future never lies, the

by E-mu saru

Duo found himself the shock that stored for them from the future, and the surprise of finding Heero's side he'd never thought he had inside.Would it lead to a better life or doom's day...?

11. list 11: whatever you do

The future never lies 'gaku 7 march, 11

Disclaimer: G-boys are not saru's…too bad

Warning: vague AU, imps, OOC…some dark things coming ahead

This chapter should be occurring between what happened in chapter 10 :D

11. List # 11: whatever you do …

"I wouldn't think too much about it, if I were you..." Saline said while puffing the smoke through her plump lips -which I always thought that they were too thick-covered with lipstick-, she always smiled with teasing eyes knowing my thought when I stared at her lips.

"...no need?" I asked half-distractedly, she intentionally gave me a faraway-kiss and smiled again.

"Yep. Since someone from the shadow is purposely making you the scapegoat, you're positively a walking-dead as of now...!"

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"It didn't matter what you're going to do or say to clear up your name to them, since they wouldn't care either way. They need a sacrifice-goat to maintain their 'peace' and you had won the ticket, My-Duo...!" she inhaled the smoke deeply and exhaled, then chuckled, the cigarette-pipe's eyes were glinting back at me under the lamp light.

"...and you find it worth-watching, right?" I frowned.

Saline arched one of her shoulders slowly; "All of you guys are worth-watching...!"

She smiled wider when she caught the glint in my eyes at what she implied; I really didn't like it that somehow she had been watching our movements since before the war... or at least that was what she told me. She said she found us, the Gundam pilots (or would-be pilots at such time), were fascinating enough that it had worth her time. It's as if she saw us as exhibition animals or such.

"So you have any idea why they tried to blame me for the murder of a crime-lord's lover...?" I tried to bend the subject from us.

"If I were the culprit, I'd pick you because you'd be resilient enough and a hard target..."

"So it's to buy them time? Time for what...?" I stared at the carving of a fairytale-dragon on her cigarette-pipe; the details were always fascinating to see.

"What for, you think?" she asked back.

"Hey, you're the informant who called me saying you got something that would interest me...!" I objected.

Saline chuckled amusedly. "Exactly!" she said, "Since I'm the one who called you, so it's up to me what info I want to give you...!"

"...aren't you at least cared a bit that your-little-Duo is walking with a guillotine on the neck...?" I grumbled.

"Now, now..." she patted my head affectionately, "Pouting is cheating! There are some things that even I wouldn't want to interfere, alright?"

I che-ed, usually making childish act would make her spill everything I asked of her, seemingly not in this matter. I always wondering what was her real occupation for knowing that much about the world in general; even the things the world wouldn't know, that was.

"Knowing you, you'd persevere..." she said, "It's not so much different with the war time for you, right? Or is it different?" her grey eyes glinted with a sharp light and I stared back at her challenging eyes. I wouldn't want her to pry about my home (that much she said she wouldn't watch like a soap opera on some TV), but a thought popped out in my head that she might know about that Ned-guy Soleil mentioned. No! Better not giving her bread-crumbs to the subject; she'd definitely follow whole-heartedly if not forcefully.

"How's Hansel and Gretel doing? The moon-project should be almost finished by now, right?" Saline deliberately changed the subject seeing the wall I erected in my eyes. One thing I loved of her (yes, loved) was that she knew my limits and never push it when I withdraw, if not for being like another cover for my walls; like a big-sister of some sort, from a twisted fairytale.

"They're fine; they're currently staying at our place..." One thing I couldn't really object outright was that she made names for us in the way she liked it.

"Really? With Wolfie along? But your place isn't that big... Oh, I get it, like a summer camp, right? Might as well call it cramped-camp! ...or is it summer-cramp?" she brightened at her own pun and giggled.

And Wu Fei probably going to reel up being associated with a wolf instead of a dragon, I thought; but he'd positively agreed to wolf instead of that fisher-monkey I'd chosen...the now gone fisher-monkey that I loved.

"Say, how's my little-red-eyed Riding-hood doing? I always wonder what he'd be like aside from mission-related life..."

And I felt my pout came back at the mention of Heero; I was wondering what he'd do when he knew some woman gave him a nickname of that... Red-eyed...she probably took it from the Gundam's eyes.

"What exactly are you calling me for, again? It seemed like you're the one trying to spill out info about them from me instead the other way around..." I asked flatly.

Saline laughed pleasantly; "Oh, come on; I was just trying to cheer you up. You're not alone, alright? They'd take care of you, so you don't have to worry about the shadow's movement...!" she ruffled my head.

Especially since now I'm not ALONE...! My mind hissed, but I didn't show it; if Saline called me on her own, it meant she had something big to give me, it's just up to me to rub her right spot to give it...she usually bartered info, but if she willing to not gain anything then I should try the effort.

I stifled a sigh; "It's been on my mind for a long time. Why'd you call the criminal-world as 'shadow'? It's not as if they're combined into a single mass, right?"

"What are you saying? Everybody is a shadow...!" Saline said childishly with a closure tone.

"Hey, informants are supposed to be providing info, not making questions...!"

"Ah-ah...! I'm spreading bread crumbs, My-little-Duo!"

...might as well call me 'My-little-pony', my mind retorted.

"And? What are you going to give me in the first place...?" I began to get anxious, and she enjoyed the game.

Saline smiled again, propping a hand to her chin, and swaying the cigarette-pipe in the air like it was a magic wand; and instead of shimmering magical dust, it's smoking tobacco ashes. "Here's a question: what is an Arab-man doing in Chinatown?"

"Wha~at?" I gaped at her.

"I'm not being racist! Just find a clue for yourself...!" she prompted.

"I'm not here to play riddle...!" I objected.

"Oh, it's not a riddle...!" she whispered on my ear as she stood up and stole a peck on my cheek. And just like that she left the table.

"Wait-...!" I called behind my back, but couldn't find her in the crowd.

"Here's your order...!" a waitress put some breakfast menu on the table and some take-out in a paper bag, and I half-gaped at the girl. "It's paid." she informed, cueing to the direction Saline had disappeared; "More coffee?" she offered.

"Uhhh... alright." I lifted my half-empty cup. "What's with this sudden crowd, anyway?"

The waitress took a glance at the crowd in the diner. "Apparently, some ones are trying to avoid morning-crowd upstairs...!" she closed it with a wide smile. Well, for an underground classic-themed diner with jazz or blues aura all over the place, wasn't it too early to be crowded? But I let it passed, since my stomach wasn't objecting.

---

"...what's an Arab-man doing in Chinatown?" I sat on my sofa in my other-office of crummy-but-cozy rat hole where I put mostly of my paperwork and other things necessary to live.

'everybody is a shadow', Saline's words kept repeating in my mind, because it nailed me right on the head; I was living a shadow too...

"...hiding! Right?" I asked the air, it's not fresh air but not moldy at least; it's smelled just as she called it, smelled of shadow.

I stared at the take-out I put on the drawer, I had a feeling that I wouldn't want to open it any time soon, but I knew it was her means to give me the info (plus I got a take-out for lunch aside from the breakfast, shouldn't I feel happy? My stomach was happy...while my mind pointed that ordering a take-out and breakfast at the same time should've looked suspicious for someone who's perceptive enough). And why did I say it like there's someone tailing me everywhere? But of course someone would tail me everywhere, right? Since it's made like I was connected with the death of a crime-lord's lover...!

I cursed.

Might as well think about 'food' instead of them...!

I took the paper bag and opened it; the evil-winking smiley on the burger cover greeted my eyes first.

"Oh, you ordered an extra-large super chili...!" I half-complained to the air, the merry-looking evil-smiley in red print didn't answer. Of course it wouldn't answer, it's a question; a voice in my mind pointed.

A graphic-line of thought formulated in my mind: red print = red = red-eyed Riding-hood = Heero; evil-smiley = doing something 'evil' as in 'in shadow' as she put it = secretly; extra-large = something very big; winking = conspiratorially = deliberately doing something very big behind my back that he wouldn't want me to know.

I blinked.

And fell hunched down on the table.

"...Saline, I'm NOT an elementary kid to be given such bread-crumbs of clues, don't you think? Frankly, it's not even a clue...!" After checking that there was nothing sort of any real-looking info in the package and in the burger (not that I wanted it there), I stared accusingly at the red-winking-smiley. "What kind of clue are you?"

I'd expected at least a writing on a small paper, stuffed in the soda straw, even though it should be obvious-looking (plus there's a chance I might choke on it or swallowed it if I wasn't looking carefully enough), but it's the stupidest way of exchanging info I'd be willing to except; "It's not like I expected something as big-sized as a man hidden in a burger, right...?" I made a sarcastic comment to myself, and I paused.

"Hu...?" I obviously wouldn't want a burger made out of a man-... Wait, that's not right.

Something big the size of a man, an Arab-man... hiding in Chinatown...Heero doing something behind my back...

It's unfolded as if something written by itself in my mind.

"Hu...?" Now I started panicking...

