Ch10: looks can be deceiving..

Heero stared at the grey concrete floor. The room was similar to the holding cell he'd been thrown in when he was captured with Duo only days after meeting the braided wonder. That's the name Heero had secretly been calling Duo since Duo rescued him from the clutches of Sally Po by making the two of them jump off the 80th storey building. However, Heero would never say to anyone aloud that he'd nicknamed Duo as the 'braided wonder'. And now the American guy had his braid lopped off, so it doesn't really apply.

Heero sighed. They'd kept him alone in the dark cell for a couple of hours now. The room, made of concrete was only two metres by three metres. The lights were turned off, but a small beam of light shone in from under the door. His hands were handcuffed behind him as he sat crossed legged on the floor.

'I hope the others are ready,' Heero thought to himself. '..Considering we didn't have much time.'

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It took much debating on Dustin's part for Une and Treize to allow him to accompany them and Zechs to the military base that Heero was being held in. Dustin assured them that he was on their side and just wanted to talk to Heero. He walked down the long grey corridors of the base with Zechs on one side of him, and Une on the other. Dustin felt like maybe, with the truth being out in the open, the others didn't trust him.

'They probably don't even know they're doing it,' Dustin thought to himself. 'It's not my fault I'm the enemy.. I mean was the enemy.. ..Are they scared I'll turn on them!?' Dustin looked over at Zechs and then Une in the corner of his eye. They didn't know he was eyeing them suspiciously. 'What's going to happen now? They lied to me this whole time, with the exception of Zechs, and now I have to buy their trust?!'

A trooper led the way down the corridors ahead of Treize, Zechs, Une and Dustin. He led them to the cell that Heero Yuy was being held in. "What shall we do with him, sir?" The trooper asked Treize.

"Take him to the interrogation room. We'll be there shortly," Treize instructed. The trooper saluted to Treize and ran off to go get reinforcements. Heero Yuy was not a force to be reckoned with alone. Treize turned to the others. "Come. Let's go to the observation room," He instructed. They were to wait in the 'secret' room that was found on the other side of the mirror that covered one wall in the interrogation room.

Then they got in there, Une and Treize sat themselves down at the desk that faced the one-way mirror, leaving Zechs and Dustin (the lower ranking officers) to stand. 'What am I going to do now?' Dustin thought to himself. He'd begun to bite his fingernail on his right thumb. 'I wanted to know the truth.. and now that I do, I feel like I'm not meant to be here. I can't just abandon my mother. She's cared for me and who would do that for kicks. She must have really loved me like a son to do that. But then why do Heero, Hilde and that Wufei guy hate her and Oz so much?' Dustin thought to himself. 'Am I on the wrong side? Or are they on the wrong side?'

Dustin was so deep in thought that he didn't realise that Heero Yuy was being escorted in by four armed guards. His hands were still bound, and he was being led in with one guard standing behind him using a long pole with a noose on the end that was wrapped around Heero's neck. They were taking all precautions to make sure that Heero didn't escape or attack the guards.

"Dustin," Zechs said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You okay?"

Dustin came out of his daze and looked at his friend. He let out a goofy smile and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Zechs, not truly believing Dustin, shrugged and returned his gaze to the sight of the Japanese pilot being handcuffed to the chair.

Dustin walked over to the glass. "I want to go in there…" He said aloud, looking over at Une and Treize. "..Alone," He requested. Dustin was so determined to go in there and get some answers, that he demanded to go in there, and forgot to ask for permission from his superiors.

Before Une could say anything, Dustin walked over to the door and opened it. Once the door was open, Une didn't call out to him because then it'd let Heero know who was sitting behind the glass. Dustin winked at his mother to let her know everything was okay, and closed the door behind him as he entered the interrogation room.

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"Trowa? You there? Over."

Trowa stopped crawling and reached for the walkie-talkie in his back pocket. "I'm here. Over."

