Title: Morning Sunshine [Prologue]

Author: -ebonymor-

Rating: PG-13-ish

Warnings: Yaoi, AU, OOC

Pairings: 1+/x2

Notes: The POV is going to change between Duo and Heero during this whole fic. It will probably be 2 for Duo and then 1 for Heero, then 2 for Duo again. Just so it doesn't get so confusing, I will be listening who's chapter it is at the top.

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Prologue

Cool September Breeze [Duo POV]

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I know I was dying. It was a fact of life actually, aren't we born already dying? Or something like that. I don't really know. All I did know was that I was only 16, and already at deaths door. Ok, was maybe I wasn't really at deaths door, but if life was going to continue on the way it was I might as well be. A couple of years ago they, being the doctors that are assigned to me, had found out that I had some severe type of Arthritis. I knew it was genetic right off the bat. My Grandmother had gotten it in her late teens and had been bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. From the stories that I had heard every little movement had caused her pain, and her hands had gotten stuck in certain positions and couldn't really be moved.

It had been a good thing that in those days you had your kids early in life, otherwise I might not be here.

Of course, in these days there were surgeries that could be performed and medicine that could be taken. I had been told over and over again that, 'The times have changed, you dont need to worry. You wont be as bad off as your Grandmother.' But I didn't really believe it. I mean, sure they could make it so that my hands weren't stuck in some odd position, or that my body didn't hurt with every single movement, but once my legs went out they would be out for good. They had told me that they could do certain knee treatments and give me painkillers, but in the end I would still probably rather be in a wheelchair then deal with all the pain it caused when I walked.

Actually, that's why I was in the doctors office now. My left knee and ankle had started to act up a couple of days ago, soon follower by the right knee. I had gotten in as soon as possible and taken some tests and was now waiting for the results.

If I had to leave here in a wheelchair, I'm pretty sure I would crack. What it all comes down to is the fact that I am the life of the party at my school. I'm the guy you would turn to if you wanted to get beer and you were underage (It didn't matter that I was underage as well), I was the one who got invited to all the parties, and hell, I even made underground T-shirts one year that had a picture of a freakin' leaf on it and had the words 'Its just natures way of saying hi' under it. I was probably the most looked up to guy in the whole school.

It also didn't help that I was right in the middle of being courted (yes courted) by the guy I have been infatuated with for a couple of years. I never told anyone about my problems, because I thought I could find away out of them. But sitting here up on the white table, feet dangling off the side with only a small hospital gown on, it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

I heard the door click open, and looked over as my doctor walked in. At first the hospital had assigned me to a younger doctor, thinking that I would get along better with him because the age difference wasn't that big. Of course they had been wrong, and I had been assigned a new one, Dr. Alcin, who looks like he's in his early 50's. He was pretty nice. In that detached, professional kind of way.

"Mr. Maxwell?" I winced slightly as he called me that. No matter how many times I asked him to call me Duo he never did. Sometimes I just think that he did it to piss me off. Other times I think that he doesn't even realize that he's doing it.

I nodded over at him and made sure to put a cheerful smile on my face. "That's me Mister Sir! What have you come to tell me this fine day?" I gritted my teeth together hard, and felt me hands clench at my sides.

"I'm afraid its not very good news." He looked over at me while saying this and then bent his head down to start reading off the chart that was in his hands, making his gray short hair fall forward on to his round face. "It looks like both of your knees and one ankle, your left, are starting to tighten up. Since your right ankle seems to have no problems as of yet, we could probably put up on some pain medications and..." He had looked up at me right that and much have seen the pain on my face.

"How much is it going to hurt if we do that?" I had asked it slow a steady, and couldn't help but be proud of how normal my voice came out.

He let out a wounded smile. "I wont try and butter this up for you. It will hurt. A lot. I would recommend that you go for the wheelchair now so you dont cause anymore damage."

I bit my lip hard, and could taste the tang of my blood as is seeped into my mouth. "You would recommend....that means, that if I dont want it, I dont have to have it?"

"No no..." He said quickly and then paused for a brief second. "All though if you dont go for the wheelchair now, there will probably be a 80% that you will be in it later and bound to it for life. If you go for it now, there could be a 30% chance that you would be able to walk almost perfectly normal later in life."

Well...that sucks a bucket doesn't it? But I guess the answer seemed rather obvious, no matter how much I didn't want it. I let out a big sigh then and then looked down, watching as I swung my feet back and forth lightly. I could feel a slight twinge of something, but it didn't really hurt that much. I mean, could it really get so bad that I wouldn't be able to walk without howling in pain?

He then told me more information, so I could get better informed on what was happening. As it turned out, the small 'twinge' that I was feeling now would soon turn into a throbbing pain at every movement, and chances are, that if I tried to walk on it when it hurt, the bones would probably get misshapen.

So I guess it was no surprise that I didn't walk out of the hospital then. I was wheeled out, in a shiny old wheelchair, practically in tears. The doctors had told my foster parents that it would probably be better for me to get a new one, seeing as I was probably going to be in it for awhile.

The ride home was okay, my foster parents had talked quietly in front while I looked out the window in the back seat. The only thoughts that were going through my head where, 'What was everyone going to think?'

Right now, it was the Saturday on the three day weekend. School would start up on Tuesday, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking about what everyone would say. Wufei would be shocked, and would probably demand to know why I hadn't told him. Hilde would be sympathetic and probably follow me around the whole day asking what she could do to make it better. Trowa would probably just raise an eyebrow at me and tell me that he knew all long or something. He tends to do things like that.

And as for the guy who had been in the process of courting (God I loved that word. For some reason it made it sound more special, you know?) me, well....Otto probably wont know what to do. I've known him for what seems like forever and if there is one thing I know, its that he doesn't do well under pressure situations.

I wasn't to sure about the rest of the school. The teachers would probably lighten my homework, and the party people and the stoner people probably wouldn't even notice. The geeks, who never really liked me in the beginning, would probably just think that I got what I deserved.

A sudden thought hit me and if I had been alone in the car I probably would have left out some small whimpers. Heero Yuy, the boy I had teased all through elementary and middle school, would probably find this hilariously funny.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the car, remembering all the times we bumped into each other.

It hadn't been my fault that Heero had been so easy to tease at first. He had been the small Asian kid who hadn't known much English. I had been the popular snob kid. If I hadn't have teased him then I wouldn't have been doing my job.

Of course now he was the smart geeky computer nerd, who hated my ass. He even had his own little band of 'Duo haters'. I dont even know what I have done to half of them. All I know is that they plan over lunch ways to try and make my life miserable.

I heard some laughter and opened my eyes quickly. "Duo? Honey, we're home." I blinked and looked around. I hadn't even noticed that the car had stopped. I watched as Helen got out and then went around to the back of the car to get my chair out.

I let out one more sigh before straightening my shoulders and flicking my long braid over my shoulder.

School was in a couple of days, and I couldn't help but want to shoot myself.

.:TBC:.

End Notes: Ok. Every bit of info that I got for this chapter may or may not be true. My great grandmother had servere Arthritis and lived in a wheelchair her whole life, and everything I used for this chapter came from notes that she made my great grandfather write for her. So Er...if anything is totally wrong in this, just go with the flow that its an AU. ^_~ Ok?

Oh. And R&R please!

-ebonymor-