---

"Hey..., Duo..." was Wu Fei's usual greets on the phone.

"Yo, wassup, Wu?" Since he called to my safe-line, it must be something important.

"I sent some lists of labs both governmental and individual that might have/had connections with OZ during the war to your e-mail; some of them, mostly, have no longer active; but there are several of them that changed names and owners and activity. I thought you might want to have a look..."

"Hmmm... judging that you send me, I guess it's not some info that any civilian could have access to...?" I tried.

"Well... not all of them, particularly the G-labeled ones..."

I chuckled dryly; "I guess the governments didn't really want their secret playground to be looked into, right? How's Heero doing with his research?" I casually asked mission-related stuff, while actually wanting to know his whereabouts.

"Huh? Didn't he tell you his progress?"

"Umm... we kinda don't talk to each other after that hotel-thing, you know...?" I let him hear the hesitation in my tone.

"Ohh...well..." Wu Fei paused, "I didn't see him often in the office, he's always out to some work-related places; but I thought he'd surely tell you about his findings...?"

"Right, especially since we're living under the same roof, hu...?" I made a sharp retort and quickly regretted it for taking it out on Wu Fei. I cleared my throat and said, "...sorry. I've lots in my mind right now."

"Speaking of things you should be thinking in your head right now,..." Wu Fei didn't seem like he's offended, though; "Do you happen to be familiar with a 'Lucia-X' in anyway?"

I checked my head-database before asking back, "...who?"

"L u c i a (dash) X..." Wu Fei spelled, "Don't ring any bell?"

"Which case is that name associated with...?" I frowned, maybe the shadow? I guessed I never really looked into The Lady's name since her whole figure was somehow had a 'forbidden'-sign; kind of like that Ghostbusters's poster. "Should I search about it?"

"No." Wu Fei's answer was too quick than normal, "If you don't know about that name, you should just concentrate with your own lead. I'll just ask the others about it, since Zechs should know more about the inside of OZ..."

What kind of reasoning was that?

"Why not ask Lady Une about OZ...?" I tested.

"You want to...?"

"No." My answer was too quick too.

"Alright, I e-mailed you some more lists you could look into; some of them were from Trowa, so it should be safe enough..."

Ah, as I thought; the others must be quite worrying about the crime-lord's lover case. Seemed like Saline was right, after all; I wasn't alone now.

"Speaking of which...-" I cut as my mind linked Trowa to Quatre; "Wu Fei, do you know any Arab-man or Arab-family who lived in Chinatown?"

There was a long enough pause before he reacted; "...something about the Triad?"

I blinked at that. "There's an Arab-family in the list of the Triad-members?" I cocked my head to the side as it sounded unlikely even to myself.

"Duo... what kind of lead are you following?" Wu Fei's tone was hinted with warning.

"..." I guessed I didn't expect that, and I felt like I had my face turned into a smiley icon of [:D] right now...while that red-smiley winking back at me; seriously, couldn't he be more obvious than that? "There actually IS...?"

"Hnnnnng... I don't know if it's what you meant; but there's a Persian rug store in chinatown, and an Indian curry booth that I liked... What are you searching, exactly?" since his tone suddenly turned conversationally, and knowing he wouldn't spill anything I'd like to know, I thought I had to just be open with it.

"Something related to Heero in Chinatown?"

"With an Arab-family?" he sounded like he didn't see the connection too.

"Yeahh...-" and I guessed he could catch the 'and I think I couldn't ask Quatre for that matter, either'-part which I left unspoken.

"Then, why don't you ask Heero? If you're asking around behind him, wouldn't it seem like you're making a secret about it?"

Dang. And I thought it was Heero who's keeping secrets from me.

"Yeah, you're right... Thanks, Wu." And I cut the line.

Screening over the lists he e-mailed me, I didn't find any 'Lucia-X' anywhere; so why did Wu Fei bring it up? The only name alike was 'C. Luce' in a list of scientist's assistants in some lab in...

I blinked.

L2?

Suddenly a rush of abstract-colors filled my head; somehow my mind pointing that it had the connection with those letters; but I couldn't really see it. It just left me with the sensation that somehow I felt like I'd seen it somewhere, both the colors and the letters.

I arched my shoulders.

Alright, now...back to Heero...; my mind ordered me.

Right, if I couldn't ask him, I could just tail him; and my mind agreed to that.

Since, it's not that I couldn't ask him; it's that I didn't want to ask him. And my mind echoed 'right. right.'

But I didn't know his whereabouts. 'dang'

Then I'd wait, he'd be coming back to the apartment; I could tail him tomorrow. 'Right-o. That's a plan'; and I got a thumb-up in my head.

I chuckled to myself.

---

The train passed with the sounds of the train-crossing siren made an almost melancholic music as the beat of the rails making up the tempo. The shadows of the linked cars consistently casted down on me, and the yellow evening light blinded my eyes as it alternately assaulted them between shadows. When the train cleared from my sight, I was frozen when finding Heero standing on the other side of the crossing; there was a glint in his eyes (even from such distance I could see it) marking that he was surprised too finding me on the other side, but he didn't show it on his face.

He walked towards me when the crossing bars lifted; I just stared at him, since my feet wouldn't budge; I could only file his figure into my mind-note. He looked rather disheartened or tired; and avoiding my eyes. He didn't say anything when he passed me; I sighed and decided to move on with my walk to the apartment, but my feet decided to follow him instead.

"Vegetables."

I heard a voice said while my eyes glued to his back; and just realized after several seconds that it was Heero's in his usual curt tone when he's upset.

"...we're out of vegetables, already?" I just made a reaction in reflex at the thought that Heero TALKED to me again.

"Quatre loves healthy foods."

"...right..." I agreed half caring to the fact.

"...I thought it was you."

I lifted my brows, not expecting that. "Me? Healthy foods?"

"...falling from the hotel window."

And my feet stopped moving.

"...I only heard parts of the description of the subject through my radio, and my mind just kept playing that it was you falling from an 8-storeys window despite the part of the report saying that it was a boy." And somehow he could make a curt tone devoid of emotion, too. He must have recalled the event when I rescued him from OZ at that time when I gave him the only parachute, and a little part of him was still questioning my sanity.

"When I got to Sally's place I was so relieved that it was Soleil instead of you that I just had to be angry at you to make it felt real."

"And even though it was Wu Fei or Trowa or Quatre instead of you, I'd still feel relieved to the point that I'd hate myself for having such feelings."

I gaped for some time, staring at his slow-paced walk carrying his figure further from me; and I clamped my jaw so hard that it hurt; "...sorry... Heero..."

"You said it yourself that an apology couldn't fix everything; yet you just keep messing around and do reckless things-"

"It's NOT like I do such things on purpose, alright? Some things just turned out to be worse than you'd expected, and that's what life is, right?" I snapped. So he's blaming me for getting myself involved with such a case with the mobs too, hu?

He turned his body and glared at me; his usual 'omae o korosu'-glare, only that his eyes were a bit watery. I clamped my mouth shut at the expression he's making and he fast turned his body again, and took a run for the minimarket.

He's running away from me.

I made him feel like he should run away from me.

"Damn it!" My leg could move as I boiled up my anger; or was it my knee buckled?

"It's not as if I purposely messing things up to gain attention, alright?" I yelled, but his body already disappeared into the store.

I tsk-ed, and kicked the road grits, and almost lost my footing.

I tried to calm down after quite a long pause, but only felt dejected even more; so he thought he was the only one angry at me? I too even angrier at myself, a voice hissed in my head and I cared less whose voice that was. So I turned around and headed to the apartment without waiting for him.

I didn't know if he was expecting me to wait for him.

He's making me losing my footing...

---

I was amazed finding Trowa on my bed, taking care of the still blissfully 'sleeping' Soleil and his tired brother sleeping at the boy's side. I was beyond shock hearing that mini-Heero's scream when he found his brother hurt and unconscious; such intense scream that penetrated my memory-walls and released the demon I caged in my heart for so long. Well, maybe not that long.

Trowa turned his face at me and smiled, his eyes shone with affection; seemed like he knew what was released inside me. He too, of course, remembered such scream I let out through the Gundam com-link when we witnessed Heero self-destructed with his Wing. A part of me still held a grudge at Heero for doing that; when I witnessed En's heartbreaking scream and the face Heero was making at the time, I thought he'd deserved it, witnessing what I felt that day when he'd decided that he could just throw away his life without any care for anyone else who cared for him.

But most part of me regretted it...

I didn't want him to be subjected to hurtful things...ever! I wanted him to be happy, since I was sure he'd had very little of that feelings and occasions in his life.

"Don't you want to come in to your own bedroom?" Trowa asked silently.

I stared him unmoving from the doorway.

He nodded understandingly, and took his laptop to the living room.

"Did you get the lists I sent to Wu Fei?"

"...yeah..." I took off my jacket and hung it on the hanger I put on the spot where my lovely totem should have been. I sighed, my cute Heero-turtle was no more...!

