighed, rolled his eyes, and started singing.  He started off with lullabies and ended up singing songs about lost love... he was glad his patients were already asleep by the time he realized what he was singing.  Quatre already missed his Trowa terribly, and Duo didn't need to be reminded of Heero while he was this vulnerable.

Ryouga wearily stretched and yawned, but didn't sleep.  His friends had suffered through days of his bad attitude, and the least he could do was watch over them and do his best to care for them.  He was pretty sure Duo was pulling his leg about the singing...  The young pilot was curled up on his side, his braid winding across his hip and his fist uncurling against the edge of his pillow.  He looked so young and innocent lying there, still and unsmiling for a change...  And Quatre tossed restlessly for a long time, alternately throwing the blankets away and huddling in them desperately for warmth.

Trowa burst through the front door at a run, followed by Heero.

"Is he Ok?" Trowa asked, scrambling up the ladder.

"Shh!  They're both sleeping," Ryouga whispered urgently.

"We were afraid you might have wandered-uh!" Trowa said as Heero elbowed him in the ribs.

"It's Ok," Ryouga said with a sigh.  "I was worried I might get lost, too.  Are you going to be here long enough for me to take a nap?"  Wufei had climbed the ladder while Ryouga was speaking, and silently felt the Lost Boy's forehead.

"You're not totally recovered, yourself," the pilot said solemnly.  "Get in bed."  Ryouga bristled at the commanding tone, but bit back a caustic reply and climbed into the only unoccupied bed with a weary sigh.

"We'll be here for a while," Trowa said, crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed he shared with Quatre and gently ruffle the boy's pale hair.  Trowa's long bangs hid his expression from view, and Ryouga averted his eyes out of respect.  Heero unceremoniously pushed Duo to one side of his bed and climbed in with him, but didn't push him away when the long-haired boy snuggled up to him in his sleep.

"Heero..." Duo sighed, and Heero closed his eyes, his expression softening almost imperceptibly.

Ryouga yawned and tried not to let it bother him when Wufei climbed into the bed next to him.  The Chinese pilot silently composed himself and appeared to sleep.  Ryouga couldn't tell whether Wufei was shamming or not.

"Trowa, I forgot to mention..." Ryouga whispered hesitantly.  The tall boy glanced over at him curiously.  "I borrowed some of your conditioner for Duo.  I'll buy you a new bottle."

"No problem," Trowa said easily.

"Duo doesn't have conditioner?" Heero asked, opening one eye.

"No.  He really should.  That hair is a lot of work."

"Hn," Heero said.  "Go to sleep."  And they did.

*

Ryouga had a partial relapse that week, and the three healthy pilots considered themselves very lucky that they weren't called in on any missions while their numbers were so low.  In spite of his best efforts to be as patient as Quatre and cheerful as Duo, Ryouga couldn't help but snap at Wufei, who seemed to delight in having the opportunity to boss him around.  The Chinese pilot also persisted in thumping Ryouga's ribs until his sides felt like they must be black and blue.

 Heero, meanwhile, tended to Duo in his own brusque, commanding way.  A simple request was met with instant compliance, but the moment Duo started to whine Heero's hearing apparently self-destructed - which resulted in endless whining.  Everyone in the house was relieved when Duo was finally pronounced well enough to sit on the couch with Ryouga and watch TV.  Duo's good humor started to return as soon as he was able to hobble around on his own, and he spent the last few days of his recovery cracking jokes with Ryouga about whatever was on TV at the time.

Quatre worried them all, however.  Of the three victims of the plague, the little blond was the hardest hit.  Ryouga credited his own speedy recovery to his strong constitution and ki manipulation, and Duo could truthfully claim to have survived plagues in his childhood that had decimated his colony's population.  Quatre, on the other hand, had never suffered such an illness, and his body's defenses were strained by the effort.  Trowa stayed by his side keeping anxious watch, and the rest of the team, even Ryouga and Duo once they were better, took turns watching over him.  The entire household was attuned to his every breath right up until the day his fever broke and he looked up at his Trowa with clear eyes.

Within a week, Ryouga and Wufei began sparring regularly, each of them determined to teach the other respect and secretly enjoying having a worthy opponent.  Ryouga also began spending hours off by himself, and carried on whispered conferences with several of his friends.  Christmas was fast approaching, and Ryouga was determined that for once he would actually give his Christmas presents on Christmas Day. Duo cheerfully informed him of the Christmas traditions the five pilots had established, and it was a good thing.  If Ryouga hadn't known that the long, red, footed pajamas with the back flap were a Christmas tradition,
he would've decked Wufei when the Chinese pilot gave them to him.  As it was, he managed a somewhat rueful smile and accepted them as gracefully as he possibly could.

As Christmas week arrived, everyone in the house started to catch the spirit.  The whole group trekked out to find and chop a tree, each of them trying to keep an eye on Quatre without being too obvious about it. They hung mistletoe and holly and greens all around, and decorated the house with candles and lights and homemade ornaments that Duo swore had to have been crafted by somebody's mother.  They made a gargantuan mess in the kitchen baking cookies and gingerbread, and Heero actually laughed at the sight of Duo trying to shake flour out of his long braid - the first time Duo had ever heard him really laugh.  During the course of the week the floor beneath the tree collected a large pile of presents in bright paper.

On Christmas Eve, the boys gathered around the piano and sang carols along with the tinny notes Quatre was able to coax out of the ancient instrument, then they all went outside to look up at the stars.

"I wish for peace," Quatre said quietly, beginning the one solemn ritual amid all the frivolity.

"I wish for justice," Wufei said.

"I wish for joy," Trowa said.

"I wish for love," Heero said.

 "I wish for..." Duo paused a moment.  Had Heero really said love?  "I wish for faith."

"I wish for hope," Ryouga said at last.  The group stood staring at the stars and wishing silently for a long time, then slowly made their way back indoors.

"I wish for presents!" Duo cried, as soon as the door had closed.  "Lots and lots of presents!"

"One tonight, and the rest in the morning," Trowa reminded quietly. "Ryouga, I want you to open your present from me first."

"You know, maybe you should all open your presents from me," Ryouga said, ducking his head to hide his face under a thick shock of bangs. "In my whole life, I've never actually been able to STAY anywhere for
Christmas.  I always get lost one way or another."

"Here, open it," Trowa urged, and Ryouga mustered a grateful smile and unwrapped the small box.

"Wow," Ryouga said, pulling a smooth gold watch out of its case.  "Oh, wow..."

"It's a homing device, too!" Quatre announced.  "See, if you ever get lost, just push this button and stay put.  We can find you anywhere!"

"Really?  You mean I'll... never...?"  Tears choked off Ryouga's voice, so he silently hugged Trowa in thanks.  First Wufei had cured his curse, and now this!  To never have to worry about being lost again!

Ryouga's friends were all grinning at him when he finally let Trowa go, and he had to smile back.  "This is already the best Christmas ever!" he said, wiping impatiently at his happy tears.

"And I haven't even opened any presents yet!" Duo answered with a wink.

"You can open your present from me, too," Trowa said, and Duo tore into the huge package with a grin.  He was thrilled to find a huge supply of Trowa's favorite conditioner, as well as other hair care products.

"Aah!  Thanks, Trowa!" he cried, giving the solemn pilot a quick hug.

"There's more in the back closet," Trowa said quietly.  "It's a year's supply."

"Which ought to last you about a month," Quatre said with a wink.

"Heero?" Duo asked.