"Are you in yet?"

"Almost. Although stealth was always Duo's strong-suit."

"Let us know when you are in position."

"Will do. Over." Trowa clipped the walkie talkie onto the back of his belt and pulled out a screwdriver. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no-one could see him. It was dark, and with his black attire, he was almost invisible against the dark concrete wall. He crawled over to the large air vent that was placed on the concrete wall, a few inches from the ground. He looked inside. The coast was clear. Just below the inside of the vent was an abandoned office. He quietly but quickly unscrewed the hinges that held down the vent and quietly pulled the grated metal out of it's hole in the wall.

Trowa reached for his walkie talkie. "I'm going in. Begin your part in five minutes, even if you don't hear from me."

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Heero looked over at the door that had just opened. His eyes widened at the sight of who had just walked in to greet him. "Duo?"

His friend sat himself down opposite Heero at the large steel table. "Hi Heero."

Heero couldn't believe his eyes. 'They're letting Duo come in here and talk to me? I wonder what their plan is. Maybe they don't know that he know's that he's Duo Maxwell?' Heero had to know. "Did they let you come in here? Or don't they know?"

Dustin smirked. "They know. They didn't get much of a say in it coz I kinda stormed in here without permission," he replied. "But I needed to get some answers out of you."

Heero nodded. He then looked over at the one-way mirror. All he could see was his own reflection, but he knew that there'd be someone on the other side of it. "Who's on the other side, watching us?"

Dustin was hesitant to reply at first, but he figured that Heero would have figured out eventually. "Zechs, Mr. Treize and my mother."

Behind the glass, Zechs slapped himself on the forehead. "That idiot."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "She's not your mother," he stated bluntly.

Dustin nodded. "I know." He leaned forward on the table and crossed his arms on the cool smooth surface. "We had a heart to heat chat about it all. I know the whole story."

Heero snorted at what Dustin had said. "You can't seriously believe everything they told you, can you? They're the enemy, Duo!" Heero grumbled. "They'll do anything to keep you on their side!" Heero couldn't help but yell. He was getting frustrated and just wanted to knock some sense into his friend.

"Like I said before, they're my family now."

Heero needed to try something different. He needed a new approach to get Duo back onto his side. Debating over who was the enemy was becoming old and fast. It wasn't the topic that was going to win Duo over. "Do you still wear your cross? I noticed it hanging in your car when we met at your college."

Dustin shook his head. He remembered leaving it on his desk after realising it matched the one in Duo Maxwell's sketchbook. "I have it but not on me," Dustin replied. "Why?"

"Tell me, honestly. Do you believe in God?"

Dustin was genuinely surprised by the question. "Um, well that's a stupid question, but okay.." Dustin commented. "I guess I'd have to say that after all the shit I've been through, I'd have to say that I believe in God, but I absolutely hate the fucker! I wouldn't wish this whole fiasco on my worst enemy!" Dustin replied without even thinking about it.

Heero let out a tiny smile. It was the most human he'd ever seemed to the American, if only Duo had remembered what a robot Heero used to act like. "I asked you the exact same question just before you died two years ago. And you want to know what you answered?"

Dustin leaned back in his chair. "Shoot."

"You said the exact same thing."

Dustin's eyes widened. He was surprised but at the same time, who cares? "And.. your point?"

"My point," Heero began, "Is that you're still the Duo Maxwell we all know and love. You haven't changed. You've just forgotten the life that you loved. Tell me you don't still love the stealth missions, piloting a mobile suit and the rush you get from battle."

Dustin stood up. "This is stupid!" Was all he could think of to say. Heero was right. When Duo was sent on his first few stealth missions, he wondered why he loved them so much. It all came so natural to him that it was scary. The first time he piloted a mobile suit after his accident, everything came so natural to him that he felt he'd been doing it for years. He loved the missions and hated the easy life at school.

