Full summary: An angel and a devil, Heero and Duo, fight for the soul of mortals about to die. But what if things aren't what people have always believed? Now it's Quatre's turn and things conspire to be the toughest Trial either being has worked before.

onpeitou: I dunno what to comment o.o; Hope you enjoy it! Much love to all those who have reviewed and to those who will. ♥

Apocryphal Reality: Awkward Silences

The next day it was like nothing had happened. Neither angel nor devil felt inclined to bring up the subject of the previous night's occurrence, so it seemed to hang heavily in the room like a storm cloud. Heero woke first, followed shortly by Duo, then Quatre several minutes later. The devil stretched languidly, turning to face the stoic angel. His usual morning greeting was weak and his smile half-hearted. Duo seemed to realize it, because a moment later he faltered and turned his back, busying himself with straightening his hair. Heero frowned; what was wrong with him? he wondered, and a moment later had to ask himself: why should I care?

Quatre sat up groggily on the bed, turning off his alarm just before it started, as usual. He rubbed his eyes and combed his fingers through the silky golden hair, pausing to press his palms against his skull as he grimaced. "Uhnn… my head," he moaned, then slipped out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom, "What is it with all these headaches lately…?" he muttered. Heero's frown deepened slightly. Quatre had been having headaches nearly every morning since the Trial started, but there had been no record of them in his file before; the angel wondered if he had been denied information again.

The blonde boy swallowed four acetaminophens from the medicine cabinet with a small glass of water before returning to the room and going about his normal morning routine. About fifteen minutes later, the boy was heading out the door. The devil followed directly after at a more sedate pace than was usual, and a moment later Heero also exited the room and descended the stairs. Iria already had breakfast ready and waiting for her brother by the time they entered, and Quatre smiled warmly to her as he took his seat. Heero and Duo waited unobtrusively to the side of the room.

"Ne, Quatre," Iria began, setting aside her notebook for a moment and leaning over the counter to look at the blonde boy in concern, "Are you feeling all right?"

Quatre blinked a moment in surprise before smiling again, "Ee, I'm fine. I've just been having a bit of a headache lately, don't worry." Iria only gave him a stern look.

"Why didn't you say something? I'm a doctor, you're supposed to tell me when you're not feeling well."

"I'm fine Iria, really." Quatre insisted, smiling charmingly, but the older girl didn't seem like she believed him. Instead, he changed the subject. "By the way, I'm probably going to be home a bit late today. I'm going to work on my Psychology report at the library for a while. If it gets late I'll stop and pick up something to eat on my way home, ne?"

Iria sighed, giving in to the distraction and pulling her notebook back in front of her to review what was written. "All right, but I want you to call me if you aren't feeling well again, got it?" Quatre nodded and she gave him an extra long look to be sure, "Right then, just try not to stay out too late. Hurry up and finish so you won't be late to school."

With another smile, Quatre did as he was told. Only a few minutes later and he was grabbing his bag and heading for the door, but before he could leave Iria delayed him. Heero and Duo preceded him outside and stood as he waited for his sister.

"Wait," she called, coming down the hall and giving him a gentle hug, "Have a good day, otouto-chan."

"Thanks. You too, Iria-'nee-san." With a kiss on the cheek, Iria released Quatre and ushered him out the door playfully. "Later!"

As they all walked, even Heero wasn't oblivious to the heavy awkwardness that hung in the air. Quatre was silent and strangely morose looking, staring only at the ground as he walked. Duo seemed almost as bad, eerily quiet and frowning slightly as he walked with a faraway look in his cobalt eyes. Normally, Heero prized his peace and tranquility, but this mood felt oppressive and uncomfortable, even for him. As the three of them turned a corner, Heero closed in slightly until he was walking beside the devil, though the other didn't seem to notice his presence.

"I told you," he said finally, "I'm not going to report the incident. Quatre's Trial is still undecided." Though Heero kept his half-lidded gaze fixed on the mortal boy's back, he could feel the devil's head snap up in surprise.

"Y-yeah, I know," Duo faltered, then wrapped his bare arms around himself with a sigh. "I know…"

Well, there wasn't much to say to that so Heero remained silent as they continued steadily along the nearly empty streets towards the school. The angel stared at the pavement passing beneath his feet as he walked, thoughts withdrawn. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm letting this Case get under my skin, getting too involved. This is a mission; I'm supposed to remain impartial and focused at all times. So why do I keep feeling like my mind is staggering along in half steps?

Heero huffed a slight sigh and stuffed his hands into his pockets. If Wufei were here, he'd have my hide for not following the rules, he thought with a brief ironic smirk, which faded as he stole a glance at Duo. The devil was still hugging himself and trudging with a distant expression, smile absent. Iya. If Wufei were here, he'd have done the same. Hell with the rules, I broke them the moment I retracted my judgment and allowed the Trial to continue, incident unreported. I refuse to win by loopholes or taking advantage of a devil's weakness.

