Author's Notes:

First of all, thank you to all you reviewed, alerted, and favorited! I hope you all continue to read and enjoy the story! I'm gonna start replying to individual reviews soon (I promise!) so please keep reading and reviewing! This story is a lot of work for me, so it makes me happy to know my readers are enjoying it. ^^

As always, thanks are in order to my muse and beta. You know who you are! X3

Chapter Two: Leave the Light On

"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart!"

Among a row of young kids, the once shaggy-haired and wild-eyed orphan known only as Duo was just another face in a crowd, his bright amethyst eyes sparkling as he sang and clapped along with a children's worship song.

Life in a Catholic orphanage wasn't as bad as he'd originally imagined it would be. They had cleaned him up, given him a room to call his own, and fresh new clothes to wear. And strange though they were, at least they were black. Plus, when he protested the cutting of his hair, they'd given him his way, settling for a conservative braid that tickled down his back just above the small of it.

It definitely took some adjusting, but with the help of the elderly Priest—whom he'd since come to know as Father Maxwell — and a nun known as Sister Helen, it didn't take long before young Duo came to see the Maxwell Church as his new home.

Father Maxwell and Sister Helen made it apparent that they truly cared for him, so in exchange he did his best to play along. He listened to the sermons, learned the words to the songs they sang, came to know the Catholic liturgy by heart, and even picked up the slightest bit of Latin in the process. Despite all that, he didn't believe any of what he heard. He couldn't believe any of it. The concept of an all-powerful benevolent being contradicted everything he'd seen in his young life, which was only pain, sadness, and death. If there truly was someone out there who saw all that happened in life, silently presiding over it all with the power to change anything at a moment's notice, then why did so many people have to die? Why were there wars, or disease? How could someone so supposedly kind let all these things go on? It didn't make sense to him, but he cared not enough to question it further.

Having been malnourished and starving for the majority of his young life, Duo took great pleasure in food and ate heartily, as well as frequently. So much so in fact that the church occasionally struggled to find ways to keep him fed. Even then, they refused to deny him anything, and they were in turn rewarded with the satisfaction of watching a once skinny, near-feral child evolve into a not just a civilized member of society, but a bright, endearing young boy with personality, charm, and wit; a boy with promise for a bright future. Within the safety and shelter of the Maxwell Church, under the loving care of the Father and Sister Helen, he truly flourished. As his figure filled out and a healthy shine returned to his ever-lengthening braid of chestnut hair, he even began to look like a normal boy.

Unfortunately, outside of the church, he was never treated like one.

Even when compared to all else Duo had been through in his life, there was still definitely nothing crueler than school children. Despite being in the strictly-governed environment of the Catholic school, their teasing and badgering of their new classmate was relentless and cruel.

In a school full of prim and proper children born to affluent, white-collar families, Duo stuck out like a sore thumb; if not because of his appearance, then because of his above-average intelligence. Despite having no previous formal education, the violet-eyed boy was extremely bright and learned quickly. In no time at all, he'd completely eclipsed all others in his class. But this only served to harbor resentment among classmates, turning Duo, an extroverted and otherwise affable child, into a social pariah. He had a simple solution for that, however: Every day the class would go to recess, and when they returned fifteen minutes later, they were always mysteriously one student short.

…

The primary goal of the Maxwell Church was the same as any orphanage: To find families for homeless children. They'd had remarkable success over the years, but young Duo was an exception, as every family the church placed him with inevitably sent him back. Each had their reasons for doing so, but the recurring themes were his tendencies toward stealing and hoarding. The last foster family to return the braided boy did so after food and various items that had gone missing were found hidden throughout his room.

Nevertheless, Father Maxwell would not be deterred, and again reached out to the Catholic community within the colony to produce yet another foster home for Duo.

They were the quintessential affluent, upper-class family; the husband, a well-known physician on the colony, and the wife, a diligent teacher-turned-homemaker who used her talents to educate their two boys herself. The children reflected the prosperity of their parents as well, both well-dressed with hair perfectly parted and gelled into place.

Indeed, they were the portrait of a stereotypical white-collar household.

