Shi-chan: Ooh, I was finally in the mood for "Cool World," or "Behind Closed Doors," and then goes down! I can't write without reading the first parts, and they're not on this comp! Curses! So...here's my second one-shot of the night...should be, uh, interesting...oh, and, um, Belindi? You were right. It turned itself into a romance, I dunno what happened...

-

Condition Unstable
A one-shot!
By Shimegami-chan
Warnings: Shounen-ai, sap, fluff, etc! The usual...

Day 1:

"4 o'clock p.m. mission log. Chang here. I've just regained consciousness after the carrier went down, location unknown. I am unaware of Maxwell's condition, but the supplies and radio are in my possession. I think I may be on an island, but am unsure. Will report when more infomation is availible."

Cursing to himself, Wufei switched off the recorder and lay his burden down in the sand. His hair fell messily into his eyes as the armload of food and blankets fell to the ground with a thump. /I'll radio for help, then I'll look for Maxwell./

/Unless he's still in the carrier at the bottom of the ocean./

Wufei pushed that thought away and picked up the radio. "Chang here. Do you read? Anyone, hello?"

A crackle of static came back through the small speaker. "Wufei?"

"Winner, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me! I'm so glad you got through. Are you guys okay?" Quatre's voice sounded small and far away, but it was clear.

"I'm fine. I haven't found Maxwell yet...we're-I'm-on an island, as far as I can tell." Wufei hastily began rifling through the pile for something to tie his hair up with. The raven-black locks had gotten loose from the usual neat ponytail thanks to the scuffle in the carrier, flames had singed the rubber band and the ends of his hair. The Chinese boy cursed at the predicament; no, there wasn't anything even remotely resembling string or a rubber band here. He didn't even have a first aid kit to treat his wounds. Instead, Wufei turned his attention back to Quatre.

"...sending Trowa right now, and Heero and I will follow. Be careful, okay?"

"Wait!" Wufei urged. "Do you even know where we went down?"

"Do you know? We can't risk sending out any official parties, we have to get to you before OZ does. Just stay put, and good luck. One of us will track you down soon, Wufei-kun. You'll see." Quatre's voice fell silent and Wufei put the radio down.

"Just stay put. Greeeeeeat."

Day 2:

"Chang here, ten o'clock a.m. I've been looking for Maxwell all night, and conclude that he is missing in action. Time of death unknown, location of body unknown. No trace of him at all except a black shirt that came in on the tide this morning, I beleive he died of extreme blood loss; the salt water barely removed any from the garment...I...he...he will be remembered. As for me, I am not in the most stable of shape. Self-diagnosis revealed a concussion that is now fading, a sprained ankle, bruised ribs, and major cuts and abrasions. I do not beleive there is any internal bleeding, but I am moving with great caution. Changes will be reported tomorrow."

Wufei tossed the recorder into the pile in disgust and threw himself down on top of it. Despite his injuries, he had been compelled to look for Maxwell for most of the night. Now it seemed he would be unable to stop sleep from claiming him for much longer. He felt a pang of regret at the loss of his comrade, but pushed it back quickly. He was being weak.

Weak, weak weak. Oh, it hurt so very much...he had never really told Duo what he had felt for him, and supposed they were both better off that way. He had also blatantly lied in the mission log, his injuries far surpassed what he had previously thought. He was hoping that his suspicions of having pneumonia were just that, but he found himself beleiving it more and more. He felt hot and cold all over, his body shot through with pins and needles. Of course, that could be from his other physical wounds. A curtain of black fell over Wufei's eyes, and Wufei prayed he wasn't hallucinating...no, it was just his loose hair falling in his face again. When had he ended up facefirst in the sand? He really couldn't remember either way, for once he wasn't complaining to himself about the ebony curtain in his eyes, right now it seemed so inviting...shivering, Wufei barely managed to haul the heap of blankets over him before passing out.

Day 3:

"Chang. Eight p.m. Condition..un..shhh...shhh...shhhtable...unstablllle. Posssshhible, uh, exshposhure. Tomorrow."

Wufei wasn't quite sure if the recorder was off or not.

Day 4:

"C-ch-ch-chang here. M-m-my c-c-c-ondition is s-s-s-servere. Possible p-p-p-neumonia, or unknown p-p-p-problemsh resulting from exposure to exshtreme temperatursh. Unknown. I will report again if I am able. If not...shorry, everyone...Ch-chang out."

No, things were not going well at all. Wufei hadn't had enough energy to reach the food in several days. He tried again, in vain, knowing that his temperature must have skyrocketed by now. Where were Trowa, Quatre, and Heero? Weren't they coming? The radio had crackled and beeped and demanded his attention, but it was too far away for Wufei's drained body to answer.

Exhausted, he fell into sleep once more.

