Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, foul language, brief mentions of implied rape (no descriptions), alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), angst, drama, Dumbledore and Snape bashing, implied bashing of select Weasleys (no specifics mentioned), OOC moments, and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.


Chapter 6: A Chance Meeting

The first six hours that Duo spent beneath the ocean scanning the immediate area were exceedingly boring and the only reason the normally hyper teen didn't go stark raving mad was because he was busy digging through various data bases for information at the same time as he was scanning the reports that Deathscythe's external sensors generated. He was just contemplating calling Howard to see if there was something else he could do, since he was doubtful that there was anything to be found here if nothing had shown up after six hours, when the suit's sensors started blaring at him as they picked up on some abnormal seismic activity in the area.

"Well would ya look at that?" Duo murmured with a grin.

He spent a few minutes entering commands in order to pull up the suspected epicenter, magnitude, and range of the tremors as well as map out the nearest fault lines only to grow puzzled at the results. Frowning, he adjusted his long range scanners so he could focus on the small island that sat just off the southern coast of Japan less than fifteen miles away and arched an eyebrow in surprise when he saw a plume of what he thought was smoke rising up into the air; a plume of smoke that appeared to be rising up from out of no where.

He quickly entered yet another string of commands into the computer and zoomed in on the area where the smoke was originating even as he engaged the heat sensors hoping to catch a sign of where the explosions were occurring. He scowled because the visual scans were telling him something far different than his seismic scans which didn't quite match with the satellite maps he'd pulled up of this particular island. Before he could complete his initial scans the tremors stopped as suddenly as they began and he twitched in agitation because he still hadn't found the source of the disturbances.

After a few seconds he grinned recklessly as he engaged Deathscythe's systems, sent a message to Howard to let him know he might have found a lead on the missing Gundam, and set a course for the surface and the beach as he muttered, "Well damn… looks like I'm gonna have ta take a peek topside now ta get my answers."

Once he was clear of the water, Duo took Deathscythe up to the top of the cliff right above where the smoke (which he only now realized was actually just a cloud of dust) could still be seen floating on the afternoon breeze when another huge explosion shook the ground followed by eight more small ones in rapid succession. He cursed because he still couldn't determine where they were coming from and his systems were indicating that he was standing practically right on top of the epicenter but that was impossible… or so he thought.

He was just wondering if there might be an underground base in the area when the largest explosion yet shook the ground followed by several smaller ones that nearly sent Deathscythe over the edge of the cliff when it caught Duo off guard. He was searching the face of the cliff with the heat sensors when an alarm went off and the system zeroed in on a single body that seemingly appeared from out of nowhere.

"What's this?"

Angling his cameras, he zoomed in on that tiny warm body before switching over from heat sensors to visual scanners and his eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs as he caught sight of the small kid running on the sand below. He was just wondering what a kid would be doing out here all alone when a second figure appeared in pursuit of the child and Duo's hackles rose as he immediately assumed the older figure intended to do harm to the smaller figure given the way the small kid looked as if he was running for his life.

Duo needed no further information as he sprang into action and dropped Deathscythe down from the cliff just as the kid suddenly skidded to a stop and turned around to face his pursuer. Duo cursed as the other individual continued to close the distance about the same time that the kid caught sight of Deathscythe landing gently on the beach (the Hyper Jammer that hid him from most electronic devices did not work on the human eye). The older guy caught on quickly and Duo cursed a second time before he scoffed when the man pulled out a pistol and aimed it up at Deathscythe. He'd originally wanted to just cut the man down without being seen and without the kid watching but he supposed he'd just have to improvise.

"Drop your weapon and step away from da kid," Duo ordered after he activated the external communication systems and zoomed in so he could read the man's face only to find himself shocked for a second time when he realized that it was another teen on the other side of the gun. Curious now, Duo leaned forward as he listened to the teen giving orders to the kid.

"Harry, when I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can and get back inside of your cave where you will be safe. I will distract the pilot to give you the time to get out of here."

"You can't fight against that thing!" the kid, whom Duo assumed was named Harry, protested hotly. "I don't need you to save me."