And they were taking in a child with hair longer than that of most women and untamed chestnut bangs dangling over his vibrant indigo eyes. A boy who had not long ago been living in the semi-demolished attic of a condemned building, starving and filthy.

He wasn't going to fit in, that was for certain. But for Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, he'd try his best to make things work.

"God bless you for taking Duo in," Father Maxwell smiled, placing a worn palm on the young orphan's shoulder. "He's a wonderful boy; a bit mischievous at times, but very bright, and with a heart of gold. Give him some time to adjust, and I promise he'll make you very proud."

The couple's eyes shifted down from the Father's to the boy's.

"We're happy to have you, Duo," the husband spoke. "I'm Jim, and this is Sandy."

From there, the wife took over. "You'll have two new brothers to play with: Gabriel, he's five, and our oldest, Ezekiel, he's eight."

Ezekiel, who went by the shorter version "Zeke", was a domestic-looking boy with dirty blonde hair, ordinary brown eyes and a sprinkling of freckles over his cheeks and nose.

Gabriel, an extremely introverted boy who rarely made eye contact with anyone nonetheless spoke, was a near replica of his elder brother, but had his mother's green eyes and a face that was free of all mottling. His gaze settled on his feet for the entire duration of their brief introduction, and, as Duo would later find, remained fixated there for the majority of his waking hours.

Sandy chuckled nervously. "You'll have to forgive Gabriel, he's a tad bit shy."

Father Maxwell smiled down to Duo.

"Go on, son," he encouraged, giving the boy a gentle push forward with his palm, "You have a new family to meet."

Duo took two bashful steps toward his new foster family, a hand still clutching tightly at the handle of the suitcase Father Maxwell had packed full of clothes and other necessities for him. His gaze fixated on his feet, not unlike his new foster sibling. He didn't want to go. He was content with his life at the orphanage, with people who genuinely loved him and cared for him, and had stuck by his side despite his jaded outlook on life, and all his folly.

The braided boy jerked, his eyes widening in surprise as he felt the elder child take his free hand. Their gazes met, Ezekiel's soft brown locking with Duo's striking amethyst, as the older boy tugged him in the direction of the house.

Maybe this time would be different. Maybe this was a family that wanted him. He could only hope so.

He let Zeke lead him upstairs to his new bedroom that he would share with the younger sibling, Gabe.

But once the doors to that room closed, the boy's kind expression melted into one of contempt, his once gentle eyes hardening menacingly.

"Let's get one thing straight, rat," Zeke snapped, "This is MY house and MY family. You're only here because no one loves you and no one wants you. Got that?"

As the oldest child delivered his ultimatum to the newcomer, Gabriel quietly entered, taking a seat on the bed, eyes on his lap.

"And another thing-I run the show around here. You do what I say, when I say it. Gabe learned, and I'll make sure you do, too," the brown-eyed boy whispered menacingly.

Now Duo knew why the younger sibling perpetually stared at his feet: He wasn't merely "shy" as his parents had put it, he was abused. No doubt Zeke had brutally and mercilessly manipulated the boy until his will to fight had finally broken, along with his spirit.

It may have worked on Gabriel, but if he sincerely believed he could force Duo into submission, he was sorely mistaken. The very concept of such left the violet-eyed orphan struggling to stifle his amusement.

But Zeke didn't find it funny.

In a flash, the older boy was upon him, mashing the orphan's face against the wall with his precious braid coiled around one hand. Duo drew in a breath to yell for the parents.

"Don't scream," Zeke hissed, voice as cold and piercing as a steel blade.

His headstrong young victim narrowed his violet eyes, teeth inadvertently cutting into the inside of his cheek as he growled his response. "Oh yeah? What if I do?"

"If you scream, I'll tell them it's all your fault."

"Go ahead! They won't believe you!"

The older child snickered. "Who are they gonna believe? Their own flesh and blood, or some filthy rat infesting our home?"

