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Duo's Child

Chapter 1

It was raining, very few people cared about anything, and storeowners were especially cruel to children within these times. However, normal people were as well rude to others.

"Duo! Will you please stop singing Kitto Ok! It's annoying the crud out of me!" Wufei shouted at the top of his lungs. This caused other café members to turn and look.

"Hey Wu-man, think you can be any louder?"

"It's Wufei! Wufei!"

"Wufei, please lower your voice, other people are beginning to stare at us." Quatre tried to tame the ever-so-calm Wufei from causing a scene.

"I can't believe this! This is INJUSTICE! I'm waiting outside!" Shouted Wufei, storming out of the coffee shop.

"Man, what's with him?"

"Duo, please try and be a little nicer to him."

"I am Q-man, how much nicer do you want me to become?"

"Shutting up is one way." Heero took a sip of his tea then stood up to leave.

"…Heero…now don't you start in, too." Duo and Trowa stood up, Duo stretched. Quatre stared out the window, looking at something.

"Hey Q, what's up?" Said Duo, looking out the window to try and match up with Quatre's eyes.

"I thought I saw someone outside…but I guess my eyes were playing tricks on me. It looked like a little girl was stealing something from the storeowner across the street." Quatre stood up and walked outside to Wufei and Heero. Trowa joined in and Duo humming his song.

"…Duo…" Wufei tried hard to ignore his humming.

As Quatre looked about, looking for what he saw earlier, a little girl was running from a store owner, obviously shouting at the top of his lungs to her.

"Get back her you little brat! No body steals from my store! You can't take something without paying! Get back here!" He caught up with her and pushed her down forward, and caused her to smash into the ground, the wetness creating a slip-and-slid reaction as she scraped her right knee. He then grabbed his stolen items back from her and shouted again.

"Damn girl! Go home to your parents and don't ever return to my store again!" He said, pushing her back down before he left. She sat in the middle of the street, in the rain and watched as her stolen food walked off.

"That was cruel…no one's supposed to hurt children like that." Quatre watched, feeling sorry for the girl.

"She looks younger than ten…but why is she outside in the rain all alone?" Trowa put his arm around Quatre, guiding him out of the rain as it changed directions.

"…She's a homeless girl then…" Duo spoke, actually sounding serious for once."

"Let's go, the rains getting harder." Heero walked off in the direction of their car. By that time, the little girl had already run off.

As they were walking, the same little girl ran into Duo and bumped into him, about a few blocks away from the parking lot with their car. Duo straddled himself steady and looked down, seeing the same little girl sitting on the ground from falling. Quatre looked down and noticed she looked even younger than what Trowa had assumed.

She backed away, frightened at what Duo may do to her. Instead Duo kneeled down to her level as she stood up.

"Hey little one…what are you doing out here in the rain all alone?" Serious, Duo tried with the little girl. "Where's your family? Where do you live?"

The little girl pointed around the corner, to what appeared to be a dead end. At first, Duo and the others thought she was making a joke or pointing out the direction, but Duo looked closer and saw she was pointing to a cardboard box with a couple of wet newspapers near by it. Duo looked back down to the little girl then up to Quatre, a pondering look spreading on his face. Trowa knelt down across from Duo.

"How old are you, huh?" Asked Trowa, his voice trying to be above monotone. The little girl looked at her fingers and help up her hand full extended.

"Five year's old, huh?" Trowa stood back up.

"Where's your parent's?" Quatre asked, caring as usual. Wufei had his right side turned on her and his arms were folded, showing off how he hated children.

At first, the little girl looked around for an answer to tell them, but she then pointed to a magazine that was lying near Duo's left knee. Duo looked over and saw the cover had images of the last battle fought against the White Fang.

"They died?" Asked Duo as she nodded. "How long ago? Like, how old were you then?"

Again, she counted on her fingers and held up three at first, then switched to four.

"Three and a half. She was three and a half years old when she lost her parents." Heero spoke, Wufei looked over to her.

"And she stayed alive this long?" The little girl glanced at Wufei then back down. She sat and cuddled her knees. Duo stood up and faced the others. Trowa was already standing.

"Quatre, I can't stand seeing her like this. I mean, I feel bad that the war we last fought in caused her to be an orphan."

"I don't blame you Duo…maybe we can check into an orphanage and—"

"Quatre…come on buddy. There's no war going on anymore and she's here all alone. I've been at the orphanage and trust me…it's not always the best of things."