"Don't be an idiot, whoever is piloting it obviously wants you for some reason and I refuse to allow you to be captured or hurt."

"Well damn, I feel like I'm in da middle of a soap opera," Duo muttered to himself before he opened the line a second time and stated, "I repeat, drop your weapon and step away from da kid before I am forced ta kill ya."

Duo watched as the teen backed up and turned to glance at the kid while the kid, on the other hand, ignored the teen next to him completely as he stared up at Duo (or rather up at Deathscythe) with an unreadable look on his face. The kid then glanced to the teen that had been chasing him before he slowly climbed to his feet and Duo found himself curious as to what the kid might be planning when he noticed the hard look on the kid's face.

"Get ready to run," the teen ordered firmly.

"No," the kid countered in a cold, hard voice as he moved his eyes passed the other teen to glare up at the Gundam suit while clutching at his chest as if he was in pain and Duo found himself unconsciously leaning backwards away from that glare. "I am not going to allow anyone else to die because of me. I hate you… I will kill you some day… but I will not allow you to die for me; you haven't earned that right."

Duo whistled in appreciation of the kid's spunk as the part of him that remembered what living on the streets was like nodded in complete understanding.

"That makes no fucking sense, kid; you need to get the hell out of here because that suit can kill you with a single shot."

"He's right, kiddo, best ya leave so ya don't have ta see what I'm about ta do," Duo whispered as he activated his beam scythe and prepared to end the confrontation. He was a bit surprised when the kid ignored the other teen and leveled some kind of weapon at him which had Duo shaking his head because there was no weapon that small that could damage Deathscythe.

"No… I'm not afraid of death."

Duo would never figure out exactly what happened next as one second he was looking to scare the two kids down on the beach (or at least chase the younger one off) as he swung his suit's main beam weapon and the next his scythe was flying through the air and the right arm of Deathscythe wasn't responding to his commands after being struck by a red energy beam of some sort. He was busy cursing up a storm as he scrambled to find out what the hell had happened and what the hell was wrong with his suit when the external microphones picked up the kid's next words and his eyes were drawn back to the visual feed of the two individuals on the beach.

"I won't allow you or anyone else to die for me! Stupefy!"

For a split second it seemed like the kid was looking right at Duo as a second beam of red energy flew from the kid's weapon and hit Deathscythe right in the chest, flooding the entire cockpit with red light. Duo cried out in shock when he felt the suit tilting over backwards while all of the electronics in the suit began sparking and smoking before everything shut down as it toppled over backwards. Duo was thrown around in his harness as the heavy suit crashed to the ground and he groaned as some of the gadgets he kept in the cockpit pelted him when the electromagnetic currents that normally kept them securely in place failed along with everything else.

Knowing he had to escape and somehow get word to Howard that someone out there had developed a weapon capable of shutting down a Gundam suit single-handedly (without using mobile suit or military anti-suit technology), Duo quickly scrambled out of his restraints, grabbed his emergency pack, pulled out his pistol, and disengaged the door manually so he could climb out. He had just climbed up onto Deathscythe's chest when he looked down in time to see the kid that had taken him down pass out.

The moment he noticed that the other teen's attention was focused solely on the kid, Duo slipped his pack onto his back and jumped down to the ground. He then dashed across the sand on light feet, his long braid flying wildly behind him, as he brought his gun up and slid to a stop beside the teen that was now crouching over the kid.

"Stop! Don't touch da kid and don't move an inch unless I tell ya ta. Put your hands in da air real slow like or I will shoot," Duo ordered coldly as he swept his eyes over the immediate surroundings in search of other hostiles.

"I need to take the kid back to his home," the teen quietly replied in an equally hard tone even as he raised his arms as ordered.

"Ya don't have ta worry about da kid, I'll take care of him," Duo countered with a feral grin. "Besides, seems ta me da kid doesn't much like ya."

"I seriously doubt he's going to like you much better if you forcibly take him away from his home."

"Well, then, I'll just have ta tag along with da two of ya until he wakes and I can tell him how it's gonna be so as he can give his home a proper goodbye. I'm bettin' he'll be glad ta at least see the last of ya."