 "I want you to open mine," Ryouga said, smiling as he handed the package over.  "I hope you like it."  Heero silently opened the package, carefully peeling the tape away and leaving the paper intact.

"Just rip it!" Duo cried, all but bouncing in impatience.

"I like to do it my way," Heero answered quietly, the tiniest ghost of what might be called a smile flitting across his face.  "Oh..." the package contained a set of hand-carved chess figures, remarkably detailed.

"He made them himself!" Duo announced happily.

"Wow..." Heero said.

"You like them?" Ryouga asked anxiously, his eyes as pathetically hopeful as any puppy's.

"I like them very much," Heero said, lifting the dark queen and admiring her in the glow from the fireplace and twinkling Christmas lights.  "You made these?  You really did some beautiful work."

"I'm glad... I'm glad you like them," Ryouga said with a delighted blush.  He had been so worried, after seeing some of the other gifts, that his small handmade tokens would be out of place... pitiful, poor offerings for his beloved friends.

"I like them very much," Heero said emphatically, and reached out to clap a friendly hand over Ryouga's shoulder - it was the most demonstrative he could be, outside of the bedroom.  Ryouga grinned back at him.

"Wufei next!" Duo chirped a little too loudly, and Heero pulled his hand away from Ryouga's shoulder almost guiltily.

"Open mine," Heero instructed, handing a long, flat package to the Chinese pilot.  Wufei nodded and unwrapped the package in one swift motion, then opened the flat box and stared in admiration at the ornamental dagger inside before picking it up reverently.

"Thank you," Wufei said.

"You're welcome."  Everyone stared at the two silent pilots for a moment longer, waiting, but that was the end of the exchange.  Duo rolled his eyes, sighed, and turned to Quatre and Trowa, who were silently staring into each other's eyes.

 "Ooh, what are you guys gonna open?" Duo asked facetiously.  Quatre and Trowa handed each other a small box.  Quatre smiled bemusedly and a similar expression flitted across Trowa's eyes as they saw that the boxes were the same size.  At some unspoken signal, they peeled the wrapping away... and saw that a gold ring gleamed up from each box. Quatre and Trowa each smiled in surprise - and Duo tried not to stare, since he'd never seen Trowa smile before.  The others watched quietly as Trowa and Quatre slid the rings onto each others' fingers.  For a long, long moment, nobody moved... and then Quatre jumped to his feet, aware that he was the only one who could break the mood.

"Pajama time!" he announced cheerfully, and he gave Trowa one last lingering glance, which held all kinds of promises, before scrambling up the ladder after Duo.  The others followed at a somewhat more leisurely pace, with Ryouga hanging back shyly.  He really didn't want to do the pajama thing... but it seemed to be an important part of Christmas to his friends, and he was determined to be a good sport.

"What-?" Ryouga asked, confused as he reached the top of the ladder to find the pilots all holding more boxes.  "I thought we were wearing the red-"

"No, those are for Christmas night," Duo explained.  "Christmas Eve we try to embarrass each other with ridiculous PJ's."

"One of Quatre's sisters started it," Trowa added quietly.  "She gave him a fuzzy kitty suit last year, and we made him model it for us."

"And I didn't want to be the only one embarrassed, so I decided to share the experience," Quatre said with a wink.

"So what did she give you this year?" Duo wanted to know.  With a blush that was both pleased and embarrassed, Quatre opened the package and found a box full of fuzzy pink.  Unfolded, it proved to be a bunny suit, complete with fuzzy ears and tail.  The other pilots hooted with laughter, and wouldn't let him rest until he had trotted off to the bathroom to change into the suit.

"You're so cuuuuute!!!" Duo cried.  "I wish I had a camera!"

"No pictures," Heero announced.

"Yeah, no blackmail material," Ryouga added, blushing in sympathy for Quatre.

"Your turn, Trowa," Quatre said, bouncing over to hand Trowa another box.  The silent boy raised an eyebrow at his lover, then quickly opened the box and gaped in astonishment.

"Superman???"  Trowa dashed into the bathroom to change and came racing back into the room, cape flying, and posed dramatically by Quatre.

"Never fear, fair... uh... bunny," Trowa said.  "I'll rescue you!" Ryouga gaped at the normally stolid pilot.  He wouldn't have thought Trowa had it in him to clown around...  The others were beside themselves laughing as Trowa scooped the pink bunny-in-distress up into his arms and deposited him on the nearest bed, promising to do something really super at a later date.

"Your turn," Trowa finally said, handing the next box to Heero.  Heero gazed at the plain white box suspiciously for a moment before opening it, and seemed more confused by the wolf pajamas than anything else. Without a word, he went to the bathroom, and came back out with the dark ears crooked and his bushy tail dragging behind him.

"Oh, my!  What big teeth you have!" Duo cried in a falsetto, pressing his hands to his cheeks in an imitation of maidenly distress.

"The better to eat you with, my dear," Heero replied.

"Ooh, you promise?"

".... Your turn," Heero said.  Ryouga wondered for a moment if that wasn't a blush darkening Heero's face... but it must just be a trick of the lighting.

Heero's surprise for Duo was a red pajama suit with small devil horns protruding from a detachable hood.  Duo's eyes bugged out as he unfolded the suit and stared at the front, revealing the forked tail to the others.  Cackling with laughter and blushing furiously, the pilot sauntered off to the bathroom, his braid switching coquettishly behind him.  When he emerged, the other boys gaped as Duo struck a seductive pose, the words "Sexy Devil" clearly visible in yellow lettering across his chest.

"Why, Heero, I didn't think you'd noticed," Duo purred, grinning in almost malicious delight as Heero blushed furiously.

"That Rhonda..." Heero muttered.

"What?"

"That girl Rhonda picked up the suit and had it wrapped for me.  I didn't realize she'd-"

"Oh, pooh," Duo said with a pout, his eyes twinkling in barely suppressed mirth at Heero's discomfiture.  "And here I was thinking the whole thing was your idea."

"... Wufei's turn," Heero said, averting his gaze from Duo's eager eyes.

Duo sighed and offered Wufei his box.  He had really thought for a minute there that Heero... but that was stupid.  Better to just forget about it and enjoy Christmas.  And Wufei was opening the box with the
funniest look of apprehension on his face...

The Chinese pilot stared speechless at the green pajamas, then went to the bathroom without a word and came back out a few minutes later, dressed in a green dragon suit, complete with tail dragging the floor and flannel scales running down his back.  His skin flushed a deep bronze shade as his fellow pilots roared with laughter.  Ryouga merely looked puzzled.

 "I'm from the Dragon clan," Wufei explained quietly, as he crossed the room to give Ryouga the last box.  "The last surviving member."

"Aah," Ryouga answered, at a loss for any better response.  He opened the box with some trepidation, hoping that he'd be able to take whatever it was Wufei had chosen to inflict on him with a laugh... and stared numbly at the white pajamas with little pink and black piglets dancing across them in a pattern.  The pajamas boasted attached footies and a back flap, and pig-shaped buttons running down the front.

"Uh..." Ryouga said, unaccountably blushing before he remembered that he *didn't* turn into a pig anymore, and never would, and it was thanks to Wufei.  He grinned good-humoredly as the other boys made pig jokes - he had heard them all before, and they no longer had the power to cut into him emotionally.  At Duo's insistence, he dutifully trotted off to the bathroom and changed into the suit, still grinning.