There were several rules that were systematically drilled into an angel's head before they were allowed on Trials, among which the strict demand for impartiality and orders to do all that they could to succeed. By all rights, he should have called a Forfeit the previous night, and barring that taken the opportunity of the devil's off-balance state of mind to increase his chances.

Heero grit his teeth. I won't win so poorly!

All at once, he was surprised to find himself upon the campus grounds. Heero looked up, caught suddenly by the sheer amount of students. So many kids, so young, so oblivious to what's going on outside their small circle of thoughts and life. How many of these kids will I be on the Trial for? Heero wondered. They were all doomed to die – eventually. How many more would he succeed on? How many more would he condemn to Hell? Seeing all the young, ignorant humans walking around with small crosses hanging by their heart – secure in their faith that God would protect and forgive them – made him nauseous with what felt suspiciously like shame. They were all raised to believe that angels were given unto them to protect and guide them away from temptation, where in truth it was the other way around, and the devils took all the blame for their actions.

Without thinking, he looked up at Duo, who now walked slightly ahead of him. Seeing the ridiculous chestnut rope swaying rhythmically against the slender back as the devil climbed the stairs after Quatre made Heero feel inexplicably warmed. He raised his hand to stare at his palm, dark and calloused, remembering the previous night with a slight frown. There was no doubt that the devil confused him; first acting cheerful and seductive, then shy and withdrawn. In the beginning of the Trial he was openly flirtatious, but then last night he had seemed nervous and all together skittish when approaching Heero.

I don't understand him, he thought to himself, dropping his hand back to his side and steadily following the pair through the masses of students, I don't understand devils at all. They're hated by the human race as a whole – those who even believe that we exist. Angels are loved for what they do, and they take all our blame. Why do they bother? It makes no sense, why does he care so much?

With half a mind, Heero walked into the classroom and leaned against the wall near to Quatre's seat. Duo pulled himself up onto the windowsill and stared past the panes towards the still-rising sun. The angel sighed imperceptibly and crossed his arms over his chest, thinking quite deliberately of nothing.


Libraries. One place he actually enjoyed being in. Silence that was gentle and welcoming. He could still remember, when he was alive, retreating to the sanctuary of the large library when the masses of people and sounds drove him to the brink of social anxiety. He would huddle in a corner, curled in one of the many reading chairs with a well kempt book, reading himself into oblivion…

If he hadn't been researching a textbook, Heero would have been reading over the blonde boy's shoulder. As it was, he merely rested his hips against the desk table and reveled in the solitude. Duo was sitting on the table itself on the other side of Quatre, still oddly silent but less depressed looking. The devil's wings were folded tightly against his body in an obvious attempt to avoid accidental contact with the studying mortal. Not that Quatre would notice it, of course, but it did feel oddly disturbing when a living body suddenly occupied the same space as one's ethereal body.

They had already been waiting in the library for some time – since school ended, in fact – and still Heero couldn't get that one nagging thought out of his head. Even the calm solitude of the place could not placate his restless thoughts. "Naze," the angel breathed softly, unconsciously voicing his internal confusion. Only when the devil made a small noise of inquiry did he realize his error.

"What?" Duo asked quietly, innocently, crushing the slip hope he held that he could get off without having to elaborate on his slip-up. Well, why not? The angel asked himself, What better way to get an explanation?

Heero sighed, still mentally debating, before finally giving in to his curiosity. "Naze ga… wakannai," he admitted finally, frowning slightly as he stared at the ground trying to order his thoughts. When he realized that he had reverted to his native Japanese, he repeated again in English. "I don't understand why you're here." There was a short moment of silence, then:

"I'm here for the same reason you are," Duo answered softly, "To guide this mortal whose chances of dieing soon have significantly increased."

"That's not what I meant. I meant, why do you bother coming to the Trials?"

"What? You think that no devil could ever win against an angel?" he hissed, anger and indignation palpable.

"No!" The angel grit his teeth and shook his head. "Never mind, just forget it." Baka akuma!

"Sorry. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions… what is it that you don't understand, then?" Hearing the apologetic words, Heero flicked his eyes to briefly see the devil. Baka akuma

"I don't understand why you come," he repeated, still staring at the ground, "We're ordered by God to test the worthiness of all souls to enter Heaven. But you, why do you come? You don't get redemption; those living mortals that believe in us blame you for our actions while giving credit to us for yours. For what reason do you strive to save them?"

"We… are also ordered by Lucifer, but," he paused, and finally Heero raised his eyes to gaze at the devil. Duo was solemn and staring fixedly at his knees. "But, we have the choice whether or not we want to work the Trials. We all have our own reasons for agreeing, but all of us disagree with the unfairness of only having someone trying to condemn you without the help of someone else to act as conscience." Duo pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, his cobalt eyes staring blankly over his knees. "And I guess, in a way, we just don't really want anyone else to make the mistakes that we have."

Heero got the impression that the devil wasn't going to volunteer any more information than that, and by the faraway look of him, the angel wasn't particularly interested in pressing for more. He turned his attention once more to contemplative silence, digesting the tidbits just fed to him and gaining new insight where he had never before looked.