"What makes you think he's going to listen to you?"

"I know what it's like livin' on da streets," Duo replied as he prodded the other teen with the gun. "And I know exactly how ta deal with kids like him. If ya got any other guns or other weapons on ya, now would be da time ta slowly take them out and drop them on da ground. Once ya have done that, you can stand up nice and slow like and move away from da kid. That's good; now put your hands on da back of your head and walk a bit further away from da kid."

Once the other teen was far enough away not to present an immediate threat, Duo gathered up the discarded weapons before maneuvering around so he could check on the kid and keep an eye on the teen at the same time. It didn't take him long to find that the kid seemed to be alright if unconscious though the half-healed bruises covering the kid's face, neck, and arms were troubling to say the least. Without letting his gun waver as he kept the teen in his sights, Duo picked up the stick the kid held in one hand and tucked it into his back pocket before he lifted the kid up with one arm and carefully slung him over his shoulder in a fireman hold. He then rose swiftly to his feet and settled the boy's weight more comfortably on his shoulder before returning his attention back to the other teen.

"Lead on, chump," Duo ordered as he gestured to the teen with his gun.

The teen's blue eyes hardened as he glanced towards the small form draped over Duo's shoulder and Duo knew the only reason the other teen would cooperate with him was because Duo had the kid. Duo also knew that the fact that the kid knew how to neutralize a Gundam with one shot using whatever weapon he had was most likely part of the reason the other teen hadn't wanted the kid to fall into the wrong hands; that kind of power could be devastating if the Alliance or worse, OZ, got a hold of the boy's weapon. This is bad… very bad, Duo thought as he continuously scanned the area for threats and worried about what he was going to do about Deathscythe since he couldn't just leave it sitting out in plain sight on the beach.

"Were your communication systems fried?"

Duo frowned as he glanced at the teen walking just a few feet in front of him, "What's it matter ta ya?"

"Because if they weren't, it'd be the only way to get in touch with the rest of the world," the teen replied. "More than half of my systems were fried; including the communication system."

"So, I take it that means you're da pilot of da Gundam that has da Alliance and OZ up in arms," Duo deduced with a grin over the fact that his earlier hunch had been correct. "Ya sure stirred up a hornet's nest with your disappearin' act. They had an entire fleet off shore scourin' da bottom of da ocean for your Gundam before I dealt with them."

"Damn it… and you probably alerted the entire damn Alliance to our presence here the moment you destroyed that fleet before dropping down on this stretch of beach; which means we're pretty much sitting ducks now."

"Hey, don't go blamin' me for ya current predicament; all I did was track da explosions ya were setting off just a bit ago. Ya can't blame me for da red flags that ya were throwin' up all over da place while ya were shakin' things up with whatever it was ya were doin'. I seriously doubt that I was da only one ta notice da irregular seismic activity in da area."

"The loss of their search fleet is going to be a far bigger red flag and your Gundam is going to stick out like a sore thumb the moment they fly over the area."

"Really? Ya think?" Duo sarcastically shot back. "Can't exactly fire him up right now and tuck him away in a nice convenient cave, ya know. In case ya didn't notice, this little bundle of dynamite shut me down faster than any woman I ever propositioned in da bar."

"Kind of hard not to notice," the teen replied softly. "I had no idea he could do something like that."

Duo openly scoffed when he heard that declaration, there was no way the other teen hadn't had some idea of what kind of weapons the kid had on hand given the rather strange conversation he'd overheard earlier.

"You got a tarp or something you can use to hide your suit?"

"Not with me, no; I usually drop him in da water ta hide him but until I can get his systems back on-line that ain't gonna happen."

"Shit. Figures that would be the way my luck was running today. And the brat is without a doubt going to blame me when the shit hits the fan."

"What's da kid ta ya anyway?"

"Someone to whom I am indebted. He's also someone I've sworn to protect."

"Right… pull da other one, buddy. If'n ya owe da kid, then why was he runnin' from ya and why's da kid hate ya so much if you're da one lookin' out for him?"

"Long story; not that it's any of your business."