He had a point; Duo had no choice but to fight his own battle. Summoning all the strength he had to offer, he placed his palms on the wall and forcefully pushed off, sending his captor stumbling backward. As soon as could turn to face the boy, the young orphan balled a fist and swung a vicious right hook. It impacted the side of the boy's cheekbone with a sickening thud that masked the faint crunch of splintering bone, and took his consciousness from him.

As Zeke's frame dropped limply to the floor, Gabriel snuck up from behind and curled both arms around the braided boy's neck, pulling him backward.

"Don't hurt my brother!" He snarled as Duo instinctively clutched at the limbs curled about him that left him struggling to breathe. Duo couldn't believe anyone would defend someone who had been so cruel to them. Apparently family ties ran deep.

In a move Solo had taught him during one of their playful sparring sessions, the young orphan hunched down and propelled his attacker over his head, sending him sprawling flat on his back with a massive thump and a cry of pain. A noise the parents undoubtedly heard. That meant that, once again, it was time for him to run away.

Putting the dim grays of a fabricated sunset to his back, he fled, running until he could see the familiar glow of the lights through stained glass windows casting colorful shadows on the ground.

…

That night, Sister Helen went back to clean Duo's former room, as instructed.

She dreaded the task, and not because of its tediousness, but because it pained her to be reminded that he was gone. She missed the twinkle of his big, expressive indigo eyes, his playful smile, the sound of his laugh, his boisterous voice, and even his occasionally…inappropriate commentary. Things were all too quiet without the presence of that inquisitive little braided-haired boy around.

As where most people saw the boy as a defiant, rebellious child with a tragic past whose flaws couldn't be fixed, she saw beyond that to the core of him. He put up a tough front, but she knew that underneath his exterior was an endearing, brilliant little boy who deserved the best of life, and had only seen the worst.

In Duo she'd found the son she'd always longed to have, but because her situation didn't permit her to take the boy on as her own, she settled instead for treating him as though he were. Most every night after all the others were asleep, she would return to his room to tuck him in, read him scripture, tell him a bedtime story, and sometimes to listen to him talk. She felt an uncanny connection with him unlike anything she'd experienced with other children.

It was that same connection in particular that made her dread having to be the one to clean his empty quarters. The room where on more than one occasion she'd discreetly checked up on him to make sure he was sleeping soundly through the night was now merely a vacant space; the place where he used to be.

As she approached the closed door to that room, she shoved those thoughts from her mind, assuring herself that Duo was in a better place. In fact, he was probably so happy in his new home that he hadn't given her a second thought, and miss him though she did, she was glad. After all, he deserved a much better life than a church orphanage could give him.

Solemnly, she opened the door to his room, her gaze immediately falling upon his never-made bed, the thin comforter perfectly outlining a mysterious lump beneath it. Dangling beyond one of its edges, the Sister could faintly see a tuft of chestnut hair.

"Duo?"

Her ears waited for a reply, but instead picked up on the muffled sound of sniffling. Tiny fingers lifted the blanket just enough for a single tear-stained violet eye to be seen.

"Duo, why are you here?"

The boy concealed himself once more. "Just pretend you don't see me…please…" he murmured.

The Sister sighed softly, "Why did you run away from home?"

"Don't make me go back there! Please..!" Young Duo begged through sobs. "Just let me stay here with you and Father Max..!"

Taking a seat on the bed, Sister Helen pulled back the sheets to reveal the braided boy curled up into a fetal ball, reddened amethyst eyes looking up at her pleadingly. From the look of them, he'd been crying for quite some time. She'd never seen the boy so upset before; the sight of him in such a state pulled on her heart.

"Dear me, child…is it really that bad?"

Without a word of response, the boy clung to her like a lifeline. She returned the embrace, shushing and soothing him quietly, rocking his tiny, shuddering frame in her arms as he wept.

"I'll talk to Father Maxwell, okay?" She assured. It was enough to cease his sobbing. "Rest here for tonight. It's far too late for you to be going outside." He pulled away and gave her a meek nod, scrubbing at his bloodshot eyes with his knuckles.

Once again, Sister Helen tucked Duo into bed.

…

When morning came and the news of the unexpected return reached Father Maxwell, he paid a visit to the boy's room with Sister Helen in tow, who took a seat beside him on the bed.