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

"I can't wait any longer...I haven't been able to move for days. Fever is high. I feel...like I'm floating, almost, like I'm in a sea of warmth. Don't think I'll make it through another day, sorry...I failed the mission, and all of you. I let Duo die, and now I'm letting myself die. I think I may be delerious. Wanted you to know...that I cared more than I ever told you. Ha, I *am* delerious, this proves it! Quatre, so sorry...someday you won't have to fight any more battles. Trowa, take care of yourself and the others. Heero, I'm sorry. I know you cared for Duo, and so did I...I can't beleive I'm saying this! But it's my fault. Gomen ne. Sorry it had to end this way. If by some miracle I make it out of this alive, I'll understand if you kill me for letting this happen to Duo...I...I...damn. I think I was in love with him too. Maybe it's the fever. But...I know how you feel. Everyone, take care. And stay alive, for mine and Duo's sake. Chang Wufei out."

"Shimatta," Wufei wheezed and held the recorder out as far as he could, laying it in the sand where he hoped one of his would-be rescuers would see it right away. Then, taking a last long look at the sunset, he retreated back under the blankets. The thick flannel blocked the stinging light from his eyes and did an excellent job of closing him off from the world, just like a coffin.

It was warm, so warm. Wufei didn't mind, the firey blood pounding in his ears was a nice contrast to the icy pull of death. It was fairly painless as far as Wufei could see. Starvation, dehydratin, suffocation, pneumonia, gangrene; would internal injuries have healed yet? Either way, there were enough things trying to kill Wufei at the moment, so his dismissed the idea of internal injuries. It was probably the thirst, he decided; his mouth was hot and dry. Something he'd been feeling a lot of, it seemed.

Wufei closed his eyes. /It seems as though I'm already in the pits of Hell...sorry. Quatre, Trowa, Heero, Duo...so sorry. Duo. Are you waiting for me, Shinigami? I never told you...but I hoped you already knew.../

Day 8:

Day 9:

The recorder clicked and emitted a beep before playing back the log. "4 o'clock p.m. mission log. Chang here. I've just regained consciousness after the carrier went down, location unknown. I am unaware of Maxwell's condition, but the supplies and radio are in my possession. I think I may be on an island, but am unsure. Will report when more infomation is availible...Chang here, ten o'clock a.m. I've been looking for Maxwell all night, and conclude that he is missing in action. Time of death unknown, location of body unknown. No trace of him at all except a black shirt that came in on the tide this morning, I beleive he died of extreme blood loss; the salt water barely removed any from the garment...I...he...he will be remembered. As for me, I am not in the most stable of shape. Self-diagnosis revealed a concussion that is now fading, a sprained ankle, bruised ribs, and major cuts and abrasions. I do not beleive there is any internal bleeding, but I am moving with great caution. Changes will be reported tomorrow...Chang. Eight p.m. Condition..un..shhh...shhh...shhhtable...unstablllle. Posssshhible, uh, exshposhure. Tomorrow...C-ch-ch-chang here. M-m-my c-c-c-ondition is s-s-s-servere. Possible p-p-p-neumonia, or unknown p-p-p-problemsh resulting from exposure to exshtreme temperatursh. Unknown. I will report again if I am able. If not...shorry, everyone...Ch-chang out...I can't wait any longer...I haven't been able to move for days. Fever is high. I feel...like I'm floating, almost, like I'm in a sea of warmth. Don't think I'll make it through another day, sorry...I failed the mission, and all of you. I let Duo die, and now I'm letting myself die. I think I may be delerious. Wanted you to know...that I cared more than I ever told you. Ha, I *am* delerious, this proves it! Quatre, so sorry...someday you won't have to fight any more battles. Trowa, take care of yourself and the others. Heero, I'm sorry. I know you cared for Duo, and so did I...I can't beleive I'm saying this! But it's my fault. Gomen ne. Sorry it had to end this way. If by some miracle I make it out of this alive, I'll understand if you kill me for letting this happen to Duo...I...I...damn. I think I was in love with him too. Maybe it's the fever. But...I know how you feel. Everyone, take care. And stay alive, for mine and Duo's sake. Chang Wufei out ..."

"Shit...if only I'd gotten here earlier..." Hot tears fell from his eyes and he pounded a fist into the sand. "DAMN! Wufei..."

He looked around frantically. "WUFEI! Where are you? Can you hear me?"

Was he gone? Dead? How long ago had the last message been recorded? He tossed the device onto the heap of blankets and used a tree as balance to lurch to his feet, favouring his right leg. "Wufeiiiiii!"

The pile of blankets shifted a little and the boy's heart leapt. He dropped to his knees and yanked the flannel away to reveal the Chinese boy, curled up in the fetal position, shaking and smiling in his sleep. "Wufei?"

The Aisan pilot cracked one onyx eye open. "Mmmm? Come to take me away, have you?"

The boy smiled and put a hand to Wufei's forehead. He was burning up. He then cheerfully emptied a bottle of water on the young pilot's face, and Wufei sputtered in indignation. "Arg, you idiot!"

Smiling, the boy thumbed the recorder. "Shinigami here, I've got the situation under control. Both of us need medical attention, but if you get here fast I might be able to keep Wu-man alive a little longer! Maxwell out." He then turned his attention back to Wufei. "You okay there, Fei-kun?"

"No." Wufei whispered. "But the water felt nice. Am I dead?"

Duo wasn't surprised at the question. "You're pretty close. What'd you do, dehydrate yourself?"