Trowa snickered when I joined him on the long sofa; he knew what ran in my mind every time I hung something on the hanger. I frowned at him.

"I'll check on them later..." I said, throwing my boots to the corner of the TV cabinet and the wall. "I got something I should do tomorrow..." I informed him before he asked.

Trowa only stared at my boots on the floor.

"Heero talked to you again?"

"...and?" I challenged him with enough acid in my voice.

"You could relief him a little...?" Trowa's tone was comforting enough in its flatness.

I sighed again, deeper; and slumped on the long sofa massaging my temples. "Is he that worried...?" I almost whined.

"More than worried, he's hurt, I think..."

I peered at Trowa from between my fingers. "...because I managed to put my life in danger behind his back?" I tried to put enough acid in my tone, by it sounded more like mewling in the end.

"...because he's helpless?" Trowa tried.

I snorted a snicker. "Right! Mr. Perfect always had to be in control in everything...!" I leered; and clamped my mouth right after I finished that line. I didn't mean it that much...

"He just felt that your well-being is part of his responsibility...?" Trowa smiled to his laptop screen.

"I don't need a guardian...!" I objected; and swallowed hard when I realized that my eyes were watery.

"I just don't get him, Trowa..." I whined, crossing my arms above my face to cover the expression of helplessness I made. "If I tried reaching out to him, he'd dodge my hands; if I pushed myself despite my feelings, he'd flee. If I just let my 'door' open so he could come in every time he felt like it, he just... find something else to be occupied with. But if I distance myself, he'd pull me back as if he wouldn't allow me to move forward without him..."

"Perhaps you should ask him what he wants?" Trowa's answer was fast enough as if he'd known what I'd complain to him and what I didn't do.

"I did!" I lied.

"Did he answer?" Trowa seemed to play along with my line.

I pulled my hands behind my head and stared at the ceiling. "...we fought!" I admitted.

"Did you know why?" Trowa asked while clicking on his keyboard. I snapped my head to him, I just said it that I didn't get Heero, didn't I?

"Well...! He seemed like-"

"About you...!" Trowa cut my exasperated complaint.

I shut up for about 30 seconds.

"I..." My mind filled with many things that I couldn't put into words one by one, and all I could come up with was "...I miss him..."

Trowa smiled again. "Ever said that to him?"

...without anything else following those words or stating the boundary? If... he said 'I'm here, Duo', then it should be alright; or a line like 'I miss you, too'... that should be good, right?

But my heart was afraid if he'd said something like 'where have you been?'; because I wouldn't know the answer to that, or may be my mind just didn't want to admit it that I've been running away from him...

I've been running away from him.

He felt it... that's why he'd distanced himself from me, giving me the much needed room that I'd feel safe enough in, so that I wouldn't flee somewhere his eyes couldn't see when I thought I felt suffocated.

"I don't know why..." I admitted silently. Trowa realized the different atmosphere around me and he stopped typing, and just stared at me.

"I don't want him to disappear, Trowa..."

Trowa silenced for a moment, reading me. "You feel like he'd disappear from you?"

I expected he would go on about that self-destruct incident, but seemed like Trowa could see it better; I praised him for that.

"...he's putting himself on lines... Ones he could just severe when he wanted to leave..." I stared on the turned off TV screen, a silhouette of myself was facing me, 'staring' pass through me and my walls. "...and I didn't know where he'd grounded those lines to so I could keep them from being severed..."

"I'm really..." I covered my eyes again with my arms.

"I never felt like he's here with me, Trowa..."

Trowa was silenced for a much longer time, I glanced at him from between my arms and saw the uncertainty on his face. I thought I shouldn't burden anyone with our problem, so I pretended that I'd fell asleep.

I heard a rustling noise and the sofa creaked softly, I felt his movement and his hand petted my head gently. I almost broke my pretence (since I knew he knew I wasn't really sleeping), but his words shattered me to the core.

"Quatre told me that Heero said he feared you so much he thought you'd kill him..." Trowa whispered on my ear, but it felt like he was yelling instead.

Then the front door opened.

I was so surprised by Trowa's words that I backed from him with widened eyes, and stared at anything except him... say like, that opened door... revealing Heero who seemed surprise too with our arrangements. And my flushed face, and I just realized that Trowa was leaning his body sheltering me with a hand looking affectionate enough on my head (well, since I pulled from him hastily, his hand was now on my cheek)... and you knew what it looked like. (my mind just rolled on my brain cavity laughing at the uncanny-timing of us)

Hero stopped for about 3 seconds, and proceeded to the kitchen with his grocery bags still held safely in his hands. If it were me I'd surely had dropped them (and my mind just boo-ed me saying something like '...oh, you just have to dramatize everything!')

I was struck speechless by the things happened (or the nothing happened actually) and tried to panic when I caught a glint in Trowa's eyes as if he was curious of our reaction (or lack of it) and enjoying the misunderstanding (or should-be misunderstanding, I didn't know if Heero would thought what it had looked like). I gave my other-mind a mind-slap, and my mind was back on track (I hoped...)

I pushed Trowa and turned my body so fast that I almost fell from the sofa and-, ignoring his chuckles, I hurried to the kitchen.

"Need some help with the cooking...?" my tone was too hopeful and I slapped myself in my head.

Heero didn't look at me and just proceeding putting the groceries into the cabinet and fridge.

"Did you look into the lists?" he asked curtly without looking at me.

I paused shortly, I thought he didn't want to talk about work in the kitchen; he'd said that more than once. Or did he just want to dismiss any personal matters between us?

"Yes. What do you want to cook?" I openly ignored his subject.

As expected, Heero looked at me like I had sprouted another head; I blinked and plastered identical sweet grins on both of them. There was a flash of fright-glint in his eyes before he turned his face away, it felt like a slap on my face right after Trowa's words hit me. I thought he was just still angry at me.

I grabbed his left arm, trying to say something like a silly excuse or a dismissal joke; but he jumped and spun around pulling himself from my reach, as if he got electric charged when our skins touched, and my words died before I even remembered what they were about.

Yes, there was a manic-fright in his eyes as he glared at me for surprising him; as if he was afraid that anything he wanted to keep secret could be seen in his eyes. And I could see his trigger fingers contracted unconsciously at his sides. And for a moment he looked like a complete stranger in my eyes, and he'd seen it too though I cursed myself for letting him saw it.

He looked really hurt for a millisecond, before that dismissal covered it and he spun again and busied himself chopping the vegetables on the counter.

And I stood there, shocked at my own mind as it -how could it?- saw Heero as a perfect stranger...?

The beads curtains jingled, and a sincerely surprised Quatre came in with a light smile on his face. "Oh, you're home. I bought some vegetables on my way here too..." he showed me his grocery bag. He seemed to have felt the dark mood around us and apologized himself, for whatever it was.

Heero turned around slowly, and I half expecting him to glare at Quatre too; but Heero stared at him with his usual stoic stare and said, "I could use a hand with the carrots...!"

Quatre's brows shot up and he glanced awkwardly in turns at me and at him; Heero just ignored me being there, so I took my leave; patting the baffled Quatre on the shoulder as a greeting when I passed him. The poor blonde might've regretted being there between our fighting-routine already.

"What were you two talking about...?" I heard him asked with a smile carried in his polite voice.

"Nothing...!" Heero answered distantly, and I knew when I should just shut my ears off from him.

---

Wu Fei came to the apartment almost at midnight with a bump on his forehead and a split on his lower lip and a bruise on his left cheek. Quatre was instantly at his side with the first aid kit, and a mother-hen's frown.

"Don't tell me you were caught in a fight...!" Quatre said seriously as he saw Wu Fei's jacket and pants were dirty.

"...I was rolling on the ground..." Wu Fei said rolling his eyes.

Quatre gave him the stare while cleaning the bump on his forehead, and Wu Fei cave in after several seconds.

"Some punks thought it was funny to hit random people with their truck...!" he said looking at Quatre's eyes; and Quatre looked satisfied enough with that answer after taking his time searching Wu Fei's eyes.

"Where?" Quatre asked while applying some alcohol to Wu Fei's busted lip.

"Ow..Chay-natouwn... -I can do it myself!" he pulled the dripping cotton bud from Quatre's hand and pulled his abused lip away from Quatre's -gentle- hand. He glanced at the room generically and stopped at me, and hissed as he walked pass me on the study doorway to the sink at the dining area to see his wounds on the mirror.

"Just some punks?" Quatre asked again.

"I think they were drunk... They threw some beer cans at me; you can smell it on my jacket...!" Wu Fei answered to his frowning reflection in the mirror.

"What lead were you chasing in Chinatown?" Trowa asked, and I could hear his interrogation-mode tone, even so discreet.

"Indian curry...!" Wu Fei snorted. "You know; that booth that I liked...?" and he ended hissing as he put the cotton bud on his lip.

I blinked; so he followed my lead about that Arab man in Chinatown, and whatever he found he thought it was risky enough that he should keep it a secret from the others.

