Hey there! This is chap. 2 of a four chapter part. Let's start off with a recap of what happened in the last chapter.
Basically, Heero's an Angel, assigned to help someone on Earth. He meets Duo, who's really not supposed to be able to see him but can anyway.
Last Paragraph:
"Lemme get this straight: You've never done any of that stuff?" Duo let his cup thunk down on the table. "Never eaten food, never swam in a pool, never rode a bike, drove a car, kissed a girl, played a video game…"
Heero shook his head every time Duo rattled off something. "I didn't live a human life." He replied, picking at his bacon and eggs with the wrong end of a fork. "What is this stuff?"
"Good grief!" Duo smacked his forehead, ignoring Heero's question. "That's it. Today, you and I are going to explore the world."
"Wha-Wait a sec--" Duo gave Heero no chance to respond as he dragged him out the door.
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|Chapter 2|
Thankfully, Duo had an extra bike stored away. He quickly ran through the correct use of a bike, and after a few unsuccessful tries Heero managed to balance on the bike. He was rather wobbly but nonetheless could ride a bike, and they set off on Duo's lead. He took Heero down through part of the city and out to the boardwalk next to the ocean. There they took a break.
"It's beautiful." Heero breathed. He stared out at the sparking mass of cerulean water. Sunbathers dotted the shore while surfers braved the waves.
Duo grinned. "Like that, huh? Here, I've got another place to show you. Come on." he hopped on the bike and took off.
"Hey, wait!" Heero struggled onto his bike and chased after Duo.
After about a half an hour's ride, Duo dumped his bike on a grassy slope and beckoned Heero to follow him. Heero jogged to catch up with Duo as he climbed through some dense trees. "Duo, where--" but Duo silenced Heero by putting a finger on his lips and indicating to something with his other hand. Heero's eyes widened. Beyond the little forest was an open field, smelling of sweet, crisp grass and wildflowers. The sun shone brightly in this field, reflecting off the shining blades of grass that were glistening in the light. In the middle of the field stood a few sparse trees, one that looked like an apple tree. It was like a little world of its own, undisturbed by anyone living. Heero sucked his breath in quickly.
"Cool, huh?" Duo said cheerfully. "I love it here. It's quiet, and no one knows about it.
"It's really nice." Heero said. "I never knew the Earth was so beautiful."
"Come over here." Duo ran towards the apple tree. Heero groaned and ran after him, trying to ignore his sore muscles. Being on Earth was definitely different.
Duo jumped up and grabbed two apples from the tree. He tossed one to Heero and plopped down in the shade of the tree. Heero eyed his apple as Duo took a huge bite and gestured for Heero to do the same. It tasted funny as Heero swallowed it. Kind of… sweet. Intrigued, Heero stared at his apple and then took another bite. Duo chuckled to himself. Eventually Heero decided the apple passed the taste test and made himself comfortable next to Duo. The two munched in silence for a moment.
Duo took a deep breath. "Heero, what's it like, to be dead?" he asked.
Heero glanced at him. "Like I said, I never lived a human life, meaning I never died. But I don't think it's that bad. At least, that's what the other angels say."
"Do you go to Heaven immediately?"
"I think so." Heero cocked his head questioningly. "Why do you ask, Duo? Are you afraid of death?"
Duo smiled and shook his head. "No, I am Death, Heero. I was just thinking about old friends and family…"
"Ah." Heero nodded. Then he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you are death?" he asked suspiciously.
Duo laughed out loud. "I thought you'd like that one." He replied. "I'm Shinigami. That's the name I go by when I fight."
"Hn." Heero finished his apple. Duo noticed this, and gave Heero a tap on the shoulder. "Here, I want to show you something." He bounced off and when for a patch of trees. Heero strolled after him and noticed a small lake down a bit off to the side. Duo was waving from nearby. Heero made his way over to where Duo was standing. A sweet fragrance took over Heero's brain. Duo pointed to a plant with small white blossoms on it. "Have you ever seen this?" he asked.
Heero shook his head, and Duo grinned. Grabbing one of Heero's hands, he plunged it into some of the flowers.
"Here, taste that." He said, releasing Heero's wrist. Heero licked his finger cautiously. It tasted like some kind of sugary goo. It was sticky too.
"What is it?"
"Honeysuckle!" Duo answered with a laugh. "I told you I would show you everything I could, right?"
Heero smiled. "Yeah."
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other. Duo turned slightly pink. Heero felt a wave of emotions wash over him that angels usually didn't feel. What's wrong with me? He asked himself. Why do I feel like I'm sinking with no control? From that moment on, Heero swore he'd never let anything happen to Duo.