"Aaaah, bedtime," Quatre yawned hugely, his eyes gleaming up at his Superman as the two of them made their way to the furthest bed, hand in hand.  Duo grinned mischievously at Heero, who with great effort composed himself for sleep as though he hadn't noticed that he was sharing the bed with a Sexy Devil.

Ryouga grinned again as Wufei turned out the light and stumbled over the long dragon tail on his way to the bed in the dark, uttering a soft oath in irritation.  Within a few minutes, Ryouga had fallen asleep, smiling as his dreams replayed the day over, singing carols and laughing with his friends.  It had been one of the best days of his life.

Duo gazed up at the ceiling for a long, long time, stifling his sighs of frustration.  All around him his friends breathed in the slow, soft rhythm of sleep, but he knew he himself wouldn't sleep for at least several more hours.  Heero was either a heavy sleeper or a good faker, because Duo's tossing and turning didn't seem to bother him at all.  Duo scowled grumpily at the boy's beautiful face, since he was a big part of the problem.  It had been weeks now, weeks since Duo had touched and been touched... and his body was strung tight as a wire with unfulfilled need.  With all his friends around him, he was completely unaccustomed to being this needy... but the Nerima Plague had put a serious crimp in everybody's love life.  Then again, even Quatre had been completely recovered for more than a week now.

Trowa and Quatre had gone off alone several times during the last week, and Wufei always spent time by himself... and it seemed that every time Duo was anywhere near Ryouga, Heero was also there.  He wondered if Heero was jealous.  Maybe Heero wanted Ryouga for himself... better not to think about that.  That hurt too much.  And he couldn't help it that Heero was the one he really wanted, even though Heero never even seemed to notice him except in anger.  But to be denied even a friendly outlet for all his need...

Duo stifled a groan and flopped over again, trying to close his eyes and be still long enough for sleep to find him.  Next to him, the wolf smirked.

*

Quatre was the first to awaken on Christmas Day, to see the light of a cold dawn spilling in through the window.  He wormed his way out from under Trowa's arm and scampered over to the window with fuzzy pink feet, and grinned in delight as he saw the ground covered in serene white, and more snow softly drifting down.

"Snow!" he crowed delightedly, and the others woke at the sound of his voice.  Ryouga and Duo rushed over to see for themselves, and then Duo remembered.

"Hey, Merry Christmas!" he called.  "Time for presents!"  He led the way in a mad rush back down to the tree to open the rest of the gifts.  Duo started the day off by opening his present from Ryouga, which proved to be a carved picture frame.  The pilot thanked him profusely, not bothering to mention that he didn't have a picture to put in it.  He'd get one somewhere.

Ryouga's gift to Wufei was a pendant carved into an Amazon luck symbol representing the Dragon clan, with "Nataku" etched on the reverse. Wufei actually hugged him in an effort to disguise the fact that he was too choked up to speak, and both boys blushed as they broke off the hug - a fact that was not lost on any of the others.

Heero gave Ryouga a backpack, and made it clear that he would be expected to use it only when they were camping or traveling - he'd never again have to worry about carrying his home on his back.  Heero also gave Quatre and Trowa a pair of presents that looked suspiciously like music stands.

"I still don't know how you managed to wrap this!" Quatre said for the third time as he pulled the last of the paper from his new music stand.

"Heero does everything perfect," Trowa intoned quietly.

"Hn," Heero answered, all but shoving a gift into Duo's hands.

"From you?" Duo questioned, then tore into the paper eagerly.  The box mostly held crumpled-up tissue paper... but at the bottom lay a single photograph of Heero and Duo together, Duo smirking at the camera while Heero slung an arm over his shoulders and glowered possessively.

"Aah!" Duo cried, delighted, and nothing would do but that he had to put the precious photo into the frame Ryouga had made right that minute.  He didn't even remember having that picture done, and he privately wondered how long Heero had been holding onto it.  "Thank you, Heero!" he said, hugging the stoic pilot enthusiastically, enjoying this rare opportunity to touch him without getting hit in return.  His own gift for Heero was a chess board to go with the pieces Ryouga had carved, and Duo froze in astonishment when Heero hugged him back.  Heero had actually touched him of his own volition!

 "Christmas miracles really do happen!" Duo said aloud, then found himself unaccountably blushing as everyone stared at him.  "Uh... Trowa and Quatre!  Your turn!"

Duo gave Trowa and Quatre a gift certificate for two at a luxury hotel, which made Trowa almost smile while Quatre blushed and hugged the long-haired pilot.  Not surprisingly, Duo and Wufei gave each other pajamas.  Duo's gift to Wufei proved to be silk pajamas in a luscious shade of red, and Wufei's gift to Duo were flannel in a blue almost the same color as his eyes.

Quatre and Trowa opened their gifts from Ryouga simultaneously, and both stared at him in astonishment as they pulled the leaves of paper out of the boxes.

"You wrote us a song?" Quatre asked, his voice awed.

"A duet," Ryouga answered with a blush.  "I, uh, hope you like it..."

"Let's play it now," Trowa suggested, and he and Quatre dashed away to get their instruments, placing the music on the new stands and playing in an impromptu concert.  Ryouga blushed red as a beet as the violin and flute lifted their sweet notes in pure joy.

Duo sighed heavily when the song had finished, and clapped along with the others.  The music had so suited them both, such a sweet tune to express their sweet union.  A tune for himself and Heero would probably sound more torturous... like a dissonant headbanger song, maybe.  Quatre and Trowa both thanked Ryouga profusely, the little blond hugging him impulsively and still looking at him in amazement.

"I had no idea you were so talented!" Quatre said, ignoring Ryouga's shy blush.  "I think you'll like your gift from me!"  He handed Ryouga a big package with an unmistakable shape.

"Is it...?" Ryouga barely dared to breathe as the paper pulled away, revealing a gleaming new guitar case.  Reverently, he opened the case, his fingers brushing delicately over the thin, veneered wood.

"Ooh, play it, play it!" Duo cried.  Ryouga blushed again, and lifted the guitar from its case, still staring at it as though it might suddenly disappear, proving the whole morning to have been a dream.

"I don't know any Christmas songs..." he mumbled, his head down to catch the sweet tones of the guitar as his fingers cleverly strummed.  Nobody interrupted, so he struck a minor chord, and gradually began the only other song he had written, "Haikei Akane-san."  Tears rolled down his cheeks as he sang.  When he had written it, he was separated from Akane by his own stupid lie and his directional curse... but now, the years spanned between them, and he could never see her again...

 A long hush followed the end of the song, and then he felt Trowa and Quatre's hands on his shoulders, and looked up, brushing his tears away, to see the other pilots looking at him solemnly.

"Gee, Ryouga..." Duo started.

"What a beautiful song," Quatre sighed.  "You have a real talent, Ryouga. '

"And a beautiful voice, too," Trowa added.

"Thanks..." Ryouga said, carefully returning the guitar to its case. Playing the song had brought all kinds of emotion to the forefront, and he needed time to figure it all out.  He smiled as Duo distracted him with the last of the presents.

"Oh!" Ryouga gasped, as he unwrapped the set of carving knives.  The cheap knives he had purchased at the airport had barely survived carving his Christmas presents...

"Thanks, Duo!" Ryouga cried, enfolding the slender pilot in a grateful hug.  This set was the very best quality.  With these knives, he could carve anything... "They're great!"

Duo looked over Ryouga's shoulder to see Heero glowering at them.  Well, hell.  Couldn't he even hug the guy on Christmas without Heero getting jealous?  He closed his eyes and deliberately extended the hug for a few extra seconds, pretending he didn't notice how angry Heero was getting.

