It is always expected that Duo will survive. After all, he is the embodiment of the god of death -- the Shin no Kami -- and Death simply can't die. And, considering the ending of the series, and the two missions that followed, Blind Target and Endless Waltz, he obviously didn't.

But what if -- and I know that's a seriously open ended statement -- Duo didn't survive the war with OZ? What if the God of Death was suseptible to death? What if he died before the Gundam boys finished the task that was initiated with the Meteor Project?

How would they react to the death of the one member that always remained cheerful, reguardless of the circumstances? He had his dark sides, his depressions -- take for instance when the Deathscythe was first destroyed -- but he always bounced right back. Heero was the driving force, Quatre the calm that kept them together and collected, Wufei and Trowa the strength that drove them through the storm, and Duo the flexible backbone that refused to let their team break.

So what would happen if Death did die?

.

.

Comments and constructive critisism welcomed and appreciated.
Flames get deleted. ^.^

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DEATH BECOMES HIM
By Winter Weil

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PROLOGUE
Homecoming
A GUNDAM WING FANFICTION
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Disclaimer:
All rights to Gundam Wing and its characters belong to
whoever they belong to. sweatdrop. The characters of this series
are used without permission only for the purpose of entertainment.
This fanfiction is not meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are copyright to the author. Don't use
these characters without contacting the author first.

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The door jangled quietly with the sound of the key being inserted,
then opened and closed with the faintest of clicks.

I didn't look up from my meditations. Only Heero and Duo have the
key to this safehouse, so I'm not worried. I inhale deeply the
frankincense and myrrh that burn on the altar before me, and exhale
slowly, concentrating on my breathing. My body is loose, relaxed;
even if that *was* an intruder, I could easily dispatch him.

I turn my senses outward again. Funny, I don't hear Duo's usual
bumbling about the kitchen, or Heero's semi-fond, "Baka." Perhaps
this *does* require investigation. I completely remove myself from
the meditation state and rise to my feet. I don't bother to put out
the incense, I'll probably return soon; no doubt Duo fell asleep on
the ride back from the mission. I snort softly. The idiot.

I hear no sounds as I stalk out of my bed chambers and down the
darkened hallway into the living room. No one. The single light I
have on in the kitchen flickers fitfully. I'll have to get Duo to
fix the wiring in the damn thing. It *really* is getting annoying.

I was about to pass the narrow hallway that led to the entrance of
the house to check the other bedroom when a shadow caught my eye.
It was Heero, standing just inside the door, staring down at his
feet with a blank look on his face. I frown and approach him.

"Heero?" I ask cautiously. He doesn't respond. I stop a few feet
from him and examine him. He's not bleeding, so I assume he's
alright, the damn war machine that he is. But still, I hear
nothing, inside or out. Where's Duo?

"Heero? What's going on?" I take a slow step forward. "Where's Duo?"

Still no response. I reach forward slowly and place a hand on his
shoulder. Now he responds, flinching away from me as though I shot
him. He gaze rises quickly from the floor to my face, his eyes wide
and his pupils oddly narrow in the half-light. Despite my usual
level-headedness, I'm getting very worried, and even a little
scared.

I tighten my grasp on his shoulder. "What the *hell* is going on,
Heero?" I demand.

His eyes focus on my face for an instant before he looks down at his
hands. "I missed," he says dully.

"Missed *what*?" I hiss. I was getting a sinking sensation in the
pit of my stomach. I don't want him to tell me, but I have to know.

"I missed," he repeats. "He was right beneath me.....I reached down
to help him up, he was being so damned slow.....I reached down.....
and..... I missed." He hands tighten into fists and he squeezes his
eyes shut. "I missed, Wufei. I missed, and he fell, and now
he's......"

My hand falls away from his shoulder. No.....no way. That couldn't
happen. We made it so *far*. The war is nearly over. He *can't*
be.....not Duo. *Never* Duo.

Heero's body shudders as he chokes back a sob. My knees give out,
and I lean heavily against the wall.

/No.....not Duo..../

/Never Duo./