"Tsk. I need a shower...!" Wu Fei said criticizing his own appearance. "Aside from my face and my clothes, I'm fine, Quatre. Thanks..." he said fast and fled to the bathroom at the back.

We all stared him disappeared behind the beads curtains, and I glanced at Quatre and Trowa still staring at the swaying beads. I glanced at the bedroom door and Heero didn't come out; 'guessed he was still glued to the boys and ignoring me. I stifled a sigh, and took my things in my hands from my table.

"I'm going to the loft; the study is yours, Wu...!" I said to the bathroom direction and pulled the folded ladder from the ceiling at the corner of the study; since we gave Quatre and Trowa the living room, and I was still avoiding our bed room (including my refuge-closet in there).

"...'Kay...!" I heard him answered between the sounds of the shower.

After about 15 minutes later I heard Wu Fei entered the study, I was lying on my makeshift bed in the loft counting how many lines in the spider web on the ceiling just above my face when I heard he lowered the folded ladder. I crawled to the panel and found his really serious face with a dark-shade in his eyes.

"What is it, Wu?" I was almost hoping he'd say he found nothing.

Without a word he handed me a crumpled little piece of paper, on it only scribbled a shop's name, level numbers and a phone number.

"Chinatown..." he said and turned his face around intending to descent the ladder.

"Wait, Wu..."

He stopped halfway and looked indecisive for a moment, then turned to me again with almost a pained expression.

"Duo..." he began, and my mind said 'this couldn't be good'; "...frankly, it's not my business, though I really concerned about you too..."

'Me too'?

"But we're grown-ups now... -though not that much...!" he grimaced; "I just want to say that... I want to believe you can see through reasons-?" he left it hanging there.

I frowned, "Is this about the thing I asked you in the phone today?"

He paused, took a deep breath. "...just promise me you won't kill anyone?"

Definitely fishy! "It depends-..." I tried to make excuses.

"Including you!" Wu Fei finished. From his stare I thought he wouldn't take no for answer, and so ignoring my other-mind started ranting about dark things, I nodded. He searched my face for a moment and nodded to himself.

"Thanks, Wu...!" I threw before closing the panel.

"...Right. Prepare to get beaten on the way..." I heard him mumbled something like that through the wood, but my mind already focused on the crumpled paper in my hand.

Well, I certainly wouldn't kill anyone over this thing; but about what I find there... -my mind started to plot; and I didn't mind about the outcome formed in my head.

---

"...you sure you're alright?"

I heard Heero's voice through the study door; Wu Fei had already put his sleeping bag into the cabinet and now he's in the living room commenting about the news.

I opened the door and greeted by Trowa who was arranging the table for breakfast. I frowned.

"Quatre left early in the morning to the factory; some materials needed to be checked immediately." he supplied before I asked.

I grimaced; "Not about that, really, Trowa...". I just felt something wrong with them being the guests and me being the host had them do most of the chores. Quatre did say something like 'I could fill in for you', but still...

"If there's something wrong, I won't-..." I heard Heero's voice again, filled with enough worry for his level.

"I am fine, Tou-san. Please don't mind me and go to work like usual. I really want to say that we are in a hurry, but Nii-san didn't provide any better link to follow through, so I will stay by his side and inform you when he wakes."

I glanced at the bedroom door and saw Heero looking pale-worried and his miniature looking almost upset being treated like a kid. Right...!

"But you were out like a dead log last night; I almost thought you got into coma too...!" Heero said disapprovingly.

"Nii-san is only sleeping, not in a coma, Tou-san...!" his miniature objected.

...as if you too weren't like a dead log yourself at night! My other-mind retorted at Heero.

"...and I was descending deeper than sleep, but it was deliberate..." his miniature fast reasoned Heero before he objected. "I was searching for Nii-san's loose-end..."

Heero paused for a moment, seemingly mulling at the information.

"So, did you find it?"

His miniature had a caught expression at Heero's silent question, his cheeks flushed and he averted his eyes from Heero's.

"No..." his frown was a dissatisfactory one, almost looking cute and made me want to give him a bear hug saying heart-lifting words, if only he were Heero. "I... never really tried to phase-in before. I will try harder today..."

"Are you sure you have to force him to wake up?"

Heero said the question that was floating in my head.

His miniature blinked and looked up at Heero's eyes again. "Don't you... want us to help you?" he asked slowly.

"We can manage...!" Heero ruffled his miniature's hair; and I felt a flare of jealousy in my chest. "When we find a dead end, we'll come to you. For now, just stay by his side?"

His miniature blinked again and nodded. But weren't Heero asking the obvious? Of course that boy would be at his brother's side, he didn't have to ask for that, right? I frowned deeper and turned around to the bathroom direction when he turned around to me, I didn't really want him to see me feeling jealous about them...he obviously knew that I was jealous from the start, right?

Well, we can play cat and mouse all we want in the house, but today you won't escape me, Heero...! My mind vowed, and I shivered as my nerves woke up at the anticipation.

---

Heero left the apartment at his usual time of departure, Wu Fei said he's going to look into some facilities himself, and Trowa was called to his office-branch out of town for something about their Moon-project, saying he might also search about anything linked to the Moon while he's at it.

I didn't want to stalk Heero since he'd definitely realize my doing... So I round my route to Chinatown to circle some labs first, which to my dismay, it resulted in nothing linked to our 'prevent the world's end from happening'-mission. All I found was that scientists were likely to be secretive about their works; called it paranoia or clever, but somehow they rubbed me the wrong way; so I let Wu Fei or Trowa to deal with them. I said to myself, 'tell me to search for anything to blackmail them, and I'll gladly work on it', but it didn't fit in the mission parameter.

...one thing at a time... A voice in my head whispered; so I checked about the paper Wu Fei gave me last night. The phone number was not listed, it's a few numbers short to be an active phone number, it must be a code, then.

I frowned.

...let's just started from the store... The voice in my head said, so I took my leave to Chinatown. It was past midday when I got there.

Chinatown being Chinatown seemed too busy and cramped for my taste; it's a place where you could easily lose yourself at. Some low-level Triads members loitering on some corners or eateries' entrance; I tried to act innocent but their eyes kept finding me... It made me wonder if I smelled like a cop. I ignored them, and pretending I didn't notice several groups of people tailing me since I entered the Chinatown's gate. Being tailed by men was usual, but children and elderly too?

I cursed in my mind; seemed like Wu Fei should have told me about whatever movement occurred in the place. Then I cursed at myself; Wu Fei got the info on that small paper through some beatings, I should've realized it sooner.

Oh, that's the Indian curry booth that he liked. The servant girl, who was the daughter of the owner, smiled nicely at me from across the narrow street.

"Are you lost, Mister...?" a boy around the size of the miniature-Heero asked me from behind just as I stepped my foot on the street to cross. I was waiting for anyone to prevent me from doing anything.

"This place?" I showed him the paper folded to show only the store name.

"2 dollars...!"

"Okay..." I agreed, and waited for him to move.

"Now?" I asked when he didn't budge after several breath spans.

"2 now, 2 then...!" he grinned showing his incomplete front teeth.

"That'd be 4..." I argued.

"No. That's 2!" he said confidently.

Alright, I did that too when I was in L2, so I followed his conditions. The boy took me through a very crowded market and into some small alleys, all the while ranting about anything and asked questions about me; I did that too back then, it's to dissociate the person while leading them lost somewhere. I let him led me to the parts of poorer and shadier area.

I knew when he insisted his payment was '2' that he'd leave me alone somewhere in the way.

Some eyes in the dirty housing still followed me. I was ready for anyone to jump me anytime, but in contrary, the people who were tailing me stopped one by one. I looked around while following the boy, and found no marking everywhere. No house numbers, no alley names, no graffiti or any other evident of delinquent's markings. It was simply a poor area in the middle of nowhere; it looked deserted the more I moved on.

When I thought it was as if the sun's ray didn't reach through the overlaid roofs, the boy disappeared in some T-shaped junction. I looked at the either ways and just realized in front of me stood a very tall building... well, the back of it. The wall was a discolored black due to old age, and I found no entrance or windows at lower levels. While surveying the length of the back alley, I contemplated whether the boy had had me, but at the corner of its wall and another building, I found an ancient phone secured in some niche.

I stared at it almost for a full minute.

I decided to try and picked the receiver... no dial tone. I hung it up; but then decided to just try the number Wu Fei gave me. Wasn't it missing a few numbers to be a present phone number?

When was the last time I dial a phone with this circular dialing-plate kind? I chuckled, it's the first time, I guessed.

I waited, nothing dinged or bleeped. Well, the ancient phone was dead, anyway. I arched my shoulder and hung up again. I turned around and froze when the wall of a smaller building across the phone slid up, revealing the floors inside it which slid to the sides showing a set of staircase to underground. I blinked and checked the paper again; the level part was written as 'level-9'.

"...so it was 'minus', I thought it was just a dash...!" I grimaced. I looked around, finding no one; then entered the underground stairs. The sliding floors slid close again after me.