"If the only thing keeping you with Oz is the idea of a family," Heero said softly, "Then let me tell you now that you've got a family waiting for you with us. You have four brothers and a girl out there who's been wanting you to ask her out for almost four years now."

Dustin's eyes began to water at those words. "I.. I had a family?" Suddenly, subconsciously his views were starting to change. He didn't want to lose his family, but hearing that he was originally a gundam pilot made Dustin realise things about himself that he only had dreams about in the last 2 years.

Behind the glass, Treize stood up so fast that the sound of his chair skidding on the cold hard floor could be heard from the interrogation room. "He's heard too much," Treize said aloud. He turned to his comrade and commanded, "Zechs, get him out of there NOW!"

Zechs nodded and ran over to the door. As soon as he opened it, a large explosion could be heard, stopping Zechs in his tracks. The glass from the mirror had shattered and dust had filled the room. Everyone put their arms up to shield their faces from the dust and glass.

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"Is everybody alright?!" Treize called out. Une and Zechs coughed out that they were all okay through the massive dust and smoke that filled the room.

Dustin rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The large 'boom', meant there was an explosion. The dust and smoke meant that the explosion was close.. real close.

"Heero!" A foreign voice called out. "Where are you?!"

Dustin tried to feel his way around. The blast had blown him down onto the floor. As he felt his way around, the table that was once between himself and Heero was now gone, probably blown across the room.

"Over here!" Heero called out to the intruder. Dustin could hear footsteps crunching their way through the rubble and broken glass. "Where's Duo?" Heero asked.

Dustin couldn't help reply, "Over here," he coughed as the smoke tickled his throat. Dustin couldn't open his eyes because of the smoke and he couldn't do much more than wonder around slowly, trying to feel his surroundings.

"Heero," the foreign voice said, "Quatre and Wufei are waiting outside. We've got to go."

Heero grunted and the sound of his shackles hitting the floor were heard. "Thanks," he said to the mystery intruder. "But we've got to find Duo first!"

Dustin was speechless. He didn't know what to say. This was all sounding like a rescue mission for Heero, but Heero desperately wanted Dustin to go with them. He was caught off guard when he felt a hand grab his forearm. "Who's there!" Dustin called out.

"It's Trowa, Duo. We're getting you out of here."

Dustin wasn't sure what to do. His thoughts of which side he was meant to be on came back. If he went with them, he would really be picking sides. He needed answers though.

"Please, Duo," Heero said. "You belong with us."

Dustin, feeling Trowa's arm pulling him towards the gaping hole in the wall that the explosion had made, Dustin pulled back to stop himself from being pulled away. "I belong here," Dustin replied.

Trowa, as well as feeling that Duo was pulling away, could see that Duo had a confused look on his face. Trowa, knowing that the explosion would cause so much smoke and dust, Trowa borrowed Quatre's goggles, which made it easier for him to move around.

"Don't worry. We can give you the answers you need. We're your friends, not enemies," Trowa explained calmly. "But we need to go. Quatre's waiting outside in his jeep. Wufei's outside in his gundam. He can only hold off the mobile dolls for so long."

Back in the adjoining room, Lady Une could hear everything being said to her son. The gundam pilots were about to take Dustin with them. If they did that then she'd probably never see her son ever again. Even though Duo had been her son for only 2 years now, she had grown to love him as if he were her own. She couldn't let that go so easily.

"DUO!!" Une yelled. "Don't go, I beg you!"

Trowa yanked Dustin's arm, "You see?" Trowa commented. "Even Lady Une has started to call you by your real name. She knows that you belong with us."

Heero also butt in, "Just come with us, hear what we have to say and we'll let you leave if you want to."

Dustin thought about it. It sounded like a good offer. He could leave if he didn't believe them. "Okay," Dustin replied. "Let's go."

Trowa smiled, even though the other two boys couldn't really see it, and led them both out of the room and down the hall.