"So what are you insisting Duo? That we take care of her? I mean, I feel like it's our fault that her parents were killed…"

"Quatre…think she can stay with us? We can all raise her, at least me if you guys don't wanna'!"

"Duo…I…" Quatre was speechless and didn't know how to answer. He wanted to help, but was afraid something would occur from it.

"What's your name little one?" Asked Duo as he bent over. She spoke but a single word very quiet, it took Duo a second to gather her answer. He then stood and looked at Quatre.

"She said her name is Uno."

"Duo…are you certain that you want to take the responsibility to take care of her?" Asked Quatre as the little girl roamed back to her box and sat down half inside, hugging her knees.

"Well…look at her!" Duo glanced at her. "She lost her parents due to a war we fought in for crying out loud!"

"You are crying out loud Duo. Trust me, you don't need to anymore." Wufei looked away and leant on the wall.

"I think it'll be a great thing for Duo to do, it'll teach him responsibility."

"Thank you Trowa…hey!" Duo spoke, slow reaction hitting him even slower.

"Well…sure, why not Duo. Go get her and I'll get the car."

"Thanks Quatre! I'll be sure I teach her all she needs to know!" Duo backed away, still facing them and talking. "She'll become the next God of Death!"

"Duo, you mean Goddess of Death." By then, Wufei's words hit nothing but air as Duo stood in front of the little girl. She looked up to him in question as he knelt down before her.

"So little one…you have no family what-so-ever, right?" She shook her head lightly, still letting Duo see her answer. "Would you like one? Would you mind if I raised you myself?"

She looked at him, pondering what he was talking about.

"I went through the same thing as you, but would you want to live with me and have warm food given to you? New clothes and a warm bed to sleep in?" Asked Duo, knowing he won the "kid-battle".

She nodded and inner-smiled, followed by a hug wrapping her arms around Duo's neck. Duo picked her up and stood. He then carried her over to Heero and Wufei. Heero looked at him as the car pulled up.

"Hm…" Heero looked away and got in the car.

Duo sat in after Wufei and as soon as the door shut, he noticed Uno was sound asleep. Quatre looked over to him and saw. He then smiled and drove off.

"Well what do you know…the moment she's held by me, she falls asleep." Duo smiled, and held her closer to him than the window.

After they reached the mansion and stepped out, Uno, who was still sound asleep, didn't see what her new house was going to look like from the outside just yet. Duo stepped in as Quatre turned around and looked at her.

"I think I may have been wrong about you Duo. Already she's fast asleep and all you did is hold her." Quatre smiled and leant backwards, edging Trowa into a hug. Trowa put his arms around Quatre and stifled a smile as well.

Uno opened her eyes and looked around…then back to Duo, who held her.

"Hey Uno…we're home, at you're new place." Uno looked around as Duo spoke more to her. "Do you want to get something to eat first? Or take a bathe? Are you hungry to eat first, or do you think you can wait 'til after?"

Uno nodded, not opening her mouth to speak.

"I think she wants to bathe first." Quatre asked and she nodded again. "Duo?"

"I got it…but before I bathe her, I need to see if she has anything to wear afterwards." Duo walked off to his room and entered it.

"Look at that, Duo's actually taking responsibility. Amazing, isn't it?" Trowa walked away with Quatre following behind.

In Duo's room, he was searching through his bags of old memories, Uno sat on his bed and looked around at his posters that hung on the wall. She kept her eyes set on the poster that hung on top of his bed.

"Aw, found it! My old clothes when I was an orphan your age." Duo took out his old shirt and jeans, black of course. "Good, not wrecked or destroyed!"

He turned around and saw Uno, lying on his bed and staring at the poster that hung above his bed, a picture of his Gundam in full action, besides it was the Grim Reaper. Duo walked over to her, looking at it too. She looked up at him.

"You like that picture, don't ya'?" She looked back to the poster then back to him and nodded. "I got ya' some clothes so let's go wash you up, alright?"

Uno wrapped her arms around him and he picked her up. Carrying her into his bathroom, Uno looked around at more of the dark and dreary pictures that he hung up. When he set her down she watched as he started the water to the tub.

"Do you want me to bathe you? Or do you think you can do it yourself?" Uno shrugged. "Alright, I'll bathe you, go on and get undressed, okay?"

Duo did his childish smile that he's had since he was five and it cheered Uno up enough to do as he said. When the water was ready, he lifted her up and set her in. She whimpered a little as the scratch on her knee hit the water, Duo then looked at it.

"Looks like you got a boo-boo." Duo stood up and got the peroxide. "Well, we need to clean that wound before it grows on ya', alright?"