I frowned at the many censors I could distinguish in the walls. The place was too high technologically equipped despite its appearance. Good thing I came prepared.

After passing through some more gates and dialing the same phone number on some more ancient phones, I counted the floor level where I'd descended to and it was still level-3. I already lost my sense of humor when I passed the gate to the level-2 back there; what's all this with the laser identification system letting me pass while I was nowhere qualified to enter? Dang, I preferred to enter a Triads' lair compared to this underground fish-tomb. Ha! If I ever found one or all of the old-scientists at the end of the track, I'd be sure to shoot them; though I was sure they'd be all prepared to welcome me if it were really them...

The gate of level-4 swished opened, and I bit my tongue instead of letting my jaw dropped; in front of the opened path laid a corridor, bits of metals and tangled wirings dangled everywhere; and the musty odor and some other smells assaulted my nose and I coughed. The light bulbs along the walls were dim and sometimes flickered.

I'd wish I smelled a dead fish, and could say I smelled something fishy; but seeing the situation, I thought I'd find some mummified-fish instead. And my head complained I wasn't being funny. I sighed and stepped pass the gateway.

I could hear some metal clangs travelling the metal pipes attached to the walls, some dripping sound of water somewhere. The flickering light bulbs let out zapping noise, and the sound of my footsteps echoed in the closed narrow space. The design of the building, or rather buildings, seemed out of plan and disfigured in some places. It gave me a feeling like entering a more smart-looking mine tunnel; smart, not safe.

Descending another staircase with a plate number '4' at some turn, I was surprised finding a spacious field-like space but still seemed cramped with stacks of bits and what-else at the sides and corners. Some men were sitting on the floor playing cards and Mahjong, they didn't even spare a glance at me; some older men were sitting on some crates stacked along the sides of the far corridor, and they only followed me with their clouded eyes. There were voices of women shouting and some children sounding playful echoed from somewhere I couldn't see.

There were people living here. My mind found that bit of info quite baffling. So the place wasn't a secret lab-like place, after all; and the more I descended down the more I felt like entering a very large and jumbled salvage of a city. It almost felt like the slumps of L2.

I mulled at the thought. What's with it being in Chinatown and all; wasn't it like Kowloon city...?

Just as I finished that thought, I found myself a -late- welcome party lining along the corridor at the entrance of level-6. My mind supplied, wasn't it the number that almost similarly pronounced with 'die' was 4? But then again, it might just mean something like 'the dead started living from level-4'.

...'everybody is a shadow'; Saline's words suddenly came to my mind.

So, whose shadows are all of you? My other-mind sneered as my body readied for some fight.

---

"How far do you think he will proceed?" the rocking chair let out a smooth creak every time it moved forward and backward slowly.

"Heheh. Wanna bet?" a gleeful voice asked in return.

"Hmph. You just bought yourself a lot of candy, hu?" the rocking chair didn't lose its tempo.

"I'll bet some for that..!" the small finger pointed at the long armament bit between the lips of the rocking chair's occupant.

Those lips smiled amusedly. "You wouldn't find this thing interesting at all, human-boy...!"

"Tsk. Cheapskate!" the boy retorted.

"Hey...!" the rocking chair slightly lost its momentum.

---

I had enough firearms with me.

My head kept pointing that fact, but I tried to ignore it. I wouldn't want to badly injure or kill the inhabitants of such a place which I didn't know how or where to exit, right? I didn't think about where I was heading, and just ran to any possible opening I could find; while my mind pointing that those chasers were leading me lost in that web of passages. And quite true, I lost count of how many levels I'd passed since that level-6 gate.

I cursed, momentarily forgotten what a fractured bone felt like; but seeing their numbers, it's very likely they were playing with me instead really intending to put me down. And they could stop me anywhere if that's what they wanted to do.

Right; Wu Fei was a good martial artist... and I wondered whether he entered this place or not yesterday. I hid myself in some recess while some men running along the crossing corridor upfront, and my hand reflexively rubbed the gun I had under my jacket. I tsk-ed when I realized myself. No, no firearm! I told myself, and took the way where the chasers came from.

Another left turn, another right turn; just find another staircase, my mind echoed.

Another turn, I stopped and moved backward. There was a number plate at the side of the wall I just passed, its dirty beyond recognition, I took off my shoe and used the sole to rub the grits off.

"...four?" I asked in confusion. That couldn't be right; I should've been in level-7 or between level-7 and -8 by now.

"...die!" a high pitched voice yelled behind me, and I jumped in surprise. A squeal of laughter followed by several heads of imps showed it was just some children and their pranks.

I sighed and lowered my hand from the gun holster. Another mind in my head complained that those children shouldn't be let running around when their adults were chasing some stranger in their vicinity, what if that stranger was dangerous? Another conscious mind pointed that if they deemed me to be dangerous enough, then I'd be dead by now.

I che-ed and continued my way, counting on my instinct.

I thought this was only about finding an Arab-man in Chinatown. My head complained at the reason for doing this, while my body complained that I had grown quite several inches more (tall and width) that I almost couldn't fit in some preferable places I used to use when I usually infiltrate some labs or bases or just slumps.

Another wave of chasers passed by on the corridor below, I waited until I couldn't hear the echo of their footsteps anymore, and jumped down from the recess with covering for the pipes on the ceiling. I had descended a couple more of staircases and the only number plates I could find still read '4'.

"Finding any number you like?" A voice made me jumped, and I swirled finding a youth around my age grinned at me. His left hand was holding a chopstick he used to tap the pipe with, the pair of the chopstick was stuck horizontally at the base of his ponytail by the nape.

I realized he was delivering message to his friends using the pipe.

"Wait. I didn't come here to fight...!" I tried to reason him out, seeing him to be alone.

"Right. So did everybody else...!" his grin got wider; and I knew a manic excitement when I saw one. And damn, he just had to emphasize the past tense at me.

I took another run, avoiding some group of chasers by slight chances. While running a windy corridor, I thought I heard a triumphant shout from behind me saying "We got him...!"

Before I could think about what it meant, my feet lost their footing. Good thing my hands still had enough reflex to hold on to the floor I fell from. I looked down and found a very deep wide hole into the ground, the pitch dark tunnel didn't tell me of its actual depth, it looked like a hole left by Wing Zero's beam canon or that gigantic canon of that huge ship Zechs had used to shoot the Earth with... that... that something-like-a-fair-scale-named... Oh, right, Libra! But this is not fair, damn it!

At the circling walls were openings to countless more corridors, but most of them were barred or closed by locked panels. There were ropes or just unused cables hanging like roots in jungles, and I thought to myself I was already too old to play Tarzan already; but the chasers coming closer left me with no choice. I pulled one cable near me and grimaced when my ribs shouted with pains and my mind complained why it was always the ribs-part they used for target-practice at. Hoping it turned out to be alright I swung to the far side, had a hard landing that knocked the air off my lungs and crawled up to the nearest opening a little above me. I heard the chasers behind me said some curses in Chinese and I ran forward, and at some turn I found some girls smiling sweetly as if they were waiting.

"...you gotta be kidding me!" I complained under my breath and took the way back to the Tarzan's hole, thinking I could use a shortcut down if I could just find an opening in the wall down there...

"Oh, shoot!" I cursed when the place's inhabitants looked more advanced in this cable-Tarzan game than I did. Or is it pirate-game...?

I grabbed the nearest cable I could reach, without swinging I slid down opening my eyes wide hoping to find an open corridor.

"Down you go, Moussie...!" A girl's excited voice echoed in the closed air, and I looked up to see the -seemed to be- leader of the girls running down the wall with a pair of stick-like weapons held crossed behind her back, she used a cable around her waist to one shoulder as her life-cord... then, perhaps it's Amazon-girl's game?

"Damn! Mao, that mouse is ours...!" the youth who greeted me before shouted, he was sliding down his own cable at some distance from mine.

...I'm 'mouse'? So I supposed you're 'rats', right...? My other-mind sneered. (but that girl was called 'cat')

A whoosh of air and a hard blow to my front, then my vision grayed for a moment but my mind realized I was swinging up to the far wall. I landed back first on a hard ground, and half panicked I tried to make my surrounding.

"Xiao Wu, you little snaaake...!" I heard the girl called Mao yelled furiously from down the hole; and a small hand grabbed my cuff and pulled me running again.

My vision was still swaying and I bumped on some walls when I turned, and my body was black and blue already.

"-wait...!" I complained; the small hands suddenly pushed me down behind some crates.

I coughed and moaned and realized a pair of large round eyes were staring me down intently.

It was a little girl around the age of 6 or 7... I momentarily forgot myself. Her eyes were almost shining in the dark shade.

-cough. "...'Wu'...?" I reflexively asked; nothing, really... it's just her name made me recall Wu Fei.

The little girl pointed at the red-marking on her left cheek, and her dirty tank-top showed that it went down her neck and shoulder to the back of her hand. The marking had many 'legs' and I realized it was the stitches scar of which turned to look like a...