Lady Une could hear the trudging of their footsteps leaving the room. "Duo!? DUOOOO!!!" She called out to him. "You're my son!!" She called out, falling to her knees. "I don't want you to go.." Lady Une said quietly, feeling defeated. She could feel her shins had been cut from the debris on the ground as she dropped to her knees. "Duo.."

Lady Une felt a hand on her shoulder and then arms wrapping themselves around her. Despite the smell of smoke and ash, Lady Une could still smell the scent of Treize's cologne as he picked Lady Une up. She automatically wrapped her hands around his neck.

Then the brown-haired man reassured her in his deep, calm voice, "We'll get him back. I promise."

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The words of Lady Une echoed out in the corridor. The smoke from the explosion cleared up as the three boys ran down the corridor outside the interrogation room, making it easier for Heero and Dustin to see where they were going.

"Where are all the guards?" Dustin asked, noticing the corridor was suddenly empty, when only ten minutes ago, it was bustling with Oz troops.

Trowa replied, "Wufei and Quatre are handling them outside. The ones on the inside, I handled myself."

Heero turned to his old friend. "The moment we get out of here, we'll give you the answers you wanted."

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3 years ago

"Heero?"

Heero kept typing away at his laptop. Duo would realise eventually that he was at the kitchen table using his laptop.

"HEEEEEeeeeeeeeeero!?"

Heero rolled his eyes, ignored Duo and kept typing away.

Back at the front door, Duo had stuck his head in the front door, listening to see if Heero was home. Relieved that his fellow gundam pilot wasn't home, Duo turned around to face his unwelcomed 'guest' in the hallway. "See!?" Duo whispered, "He's not here," Duo said harshly. He waved his hand at the girl, dismissively, "So go home!"

"No," said the brown-haired girl, 'I think I'll go in and wait for him to come back."

And with that, the young woman pushed past Duo and walked into the apartment that Duo and Heero shared. Duo called out after her, "RELENA!"

Duo ran around Relena and blocked her path. "If you're going to stay here, then you go to the kitchen, make some tea- or whatever it is you rich folk have, and wait there!" Duo commanded. Relena tried to protest but Duo grabber her by the shoulders and led her to the kitchen. "Don't move! I'll be right back," Duo explained. As he walked out of the kitchen, he called out to her, "And don't even think about stealing Heero's mug!"

Duo walked over to Heero's bedroom to see if Heero was there. No Heero. Duo then walked into the living room and saw Heero's laptop on, and sitting on the coffee table by itself. Heero never left his laptop unattended.. never.. "Heero?" Duo whispered.

It was then that Heero's head popped out from behind the large wooden TV cabinet.

"Oh there you are!" Duo laughed quietly. "..What are you doing?"

Heero stared bluntly at Duo. "I heard you call out Relena's name!" Heero whispered back. "What is she doing here?!"

Duo looked over his shoulder to see if Relena was still in the kitchen. Thankfully she hadn't followed him into the living room. He then turned back to Heero. "I don't know! She was standing out the front door, trying to pick the lock when I got here!"

Heero came out from behind the cabinet and walked over to his laptop. "Well get rid of her!" Heero ordered.

"How?!"

"I don't know!" Heero whined. Duo was amazed how that girl slash stalker could insight so much fear and annoyance in the stoic guy. "I'm more concerned with how am I going to get out of here without her noticing."

"Heero!!" Relena squealed.

"Oh crap!" Duo muttered to himself as he realised that Relena had disobeyed his orders and left the kitchen to see what Duo was doing in the living room. Duo turned around and looked at the wide-eyes girl. "What did I tell you?"

Relena shrugged him off and walked over to Heero. "Heero! I've been looking for you everywhere!" She squealed as she hugged the poor Japanese guy.

"More like stalking him!" Duo muttered under his breath.

Relena released her hold on Heero, who didn't know how to react to Relena being all over him. "Oh Heero!" Relena exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you to ask me out!"