"Does it have anything ta do with da half-healed bruises coverin' his face and neck?" Duo asked in a voice that could cut through diamonds it was so cold and hard as he hefted said kid a little higher up on his shoulder. Duo scowled as he noticed the other teen flinch just the smallest bit and knew the other teen was responsible and he growled out, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill ya where ya stand."

"Because the kid is the only one capable of hiding your Gundam and while he might hate me, I am the only one he will listen to. There's also the fact that the kid's home is the only place on this island where you would be safe from OZ and the Alliance until you can fix your Gundam, if it can be fixed, and since the kid is unconscious, I'm the only chance you have of finding the kid's home. Without me and the kid, you and your suit will be picked up sometime within the next three to five hours unless your Gundam magically reboots itself."

"Damn… guess da shinigami won't be sendin' ya ta meet your maker just yet," Duo huffed as he gestured for the other teen to start walking once more when he finally noticed that they'd drifted to a stop at some point during their short conversation. "I'll tell ya right now, ya ever lay a hand on da kid again and I will kill ya. Ain't right, hittin' a kid like that."

The cold teen didn't bother to respond but Duo knew he'd gotten the message loud and clear based upon the slight stiffening of the teen's shoulders. Satisfied for the moment, and knowing that he could always interrogate the teen once they were somewhere a little more secure if it became necessary; Duo scanned the beach in front of them as he searched for some sign of the kid's home.

After a few minutes, Duo's impatient nature got the better of him as he demanded, "How much farther do we gotta go?"

"We're close… I think."

Duo was about to respond when he felt the kid stirring on his shoulder and he stopped in his tracks and crouched down so he could set the kid down on the ground. He instinctively knew that the kid would only panic if he woke up to find himself being carried by a stranger (something he himself would have done if their positions had been reversed). A few feet in front of him he saw the other teen glance back over his shoulder, stop and turn back, and take a few steps closer and Duo automatically swung his gun up to silently instruct the teen to keep his distance while keeping one eye on the kid.

Once he was certain the other teen wasn't going to interfere, Duo allowed himself to study the kid that had taken on a Gundam practically barehanded and won.

Despite the discoloration from the healing bruises, it was easy to see that the kid was pale; as if he spent most of his time inside which suggested that the kid might not be the street rat Duo had pegged him as in the beginning but appearances could be deceptive. His messy hair was dark as sin and saturated with dust and sand which led Duo to believe he'd been caught up in the earlier explosions; a fact that was supported by the tiny cuts and scratches on his bare arms. His clothes, which while a little too big for the kid, were relatively new looking if you looked past the dust that clung to them and the few minor tears from where stone chips might have hit him and he wore no shoes.

If Duo had to guess his age, he'd put him somewhere around nine or ten as he knew living on the street (or apparently out in the wilderness given that he was on what was supposed to be an uninhabited island) tended to stunt one's growth; something he himself was well aware of since he was rather short for his age. About the time Duo finished his visual assessment of the kid; said kid opened his eyes and stared up at Duo with surprisingly green eyes that reminded Duo of leaves. After shooting a quick glance at the other teen, to make certain that he wasn't going to try anything, Duo turned his attention back to the kid as a he gave the kid an easy grin.

Usually, when he smiled other people couldn't help but smile back as Duo had what Father Maxwell used to call an irresistible and infectious smile. The kid however didn't even try to hold back an answering smile. He had shown mild confusion when he first opened his eyes, a touch of uncertainty when Duo smiled at him, and then the kid's eyes had flicked up to the gun that Duo was pointing at the other teen, tilted his head back to look at said teen, and turned back to glare at Duo with anger before his face went blank.

"Hey, kiddo, name's Duo Maxwell; I might run and hide but I never tell a lie, that's me in a nut shell," Duo stated as he held out his hand to the kid. He had hoped the kid would introduce himself in return but hadn't really expected him to since it was easy to see the kid didn't trust anyone. "I'm glad ta see you're awake, I was a little worried ya might have hurt yourself when ya keeled over da way ya did. Ya were gettin' a bit heavy too."

"What do you want with me?"