"Centipede...?" my mouth moved by itself; and the girl narrowed her eyes in (likely) good mood and nodded several times. I almost dropped my jaw; ...what kind of place gave a little girl such scar?

And a girl called Centipede saved me... My other-mind cackled rolling around in my brain cavity.

I stared at the offered hand as Wu squatted before me. I frowned; no, she's not offering, she's demanding. Oh, right...!

"2 dollars would do?" I asked her.

Her small brows arched and she sniffed at my direction a couple of times, then she pointed at my chest pocket. I was almost afraid she was pointing at my gun holster, but she grabbed my jacket front and pulled the chewing gum from my pocket.

Candy...? Oh, of course, seemingly you wouldn't find any convenience store in this kind of neighborhood.

I searched my other pocket and offered her a chocolate bar. Her eyes widened and lit up at the sight; she took the chocolate bar with her mouth and pulled my hand to start running again without another delay.

"Hey, wait...! Do you know where I was going to go to?" I half complained; my mind was cursing at how fast those small feet could run, using hurdles as footings and leverage in an instant, it made me wonder if she could outrun Heero. She had let my hand go since I seemed to be hindering her momentum; well, I certainly wouldn't use the wall as stepping stones, right?

Behind us I could hear the commotion of the two groups chasing us down the narrow passages.

There was another staircase in front of us; Wu slid down along the hand railing using her left hand and feet. She landed on the floor down with a confident pose. I caught up with her moments later, out of breath and aching. In front the staircase, Wu was showing off her chocolate bar merrily at a couple of old men sitting on two crates; the corridor was divided into two ways to the sides. I was a little bewildered at Wu's antics looking like she didn't want to move further from the two old men nodding at her silent grins while the chasers had sounded very near. My mind pointed that it might just be that long distant a chocolate bar could get me to, so I randomly decided to just take the right corridor. But Wu grabbed my cuff again and pushed me through a panel behind the old men; on reflex I used my hands and feet to hang on to the walls. The empty space looked like a tunnel for a dumbwaiter but it seemed to be not in use anymore; well, I hoped there wouldn't be any compartment falling on my head from above. I tried to crawl down with my back as the damper ignoring my aching ribs, but Wu's hand pulled my collar and I looked up, realizing she had followed into the tunnel, and was pointing up.

"…bu…but I'm going to level-9…!" I whispered at her.

She nodded and kept pointing up. My mind took three seconds to digest the fact; there were only certain ways to get to level-9 and it should be able to be accessed from the higher level or somewhere unpredicted by outsiders; while most commoners would barge in to the lower levels to try to get there, but they would only lost more and more without finding the entrance or exit, and that was the trick of this place…! How could I be so dumb?

I followed the little girl crawling up; she climbed with an animal agility and had to wait for me catching up to her more than several times. Through the closed panel I could hear the commotion as the two groups of chasers had found out that Wu had guided me up again; I was afraid that they would chase me up through the tunnel too, but the old men, seemingly the guardian to that opening, didn't let them. I sighed in half relief as the place seemed to be having its own order as well.

Wu led me to crawl into a horizontal tunnel which seemed to be a leeway; my ribs were grateful that they didn't have to act as a damper anymore, but still aching, to the point I lose my breath more than once. The little girl seemed to be disagreed with my coughing, well me too, I said sorry to her and tried to hold them down and tried to distract my pains with other thoughts.

The place had live wiring and water, meant that there should be a power station and water supply supporting this godforsaken scrapes of a town. While my mind was pondering the possibility of the places they'd put the power station and water supply, my distracted hand decided to take a wrong ground and I yelped when the plank under my hand broke and my body fell from the hole.

And my brain stopped working for a moment.

I felt Xiao Wu's small hand poking my hand that was gripping the metal railing of the leeway I fell from; I stared up at her and climbed back up into the narrow tunnel.

"...You could have told me beforehand that we're crossing a space through this leeway and we had NOTHING sort of a ground bellow us...!" I hissed childishly at the child. Outside the closed leeway was a natural space of nothing, it looked like an underground river perhaps, but to my brain right now it was just a space of nothing. This whole underground city and landscape reminded me of some alien colony dwelling inside the earth in some sci-fi movie. I cursed under my breath.

My calmer side of brain pointed that before mankind decided to make colony in the outer space it'd be more fitting if they tried to make some colony in the earth; then, judging the technology they had in that place meant this colony was an old one, such a civilization that grew along as the civilization above ground developed their technology (and had some MS running rampage in wars too), and still kept their secrecy. As if, they'd been there even before the city above beginning to exist... is that even possible?

A shiver crawled up my spine; isn't this a scary place to be trudged in to? A small voice in my mind warned me. Would I go this far for the sake of my jealous thoughts?

...I'd go even farther for Heero! I slapped that cowardice small voice of mind, and just realized that we had reached the end of the leeway.

Xiao Wu was leading me to climb up the ladder sticking from the round wall, it's kind of like a chimney; I looked up and almost wondering whether I could get out of the place in one piece... if I could get out at all. This whole thing gave the expression of being lost a much deeper meaning. I sighed and climbed up. I didn't count how many ladders I've climbed, too distracted by my physical pains and exhaustion, though my mind pointed I should've done that just in case I have to re-tread this path again later. No one knew when the necessity arrived, right?

But the length of the vertical journey we had passed bugged me, if my barely-counting measure was right, then we should be above ground right now.

I cleared my throat, "...Xiao Wu, right? How far are we going to climb up?" I tried, eventhough knowing the girl hadn't utter a single sound since the beginning. "Shouldn't we be above ground by now?"

The girl paused and looked down at me; she nodded once and continued climbing. I mulled at the answer and wondered about that tall black building above, I didn't see any chimney-like part on it... or more likely, I couldn't see it from the angle I was standing back then. But the thought that we're above ground somehow soothed my mind; at least I knew how to survive the world above ground (and beyond that), or how to find my escape from it.

While my mind fled somewhere in the portrait of blue sky and an endless ladder, Wu pulled a lever behind a hidden compartment and the wall beside her opened. She jumped out and stuck her head to cue me to follow her; I was about to say something grateful as I pulled myself out of the chimney into the dark windy(?) space but several spotlights beat me into it. Holding my breath and tried to shade my eyes with one hand I realized of the many people already waiting for me there.

"So late, Wu; the mouse held you back?" a voice chuckled.

I knew that voice, it's that Mao girl; and eventhough she was still sounded quite sinister but I could notice the seriousness in her voice, how would you call it... sounded proud of one's standing. Somehow I felt like I've definitely trudge into some beast's lair; it's not somebody's playground anymore, this place.

I was still on my knees on the ground, perhaps that's what made them hadn't jumped me; some glints of metal told me that they were fully armed now, and they meant to use it for what it's worth. I had no time to curse; the little girl didn't turn me in; that I knew, it's just that I was too slow and they won the race to this place. A thought suddenly came to my mind about the little girl with that daunting scar, what would happen to her after this?

My eyes had compromised with the blinding lights a little, and I could see her small figure standing a couple of meters in front of me, unmoving, as if stilling herself in front of a stampede. There was static in my ears, and I knew a bar of chocolate didn't worth the risk...if ever the risk was another scar like what she already had. My hands turned cold...and I pulled out my guns.

"GUNS!" I barely heard an alarmed shout, several swishing breezes passed my ears and head; I widened my eyes when my pounding heartbeats cleared the static.

The crowd held their breaths, I held mine... They'd stopped their attacking motion when they realized I was giving up my guns as I crouched to my front; a low twang still sounded behind me pulled my eyes back, slowly.

A couple of knives, a weird-curved hatchet, a thin flexible sword (the one made that twanging sound) were stuck on the wall right where my head should've been, if only I didn't crouch forward those things would have been embedded on my skull. I cursed gratefully at my timing and twist of luck.

A slow clapping sound ended the weird pause, and the crowd made way making low murmuring voices. I could hear some of them whispered "Ren Lei..." with voice tinted with fear or deep respect.

"What you got?" I've heard that childish weird accented tone before.

Wu pulled out the chocolate bar from her dirty clothes and held it out happily with both hands.

"Oh, chocolate...! Want to trade some?" a boy moved forward and his grin showed a missing front tooth, he chuckled as he glanced at me.

Tha...that two now-two then boy...! I almost dropped my jaw, but my spitefulness (if I had it before) had been flushed with the sheer relieve of not having my skull a Halloween-costume worth looking, so to speak, so I didn't stare him back with accusing eyes (though my mind sure sounded with enough pressure about it).

He stared at me then, assessing my state; his jet black eyes stopped at the guns I offered with both hands on the ground, his eyes glanced at the weapons stuck on the wall behind me. Letting out a satisfied laughed, he said out loud; "I win, give me that...!" as he turned and pointed at the armament in that Ren Lei person's mouth.

I stared at the armament, as if following the boy's finger, my eyes focusing at the thing and shifted to the face, pale and looked mannequin-ly with white long hair, and my eyes stared back at that thing.