"I'm hungry," Quatre said suddenly, and Ryouga broke off the hug on his own.

"Want me to make waffles?" he asked.  Wufei started laughing, and it took a minute for him to compose himself before he could explain why.

"It's like the Christmas song," Wufei snickered.  "Love and joy come to you, and to you your waffles, too."

"It's 'wassail,'" Heero corrected.

"I know that."

"But 'waffles' is funnier," Ryouga interrupted, grinning.  "So, you want some?  Since it's a Christmas tradition nobody knew about?"  The group made their way to the kitchen, and everyone participated in making breakfast - waffles with fruit preserves, hand-whipped cream, sausage and bacon, and hand-squeezed orange juice.

As soon as they had eaten, Duo announced that he was going to go play in the snow.  He, Quatre and Ryouga all raced to change into warm clothes, followed at a more sedate pace by Trowa and Heero.  Wufei quietly went to sit by the fire and think.

 "Let's make a snowman first!" Duo cried, tearing through the house with the others at his heels.  Wufei stared after them until the door slammed shut, then heaved a deep sigh.  He didn't have a chain for his new pendant, but he had carefully tucked it into his breast pocket earlier, keeping it near his heart.  In the privacy of his own thoughts, he could admit to being very fond of Ryouga... having strong feelings for him... longing to see his toothy grin... longing to hold and caress him...

But Ryouga was obviously still in love with Akane.  The look on his face when he was singing that poignant song had all but ripped Wufei's heart out.  No, Ryouga obviously was off-limits for several reasons.  Wufei sighed again.  He hated getting emotionally involved.  It brought chaos to his neatly-ordered world.  Well... he couldn't just sit here all day, while Ryouga was- while everyone else was outside having fun.

*

"Ha!  You'll never beat us!" Duo crowed from behind the sturdy wall of the snow fort he and Ryouga had made.

"Charge!" Quatre called, and he and Trowa made a run for it, trying to storm the fort walls as Duo and Ryouga pelted them with snowballs.

"Eat snow!" Ryouga called, laughing as the two pilots finally leaped over the wall and tackled the defenders, rolling them over in the white powder in an impromptu wrestling match.

"You eat snow!" Trowa answered, and Ryouga was laughing so hard he could barely move, let alone defend himself, as the normally solemn pilot crammed a fistful of freezing snow down the back of his borrowed jacket.

"Wauk!" Ryouga cried, leaping up and engaging in a weird series of contortions that had the pilots roaring with laughter.  Ryouga had to laugh, himself, as he wriggled most of the snow back out of his clothes. After all, the icy trickle slipping down his back was enough to make him uncomfortable, but it would never again be able to turn him into a pig.

"You're getting pretty red," Trowa commented, reaching out to brush one gloved finger under Quatre's chin.  "Let's go in for a little while." Quatre nodded, and the two pilots clapped Duo and Ryouga on the shoulders as they made their exit, promising to come back after the wall had been rebuilt, and tear it down again.

*

"Do you think they knew why we wanted to come inside?" Quatre asked, shucking his snow-covered boots and jacket near the door.  "Probably," Trowa said, and pulled the shorter boy into a gentle embrace, kissing his cold cheek.  "But you really did need to warm up."

"I can think of some interesting ways to get warm, too," Quatre murmured with a impish grin, and climbed up into the loft with Trowa following right behind him.

*

"Haven't seen Heero or Wufei," Ryouga commented casually as he and Duo patted one of the fort walls into something resembling its original shape.

"No," Duo answered a little shortly.  Damn it, he couldn't help being jealous of Ryouga.  Without even putting forth any effort, the Lost Boy had managed to get and keep Heero's attention.  He sure didn't need to rub it in.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No..." Duo sighed.  Ryouga was clearly confused, and obviously hadn't meant any offense.  "You might not have noticed, but I think Heero likes you."

"Me?" Ryouga cried.  "No way!  Why would you think that?"

"Haven't you noticed that whenever we're together, he's always there?"

"Yeah," Ryouga answered with a grin.

"Well, I think... I think he's jealous."

"I think so, too," Ryouga said, still grinning.  Duo shot him a hurt glare before he continued.  "I think he's jealous over you."

"ME?!?"

"I think he's as nuts about you as you are about him."

"Not Heero," Duo denied hotly.  "If he liked me, he'd have said something by now."

"Maybe he's waiting for you to make the first move."

"I've tried!"

"I mean, seriously, though.  Not a safe move, where you can pretend you were just joking.  I mean, really put it on the line, in a way he can't possibly think is a put-on."

 "I can't do that!  He'd hit me!  Or... laugh at me... or..."

"You never know unless you try.  Listen to me, Duo," Ryouga said seriously, pulling Duo's shoulders till the slender pilot was forced to face him eye to eye.  "My one regret in this life is that I never told Akane how I really felt about her, and now it's too late.  I'll never know how she would have reacted, and I wish to God I knew.  This can't wait forever.  You should tell him you love him.  Just be honest."

"Maybe..." Duo hesitated.  "Do you still love her?"

"Hey, this isn't about me," Ryouga said, trying to hide behind a pained grin.  "Now, go find your Heero, and tell him.  Just spit it out."

"You're right," Duo said, and forced a brave grin.  "I'll tell him!"

"All right!" Ryouga cried, clapping him on the shoulder as Duo got up and started to make his way to the house, determined to keep his promise before he ran out of courage.  As soon as the door had closed behind the long-haired boy, Ryouga spoke again.

"It's only fair if you go wait for him where he can find you.  You can thank me later."  He smiled knowingly as Heero stalked out from behind the trees and nodded to him, then quickly marched to the house in Duo's footprints.  Ryouga grinned and chuckled to himself, then started on the fort wall again for lack of anything better to do.  He sure wasn't going to interrupt by walking into the house right now.

"Having fun matchmaking?" Wufei's voice behind him startled him, and he turned to see the Chinese pilot smirking at him.

"Don't sneak up like that!" Ryouga exclaimed.

"A martial artist like yourself shouldn't have been so easy to sneak up on."

"Oh, yeah?" Ryouga asked, and Wufei nodded solemnly.  "... You're right," the Lost Boy finished lamely.  "Wanna spar?"  Wufei smiled at him, and as Ryouga leaped to his feet the two began their intricate dance, dodging, striking and weaving.

"Do you still love her?"  The question caught Ryouga flat-footed, and Wufei landed a solid kick against his ribs.

"Don't you still love Nataku?" Ryouga countered, throwing a series of kicks that Wufei barely dodged.

"The heart moves on after time," Wufei answered enigmatically, weaving in between kicks to land several lightning-quick punches.

 "But the old feelings never really die," Ryouga said, pressing forward doggedly.

"So you still love her?"

"I'll probably always love her," Ryouga said honestly, dropping his guard for an instant.  Wufei threw himself forward in a flying kick that sent both boys sprawling into the snow wall.

"Oh, hell," Ryouga muttered, as they shook themselves and stood.  "Now I'll have to do the whole thing all over again."

"I'll help," Wufei offered, and they worked on the wall in a somewhat companionable silence.

"You know..." Ryouga said quietly after a few minutes of silent work. "I always thought that Akane would be my one and only.  That there would never be room in my heart for anyone else."

"Ah," Wufei answered.  "And were you correct?"

"No."

"Ah."  The two of them continued working in silence, while Wufei pondered on all Ryouga had said.