Again, he smiled and she nodded happily. As he dabbed the scratch with a towel, she whimpered, but after a few dabs, it settled to a smooth sound.

"There you go, nice and clean. Okay?" She nodded and Duo grabbed at the shampoo bottles. "You're hair's going to smell like nice strawberries when we're all finished, okay?"

She nodded and Duo began to lather her hair, once in a while using a bucket to dump water over her head. About fifteen minutes later, he was finished with both shampoo and conditioner and was starting to bathe her body. He squirted some gel-soap onto a bathe sponge, he receive out of the mail, and lathered it up.

"Alright, now rub this all over your body to become all white and bubbly-looking, then when you're done, try and put water all over your body, okay?" Duo asked, trying to come up with a way to bathe her body without having to touch her. He watched as she did as told and when finished, she dunked herself. Duo was surprised that she didn't mind doing that at her age.

"Come on, let's dry ya' up and get ya' in these clothes. Kay?" He lifted her out of the tub and dried her with the towel. When he came to her knee, he dabbed at it dry and she held the towel as he stood to get the clothes.

She smiled and gladly took them from him and dressed. When she was finished, Duo hung the towel over the rack and pulled her over to the door mirror. He grabbed at his brush, and messed with a few tangles then combed her hair. She smiled as she watched herself become clean through the mirror. Her hair was long and brown, the length to at least her waist. When he was finished, Uno spun around, as she was happy her hair finally moved about, hitting her face and not leaving a dirty spot.

"Dang Uno…your hair is about the same length as mine." Duo smiled, getting a thought in his head. "Uno…how would you like it to be braided?"

She changed her face to a questionable one and looked at him in the mirror. He then smiled and dropped to his knees, pulling her hair back into a braid just like his. When he was through, she spun around and hugged him happy.

"Come on Uno, let's go show the others!" Duo knelt down more in means for her to climb on top. She did so and Duo walked out of the bathroom, careful as to not hit her head on the door. He left the room all together and walked down the hall happily to the group with Uno getting a piggyback-ride.

"Hey everyone…look!" Said Duo cheerfully as he lifted up Uno and put her back to the ground. She was wearing Duo's old clothing, though his style had never changed and her hair was braided exactly like his. She looked like his twin, but a younger age.

"God no…now there's two of them…" Said Wufei, standing up, his eyes wide and he looked as he was about to scream bloody murder.

"Duo…you sure helped clean her up alright…she looks just like you."

"I know Q-man! Her name even rhymes with mine! Duo…Uno!" Duo smiled his smile and Wufei almost puked.

"Maxwell…no…don't do that."

"Aw Wu-man, it cheers her up though."

"It's Wufei! Wufei! Geeze!" Wufei stormed out of the room.

"Well…looks like Wu-man ain't so happy about her being here."

From out of the room, he shouted again. "WUFEI!"

"…Wu…Fay…" Uno said as she continued holding Duo's hand.

Trowa sat up from the couch and looked over.

"Duo, did she ever speak before?" Heero asked leaning on the wall besides him.

"No…not at all." Duo bent over to face her. "Do you know how to speak, little one?"

"…" Uno pondered about what he just said and looked at Quatre, looking for an answer.

"I don't think she had ever learned how before." Quatre raised his hands to his chest.

"Can you say, Quatre?" Duo asked, finding out if she can speak. He pointed to Quatre as he asked.

"…Cat…tra." She stared at Duo then glanced at Quatre.

"…Hm…how about Heero?" Duo asked as he pointed to Heero. Heero watched.

"…He…whoa…" Uno blinked her innocent brown eyes, not knowing if she was right.

"Hm." Heero smirked.

"Can you try, Trowa?" He pointed to Trowa, who was now standing besides Quatre.

"Trow-wa." Uno looked at Duo and blinked again.

"I think you need to teach her Duo…how about this." Quatre turned to Trowa. "Trowa, get Uno some food while I go check the library for a book that'll help her with learning."

"Alright." Trowa walked away as Quatre fled out the door.

"Come on Uno, let's go eat." Duo took Uno by the hand and guided her out of the room and into the kitchen. When Duo sat her on top of a few phone books that Trowa sat down for her, he pulled his seat and sat besides her, and unaware of whom sat there before.

"Maxwell! Get your ass out of my seat, this instant!"

"Shhh, Wufei! Uno's just learning how to speak! Sheese!" Duo said, quickly covering Uno's ears.

"I don't care; get your lazy ass out of my seat!"

