This story actually begins during the series, but the majority of it will take place after Endless Waltz is over. Each section is based on a different song, and excerpts from the lyrics will be included.

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not watched Gundam Wing and don't want anything spoiled, don't read this. This chapter will reveal a number of important parts of the plot.

Also, If you're not familiar with the series, the following information won't matter to you. If you are, it's important. For the purposes of this story, many parts of the beginning of GW have been cut out. Duo doesn't find Heero's gundam or bust him out of the hospital, Heero doesn't steal Duo's parts and New Edwards (killing of Noventa) doesn't happen. I know, there's some really great stuff in there, but it would just be too much for this fic. This school is the first place they meet, and this section is my own version of their stay set in Episode 9.

Question! - Part 1

Do we, do we know
When we fly?
When we, when we go,
Do we die?
- Question! - System of a Down

Duo

Duo rolled over in his dormitory bed, restless. He'd been stationed at this school for nearly a week and had no orders since the attack on the first night. It wasn't unusual to go long periods without word from Dr. G, but he still didn't like it. After days of inaction, he was itching for a mission... preferably one close to the school. Maybe he'd get a tandom mission with that other pilot stationed there; the quiet, intense one. Maybe...

Duo woke early the next morning, groggy from lack of sleep. The dampness in his sheets reminded him that he'd been tossing and turning from one of his recurring nightmares once again. This time it was the one about Solo, where he always came back with the medicine too late. Groaning, he untangled himself from his sheets and stumbled over to his dresser to pull on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed out the door for a stop at the lavatory.

Checking the mirror while he washed his hands, he grimaced. His hair was a mess, much of it having come out of its braid during the night, and he had creases on his face from the pillow and bags under his eyes. Not much he could do other than fix his hair, though. He returned to his room and gathered up his towel and other shower things before heading out once again, this time to the shower room at the other end of the hall.

Standing under the hot spray, Duo let his mind wander back to the first night he'd been here. He'd had orders to destroy an aircraft carrier stationed in the bay that the school overlooked. When he'd arrived, though, another gundam was already there laying waste to the ship. The other pilot had apparently received the same orders, and they finished the job in no time, leaving Duo to wonder just who was piloting the other suit.

He hadn't had to wonder for long, he mused as he rinsed the shampoo from his long hair. The next day in his history class, he'd spied another student with not only the telltale signs of fatigue that he himself was surely exhibiting, but a slight bulge at the shoulder where a gun was holstered and a uniform that looked as new as his own. He soon overheard other students talking about the "two new guys," one with a braid and one with a glare.

Later that day he'd been put on the same team as the other new boy for two-on-two basketball during PE. Partway through the match, he'd noticed an abbrasion on the other boy's shoulder where the harness of his gundam must have chafed him. Looking down, he'd realized he had a similar burn on one of his shoulders too. The other boy had noticed him looking and nodded at him imperceptibly, confirming Duo's suspicions before dribbling the ball to the hoop and dunking it.

Reluctantly, Duo shut off the steaming water and climbed out of the stall to dry off. He only had a few minutes left to get down to breakfast before the first bell rang for class. Not that he ever ate much in the mornings, but it was worth grabbing a little snack so he wasn't starving by lunch time. Wrapping his hair up in the towel, Duo returned to his room and set about brushing and braiding it before donning his uniform. Grabbing his bookbag and door key, he left his room once again, locking the door behind him this time, and headed for the cafeteria.

Heero

Heero sat alone at one of the cafeteria tables, eating what the staff insisted were scrambled eggs and hash browns but were probably just different mixtures of the same stuff. Washing down the last bite with a gulp of water, he looked up to see the braided boy walking in with his bookbag over his shoulder. The other pilot grabbed a bagel, then sat down with a number of students at one of the larger tables. Laughter and chatter wafted over from the other side of the room, and only seemed to intensify when the braided boy joined the group.

Heero frowned, then stood up to clear his dishes. He knew it was a bad idea to be seen together too often, just in case, but he didn't like that the other boy seemed to be making friends with the civilians instead. What might he let slip to those innocent minds, many of whom had parents working for OZ? He shook his head and told himself that the other pilot must not be too careless, since they'd been undiscovered for the whole week they'd been stationed at the school.

The thought of how long he'd been there brought another frown to his face. It was unusual to be out of communication with J for so long, unless he had already been given orders for his next target. He hadn't, though, and there was no telling how long he'd have to wait until J got ahold of him.

"Hey Heero! Why so glum?" called the braided boy, and Heero looked over to see everyone at the large table watching him.

"Hn," he replied, not bothering to come up with an excuse but instead turning on his heel and heading towards his first class. He'd get there a few minutes early, but that didn't really matter. At least he'd be able to get a good seat.

"Jeeze, just thought I'd ask," called the other pilot after him, but Heero ignored him. Duo. That was his name. A strange name, but then, Heero wasn't exactly run of the mill either. He supposed it fit, given that the boy was playing two very different rolls at the same time: innocent student and deadly gundam pilot.

Heero arrived at his history class early, as expected, but was surprised to find that even the teacher was still absent. Setting his bag next to his feet, Heero pulled out a notebook, pencil and the text for the class. He was already a chapter ahead in the book but decided to read some more anyway. It couldn't hurt, and besides, a mission could come up at any time and put him way behind in his studies... if he returned to this school afterwards, that is. For some reason, he found himself hoping that he would, and hoping that the other pilot would also be there.

Beside the three classes they had together, the two pilots had had little contact in the past week, but it had been enough to get a good measure of eachother. They both excelled in gym, as was to be expected, and though it seemed that the other boy had never studied much of the math they were covering, he picked it up quickly and would have been top of the class if not for Heero. Duo didn't seem to mind, though, and besides, he was doing better in the history class, for all that his textbook looked untouched.

