~ This is in response to a challenge sent to me from a friend

~ This is in response to a challenge sent to me from a friend. I don't know much about Christianity however, so bear with me. I decided to give you poor people a legend so you won't get that confused.~

// Thoughts//

Bible quotes

Paul strode forward, his Oz boot's clicking on the metal floor.  His palms were wet and clammy, his forehead damp. He had been ordered to 'break' the gundam pilot in cell 3, and he really didn't want to do this. Really.

            Heero's eyes swept over the Oz officer, He immediately analyzed the boy.  //Older then me by about a year. Good build, hmm, several bruises on his arms and face. Nervous, he looks like he's going to throw up//

            Paul felt so nervous; here he was, standing in a cell opposite the biggest threat to Oz. This…boy...had killed dozens of officers, generals and captains. Yet, he was standing here, only a pair of handcuffs keeping the killing machine away from him.

"wh-what is your na-name?"

            Heero nearly laughed out loud. This kid was scared shitless of him. He glared at the boy, who cowered, but brought up his gun.

""I-I'm warning you. I'll shoot if you-you don't-tell me!"

            Heero didn't move, Paul tried again.

"Please! Please tell me! I- I really need to know!"

"My my, aren't we jittery"

            Paul jumped with shock, dropping his gun in the process. Duo strode out of the shadows, his gun idly twirling around his index finger. Paul cowered further as Duo released Heero.

"P-p-please don't hurt me-me! You can go, but dear gosh don't kill me!"

            Tears were streaming down Paul's face as he fell to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest. Duo looked at Heero, horrified. //What happened to make this guy so scared of...anything?//

            Heero pulled his gun out of Duo's pack as the latter crouched next to the Oz officer. Duo reached out to touch him, but Paul drew back with a whimper. Heero also knelt down accidentally pointing his gun at Paul's head. Seeing the barrel, the Officer knelt, clasping his hands in front and bowing his head.

"Dear lord who art in heaven, take my life and cherish it as I have yours, for I have never taken a life, and if mine is to be taken, please make it quick! Striketh down the one that has sinned, so that the devil may take his soul to the holy world below! Amen"

            Duo pushed Heero's gun away and pulled apart Paul's hands. Clasped firmly between them was pure silver cross attached to a chain.

"You're catholic!"

            Duo nearly yelled out. Paul looked up at him sadly.

"Yah"

"Then why are you here? It's against your religion to kill?"

"I know, but Oz said if I didn't join them, they would kill my family. But they did anyway, now I'm stuck here. Now kill me to relieve this misery from my life, and I can join thou who art in heaven"

"No!"

            Duo grabbed Paul around the shoulders and dragged him up. Pushing him into the corridor, He was forcefully pulled through the halls. Heero took care of any guards and in seconds they were out of the base.  Paul collapsed in the bushes at the side of the forest, Emotionally drained. Suddenly, strong arms pulled him up again around his waist; a gun was pointed at the base of his skull, the cold metal making the victim shiver. Hearing the safety click off was enough for Paul, he fainted.

            Wufei dropped the senseless bundle to the forest floor again, looking at the Oz officer in surprise.

"Did he just faint?"

"I think your gun did him in"

"Look at his face, he's as pale as death itself, 'cept for the bruises"

"And why, Maxwell, for I believe this was your idea, do we have an enemy sitting beside us?"

"He's catholic, he could be of some use to us"

"A catholic oz officer? Now I've seen everything. Let's get in the car, Quatre's waiting with Trowa at his mansion"

            Duo easily picked Paul up. //geez, he's light as a feather, must get him to eat more//

            Once inside the car, Paul began to wake up again. Wufei was driving the Honda civic while Heero rode shotgun, making Duo the one to sit beside his new 'friend'. Duo reached over Paul's body to click on the seatbelt, but didn't get far enough. The officer shrieked bloody murder, pulling his entire body into a fetal position.

"Don't hurt me don't hurt me don't hurt me please please please don't hurt me"

"Shhhh, Paul it's ok, you're safe"

            Wufei was watching this from the rearview mirror, having just had his eardrums broken with the infernal screaming. //man, what a weakling, he must be scared of his own shadow.//

            Paul wasn't even awake fully, but his sleepy state kept him from completely freaking out. Knowing this would just make things worse later, Duo still did it. Taking his gun, he hit Paul on the head with the handle. Blacking out, the mumblings stopped, for which the car's passengers were thankful.

"Damn Maxwell, what'd you guys do to that guy?"

"It wasn't us Wufei, I think Oz beat him, or did something to the guy."

"He looks like he's our age, how would he get into Oz?"

"We don't know, we'll ask him at Quatre's house"

"We need to tie him down"

"Hahaha, you think he's gonna escape Wu-Man, Oz killed his family, he has no where to go"

            Wufei shrugged as he pulled into Quatre's driveway. The blonde rushed out to meet them, his face wreathed in smiles. Duo returned the gesture as he pulled out Paul. Quatre gasped, grabbing his gun out of its safety holder and aiming it errorless. Wufei easily and calmly took the gun out of Quatre's hand.

"Duo's new catholic pet"

            He said, nodding toward the bundle in the Deathsycthe pilot's arms. Duo grinned again as Quatre gave him a weird look. Shaking his head, Duo went in the house, laying Paul down on the couch. Trowa came in, but had already been alerted by Heero, so gave no comment. He sat on the coffee table, waiting for the OZ officer to come around. Wufei joined him, a soda in hand. Soon, all 5 pilots were sitting around the room, waiting. Heero finally got impatient and dug out his smelling salts.

