Heero sat in the living room, listening to the sounds of Duo's retreating footsteps and the ensuing door slam.

Heero sighed, realizing he had probably been a bit too callous this time. He never consciously tried to be so harsh; yet, he always seemed to act that way, especially towards Duo. Heero supposed it was the way in which he learned to hide his feelings from others; he was uncomfortable letting others know how he felt since he was not always confident in how others felt about him. His behavior towards Duo was complicated by the fact that he was emotionally and physically attracted to the boy, something Heero was unprepared for. Of course, he never meant to hurt Duo but somehow that always seemed to happen.

Heero sighed, wondering if an apology would make Duo feel better. The meal Duo had made him had been very good and Heero figured he should tell Duo that; although, rejecting the massage had definitely been a good idea since Heero was not sure how he would react if Duo started to touch him. So, Heero supposed it would not kill him to make an apology, and if it made Duo feel better then it would definitely be worth it.

With that thought in mind, Heero stood up and exited the house, intent on following Duo.

Heero stood on the front porch, wondering which direction Duo had gone in. After a few moments of contemplation, Heero decided to check out the lake front, knowing Duo often liked to walk down there in between missions. Heero hurried down to the lake via the well worn path, intent on apologizing for his callous behavior. As Heero emerged from the woods and stepped onto the beach he nearly tripped over his own feet as he watched a very naked Duo enter the water.

Duo yelped and paused briefly, allowing Heero several moments to admire the parts of Duo's body that were not submerged in the water, particularly his ass. Heero felt himself smile slightly at the wonderful view before him and decided to hold off on apologizing to Duo in order to watch him for awhile.

Heero stayed at the edge of the forest, concealed in the shade, contentedly watching Duo swim. Heero briefly considered joining Duo; yet, even though he knew he would enjoy it, Heero figured it would look a little strange since he normally did not voluntarily spend time with any of the pilots. Heero did not want Duo to become suspicious of his feelings. Heero was not sure if Duo's kindness towards him resulted from feelings of friendship or something more. While Heero's heart told him it was because Duo returned his feelings, his mind always reminded him that he was not all that good at judging people or emotions. Therefore, Heero refused to admit his feelings until he was absolutely sure Duo returned his.

Heero snapped out of his reverie when he saw Duo dive under the water.

<<What the hell is he doing?>> Heero wondered.

Heero decided that once Duo surfaced he would apologize; he was getting tired of thinking about his feelings for Duo and needed to do something else.

Heero waited for Duo to come up, watching the ripples caused by Duo's movement fade away. Heero began to worry when several seconds later Duo still had not emerged. Once a minute had passed, Heero finally panicked; he went tearing down the beach and splashed into the water, trying to judge where Duo had gone under. Heero quickly swam out to where he hoped Duo was and dove under the water.

Heero searched frantically under the water, waving his arms all around and squinting through the murky water. Just as Heero was running out of air, his hand rammed into something solid yet soft and he grabbed a hold of it. Further searching revealed the object to be Duo's arm. Heero maneuvered himself so he could wrap his arms around Duo; he then yanked Duo upwards yet encountered a strong resistance.

Heero attempted to remain calm even though it felt like his lungs were about to explode. He quickly reasoned that something was holding Duo down. Heero ran his hands down Duo's body until he discovered the weeds wrapped around Duo's leg. Heero grabbed hold of the weeds and pulled hard, managing to rip them off of Duo's body. He then renewed his hold on Duo and swam upwards.

Heero broke through the surface, gasping for breath. He turned Duo towards him, noticing that Duo was not breathing. Heero felt his stomach clench up as he shook Duo and got no response. Heero swam towards the shore, realizing that he was going to have to perform mouth-to-mouth and do so quickly or else it would be too late.

End Part 2

-I know, it's awfully cliché!

Part 3 Part 1