'...are you into cosplay or something?' my mind tried to calm itself down with the diverting question, while my left brain pointed out that the thing in that person's mouth was indeed a thermometer, I ignored my other part of mind asking 'what's so cool about biting thermometer? Shouldn't a pipe or cigar looked more daunting?'; but then again, a cigar between that exotic lips would look sinfully inappropriate, my other mind chided; while a thought about pipe brought back the image of Saline. Right...!

Focus.

I tried a deep breath, silencing my minds; and stared at that Ren Lei's eyes with candor, it's not like I thought my actions there worth any aggression in return.

"Hey... Ren, ...that!" the boy said wriggling his still pointing index finger to the thermometer. I could somehow recognize the boy's standing was higher than the others who had been chasing me in regards with that Ren Lei person. What threw me off was that I couldn't recognize whether that Ren Lei was a male or female; if ever, I felt like being stared down by a pretty-looking MS the size of a human instead.

That thought creeped me out.

"So, what business do you have here, Duo Maxwell?" Ren Lei's voice was pretty much like a male teenager; my eyes couldn't help flicked at his torso. Oh, well... he's flat-chested, alright.

Ren Lei snickered at my action, seemed like he got that a lot; I tried covering my self-consciousness by pointing out that he knew me by name.

"...you knew me by name...!"

"In the war..." Ren Lei arched his right shoulder, his hands were put together inside his long sleeves, and that somehow made him had to cock his head to the right in order to accented his gesture; "...after the war..."; my mind had a flash of an image of a geisha sliding her kimono collar off her shoulder; "...who wouldn't?"; and I had a hard time focusing my head to the situation at hand.

I cursed in my head. I knew this feeling of being analyzed and manipulated, like being hypnotized slowly. This place is not right, I have to get out fast; my mind ordered.

"Well, I didn't come here to bother anyone; that I can assure you...!" I tried sounding confident, wondering if I failed.

"So, your purpose of coming here, would be...?" Ren Lei's tone was neither condescending nor dominating, but I still got that feeling, like being stared down at beam-cannon's point by Heero in Wing.

"I'm just looking for answers...-" at the skepticism in Ren Lei's eyes, I continued half-forced; "...about a friend of mine." These people wouldn't give away their peers, I knew. So I hope the last part did it...

"A friend of yours here...?" Ren Lei asked monotonously; several hushed snickers heard from the surrounding people.

"A-..." my consciousness instantly scratched 'an Arab man' from my mind; if only Saline didn't give me away then it should be... "A...red-eyed Ridinghood...?" I diverted my eyes from his, realizing my voice lost itself into a mewling sound at the end; I wanted to slap myself for sounding that skeptical in such situation.

Exactly three seconds of heavy silence, and then it broke into a parade of hysterical laughter. I sighed at my thought, apparently Saline rather chose me to be a laughing stock than a dead stock. Either is fine, already...! My mind complained at the non-ending horselaugh around me.

The only ones didn't affected were the boy pulling at Ren Lei's cloth still pointing at the thermometer and objecting for being ignored completely, Xiau Wu who was licking the chocolate bar's plastic cover, and an apathetic Ren Lei staring at me, of course.

"...in relation with...?" Ren Lei asked; his people hushed their laughter into giggles as he spoke.

To hell with this...! I threw my dignity away.

"Red... -smiley...?" I said smirking skeptically, leaving out 'evil-winking' in between those two words.

The subsiding giggles suddenly stopped, and I lifted my face again as I realized that, glancing at the people's faces and recognized the acknowledgement and surprise that soon changed into alertness. I blinked to myself; so there's no Red-eyed Ridinghood, but there actually is a Red Smiley?

"Ren Lei...!" Mao hissed in alarm; she looked worried to some extent.

Ren Lei pulled out his left hand from the other sleeve, his long fingers were tipped with -probably- silver nail-accessories all pretty and pointy; making a pausing gesture to his people's alarm. "We do not interfere with Red Smiley's guests..."

"But, right now-!"

It's already decided when Ren Lei lowered his hand; my eyes followed as it disappeared into the joined long sleeves at his front.

"You took the job?" Ren Lei asked the boy half-climbing his body still pointing at the thermometer.

"Hah?" the boy paused instantly; seemingly recalling and eventually got down with a pout. He walked and stopped in front of me.

"This is the time for the 'two then'...?" he asked if I remembered the deal. Oh, right...

Walking pass me, he crooked a finger behind a shoulder, beckoning me to follow him. I gaped at the fast turn of event, unsure of what to do with the guns I surrendered but still in my hands on the ground.

"Hey, Yi, at the moment-..." a teenage boy tried.

"It's not my business. Besides, it's the last time...!" the boy answered uncaringly. "Aren't you coming, Mr. Maxwell?" he asked pass his shoulder as a metal opening to a lift opened after a device scanned his palm and he punched in a series of code.

I got up hastily, seeing that no one bothered about the fact that my guns were still in my possession; and hurriedly followed the boy. Ren Lei had an unreadable stare in his eyes; I caught that as I glanced back at him. The surrounding people seemingly ready to object at him once I got out of their sight; I put that fact to the side, it's not my business, better get out as soon as I could.

The lift moved up after the door closed. I realized the destination-floor must be keyed outside before anyone walk in as there was no button or anything alike in that lift.

"Uuuhhh..." I tried, "...you sure two dollars would be enough?" I didn't want it suddenly changed into two thousand dollars in order to get out safely from that place; I didn't have that much with me... right; I gave my mind a mental-slap.

The boy only stared at me as if I've stepped on his toe.

"Okay..." I cleared my throat; "Yi, right...? You'd be-...?" I tried conversationally.

The boy stared at me with an uneven cringe-like face and a stare.

It's not I was interrogating or not trusting him, but some curiosity needed answer even with the risks, right?

"...I'm the key-master of the place..." he answered with an uncaring tone.

I blinked and stared at him again; doesn't that make you a big-shot here? my mind pointed out at his uncaringly carefree(?) attitude. It must've showed on my face clearly as he stared back with a bothered almost disgusted face.

"It's no big deal; just means I got a lot to look at in my hands...!" he almost winced, staring me with accusing eyes too.

I looked away from him; "That..." I mulled at the facts, "Didn't that make you vulnerable to dangerous situation?" I tried.

"You're asking 'How old are you', right?" he pulled his lips downright dignifiedly.

Well... yeah, that too... I tried a grin at him.

"Hmphh! I just have to take things into my hands before they developed into situations...!" he said lightly, like stating to someone that there was dirt on their shoulder.

I mulled at the information...and decided I prefer the cheeky boy (who had the place's big-shot 'guy' back-up) to classify me into the 'things' rather than into the 'situations'; so I didn't object. After that we both silenced, I tried to count the time passed as we traveled in that lift but I realized I didn't really intend to retrace the journey if I had an option, so I gave up with the assessment.

The boy snickered at me, knowing what ran in my mind.

Dignifiedly, I pretended I didn't care; it just made the boy chuckled more.

The lift pulled into a sudden stop with a loud clang, or perhaps boom; I didn't really curious about the mechanism and just wanted to get out from there. When the slide door opened, as I stepped out of the doorway, the boy said...

"I hope you find what you're looking for, Mr. Maxwell; you may take what you see but touch nothing... you wouldn't want your 'fingers' trace you up...!"

By then I realized he wouldn't come along with me after I get out of that lift; I instantly spun when the slide door slid closed, caught a glimpse of the boy's smirk... he had a strange glint in his eyes.

"Wait...!" I tried; but the black metal wall had closed and left nothing resembling doors or anything alike. I realized I haven't asked how to get out from that building; my little mind whispered about the 2 dollars I hadn't given the boy for the ride... 2 was probably what they used to call me... the '2 then' was probably myself, given to someone (presumably the Red Smiley) as an offering.

I hissed with slumped shoulders, this couldn't go any more complicated than it already was, right?

I hoped so. My little mind echoed something about karma, for being so selfishly wanting to blame anyone else but myself for my jealousy... which I ignored.

I sighed deeply, took a few deep breaths then turned around; the corridor was tapered to a single door at the far end, I looked up at the same tapered high walls that appeared to be the slanted roofs. I frowned at the weird design; it chilled me imagining that behind the walls at my either sides was nothing else beside the open air, remembering the underground leeway Xiao Wu had led me through.

Snorted at my own thoughts, I knew I had nowhere else to go besides moving forward.

Saline wouldn't lead me to harms, right?

Half-consciously I counted my steps along the narrow corridor; it was precisely 49 average steps before I stopped in front of the door. I considered knocking before I realized the wooden old door was opened a slit; thinking back about what the boy told me about my 'fingers' tracing me, I pulled a pair of rubber gloves from my pocket and put them on before pushing the door open with a finger...

The old door creaked on its rusty hinges; the contrast with the high-tech system of the lower place down there confused me. Or it just meant that this place was 'forgotten' or intentionally made to be like an abandoned part. It was totally dark inside, but I could tell the floor was made of wood, and already worn by age; I took out my small flashlight, frowning at the broken glass but relief I didn't lose it; looked around in the small lobby the size of a lift and found nothing, then proceeded to the door across and found what seemed to be a parlour...which was just consisted of a corridor with lining dirty windows at the walls. But I could see the sky and the bird nests on the windowsill outside.