Both Heero and Duo looked at her, shocked and speechless. 'This girl's nuts!' Duo thought to himself.

But Relena was on a roll. "Oh, I know that with this stupid war going on, it'd be too hard to maintain a stable relationship, but with the love we have for each other, I think we can make this work!"

Duo scoffed. Heero was standing there, dumbfounded. Duo had a hard enough time getting Heero to say his 'please' and 'thankyou's, how was Relena going to get Heero to profess a love for her that he doesn't have! And Heero wasn't making any moves to get Relena off him, unsure of how Relena would react. 'Looks like I have to do something or she'll never get off the poor guy!' Duo thought to himself.

"Sorry, Relena.." Duo said, walking over to Relena and removing her hands from Heero's shoulders. "But Heero wont be professing his love to you anytime soon."

"Oh?" Relena asked, "And why not?"

Duo then put an arm around Heero's shoulders and smiled proudly. "Because we're lovers!"

Heero's body stiffened at Duo's response.

Relena raised an eyebrow at Heero's reaction. "Funny.. Heero doesn't seem to think so.."

Duo smiled and squeezed Heero tighter, "He's just freaked out because I outed him!" Duo turned to Heero, "Aren't ya, Heero?"

Heero gulped and nodded nervously, figuring it's easier to play along.

Relena crossed her arms, still not convinced. "Okay then," She said coyly. "If you two are 'lovers', then kiss."

This time both Heero and Duo stiffened. "Say what?"

"I said kiss."

"Er.." Duo replied, "We don't like to express our love publicly.. You understand.. Not many people would understand if we did."

Heero nodded in agreement. Relena, being the pain in the ass that she was, was still not convinced. 'Well, I'm not leaving here until I'm convinced.. And I wont be convinced until you two kiss!"

Duo huffed, "Fine!"

Heero's eyes widened, visually bothered by what was about to happen.

Duo, still holding Heero's shoulders, turned the Japanese boy to face him. The two boys looked at each other nervously for a moment before moving slowly.. towards each other.. mere inches from touching each other's lips..

"ARGH!" Heero called out as he pulled away.

"OH thank God!" Duo exclaimed, relieved that he hadn't kissed Heero.

"I knew it!" Relena called out.

"Crap on a stick!" Duo called out.

"Get out!" Heero called out, pointing to the door.

"Huh?" Both Relena and Duo looked at Heero, confused.

Heero huffed. "Relena, get out!" He yelled. "Duo, you go to my room," Heero replied.

Duo wondered for a moment if Heero had said it wrong and really meant for Duo to go to his own room..

"Heero?" Relena said softly, taking a step closer to Heero. But Heero had had enough.

"Relena," He said to her softly in his deep, gruff voice. "Get out so I can have a talk to.. my boyfriend in private."

"So you two really are..?"

"Yeah."

"Okay.. I guess I'll leave you two to be together," Relena said, still unsure of what was going on. If Heero was lying, he was pretty convincing. She turned to Duo, "If you break his heart, you're going to have to answer to me!" She stated before leaving the apartment.

As soon as the door closed behind Relena, Duo started laughing so had that he fell on the floor, grabbing at his sides. "Damn, Heero!" Duo laughed. "You were so convincing, you almost had me believing!"

The stoic boy let out the tiniest hint of a smile. "I wanted her to know that I can't ever be with her. Sometimes you need to go to extremes to get what you want."

Author's notes: Oh, I laughed so hard writing that last part!!! The pretending to be lovers thing with Heero and Duo made me laugh so hard when I first thought of it! I figured it can be my ohmage to all the yaoi fans out there! (Since this is my 1st non-yaoi story). You may also have noticed I keep swapping between using 'duo' and 'dustin' in sentences earlier on. I'm trying to portray the transition our favourite American is going through. When Duo/Dustin really decides what side he's on, then I'll stick to one name.