*

"Duo," Heero said quietly, and the boy turned to face him, violet eyes going wide with something akin to terror.

"Uh, H-Heero!" he gulped.  It was now or never... but before Duo could say anything, Heero crossed the distance between them in one swift, decisive move, and kissed him passionately and thoroughly.

"Hee-" Duo tried to speak, and Heero stifled the words with slow, hot kisses, gradually unbuttoning the boy's long-sleeved shirt and pushing it off his shoulders, pushing him down onto the couch by the fire.

"Heero..." Duo gasped as Heero, his beloved Heero, pushed his undershirt out of the way and fastened his mouth over one nipple.  Duo squeaked wordlessly, arching up into Heero's hands as they explored his body, his own fingers tangling in short, dark hair as Heero moved to the other nipple, tormenting it with gentle nips and licks.

"Heero, Heero, Heero..." Heero smiled against Duo's warm skin and gradually trailed his tongue across the flat planes of his stomach.  He should have known that even in this situation, Duo wouldn't be able to stop talking.  He reached up and placed one hand gently over Duo's mouth, and the slender boy parted his soft lips and sucked on Heero's fingers, as Heero's other hand stealthily unbuttoned Duo's trousers.

Duo moaned loudly and lifted his hips as Heero tugged his pants off.  A chill raced over his body in spite of the warm afternoon sun pouring in through the windows and the fire's heat beating down on them.  In a few moments, Heero covered him with his own warm body, and Duo shivered again as their hardened shafts rubbed together.

"Heero, are-" Heero kissed him again.

"Stop talking," the pilot said gruffly, his eyes heavy-lidded with passion as he looked down at Duo, his mussed hair, his flushed cheeks, his pouty lips bruised from the force of their kisses.  Heero bent and kissed him again, because he could, and because Duo's needy eyes begged him for it.  Heero started tracing his mouth across Duo's body again, and this time the slender pilot bit down on his own knuckle in an effort to keep himself quiet - anything not to break the spell.  Heero's hot, wet mouth was trailing down across his stomach, his tongue flickering into Duo's navel and making him squirm, and Duo thought he could die right there from the delicious torture, and he'd die a happy man.

Duo groaned in wordless pleasure as Heero's mouth finally engulfed his aching shaft, and he strained upwards, trying to prolong the contact as Heero broke away for a moment.  A frown flitted across Duo's brow before his wide, violet eyes opened, but by then Heero had begun again, this time with his fingers thoroughly lubricated.  Duo whimpered as one slick finger penetrated him, and he struggled not to cry out from the sheer pleasure of it, rolling like an electric shock all along his skin, not just because Heero was pleasuring his body with a knowledgeable touch, but because it was Heero, it was his precious Heero...

Heero's mouth left him abruptly, and Duo choked off a sob of protest as he was left on the brink, bereft... and then he felt hands under his knees, lifting him up, hardness pressing against him...

"Yes..." Duo mumbled, and Heero pushed his way in slowly, mindful of each pained whimper and passionate groan.  Duo's tight body unfolded slowly, and Heero groaned as well, his shaft throbbing with need.  All of his years of learning how to control his body barely enabled him to resist the urge to just start thrusting.

"You Ok?" Heero asked instead, feeling Duo's body clenching and unclenching around him as he remained perfectly still, buried to the hilt.  He tenderly stroked Duo's cheek, brushing a lock of hair out of beautiful amethyst eyes.

 "Uh!  Don't talk NOW!" Duo whispered urgently, struggling to thrust up against Heero.  Heero grinned then, and slowly began building up to a solid, irresistible rhythm.  Duo writhed beneath him, crying out unabashedly as Heero's slick fingers wrapped around his length, stroking him in time with his thrusts, and the pleasure built and built...  And Duo exploded in release, still writhing violently as his manhood jerked in Heero's hand.  Heero buried himself in Duo's body with a final groan, hiding his ecstatic grimace against Duo's slender shoulder.  The two boys wound down slowly, their bodies glistening with a light film of sweat, their breathing synchronized.

"You had something you wanted to say to me?' Heero asked at last.

"I love you," Duo sighed, smiling, and kissed him again.

*

"Trowa, what do we do?" Quatre whispered anxiously, pulling the bed sheet a little higher over his chest.

"Whatever you want," Trowa answered, slowly sliding the eager length of his manhood up against Quatre's thigh.

"What if they hear us?"

"Can't help that.  Besides, it would only be fair.  We heard them."

"Ahh..." Quatre sighed, and smiled, and Trowa smiled back.

"Shall we pick up where we left off?"

"I think that would be... lovely," Quatre answered with a contented smile.  Heero and Duo had finally gotten honest with each other.  Now if only Ryouga...

*

Ryouga looked around and muttered a curse.  He had just been at the snow fort a moment ago!  And now there was nothing but bare trees and undisturbed snow drifts all around... tears prickled at the corners of his eyes and tightened his throat as he realized he was lost yet again. He slowly turned in a full circle, verifying that the house was nowhere in sight, then grinned as he remembered his Christmas present.  Blessing Trowa for his thoughtfulness, he huddled down in the snow and pressed the button on his watch, and waited.

*

"Ryo-?" Wufei gasped in astonishment as he turned in time to see the Lost Boy vanish before his eyes.  A glimmer of blue flickered in the spot where Ryouga had been, and dissipated without a trace.  Had Ryouga created a dimensional portal somehow?  Wufei rubbed at his eyes and then took off at a run for Shenlong.  Surely Ryouga would think to use the homing device.

By the time Wufei made it to his Gundam, the homing device was projecting its signal.  Wufei blinked in surprise.  Ryouga was in Canada?  It had to have been some kind of dimensional... well, there would be plenty of time to worry about that later.  For now, he'd concentrate on retrieving the Lost Boy.

*

"Ah, Heero..." Duo sighed, writhing uncontrollably as Heero's mouth gradually worked its way from his toes up along the inside of one thigh. "Heero..."  He could feel Heero smiling against his flesh, his sweet mouth moving closer and closer to the eager length of Duo's manhood... and then slowly traveling back up his stomach.

"Heero!" Duo growled, frustrated as his lover moved away from his thrusting hardness.

"You want me to stop?" Heero asked quietly, pressing a hot, wet kiss against the side of Duo's neck.

"I want you to start!" Duo cried in exasperation.  Heero merely smiled at him and traced the tip of one finger along the fine line of Duo's jaw.

"I like doing it my way," he said with a hint of a devilish grin.

"Your way is driving me crazy!" Duo moaned, as more kisses rained down across his flushed chest.

"Short drive."

"Heero!"  Warm lips closed over Duo's, and he whimpered in relief as Heero pressed against him, letting him grind his manhood against Heero's.  Finally!

*

Ryouga smiled in relief when Shenlong landed nearby.  He was just starting to really worry that the watch didn't work or that no-one had even noticed he was gone...  Wufei opened the hatch, and Ryouga leaped up to join him in Shenlong's cramped but heated interior.

"Canada," Wufei said quietly.

"Huh?"

"You're in Canada."

 "Oh." Ryouga looked as puzzled as Wufei felt.

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"Well... no." Ryouga answered with a shrug.  Suddenly appearing in a new place was not at all unusual for him.

"I think you went through a dimensional portal."

"Ah," Ryouga said, still confused.

"Which would explain how you moved through time."

"Uh-huh."

"Now you just need to learn to control your power."

"Huh?  You think that I-?"