"Wufei!" Duo looked at him with his death glare. Heero walked in.

"This is INJUSTICE!" Wufei shouted as he stormed out of the room and away once again.

"Here you go Uno, I hope that's enough for you." Trowa said placing a plate of leftovers down in front of her.

"Hey; what about me?"

"You live here Duo, get your own."

"Sheese, you think you know somebody."

After Uno ate, she and Duo were sitting in the previous room on the love seat couch, facing each other while looking at the book Quatre found, 'The Little Train'. Heero watched the news along with Wufei and Trowa was reading a book, Quatre leaning on Trowa and watched Uno and Duo read.

"And…the li-tul twain said…"

"Good Uno keep going." Duo said, rubbing her head then dropping his hands. Heero and the rest glanced over.

"…I thee-nk…I can…I…think I can." Uno looked up to Duo. Dou smiled.

"Good girl, you're doing it!" He smiled again and rubbed her head. She smiled at him.

"Well what do you know? He's even teaching her how to read." Trowa watched as she read on. Quatre glanced at the clock.

"Duo, don't you think it's late enough? It's twelve o' clock." Duo looked over.

"Oh…you're right Q-man!" He looked at Uno as she closed the book. "Well Uno, let's get to bed, shall we?"

"Yes…" Uno smiled as she wrapped her arms around Duo again.

"That's cute how she keeps asking for hugs like that." Quatre smiled as Duo walked off with Uno in his arms.

"Night all!" Duo stopped at the corner and looked at Uno. "Say night, night, Uno."

"Night, night, Uno." Uno waved her childish fingers and smiled. Duo turned down the hall.

"She's cute." Quatre sat up and turned to Trowa.

"Please, the world doesn't need anymore Maxwell's in it!" Wufei began out of the room. "This is INJUSTICE! Nataku, save me!" Wufei stormed away and headed to his room.

After Duo pulled out the cot from under his bed and set the sheets on it, he lifted up Uno and sat her down. He then sat down on his bed besides her.

"So Uno…what do you think? Want to stay with me? Or live with the orphanage?"

"I want you, Duo." Uno said while reaching out for a hug.

"Oh Uno." Duo hugged her and set her in the sheets. He looked about his room for a stuffed animal for her to sleep with as every child at the age of five enjoys cuddling. He then found his stuffed Deathscythe and looked at it.

"I can always get another made for me." He walked over to Uno with it. "Here you go Uno, this is yours now. Okay?"

Uno smiled and greatly accepted the gift. "Thane-que, Duo." She hugged it tight and lay down.

"Soon, you'll be the next, God of Death." Duo smiled. "But you'll actually become the Goddess of Death."

Duo reached over and kissed her on the forehead, then climbed into his bed and clapped, putting out the lights.

Later that night, Uno started to shake in her sleep and Duo quickly woke up from hearing it. He looked over and crawled to that side of the bed. He shook her lightly on the shoulder, trying calmly to awaken her.

"Uno…Uno wake up, it's just a nightmare." Duo shook her more, but yet calmly. Uno's eyes opened, revealing fright.

"Bad dream?" Uno nodded and Duo smiled. "It's okay Uno; it's gone now, alright? I'm here now."

Uno nodded once again and lay back down; the moonlight shining in threw the sheets on the window and hit Duo's face as he shuts his eyes once again.

Uno sat up and climb out of bed, then climbed up to Duo's and crawled next besides him. Duo opened his eyes as she laid down besides him, still hugging at the stuffed Deathscythe.

"Want to sleep with me tonight?" She nodded. "Alright."

Duo pulled the sheets over her and lay back down once again, but not before watching her eyes shut, hugging the doll very tight. He smiled at this sight and laid his head down on the pillow. About a minute after that, when the light was no longer shining on Duo's face, Uno reached over and kissed him on the cheek, then lay back down. Duo smiled and laid his arm around her, eyes still shut as they both fell asleep cuddling.

"Aw…Trowa! Look how cute they look!" Quatre said while smiling and peeking in through the door to Duo and Uno. "It's so cute! Duo's doing very well taking care of her."

"All in one day, Duo found a homeless girl as he was, bathed her, fed her, and taught her how to read. All in one day, he met a life-bond friend." Trowa closed his eyes and guided Quatre away from their door, shutting it before entering their own room. "Just how will he tell this to Hildie?"

"Kinda' makes me want to have a kid myself." Quatre sat on the bed and looked at Trowa shutting the door. Trowa coughed and looked away, knowing that was impossible between the two.