AN: Deactivated my old account. I want to try to get a fresh start and I didn't have the heart to get rid of this.
Update: I felt like editing this little tidbit. And for the record, I am not a religious person, this is simply Duo.
I DON'T own GW.
A Demon in the House of God
The church sanctuary was silent as he entered, big and empty but for the abandoned pews and a confessional box off to one corner. The afternoon sun cast its warm light through the ornate stained glass, casting a rainbow across the ancient hardwood floor. Color caught on the tiny dust motes that drifted through the building so that the air glittered with the dancing specks. The entire cathedral smelled of old wood, worn polish, and the lingering perfume of incense. As beautiful as it was, Duo Maxwell was nervous as hell.
It had been years since he had done confession. His last had been before the Maxwell Massacre on L2 and they had been long, hard years that had stripped him of his happiness and robbed him of his faith. In fact, he honestly had no idea why he'd come. The church had just been there, standing proudly on the side of the street as he passed. Now he stood looking up at the great ornate depiction of the crucifixion with a fluttering in his stomach too violent to attribute to anything but bats.
Finding no priest to hear his confession, the former Gundam pilot considered walking out, but His eyes held him from His place on the cross. Duo slid into one long pew instead, looking up at the decorative windows as he attempted to gather his thoughts.
"Long time no see," he began after a few minutes, speaking to no one in particular, hoping that the God he had once heard of would listen. He was twirling the end of his braid absently with one finger. "I'm not even sure you exist," he laughed bitterly, "much less that you care, but here's my confession if you're there:
"I've killed a lot of people since that day. I'm no longer just the Maxwell Demon; I've become the God of Death, baptized in the blood of war. You're sure to have noticed. Many souls have come to Judgment with my Deathscythe's blessing. Could you grant me absolution, knowing that I am a cold blooded killer? A wolf in priest's clothing?"
He paused, then let out a short bark of laughter. "What must I look like to you, huh? Seventeen years old, with the priest's collar and a gun. I'm feeling pretty stupid, right about now. But, hey, I actually feel a bit better. Thanks old man."
With that, he stood, stretched, and made his way down the aisle. Nodding respectfully at the startled old cleric hiding in the shadows behind a pillar, he slipped out of the cathedral and into the brilliant summer sun.
"Where have you been?" Chang Wufei demanded irritably when Duo finally joined him at the small café they were supposed to have met at half an hour ago. "I almost ate without you."
Duo flashed his comrade-in-arms an apologetic smile and thanked the waitress for his sweet tea.
"Sorry, man. I ran in to an old friend."