"It looked ki-based," Wufei said musingly.  "No wonder it took you so short a time to learn your ki attacks.  You've been manipulating ki on an unconscious level since you were a child."  Ryouga merely stared back at him, his eyes wide in shock.  "I think," Wufei posed, "that you tend to move through dimensions when you're under emotional stress."

"Huh," Ryouga said, nodding.  That was certainly true.  Every time he'd ever gotten lost, it was almost a relief.  A chance to get away from whatever had him worried, without drawing blame... after all, nobody could be upset with him if he just got lost, really lost instead of taking responsibility for his mistakes.  And just today, he had been working side by side with Wufei, his cheeks reddening from the cold and a sudden blush... and then he had gotten lost.

"It's food for thought, anyway," Wufei said casually.  "You're going to have to sit on my lap so I can close the hatch."  Ryouga swallowed hard and nodded his head - there certainly wasn't room in the small cockpit for him to sit on the floor.  He could feel his cheeks heating in another blush as he gingerly crawled up into Wufei's lap and tried to sit small.

Wufei paused a moment longer than was necessary, waiting to assure himself that Ryouga was done shifting around on his lap.  He tried to distract himself from the firm buttocks pressed against his legs by puzzling over Ryouga's dimensional travel.  It seemed to be emotionally triggered... but anger obviously didn't make him transfer, or he would have disappeared any number of times while Wufei was nursing him back to health.

 "Here we go," Wufei warned at last, and Ryouga tensed on his lap, a quiet gasp the only testimony to his surprise as Shenlong smoothly lifted off.  The motion threw Ryouga a little off-balance, and Wufei reached out to grab him as he started to slide off his precarious perch. Ryouga froze, his eyes widening as the Chinese boy's hand landed just above the waistband of his trousers - and the next thing he knew, he was in the forest again.

"Shit!" Wufei gasped, staring at the empty air where Ryouga had been. It was damn inconvenient having him just pop out like that.  But... if he vanished every time he got carried away emotionally, then maybe... no, that was preposterous.  Ryouga couldn't possibly be attracted to him.  He must have gotten embarrassed.  He was certainly blushing when Shenlong landed again, opening the hatch for him to jump in a second
time.

"Sorry," Ryouga mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in a self-conscious, shamefaced gesture.

"Hold on this time," Wufei instructed, and Ryouga seated himself facing the stern pilot, his face scarlet as he grabbed onto the harness straps that crisscrossed over Wufei's chest.

"R-ready," Ryogua mumbled, and this time they got all the way back to the house without incident.  Wufei heaved a sigh of relief as Ryouga bounded down from the cockpit.  The Chinese boy took a moment to draw a long, shaky breath, cooling his raging hormones before exiting Shenlong, his thighs still warm from Ryouga's body.

Wufei led the way to the house, thankful to note that the other four pilots were outside.  They happened to be in the middle of a fierce snowball fight as the prodigal Lost Boy ran to meet them, gracefully dodging the freezing projectiles on his way.  Wufei paused to watch in admiration as Ryouga's lithe, powerful form sailed through the air, sometimes changing directions midair to avoid a snowball.

"Hey, welcome back!" Duo called happily.  "Wu-man, where'd ya go?"

"I got lost," Ryouga admitted.  "Wufei came to get me."

"It worked!" Quatre cried, hugging Ryouga and flashing Trowa a blindingly brilliant smile.  "Trowa, it worked!"

"Thank you so much," Ryouga said, giving Quatre and Trowa another grateful hug for their thoughtfulness.

"You're home in time for dinner," Heero commented, and everyone filed into the house.  In a confidential whisper, Quatre admitted to Wufei that they had been waiting for him and Ryouga to return, so they'd be able to see that it was safe to go indoors.

"Did you have a pleasant afternoon?" Wufei asked politely, his mind elsewhere.  Quatre nodded, blushing red as a beet, and hurried to catch up to Trowa.  Wufei barely even noticed; his attention was focused on Ryouga as the Lost Boy made his way indoors, his voice echoing in a rare laugh over something Duo had said.  Ryouga paused to brush a dusting of snow from his thick, silky bangs, then Wufei had one last glimpse of his luscious bottom in tight black denim before he stepped into the house.  Duo had turned around to stare at him, and Wufei quickly collected himself and hurried inside, shutting the door securely.

"Duo, I'd like to speak with you," Wufei said quietly.  Duo glanced at Heero, who nodded almost imperceptibly, then followed Wufei up the ladder to the loft in order to carry on a quick, urgently whispered
conversation.

*

"But it's so early!" Ryouga protested.  The sun had barely set when Duo announced that he was going to bed and Heero, Quatre and Trowa agreed with him.

"Yeah," Duo answered with a huge yawn, "but I got all worn out today."

"Hn," Heero commented.

"And I just want to go to bed."

"Ah," Ryouga said, smiling in spite of his sudden blush.

"Would you two mind changing into your PJ's now?" Quatre asked.  "That way you won't wake us up when you're ready for bed."

"Sure," Ryouga said, blushing again.  He hadn't even liked the idea of sleeping in the red pajamas, let alone using them as lounge wear... but there wasn't much he wouldn't do for his friends.  After a quick change of clothes, he went back down the ladder and turned the TV on with the volume low.  A few minutes later, Wufei joined him.

"So was it a good Christmas for you?" the Chinese boy asked curiously.

"It was the best," Ryouga said with a happy sigh, curling his legs up under him on the couch.  "How about you?"

"I don't know yet," Wufei answered enigmatically.

"Ah."  Ryouga didn't press the issue.  Wufei certainly hadn't looked like he was enjoying himself much today.

"Would you like some traditional cider?"

"Sure," Ryouga answered, smiling.  So that was the problem.  Wufei was upset because the others had forgotten one of the traditions.  Still blushing over the pajamas in spite of the fact that everyone else was wearing them, Ryouga followed the silent boy into the kitchen and sat down at the table while Wufei poured them each a mug of hard cider.  "It tastes... different," Ryouga said, grimacing slightly.

"It's an old recipe," Wufei answered with a hint of a smile, taking a careful sip.  Duo's only suggestion on keeping Ryouga from disappearing during a serious discussion was to get him a little drunk first - and he had warned Wufei that it took an awful lot to get the boy drunk.  Wufei had stealthily mixed up a strong concoction that he hoped would keep Ryouga still long enough for him to admit his feelings... and the flip side was that if Ryouga didn't return his feelings, he could act as though nothing had happened.  It wasn't exactly honorable... but he wouldn't actually be lying.

Ryouga decided that the best way to avoid tasting the drink was to down it quickly - but as soon as Wufei saw that his mug was empty, he refilled it.  Ryouga sighed at the now-full mug.  It might be traditional, but it sure as hell tasted awful.  No wonder the others had "forgotten" the tradition.  Struggling to mask a grimace, Ryogua took another long pull.  He was on his third mug of the repulsive stuff when they moved back to the couch to watch Christmas shows on the TV.

Wufei waited till the liquor had painted a flush across Ryouga's face before he set his own mug down.  He had carefully drunk very little of the powerful mixture, but Ryouga should be nicely buzzed by now.

"I'd like to talk to you seriously for a minute," Wufei said quietly, and Ryouga quickly finished the rest of his drink and set the empty mug down, giving Wufei his full attention.

"Ok," Ryouga said.

"I wanted to say that..." Wufei stopped mid-sentence, and didn't look as though he had any plans to continue what he had been about to say.

"Huh?"