Heero looked up to see the teacher entering the classroom, followed by a number of students. Replacing his text in his bag, he opened his notebook, ready to scribble down notes on the teacher's lecture.

That night at dinner, Heero was surprised to see Duo walking toward him instead of the regular group of students. Others seemed to be just as surprised as he was, but Heero stared them down until they looked away.

"So, using your usual charm I see," Duo quipped as he set his tray down across from Heero's.

"Hn," Heero snorted.

"Right... anyway, just figured I'd hang out with you for once since it seems I'm the only one who's not afraid of you. Whats the deal with the tough guy attitude anyway?" Duo asked as he started shoveling food into his mouth. The entree tonight was mystery meat with mashed potatoes and peas, but the distaste Heero felt for it seemed completely absent from the braided boy as he continued to inhale the meal.

Heero shrugged in response as he chewed on some mystery meat. "It keeps people away from me, which keeps them out of my way and safe besides."

"Yah, but it makes them wonder. Of course, they're not gonna be wondering anything along the lines of the truth, but they're definitely curious. It's only a matter of time before some of them get over their fear and try to find out more about you."

"Hn. I'll be long gone by then," Heero replied, taking another bite of his dinner.

"I dunno," Duo mused, taking a break from inhaling his food. "At this rate, we could be here a looong time," he continued with a grimace.

Why was it that the braided boy looked so put out by that prospect? Not that Heero wasn't going stir crazy himself, but still.

"I doubt it," Heero insisted before taking one last bite of his meal. How he'd managed to finish before Duo, he'd never know. Standing up, he gave the other boy a nod. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Right," the braided boy replied, getting back to his food.

But Heero didn't see him in class the next day. He wasn't surprised when Duo failed to show up for breakfast, since that seemed to happen more often than not, but History and then Math rolled around with no sight of the braided pilot, and Duo had never missed a class before.

Lunch brought another surprise, even more unwelcome. On his way to the cafeteria, Heero spotted a bright pink limosine pulling up to the school parking lot. Wondering who on earth would own such a hideous thing, he had simply continued on until he heard a shrill voice behind him calling his name.

"Heeeeroooo!"

Heero turned, stunned almost speechless at this turn of events.

"Relena...?" How on earth had that girl managed to find him?!

"I've found you, Heero!" Heero just stared as the girl made her way towards him. "Heero, I wanted to see you," she continued as she came abreast of him.

"You shouldn't," Heero replied tersely, then turned on his heels and stalked towards the cafeteria. Murmers followed him, and the name "Relena Darlian" echoed from the lips of fellow students as they stared after him.

Heero wasn't sure if the day could possibly get any worse. Duo had disappeared, and now that foolish girl was actually stalking him. To think, threating to kill her had made her want to see him! He shook his head angrily to himself, and stopped before getting to the mess hall. He wasn't hungry anymore. What was the point of eating now anyway? The whole room would be full of students whispering and staring at him.

Growling, Heero turned toward his dorm. With any luck, he'd have orders to leave this damn place post haste. Even better, he wouldn't be stationed at any more schools, so that damn girl wouldn't be able to find him again... though he probably wouldn't see Duo again, either. Outside of a battlefield, that is.

Settling in front of his computer, Heero felt some of the strain ease, as it always did when he found himself with the familiar machine. Booting it up, he was disappointed to see the message ticker empty. He reached up to shut it down again, but caught himself as the screen began to flicker.

"What the...?"

The desktop disappeared, to be replaced by a clicking metal claw. The picture zoomed out, revealing an old man's face, partially obscured by glasses.

"Dr. J," Heero hissed. The scientist had never contacted him like this, and to say it had startled him was an understatement.

"Heero. There is a problem with the new Taurus," Dr. J began, abrupt as ever. "It has the ability to learn from accumulated battle data. I'd like to trust OZ's control system, but there's still the chance that the machine will ignore the pilot's commands and move on its own. If the command to kill overrides the pilot, the consequences could be significant. OZ is sending a shipment of them to Siberia. Destroy it, otherwise it will be a menace to mankind." The claw clicked one more time, then the screen went blank.

"Missian accepted," Heero intoned. He heard a click behind him. "Who's there?!" he called as he turned.

"I've come to say good bye," said the braided boy standing in the doorway. "I got called for a mission."

"Hn. Me too," Heero replied.

"Oh? Maybe it's the same one. I'm supposed to destroy a shipment of Tauruses being sent to Siberia. They've got some dangerous new technology that can override a pilot's commands."

Heero nodded. "Mine's the same. Do you have any more information?"

"Yep," Duo grinned. "S'what I've been doin' all day. But I have to say, I've got a bad feeling about this one," Duo continued, his grin fading. "OZ's transport plan is good. From what I can gather, they're gonna be taking two routes; by air and by land. Heero, could you take the air route?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'll fight them on the ground then." For a moment, the braided boy was silent. "Well, I've gotta get my stuff together. Best of luck."

The expectant look in the other boy's eyes prompted a response from the normally recalcitrant boy. "You too. Be careful."

"Ha! I'm always careful," Duo replied. "More than you, anyway." With a cheeky grin, Duo tipped his baseball cap and was gone.

Heero leaned back in his chair, surprised by the sudden departure. The other boy was probably right; Heero had a tendency to be careless with his own life if it meant completing a mission. Resolving to be more careful this time, Heero set about packing his meager belongings.

tbc

I would love to hear your thoughts. If you liked it, if you thought it could be better, anything, please tell me! The next part is already partly written, and I'll only write faster if you can give me some encouragement .