X and Y
Part Three: Life's Acquaintances
"Day Forty! Yeehaw!" crowed Duo. He was so damn happy. His quarantine was finally over and Sally would officially stop poking him for blood samples. Ever since the day Heero had called her in to check out his condition after the assault, he had felt as though he had become Sally Po's personal lab rat. Heero stared at him oddly, annoyance written over every feature of his face. Did the damned American have to be so loud?!
Duo grinned at him. "I suppose you're happy now. Now that you know the mission won't be failed, cause of me. Heeeeee-ro Yuy." Duo stuck his tongue out at his partner and pranced away happily into the kitchen to raid the fridge. He was starving, and pretty damn sure he had lost at least five pounds while on that stupid diet Sally had suggested. Heero glared after the braided baka. He wondered how he ever acquired the patience to
deal with Duo Maxwell, from the start. He really was intolerable at times. He headed towards the "living room" of the safehouse. So tiny, and stuffy, and cluttered. He sat down on the chesterfield and booted up his laptop. There had been very few missions sent to him throughout the long stay at the safehouse. As a matter of fact, it had been at least 3 weeks since the last mission. He yawned and placed his head on the arm of the chesterfield. He felt like taking a nap. It was only fair after having stayed up till 4 am the previous night
listening to that awful music Duo would play in the wee hours of the night. Now if only Duo would stop clattering through the cupboards so damned loudly, he would be better able to fall asleep.
***
Daniel woke up and padded to the kitchen of the little apartment. He had smelt something so delicious……..pancakes. It had to have been at least three years since he had last eaten pancakes for breakfast. But who the hell was making them? Dr. Crays could barely make himself an instant soup…..and Aleia couldn't have been cooking…..could she? As he walked into the kitchen, his eyes went as round as saucers. It was Aleia! There she was, standing by the stove, with a bowl of batter on one side, and a stack of pancakes on the other! Aleia was cooking! "Oh…..my……..Kami…..", Daniel's jaw dropped. "Good morning, Dan!" Aleia chirped cheerfully. Daniel blinked several times in succession before replying, "Morning, Leia-chan". "I've made some breakfast for the three of us. But, we seem to have run out of milk, and I was waiting for you to wake up to ask permission to go buy a carton of milk". Daniel smiled at the girl in front of him. He never was able to figure out where she had acquired that speed for her speech. "Yes, you may go. But, be careful, okay?" he looked at her with a mock stern look on his face. Aleia beamed at him, and proceeded to het room to get dressed. At this point, Dr. Crays had woken up, and was shuffling to the kitchen. He bumped into the young girl, and smiled warmly at her. "Good morning, Aleia. How are you this day?" he inquired. "Fine, thank you, sir," she smiled, "and a good morning to you, too", she smiled. "Heading somewhere, my dear?" the old doctor asked. "Yes, I'm going to the corner to buy a carton of milk. No need to worry, sir. I'll be careful", she grinned at him. "Very well", he proceeded to the kitchen, where he too had a jaw drop upon seeing the two stacks of pancakes on the little dining table. "You……..made those, Daniel?" he asked the younger man sitting at the table, eyeing the hotcakes warily. "Nope", Daniel smirked. "Leia-chan made 'em". Dr. Crays gawked at him momentarily before Aleia rushed through the kitchen and out the door. "I'll be back in at least twenty minutes", she called out as she left, "If you want to start without me, go ahead!" Dr. Crays scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know…..she's picked up quite a bit of traits from her donor. We really haven't taught her that much. Such a smart little girl", he smiled. Daniel nodded in agreement.
***
"Heero! We're out of milk, and I can't eat anything if there's no milk!" Duo yelled from the kitchen. Heero nearly fell off the chesterfield, at the sound of Duo's yelling, but proceeded to get up, his every thought plotting some way to kill the braided baka who had dared to interrupt his slumber. "Duo", he began in a low menacing growl. Duo looked at him with a confused expression, grabbed his wallet off the table, grabbed a sleepy Heero's wrist, and stalked out the front door of the safehouse. "We're going shopping for some things to eat", he announced as they walked……rather, he walked and Heero was dragged…onto the main sidewalk. Heero, was entirely to tired to put up any fight. Besides, he didn't need to have any witnesses as he choked the braided baka. Duo dragged him into the little corner store. "You go get the milk, and I'll go grab some dry and canned goods over there" instructed the braided Shinigami before bouncing away. Heero grunted and headed towards the dairy section. He proceeded to grab a gallon of milk, knowing Duo was worse than a baby calf, and was about to head over to the section where Duo was, before her noted the black clad, braided figure in front of him. "Done, already?" he inquired gruffly. The braided figure spun around and nearly slapped his face with the braid. Heero glared….that is, until he saw the face of the person. His eyes went wide and the gallon of milk went crashing to the floor from his fingers. "Duo?", he inquired, more to himself than to the person. It certainly looked like him. With the bang over the eyes, and the braid. The eyes were a bit more of an amethyst colour, than indigo, and the clothes were different. What struck him the most, was the feminine look this person had, and the mounds he could see hidden by a black shirt. The person spoke, "Sorry, but I'm not Duo…." 'Her voice is feminine, too!" Heero's mind screamed. He heard Duo's voice call out his name. "Oi, Heero! Get lost or……………WHAT THE HELL?!" The sounds of canned produce hitting the floor, followed by the sound of shattering glass was heard. The girl in front of the two boys stepped back warily. The braided boy in front of her looked oddly familiar………he looked like………………..HER!…'He's me! Only…..male……' her mind registered the thought. She glanced from the braided boy who was gawking at her, to the boy with the unruly dark hair who was glaring at her. "I-…..have to……..go" she announced quietly, and began to walk away quickly. "Hold up!" Duo spoke up, placing his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and shrugged his hand off. "What do you want?" she asked coolly, her amethyst eyes going a shade darker. Duo held his hands up in front of his chest. "Now, now. No need to go defensive on me. The name's Duo", he smiled and extended his hand, "Duo Maxwell". "Maxwell…….." the girl breathed out. "Yup, and the muted monkey over there, is my bud. Heero…Heero Yuy" Duo filled in. "What's your name?" Heero spoke up, his voice lacking the usual monotone. Duo gaped at him, but promptly regained his composure. The girl wrinkled her nose, an her brow creased. "My name's Aleia", she pronounced slowly, "Aleia Maxwell". Duo chuckled, "Another Maxwell! Hey! Maybe you and I are related or something….seeing as we're so much alike……I always wondered if I had a sister……". Aleia blinked at him, then looked over at Heero, who seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet. All three teens looked out the store windows. Outside, there were about fifty mobile dolls. "OZ…." Aleia whispered to herself. Both Heero and Duo turned their heads towards her sharply. How did she know…..? Suddenly they saw her eyes go wide and she flinched. "No!" she dropped her groceries and ran outside. Duo bolted after her to drag her back inside, but as Heero reached for the door to follow suit, the entire area was rocked by an explosion.
Up Next: Part Four: Troubled Waters