"Couldn't...move..." Wufei grunted, turning onto his back. Duo assited him in sitting up and held another bottle of water to his lips. "Sheesh, I was out there starving and you were sitting around with *tons* of food! Daaaaaamn!"

"Are you dead?" Wufei asked with morbid curiosity.

"Why, think you're seeing things? Wu, get some food and water and wait for the others. You're probably still delirious." Duo gently fed the Chinese boy a ration bar and arranged the blankets more comfortably around him.

Wufei was finally managing to focus his eyes on the sight before him. Duo looked gaunt and thin, but he absolutely radiated. His violet eyes were clear and strong, and Wufei held his stare for as long as he could before turning his teared eyes away. Before he knew what was happening Duo's lips were pressed against his in an almost-chaste kiss as the American smoothed ebony hair away from Wufei's face. "I heard what you said on the log, Fei-kun. I'm glad you feel that way about me...it's a weird feeling for me. I think I might feel a little more than friendship for you, too...Please...hang on until help comes for you. Don't die. Okay?"

Wufei opened his mouth to answer, but when he looked up Duo was gone. "I...Duo..."

It had gone from morning to night in an instant somehow, but Wufei found that he could actually move his arms and legs. Unfortunately, his body was demanding that he sleep immediately. But this time, instead of the fire creeping over him, it was a feeling of soft purple velvet. Violet. /Like his eyes.../

Smiling, Wufei fell into dreams.

Day 10:

When next he woke up, Wufei was neither beneath the purple haze nor the heavy flannel blankets. His body was swathed in white sheets. An IV was stuck in his arm, and the room smelled distinctly of 'hospital.'

To his surprise, he was wearing a green hospital gown, and his hair was still hanging limply in his face, but someone had brushed it. His wounds had also been bandaged. Looking over, Wufei spotted the log recorder on the nighttable and grabbed for it, almost lurching out of bed in the process. He reset it and sped past the first few entries, looking for a specific one he was sure would be there. The small device sprang to life: "Maybe it's the fever. But...I know how you feel. Everyone, take care. And stay alive, for mine and Duo's sake. Chang Wufei out ..." Wufei held his breath, but his own muffled movement was the only sound after that. Nothing that could have been Duo, no Duo reassuring them that everything was under control. He'd been hallucinating after all, he decided sadly. But he was alive! How could this be? He had dared to hope that Duo had survived somehow when the American had awoken him, joked with him, kissed him...

Wufei touched his fingers to his lips. "Duo...no..."

He listened to the full recording over and over, amazed at the sound of his own weakened voice. Even after the third time, he still listened intently after his message of the eigth day, to his own laboured breathing, hoping that something would come out of the silence that hadn't been there before. After the third time, it came. "Shinigami here, I've got the situation under control. Let's see if I can keep Wu-man alive a little longer! Maxwell out."

"No, that wasn't what you said!" Wufei hissed at the recorder.

"Talking to yourself is a sure sign of insanity," a mild voice pointed out from the doorway.

Wufei nearly fell out of the bed for the second time. "Duo!"

With a grunt of pain, Duo hobbled into the room with the aid of a set of crutches. "Yo, what's up Wu-man? So it's 'Duo,' instead of 'Maxwell,' now, is it?"

Wufei just gaped. "Where...how..."

Duo unsuccessfully tried to glare at him. "I must've been knocked out for a day or two, I was a little ways around the island. Didn't know where you were, I had a broken leg, but you had the radio-not that you actually USED it!-and all the food, and I was slightly worried, so I started crawling. And what do I find? Chang Wufei's good-bye message, apologizing for getting me killed? And you with a mile-high fever, not having had anything to eat or drink in like a week. Really, Wu-man," Duo sighed. "Why couldn't *I* have ended up with the supplies?"

"'Cause then you'd have the pneumonia, and I wouldn't have come to save you!" Wufei chuckled.

Duo's face turned serious. "You wouldn't?"

Wufei blinked.

Duo gestured at the recorder. "I thought that...I don't know, never mind. It was stupid." He picked up his crutches and stood as Wufei tried to peice together what had just happened.

"Duo, wait!" This time he really did fall out of the bed, but he landed on his feet. "I didn't mean...I mean..."

Duo smiled sincerely. "Get back in bed, we'll have plenty of time to talk when you wake up." With the aid of the crutches he was to the door faster than Wufei could react.

"No, Duo, I just wanted to say..." Wufei tipped his head back and his silky hair tickled his ears lightly, then he tipped it forward again to let the dark ebony curtain fall across his face again. "I..."

Duo waited patiently in the doorway, and Wufei feared he would leave before the Chinese boy gathered his courage.

"Duo... I would have come."

"Nani?" Duo blushed a bright pink.

"If it had been me with the broken leg...I would have crawled to you no matter how long it would take."

"I know, Fei-kun." The American closed the door gently behind him. "Thanks."

~OWARI!

-
Shi-chan: You see? It didn't come out the way we planned!
Seki: Sue me.
Shi-chan: Arg.
Seki: I own nothing anyway, heh. ^_^
Shi-chan: Chik'sho...