Wufei paused a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he concentrated.  This wasn't going to be easy, but Duo had repeated Ryouga's words to him, insisting that there was no time to waste.  He didn't want to keep this bottled up, and regret it later... but the words wouldn't come.  He wasn't even sure what it was he wanted to say! He couldn't say he loved Ryouga... he just wanted him.  Wanted to make him sigh and groan and smile.  Wanted to curl up in his arms and stay there forever... wanted to take care of him, to eat with him and sleep with him and laugh with him and play with him...

In the end, the words didn't matter.  Ryouga leaned in to try and catch his eye, and Wufei merely moved in swiftly and kissed him, knowing that the boy's reaction might be violent, and not caring.  Ryouga made some soft, muffled protest before melting into the kiss, moaning in that sweet, husky voice of his as Wufei gripped his arms and pulled him in close.

Ryouga gasped as Wufei's tongued darted out to touch his lips.  This couldn't be happening!  Somehow he had gotten all turned around, and he found himself sitting on Wufei's lap, straddling his thighs, his mouth caught in the sweet warmth of Wufei's kiss as he stared into the fathomless depths of Wufei's eyes... and it had to be real, Wufei was warm and solid in his arms, and with a moan of acceptance Ryouga opened his mouth to the gentle invasion, twining his tongue with Wufei's in a sensual dance as his eyes slid closed.

Wufei's hands slid over the soft flannel covering Ryouga's back, gently kneading the tight muscles before slowly sliding down to cup his buttocks.  Ryouga tensed, then squirmed a little, wrapping his arms tighter around Wufei's shoulders without protest.  Wufei took that as all the permission he needed, and he caressed the rounded bottom freely before his hands slid around to Ryouga's chest and slowly started unbuttoning the red pajamas.

Wufei's mouth left Ryouga's, and the Lost Boy whimpered in soft protest as the warm fabric of his pajamas slid away from his chest and Wufei fastened his mouth on one taut nipple, his hands gripping Ryouga's bottom again and pulling him in closer.

"Ahh... Wu..." Ryouga sighed, and Wufei moved on to the other nipple, the sensation delicate and exquisite.  Oh, but Wufei knew what he was doing...  Ryouga threw his head back and moaned softly, dimly aware that Wufei's hands were squeezing his buttocks, long fingers teasing at the line between them before moving to unbutton the flap in the pajamas. Ryouga gasped as cold air washed over his naked bottom before Wufei's warm hands covered the chilled flesh in a gentle caress.

"Wufei..." Ryouga sighed, and Wufei moaned huskily against the warm, sweet skin of his throat before catching his mouth in another deep kiss. Ryouga whimpered in pleasure and half-hearted protest as a moistened finger wormed its way inside him, and he arched up against Wufei's body, his breath coming in quick little pants as Wufei's finger hit on the sweet spot.  Wufei pulled back from the kiss to watch Ryouga's face as he slowly moved his finger in a delicate caress.  Ryouga's brows were drawn together, and he had his lower lip caught between his teeth in an effort to stifle his whimpers as his hips started grinding instinctively.  His eyes slid open, and he looked at Wufei with such a self-conscious expression it tugged at the Chinese boy's heartstrings. Wufei took pity on him and leaned in to kiss him again, to wipe his doubts and shyness away.

Ryouga froze in a moment of anxiety as he felt Wufei unbuttoning his own pajamas, and the hot length of the Chinese boy's manhood nudging at his buttocks.  His eyes opened again, searching Wufei's face desperately for some kind of sign...

Wufei quickly lubricated his eager shaft and tossed the tube onto the end table, his free arm wrapping around Ryouga's waist.  The poor boy was looking so unsure, and Wufei paused with his manhood poised at the boy's hidden opening.

 "Ryouga...?" he asked huskily.  The boy looked almost frightened, but it was Ryouga who moved next, lowering himself onto Wufei's shaft with a soft moan.  Ryouga's eyes closed again, and he cursed himself inwardly for his weakness even as Wufei's manhood stoked the fire in him, his limbs melting with pleasure at the heated motion of Wufei's shaft sliding in and out.  Ryouga decided to just enjoy the moment for what it was, and feel guilty later for having sex with a man who didn't care about him.  They were both drunk, and lonely.  It would have to be enough.

"Ah... Ryouga..." Wufei muttered, his hands clenching on the Lost Boy's thrusting hips.  He leaned in to kiss the boy's throat as Ryouga threw his head back again, and quickly unfastened the rest of Ryouga's buttons, freeing the Lost Boy's manhood at last.  Wufei surrounded the heated flesh with gently demanding fingers as Ryouga started moving faster and faster, and with a muted whimper Wufei came, burying his face against Ryouga's throat again as his seed spilled out into Ryouga's heat.  For a long moment he froze, and Ryouga carefully started trying to disentangle himself from Wufei's tight embrace.

"Don't," Wufei said, grimacing in one last little jolt of pleasure as his manhood slid out of Ryouga's tight body.  Pressing a kiss to Ryouga's sweet lips, the Chinese pilot turned and bore him down onto the couch.  Ryouga looked up at him in surprise and waited in almost-fearful anticipation as Wufei yanked the red pajamas out of the way and engulfed Ryouga's manhood with his mouth in one swift move.

"Wufei!" Ryouga gasped in shock and pleasure, his eyes rolling back as Wufei's mouth and lips cleverly played across his hard shaft, drawing on his manhood with enough enthusiasm to make up for lack of experience. Wufei was determined that Ryouga was going to enjoy this encounter, but he found that he actually liked it himself.  He liked the feeling of Ryouga's hard flesh against his lips, liked the sensation in his
mouth... and he loved, absolutely loved, the helpless, thrilled whimpers Ryouga was trying to stifle.

Wufei slid his still-slick finger back inside Ryouga's tight passage, and found the spot again, and carefully pressed against it with a delicate touch as he drew Ryouga as far into his mouth as possible. With one last, helpless groan of warning, Ryouga reached a violent climax, his body tightening around Wufei's finger as his seed spilled forth in a hot rush.  Wufei tried to swallow, choked, and ended up lying half on top of Ryouga's sated body, his finger still thrust up inside Ryouga's grasping tightness as he coughed.

"Sorry," Ryouga whispered contritely, his hands reaching out to hesitantly hug the Chinese boy.  Wufei gave him a lopsided smile and hugged him back tightly.

"Don't be.  I'll get better at it," the Chinese boy whispered back, and slowly began moving his finger again.  Ryouga gaped at him in surprise, his body automatically responding as Wufei grinned at him.  So Duo had been telling the truth after all... not that Duo ever lied, but he certainly could have been exaggerating about Ryouga's prowess.  Wufei was delighted to find that it was no exaggeration.  Maybe by the time the alcohol wore off, he'd be good enough at pleasuring Ryouga that the Lost Boy would let him keep doing it...

"Oh, Wufei..." Ryouga sighed.  If only this could last, he'd be deliriously happy...

*

 Duo woke as the sun slanted in across his face.  With a grimace, he sat up and pulled the cotton out of his ears.  Heero's eyes snapped open as soon as Duo moved, and the two boys smiled at each other.

"I wonder if it worked," Duo whispered as Heero pulled wads of cotton out of his own ears.

"Only one way to tell," Heero answered solemnly.  The two boys crept over to the railing and looked down into the room below.  Ryouga and Wufei were fast asleep on the couch, all twisted up together in
half-naked disarray.

"I think it worked," Duo said with a smirk, and he and Heero crept back where the two sleeping boys couldn't see them.  With a loud groan, Duo stretched.