"Ah, right ta da point there. I don't suppose ya'd believe me if'n I said I just wanted ta give ya a hand after seein' ya runnin' from da cold-hearted bastard that was chasin' ya." The snort the kid gave in response to that sentence spoke volumes. "As unbelievable as it is that is da truth; looked ta me like ya didn't seem all too fond of da guy chasin' ya about da beach. Ya think ya might be up ta walkin' for a bit? I'd like to check out your home and if'n ya got a phone I could borrow, there's a call I need ta make ta a friend of mine so I can get Deathscythe under wraps before he attracts a bit more attention than I'd like."

"Heero…?"

"I can't help you, Harry," the other teen interjected making Duo assume that his name was Heero. "Maxwell here is holding all the cards right now."

"Well ain't that just peachy," Harry muttered as he sent an angry glare at the newly named Heero. "I swear someone up in heaven must really hate me. That or I must have a huge damn sign or something painted on my back that says I'm a glutton for punishment." Harry paused mid-rant and stared up at Duo with a calculating gaze that left Duo feeling more than a little uncomfortable. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to do the world a favor and just kill me now, would you?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind helpin' ya out," Duo stated thinking the kid wanted him to deal with the other teen only to blanch when the kid's actual words finally registered in his mind. "What da hell do ya mean, kill ya!? Ain't no way things can be as bad as all that! I'll gladly put da jerk out of mine and your misery but ya ain't got no call ta be askin' me ta pop off a little mite like yourself."

"Didn't think so but I had to ask to know for sure," Harry sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment before he turned his head to the side to stare out at the ocean. "Of course, that's the way my luck always runs. It was almost peaceful here for a while; no busybodies, no manipulative old men, no sick and twisted teachers lurking in the shadows, no shrill voices demanding anything from me, no backstabbing ungrateful liars pretending they're my friends, and no cruel and heartless godfathers looking to chuck me out the door at the first opportunity."

The kid then paused for a moment to take a deep breath before he continued, "Then I had to go and screw everything up because I thought I needed a purpose. What do I get instead? Stupid gigantic robots big enough to squash me like a bug and annoying murderous teens with guns invading my beach and ordering me about left and right."

Duo knew he should have expected it, he was street smart enough and the teen, Heero, had in fact warned him in a round about way but he was still caught off guard when the kid suddenly lashed out at him. He'd also still been agitated by the kid asking him to kill him and confused by the seemingly odd rant the kid had been on and was therefore slow to react.

One second the kid was ranting up a storm and the next he was striking out with a viciousness Duo would have expected from the other teen.

The kid was smart about it too; he'd gone straight for the hand that was holding the gun while lashing out with his feet at the same time, knocking Duo over backwards because he'd been balanced precariously on his feet as he crouched on the shifting sand. As they grappled, Duo half expected the boy to claim the gun and shoot him but the kid merely tossed it as far away as he could in the short instant he had hold of the weapon.

He'd then stopped fighting completely and Duo used the kid's lack of resistance to gain the upper hand as he pinned the kid to the ground only to freeze when he felt the barrel of his gun pressing against his temple. Duo silently cursed himself as he realized that not only did he allow a kid half his age to get the drop on him but he'd completely forgotten about the other teen during the brief fight. The extra guns that he'd collected from the other teen were quickly reclaimed by said teen just second later.

"Get up and step away from the kid," Heero ordered coldly. "You alright, Harry?"

"Oh yes, just dandy," Harry sarcastically growled just under his breath as he stood up and swayed on his feet before he shook his head like a dog and glared at both teens.

Duo paled slightly as his eyes landed on the fresh blood that was blossoming on the side of the kid's shirt and right pant leg and the fifteen year old instantly realized that he must have opened up a series of wounds the kid had during their short scuffle. Before he could apologize to the boy though, the kid hissed in pain or anger as he stalked forward and dug the stick he'd been holding earlier out of Duo's pocket before shuffling back out of Duo's reach as he inspected the stick as if looking to see if it had been damaged.

"Is it broken?" Heero asked as he too eyed the stick in the kid's hands.