"Duo, don't you see the Lord has afforded you a great chance to have a family?" the Priest began, his voice genuine and kind.

Duo's eyes turned down. Although Father Maxwell meant no harm, the young boy couldn't help but feel as though he was being scolded.

"You do want a family, don't you?"

"Why can't you just let me stay?" The boy finally snapped, his voice crackling as tears brimmed his indigo orbs once again. "Why does everyone only wanna get rid of me..?"

The words drove a stake into the chest of the nun, making her latch onto the child tightly. "Nobody wants to get rid of you, Duo," she whispered softly into his ear, "We just want the best for you."

"Then don't send me back there!" He sobbed into the worn black cotton of her habit.

Father Maxwell exhaled with a slight noise and placed a calm hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'll make you a deal, son," he offered. Duo glanced at him from the corner of one tear-stained eye. "No more making crude noises during sermons, and no more playing around in the confessionals. If you can do that for me, you can stay."

The boy nodded vigorously in reply. He would have given anything and all to stay, so sacrificing two of his favorite pranks was a small price to pay for being back in the orphanage. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell were the only people who truly loved him and believed in him. They were understanding, and stood by his side no matter the circumstance. Even when Zeke and Gabe's furious father came to inform them of Duo's malevolence, Father Maxwell was steadfast in professing the child's innocence.

"Duo's a good boy," the Priest stated sternly.

"That boy of yours is a monster! He left my eldest son with a zygomatic break(1), and you call him good?" The enraged husband bellowed.

"I assure you, he would never act violently without provocation," the clergyman explained.

"I'd sue you if I wasn't so sure you were crazy!"

With a shake of his head the man abruptly exited in a huff, never to return.

…

And so, life was good for Duo again, just as it had always been while under the care of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. Many happy months passed and children came and went, but the violet-eyed boy never longed to stray. He had a home, and the family he had always wanted right there in the orphanage. As time went on, he even forgot about the deal he still had yet to uphold his end of.

Until a day came that forever changed his life.

A nauseating mixture of the stench of blood, smoke, and charred flesh hung heavy in the air where the church had once been. A slew of indiscernible broken bodies were strewn amongst chunks of rubble, their faces permanently displaying the pain and surprise of their deaths.

Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were among them.

As he had with so many of his friends, Duo tried to save them. Once again, it was all for naught; once again, they all passed while he lived on.

First Solo and Kit, and then Father Maxwell and Sister Helen…they had nothing in common.

…Except him.

And for the first time since the day he'd first seen the black shadow, felt the bone-chilling cold, and heard that ominous voice, he remembered his promise.

Amethyst eyes turned skyward as his voice bellowed up to the heavens.

"Where are you?" the boy screamed, his shouts wavering with tears. "Show yourself, dammit! I got a bone to pick with you!"

There was only silence. Duo sank to his knees, disregarding the soot and dust he sat in.

"I don't want this anymore," he whispered, words broken by sobs, "…take it back."

But there was no darkness, no mysterious voice, and no unearthly cold; only himself, the stench of death and destruction, and the distant shouts of men.

"Do you hear me? I said take it back!"

As soldiers came and pulled him from the wreckage, he clutched a treasure he'd found among the remains tightly to his chest. It was the one thing that he could use to remember them by: a golden cross dangling from a matching chain. On the reverse of it was an engraving: "Maxwell."

He would carry it with him forevermore.

ANs:

-"Zygomatic break": This is a fracture to the zygomatic bone of the skull. In Zeke's case, it would be a fracture of the zygomatic arch. Nicely done, Duo! ^_-

-Random factoid: The issues Duo has in his foster homes are taken from real-life experiences. My cousin was adopted at an age close to Duo's, and had all of these problems/issues. They can be overcome, but it takes a lot more time and patience than most parents have.

Chapter title inspired by: "Leave the Light On" by Beth Hart, from the 2003 album of the same name.

This chapter dedicated in part to…

Chris Wilson

6/18/1986 – 10/09/2010

Family friend and fellow anime/video game enthusiast. Thanks for the memories…