He's kinda cute when he looks innocent and clueless like that… Duo started to think. Stop it! What are you doing? He's an Angel, for cryin' out loud! Get it together, Duo…
Duo coughed and looked down by the lake. "Next lesson: Water." He announced, and took off for the lake. Heero sighed and ran after him. Duo seemed to be running from something…
Heero flopped onto the couch, exhausted. He had spent the whole day "exploring" with Duo. After the field, they bike rode back to the house, where Duo went over the basics of eating. Then the mall, the arcade, a basketball game, dinner…
"Thanks for showing me around today, Duo." Heero called in the direction of the kitchen.
"No problemo!" Duo's voice echoed back. "Hey, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?"
"What?"
Duo sighed. "Never mind." He said, entering in the room. "What I mean is, you're going to be human for two weeks, so you might as well learn how to be one."
"True." Heero remarked, flipping onto his back. "And I'm the one who's supposed to be helping you."
You already have, Duo thought silently, remembering the day. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Heero is so… different from my other friends. He's special… Duo blushed at his own thoughts.
Heero turned to face him. "Duo?"
"Hm?"
"What's that mean, when humans get red like that?" Heero inquired.
Yikes! Ya gotta watch it pal… "Uh, it usually means they're hot or embarrassed by something."
"Really?" Heero grinned. "So, what are you embarrassed about?"
"Nothing."
"There's something."
"No way!"
"Yes there is!"
"Not likely!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Duo groaned. "It's none of you're business, ok?"
Heero smiled secretively. "OK."
Duo eyed him. "What does that sneaky look on you face mean?"
Heero chuckled. "Well, I can read minds, you know."
Duo burst off the couch, knocking his bag of chips to the ground. "YOU WHAT?!" he exploded.
Heero noticed Duo had now gone from pink to bright red. He assumed this wasn't a good sign. "Calm down." He instructed. "I didn't do that to you. I don't nose around in people's lives. It's only if I need to read someone's mind."
"You better not have." Duo grumbled, sitting back down in the recliner and claiming his chips off the floor.
Duo grinned as Heero plainly gaped at the ATM machine. Heero had been fascinated by any electronics, including the TV, can opener, radio, desk lamp, telephone, and some other things. Duo punched in a few numbers and waited patiently as the ATM processed his transaction and money appeared into the slot. Duo grabbed the cash, his credit card, and put them back into his wallet. The busy street was full of people, who bumped into the two boys every once in a while.
"OK, why don't we--" Duo suddenly felt his leather wallet slip from his hands as another person knocked into him. Sighing, he bent down to pick up his wallet from the ground. It wasn't there. He noticed a small figure slink quickly into the bustling crowd, a familiar black item in hand.
"Hey!" Duo cried out, "That guy just swiped my money!"
Heero whirled around in time to see who Duo was pointing at. Quick as a flash, he disappeared, unnoticed by anyone but Duo, and appeared in front of the pickpocket. The young man, with his hat pulled low over his face, nearly collided with Heero. Swiftly but smoothly, Heero removed Duo's wallet from his hand and waved it in front of the guy's face tauntingly. "Stealing, eh?" he smirked. "Not something that will get you into Heaven." And with that, he disappeared.
The would-be robber's mouth dropped open. "Hey-what the-" he threw his hands up in disgust. "I've robbed and been robbed!" he muttered. That's when he noticed the ladies' handbag he took was also missing.
Heero appeared back in front of Duo. "Here you are." He said, handing the black leather wallet back to Duo. Duo looked surprised. "Hey, thanks." He said.
Heero shrugged. "No problem. That's what I'm here for." He answered.
Duo grinned. "I could like these next two weeks." He laughed.
Somewhere down the same street, a crying woman sat. "All my money and credit cards and everything is gone!" she wailed. A little child next to her ran a few feet off and then returned. "Here it is Momma!" she announced, waving a blue purse. "You left it on the sidewalk the whole time!"
The next two weeks passed quickly for Duo and Heero. Duo taught Heero about the Mortal world while Heero helped Duo with various errands. In the short amount of time, the two became good friends.
On the last night that Heero was spending with Duo, Duo couldn't sleep. He climbed out of bed and padded through the dark apartment to where Heero lay asleep on the couch. Duo sighed as he watched him, his chest rising and falling slightly under the blanket. He had an awful hard time keeping his real emotions in during those weeks. There were a few occasions he almost let slip, but caught himself just in time. Duo realized he was going to miss Heero when he left the next day. A beep from his computer echoed through the house and pulled Duo out of his deep thought. He entered the office area and scanned the message on the computer's screen. "Oh crap." He muttered, glaring at it.
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So? How'd you like it? Little bit longer than the first part, but still a cliffhanger ending. My, I think I'm obsessed with these kinda/sorta cliffys... Oh yes, if there are any mistakes, blame that fact that I had to transfer a Microsoft Word file to a HTML doc. PRETTY PLEASE don't stop reading now, it gets better! Oh yes, please REVIEW!! I LOVE REVIEWS!! I'M GONNA OWN ALL THE REVIEWS IN THE WORLD, MAHAHAHAHA!!!! ^_~
Malachi (my current muse): I don't think she took her medicine today...