"No, thank Merlin; I don't think I could have fixed it if he'd broken it and the others I have aren't very good matches."

"That's good I suppose," Heero stated a touch awkwardly as he sent an unreadable look at the stick. "Now I just have to figure out what to do with him and his Gundam."

"Just let him go… he'll never get inside."

"He knows how to find this beach again, Harry. He was tracking you through the explosions that you were making as you expanded the cave. He can find you again. Chances are he probably led the people that he said he found looking for me and my Gundam here as well; not surprising since I wasn't the only one to escape alive after my battle the other day."

Harry's green eyes darkened as he glanced between Duo and the downed robot before looking out at the sea again. Duo could almost feel the boy thinking as he digested the rather accurate assumptions that Heero had seemingly pulled out of thin air.

"Your point?"

The question was asked in a belligerent tone that would have irritated Duo if it had been directed at him and at the same time it made Duo want to laugh because it obviously annoyed the teen holding him at gunpoint as well. If not for his current predicament, Duo might have just sat back and watched the by-play between the two because he was certain it would be entertaining.

"I need to find out what he knows, who he's talked to, and figure out how to hide his Gundam; otherwise we are going to be found. Which means you are going to have to let him through and I'm probably going to need your help moving the suit since it seems you fried his systems when you hit him with what ever it was you fired at him."

"I'd still rather leave him out here," Harry groused as he glared at both teens. "Bad enough you invaded my home. I should have left you out on the beach too; then I wouldn't have to worry about any of this shit. You going to do to him what you did to me to get him to talk?"

"No," Heero replied softly and Duo could hear the honest contrition in his tone and Duo's mind shifted that information back and forth as he calmly waited for a chance to turn the tables on his captors once again. "Will you be able to move his Gundam the same way you moved mine?"

"Sort of… but not for at least another four hours unless I take a few potions but if I do that then my exhaustion will be ten times worse afterwards. Do you think we have four hours…?"

"No… best not to chance it. Let's get our new friend inside, check on your injuries as I can see that you're bleeding again, get you something to eat, and then you can take whatever you need to do whatever it is you do. You have anything I can use to secure our friend once we're inside?"

"I can get you ropes or chains but not until I'm rested and if you want me to move the robot you're going to have to wait because I can't do both without more time."

"Mobile suits, Harry, they are not robots. They are called mobile suits; think of them as being special planes," Heero corrected as he prodded Duo into moving.

"Whatever, I don't really care what they're called. I just don't want the huge piles of junk making my life any more miserable than they already have."

"Oy! Deathscythe is not a hunk of junk, brat! He's a state of da art mobile suit!" Duo protested defensively in response to the insult directed as Deathscythe.

"Fat lot of good it's doing you parked out on the sand as it is," Heero snidely taunted. "I should be able to scrounge a few parts off it to fix mine though."

"Ya keep your hands off my Gundam ya insensitive jerk."

Harry snorted before suddenly ripping off two long sections of his shirt from around the bottom hem and Duo frowned when he caught a flash of a blood stained bandages before the shirt dropped back down. He then became indignant when Heero used one scrap of fabric to blindfold him while the other was used to secure his hands behind his back. He didn't like not knowing where he was going as it made it that much harder to sneak back out.

When he was next allowed to see his surroundings, Duo found himself inside of a cave that didn't quite look natural (the lines of the room were far too smooth and geometric) and was only sparsely furnished with stone furniture. He was quite uncomfortable when he realized that there didn't seem to be an exit and his mood soured as his chances of escape from his insane hosts just plummeted. He frowned at the pile of feathers he noted in one corner, they seemed so out of place when compared to the rest of the room, and then promptly forgot them as he glanced into what he supposed was the kitchen area as he saw Harry vanish into the trunk sitting beside the rather short counter.

Just what da hell is goin' on here? Duo wondered as he tried not to gape, especially when the kid came back out fifteen minutes later carrying a plate of sandwiches, two large bags of chips, and three bottles of what looked like beer at first glance.


03-13-16: This chapter has replaced with an edited and revised edition that added one hundred forty-six words to the story content and removed any unnecessary author's notes. ~ Jenn