            Paul woke up, his first thought to close his eyes again, but there was no smell of men here. Cautiously, he opened first one eye, then the other. By habit only, He started to tremble at the sight of the 5 boys. Duo, he recognized, and the pilot gave him a cheeky smile.

"What's your name"

            Wufei asked, his tone cold. Paul cringed, fearing to be hit.

"p-p-Paul. Sir"

            Wufei smiled slightly at being called 'sir'. It was a technique obviously taught at Oz.

"Why were you at Oz?"

            Again Paul cringed at the tone.

"M-my family was killed," Tears started to course down his face, " I wanted to keep away from them, but I was gang-pressed into joining"

"Do you have any skills?"

            Paul seemed to brighten up somewhat.

"I'm good at fixing things, I was fixing all the Taros and Libras back at Base"

            Wufei looked to the others, Heero was brining out his gun to polish, forgetting about the oz officers fear.

"oh, man,"

Paul said, eyes on the gun, trying to get off the couch, out of Heero's firing range. Quatre raced forward to intercept him, but was too late. Fear lent speed to the boy's feet, and he was off. They heard a door slam shut on the hallway next to them.

"Closet"

            Quatre intones, knowing his house like the aback of his hands.

"I'll get him"

            Duo was too busy glaring at Heero to notice Trowa lave the room, or that he had actually spoken for once. Walking down the hall, Trowa opened the closet and knelt down, he could hear sobbing from beneath the coat hem.

"dear lord, I'm so sorry if I did anything to up-set you! But please lord! Don't let them kill me, not yet. I would love to spend eternity with you, but I want to live a little"

Trowa stepped a bit closer to Paul, who jumped with shock, pushing himself against the wall in a vain attempt to escape.

"g-g-g-get back you!!!!  I have a weapon"

            Paul grabbed the first thing that came to hand, a roll of toilet paper. //stupid storage closet//

"it's ok, just come out, no one is going to hurt you"

            Paul glared at him distrustfully. Trowa sighed, as he extended his hand toward the boy. Paul hissed menacingly like a cornered animal. Trowa knew that there was no way the oz officer would listen to him, so he got the one boy he would.

"DUO!"

            Sighing, the braided pilot came into the hall, taking Trowa's spot.

"come on out Paul, no one will hurt you, I promise"

            But the boy was stubborn, not even Duo could get the youth out of the closet. Growling with frustration, Duo sat down. He was a fighter, not some stupid negotiator. Heero, Quatre and Wufei walked into the spacious hall.

"Have you got him out yet?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, since he's still in the closet, I'm thinking no."

"Brilliant Einstein"

Paul was rambling now, his eyes huge.

"From out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false, witness, slanders."

            Duo stared at him.

"Mathew 15:19"

            Paul looked up at him, the beginnings of a smile on his lips.

"Do you know the bible, Duo?"

"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those that hate you" 

"Luke 6:27. If you know that one, then you must know, bless those that curse you, pray for those who mistreat you"

"Luke 6:28. My favorite one at the orphanage. You know your God well Paul. Do you want to come out of the closet know?"

"Will you hurt me?"

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, give preference to one another in honor."

"Thank you Duo Maxwell"

"Never thank the lord doings, only the work that was put forth."

            Duo extended his hand, which Paul grabbed thankfully. He seemed much more composed now, the wild light extinguished in his eyes. Stepping onto the green carpet, he smiled.

"I thank you, all my life I have wished to be a priest. Now I have a chance for it to come true"

"I wish it was that simple Paul, but Oz gave you a password for everything didn't they?"

"Well, yes they did, I had level 8 clearance so I could get the en-coded transmissions. I was warned that if I ever told I would be killed."

            He shivered slightly.

"But.. I want to break the hold Oz has on me, I want to be free. Suffer no more under their rule"

"Uh…does that mean you'll tell us the codes?"

"Yes"

"How do we know that you won't lie?"

            Both Paul and Duo bristled sharply.

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those that hear it"

"Uh, that's great Paul. But since I believe in Allah, would you mind telling me what you just said in normal English"

"God's followers do not lie!"

            Wufei looked at him strangely

"Then why not just say that, instead of that other long paragraph?"

 "Quoting the bible gives me strength"

            Heero raised an eyebrow, wondering how on earth some silly little book could give someone strength. He shrugged at his own question. //just because I don't follow a religion gives me no right to question anyone else's//  He mentally berated himself. //Duo believes in the bible, so I mustn't call it a silly little book. I might hurt his feelings//

"Paul, when did you last have a doctor look at you?"

"Never"

"We should call Sally to give you a checkup"

"God will keep me well. I have my faith to stay well"

 Wufei growled. //the weakling needs to see a doctor. His God better let him do that! //

"Well Paul, I don't believe in god, so I'm making you have a check up"

            The boy gasped out loud at Heero's remark, then started Quoting like crazy.

"Then I shall guide you to the one true god! I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will council you with my eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule who have no understanding; whose trappings include the bit and the bridle to hold them in check otherwise they will not come near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord; loving kindness shall surround him"

            The only way to shut him up was to leave. Heero did just that. He had no reason for religion. He didn't believe. Soldiers didn't need to believe. He went to the vid-phone to give Sally a ring.  

~ok, how was that? I'm not sure if this was just a flop of a story, or something worth continuing. Please tell me when you review.~