I looked behind and realized it was a cul-de-sac corridor system, such a peculiar place to be a resident. Behind the next door I found a more open space in a round building; gaping at the domestic things and furniture I realized this was a tower, like those towers at the top of castles or palaces in fairytales. The living space and furniture could only be described as adequate, I wondered who might want to live in such a secluded place; must be a hermit... an image of the ol' famous wizard Merlin flashed in my mind, and I chuckled to myself. There was a pull-down staircase in the middle of the room and I climbed up, finding another room which looked more like a cramped salvage bird nest instead of a work room.

I pushed myself inside dodging hanging things and battling loose unused cables with spider webs everywhere from catching my braid and clothes. My flashlight fell from my grip and flickered off; I blindly searched for it on the dusty floor, stood up and thumped it to my palm a couple times to turn it on again. When it flickered back to life, I yelled in surprise at the man sitting on the wooden chair at my elbow.

His back was facing me, and he looked like he was asleep seeing his cocked head fallen to my side.

I reflexively stepped back and said "Excuse me, sir...!"

The fez on the man's head reminded me of someone; I frowned as I realized I didn't realized someone was there in the room with me, so I carefully stepped forward and stooped down... well I could say the man definitely had better days.

I blinked at the dried dead body; looking at the appearance, I'd say he died naturally of old age; perhaps a cardiac arrest or just fell asleep and never woke up. The downsiders must've known about him being dead, too; recalling that Mao girl objection and that Yi boy saying 'it's the last time'.

...the last visitor or something?

So, what did I come along way here for?

I sighed and looked closely at the dead man; his red fez looked worn and it had what seemed to be bullet holes at its sides given by the burnt marks around it, two through-and-through bullet holes...and the burnt-curves under the holes must be handmade to make smiley signs. Thus it was the 'red smiley'...

The man had a severe burnt scar almost halve his face that took his left eye. What caught my attention were the black round-glasses the man had still attached at his nose; something clicked in my mind...

...fez... round-glasses... a cocky grin...

"...Master Duo...!" the voice echoed in my memory; what was his name again...? Aouda...?

I straightened up and massaged my temples, took a very deep breath, and took some more.

"No..."

"...can't be..."

This man looked beyond old...

"But Papa and Quatre-sama ended the war…!"

"…since the ones having the war were the both of you…"

The boys' words came unbidden and I took my conclusion with dread.

"...the future-Quatre sent you...?"

I took a couple steps back, a little overwhelmed by my own thought.

"Man..." I chuckled tremblingly, "...this is way beyond loyal, I'm telling you...!"

How did Saline know?

Wait... what about Heero?

That was only my own suspicion based on nothing but hunch, but...

I moved forward and started looking around the work-desk in front of him, old vials and chemistry bottles already covered in dust; judging by the looks of it they were the last ones in use by the man. I searched around and found nothing resembling liquid he was brewing; a small box was laid on his laps, it was just opened as it was free from dust. Whatever it was in that box, it's already taken by someone.

I let out a heavy sigh.

Perhaps I should search something more tangible than just proving my suspicion; with that thought I looked around the cramped room and realized the ceiling was flat. Searching for any lever or pull-down mechanism for any staircase or opening, I accidently found a slide door on the dirty wall, which was looked like a dumbwaiter door. Got into the crawling space and found an enclosed stone staircase with light coming down from the upper end.

I frowned again while ascending the circling staircase; if my logics were right then this staircase should be outside the tower and considering the long vertical journey I'd gone through to get here, I only prayed for some floor beneath this odd tower, preferably the not so long way down one. I really should talk to the architect of this building.

My eyes had used to the darkness so when I reached the end of the staircase I flinched at the sudden bright light as I looked up. Shielding my eyes with a hand I stared accusingly at the ceiling, the round wider room had none, actually; there was only a wrought iron cage made with intricate design of craftsmanship... although the cage had long seen its glory.

When I pulled my eyes down, my heart skipped a bit finding a wooden rocking-chair and a small round table in the center of the chamber; I hurriedly stepped up onto the floor recognizing the figure sitting there.

Brown hair...

Pale kind of tan skin...

The wind blew colder as the temperature dropped; a single raindrop fell on my cheek through the iron cage of the ceiling. I forced my voice out.

"...Heero...?" it only came out as a rasp.

My eyes searched in panic eventhough my mind blanked. My little mind whispered perhaps the future-Quatre sent a clone of Heero too to here; I wouldn't want my Heero siding with my (future) enemy, right...?

No; this should be someone else with the same hair color and the same traits with Heero...!

My eyes landed on a small strange-looking syringe on the table beside the rocking-chair. Several raindrops landed on the stone floor as if inviting me to move closer. I didn't remember how, but when my mind came to I was staring at Heero's face.

The raindrops came pouring down...

The rocking chair sometimes creaked when it swayed as the wind blew strong enough to push it.

His eyes were staring unblinking at the sky through the wrought iron cage...

I stared unblinking at his blissful face.

...he didn't even realize I was there. His breathing was slow and even as if he were sleeping.

My numb hand gripped the syringe, shook it a little, knowing it's empty beforehand.

Liquid...

Drug?

Medicine...

Drug...

No.

"Quatre told me that Heero said he feared you so much he thought you'd kill him..." Trowa's whisper echoed repeatedly in my head.

"Heero...!" I called out louder; Heero sat there like a statue.

An alien smile I've never seen...

"Heero!"

The rain fell heavier and he didn't even blink his drooped eyes.

"...what are you looking at...?" my voice drowned in the sound of falling rain echoed in the stone chamber. The high wall gave out a sense of being imprisoned, separated from the world, ...from reality.

There was only sky above us... and we didn't have to mind the world.

As if suspended in eternity.

---

You may take what you see but touch nothing...

So I didn't touch him trying to wake him up. The rain had stopped; I was sitting at his right side, on a carving of an animal head made of stone attached to the wall, just beside the drain; staring at his blissful face and wondering what kind of drug he'd taken to make him looked so heavenly in peace. Wondering why he even had to take drugs at all...

Was he so unhappy?

I never realized that...

My tears of betrayal and guilt had been washed away by the rain; and I just sat there shivering when the wind came down strongly on my wet body.

I looked up trying to determine the time by the light of the sky, and countless glints welcomed my tired eyes. The wrought iron cage was fixed with countless small pieces of glass; and they shone as the water refracted the dim sunlight fell on them.

"Don't you feel like you're in a baby cradle watching this…?" Heero's question sunk my heart; that time when he was talking about the starry night sky and baby's room, Heero was probably remembering this...

...they're not even stars!

But perhaps Heero was now seeing his 'memory' from when he was a baby that he never had; that's why he looked so blissful.

If it makes you happy... a voice whispered in my mind but I didn't know whose it was.

---

About an hour later Heero moved.

The first thing he did was took the empty syringe and casted it into one of the six holes of the drainage at the bottom of the wall and the floor. I froze as I thought he saw me, but it seemed he was moving on autopilot.

I almost pulled him into my arms.

...but I didn't want him to see me here.

I followed him down, realizing he should be my guide out of the place; that's why the boy Yi didn't ask for his guide fee the second time.

My mind was flying somewhere; all I realized was I followed Heero through different passages from where I came from; my eyes were only focusing at his back... and when that sight was blocked I focused on his brown head... when I missed that sight too I was already on the streets of a busy market in the Chinatown I knew of.

The yellow light burnt my eyes.

I'd forgotten my physical pains; all I know was I felt like a broken vase... not my body but my heart. I should just go home and faced my daily routine, pretending not knowing anything.

---

Apparently I was moving on autopilot too... Quatre's voice was echoing in my ears; he sounded concerned with the condition I was when he found me walking on the street to my apartment. The funny thing was I didn't even remember when I got into his car, I just remembered him fussing over me by the stairs when he urged me to hurry up and get myself cleaned and had my injuries tended.

I remembered I chuckled and said he's not my mother hen so he shouldn't tire himself worrying about me.

I remembered him flung my left arm around his shoulders and dragged me up the stairs when my knees decided they could just betray me and gave up half the way up.

I remembered Quatre calling Trowa on his cell to snatch Sally on his way home now...

I remembered I emptied my stomach at the landing just before my apartment floor.

I remembered I laughed at the thought.

I remembered Quatre kicking the door as his knocks.

I remembered laughing some more at the fact.

...I remembered how worried the miniature-Heero's face when he opened the door for us.

I remembered him calling out to someone he thought was his father from inside my apartment.

I remembered Heero's face as he looked at me.

I remembered him recognizing me...

And tears welled up in my eyes.

...and everything went black.

---

Saru's note:

this is by far the longest chapter of this fic; sorry for the inconvenience... you might have gone tired reading this as so saru tired of typing it.-wheeze-