"Wow, nothing like a good night's sleep!" he said loudly, grinning at Heero.  "I'm starved, though.  Let's get some breakfast!"

Heero grinned back at Duo as they overheard the muffled sounds of two boys scrambling back into long red pajamas in panic and consternation.

"How would you like eggs for breakfast?" Heero asked, still smiling. Duo was struggling not to laugh at the sounds from downstairs, and tried to distract himself by shaking Quatre and Trowa awake.

"How about pancakes instead?" Duo said.  Quatre looked confused for a moment before he remembered to pull the cotton out of his ears.

"Good morning," he said with a sweet smile, wishing he hadn't missed the fun.  Duo was all but turning purple with repressed laughter.

"Want pancakes?" Heero asked, pulling on a robe over his red pajamas and running his fingers through his tangled hair.

"That sounds good," Quatre said, and Trowa merely nodded agreement. Trowa was never much of a talker, but especially not first thing in the morning.  Quatre leaned over to give him a kiss and wish him good
morning before the four pilots filed downstairs.

Ryouga and Wufei were in the kitchen by the time the others got downstairs.  Wufei was busily preparing a pot of coffee and Ryouga was seated at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of juice.  Duo tossed Heero a knowing grin as he noted that the two boys were pretending not to notice each other.

 "Good morning," Quatre chirped, and Ryouga and Wufei both responded in kind, their voices subdued.  Ryouga stared down into the juice glass reflectively, and Quatre patted his shoulder gently before striking up a conversation with too-cheerful Duo.  Anyone could see that Ryouga had heavy issues on his mind.  Quatre only hoped that whatever unfinished business was left between Ryouga and Wufei would be settled soon.  He so hated to see his friends looking mopey.

"Going to check on the Gundams this morning," Heero announced suddenly. "Duo's going with me."

"Uh... yeah, that's right," Duo nodded, smiling unabashedly.  So Heero wanted to get him alone...

"Oh, we should probably go, too," Quatre said, knowing without looking that Trowa was nodding as well.  "After all, Wufei flew Shenlong yesterday, but we haven't seen Sandrock or Heavyarms for a while."

"Uh, we can check on them for you if ya want," Duo said, hoping Quatre would drop the subject.  He'd hate to waste an opportunity to get Heero alone...

"I'd like to see Sandrock for myself," Quatre said with a smile to soften the inflexibility of his tone.  Couldn't Duo take a hint?  Ryouga and Wufei needed some time alone!

"Uh, yeah, of course," Duo answered glumly.  Damn.  Couldn't Quatre take a hint?

Ryouga glanced from one to the other of his friends, his heart sinking as he realized that he and Wufei would be alone.  He didn't know what to say to Wufei.  Thank you?  Let's fuck again some time?  I wish you loved
me?

Ryouga shook in head, exasperated.  Why should he care whether Wufei loved him?  It was obvious that the Chinese boy didn't care for him much at all.  He was just the nearest warm body when Wufei happened to get drunk.  Damn.  He had worried after that first time with Duo, that the other pilots would think he was cheap... but now he was thinking it of himself.  He had slept with Wufei.  He had had desperate sex with a man who didn't care at all about him, in a moment of weakness and neediness. And now he would have to face the stern pilot alone.  He caught a glimpse of Wufei's profile as the Chinese boy poured the fresh coffee.
Such a hard, unforgiving expression on his face... Ryouga's heart sunk farther, and he dreaded the moment that he and Wufei were left alone.

Wufei stole a glance at Ryouga as he leaned over to pour coffee, and saw the boy's eyes sliding away furtively.  Damn.  He must have frightened him off.  He had hoped... he had hoped to be able to take his time with Ryouga.  That precious moment waking up with Ryouga in his arms had been wrecked by Duo's big, loud mouth.  Not that he would rather have been caught in a compromising position with Ryouga!  That might have embarrassed him into disappearing again... and that was a concern now. Ryouga obviously didn't want to face him.  How could he keep him from disappearing before they had a chance to talk it out?

 Wufei puzzled over it while Trowa flipped pancakes and Heero fried bacon.  Everyone sat down at the table and started eating before an idea occurred to him.

"So... did you all have a good Christmas?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah!" Duo cried enthusiastically, echoed by Heero, Trowa and Quatre.

"What about you, Wufei?" Quatre asked.

"It was the best Christmas I've ever had," the pilot said solemnly. Heero and Duo grinned slyly at each other, but Wufei only had eyes for Ryouga, who looked up hopefully.  "Absolutely wonderful," Wufei added, and Ryouga ducked his head again, smiling as a blush darkened his face. Wufei calmly began eating his pancakes, ignoring Duo's idiotic grin.  So what if Duo found it amusing?  At least Ryouga didn't look afraid of him, anymore.

Ryouga stared down at his plate, using his knife to draw patterns in the syrup as he smiled to himself.  Wufei wasn't angry.  And maybe it wasn't even a one-night stand.  From what Wufei had said, he seemed to have enjoyed himself.  Maybe... maybe they could... Ryouga found himself looking forward to the other pilots leaving, so he and Wufei could have the house to themselves.  He hoped...

"Well, hate to eat and run, but we gotta go," Duo announced, stretching again as he rose from the table.  Maybe if he and Heero could leave first they'd have a little time alone before the other two...

"Oh, well, we'd better hurry, then," Quatre said, and the four pilots quickly finished their food and changed clothes, then took off.  Ryouga was still staring down at his uneaten pancakes as the door closed behind
them.

"Aren't you hungry?" Wufei asked.

"Uh... not really," Ryouga answered, blushing again.  He found himself staring at the plate, and hating himself for his shyness.  If he could only work up the nerve to look in Wufei's eyes...

"Ryouga," Wufei said solemnly, and Ryouga froze.  "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I didn't mean to rush you.  I'm sorry that I took advantage of you."

"But... I was going to apologize to you..." Ryouga mumbled.

"Do you regret..."

"No.  You?"

 "I don't have any regrets," Wufei said firmly.  "I'm only sorry for taking advantage-"

"You didn't.  I cooperated."

"Yes, you did," Wufei said after a startled pause.  Ryouga looked up at last, and noted with some surprise that Wufei was blushing at least as much as he was.  After another long pause, Wufei finally spoke again.

"If you ever want to cooperate again sometime..."

"Ah," said Ryouga.  "How about now?"

"Really?"  This time it was Wufei's turn to fall silent as Ryouga rose from the table and caught his hands in a firm, gentle grip.

"I'd like to... uh... if you would, I mean," Ryouga said.

"Any time," Wufei answered, and Ryouga rewarded him with a delighted smile.  The two boys made their way upstairs to enjoy each other in privacy and comfort... and it was enough.  There didn't have to be promises of love or fidelity traded between them, though that would follow in time.  For now, there was nothing but the sweet slide of flesh against flesh, whispered groans and shared pleasure.  It was enough.

Ryouga lay staring up at the wooden ceiling as the sun slanted across the bed, drenching them in warmth.  Wufei lay half across him, one arm and leg thrown across his naked body, and Ryouga held him in a loose embrace, the freed strands of Wufei's long hair tickling against his chest.  Soon they would have to get up and dress, before their friends came back.  But for now, Ryouga lay in near-perfect contentment, smiling gently and thanking his lucky stars.  After years of wandering... after two hundred years of being lost, he had finally found a home.  Wufei tightened his arms around Ryouga as happy tears started to gather in his
wide brown eyes.

Home.
 
 
 
 
 

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