Chapter 1:"Reflection Angels"
"Duo!" Quatre cried as he saw his friend's body and gundam neatly sliced in half by Milliardo. "No!" The blonde boy sat bolt upright but immediately lay down again. The pain lancing through his lower body giving ample proof to his battle with Dorothy. At times he could see it, the battle. The horrible slashes the war-hungry girl had inflicted upon his body. He had not really intended to kill her. But it had been a kill or be killed situation. He looked to his right only to see the real Duo snoring softly in the bed next to his own. The Arabian stared down at his abdomen and winced. Blood was seeping through the folds of the bandages in a spider web type pattern. He sighed as he let his hand slip over the side of the bed and the horrors that were his dreams engulf him once again.
"Quiet Wu Fei! You'll wake them all up." The young vice foreign minister whispered angrily. "You didn't mean to kill Treize. It wasn't your fault. He dove right at you. It was a gut reaction."
"What do you know of gut reactions pacifist?" The Chinese pilot spat angrily at her. "You have never been in a battle like one a gundam fights! I should have been in control of my actions. I am not worthy to pilot Nataku." His onyx eyes closed as the last of his anger drained out of him.
"Nonsense. You are more then worthy to pilot your gundam. Now before you say anything more…GO TO BED!"
"But Relena!" The pilot started to protest. "I…" The pacifist pointed toward the bedroom. He stalked off angrily muttering about all the injustices in the world and how woman should learn to hold their tongues. Watching him go she heard a gasp from the other room. Guessing almost immediately what it was, the young woman went to the closet to get gauze and bandages. The European girl walked quietly towards the room. She walked to the Arabian pilot's bedside and looked down at the prone form. Drawing back the blankets revealed blood soaked sheets. The vivid bandages were a stark contrast to the pale color of the blonde's skin. She propped his lithe body carefully against her own and gently took off the crimson bandages. Mopping up the blood still seeping from the wound, she wrapped the fresh cloth around his waist. The blonde stirred feverishly and moved away from her hands. She laid him back down, wiped the sweat off his forehead and left. "Now to Heero." The brunette whispered to no one in particular.
As she walked down the abandoned walkway the only thing she heard was the sound of Howard and his technicians working on adjustments to the gundams. She entered the brightly-lit docking bay and walked over to Heero. The Japanese boy jumped down to stand in front of her.
"What do you want?" He asked in his monotone voice.
"What I want." She said forcefully. "Is for you to go to bed. You have a hard day tomorrow and you don't want to…wait. You are not going to mess up Quatre's plan."
"Can't." The pilot replied simply and leapt back up to the cockpit. "Zero needs a lot of work. I can't fight with a gundam…that isn't…up…to…speed." He slowly trailed off as he became absorbed with the stats being printed out on a sheet of paper into his hands. Relena snorted and ran out of the docking bay leaving Howard and his men staring at Heero.
"Yawwwmmm!" Duo sighed loudly. Over in the other bed Quatre shifted a bit. Sensing the need to be quiet, the braided boy crept silently out of the room as to not disturb the wounded pilot. Entering the kitchen the black clad pilot could hear the murmuring of conversation. Hildi and the other gundam pilots were gathered around the table talking of plans and piloting techniques. As he drifted by he heard snatches of the talk.
"But Heero. The Zero system is fairly dangerous." Hildi was telling Heero. "Imagine what would happen if a crazy person like Du-"The black clad pilot coughed to make himself known. "I mean…" She corrected herself. "If crazy people got a hold-"The conversation became inaudible as he drifted out of range and into another one.
"I see your point Relena." He could hear Wu Fei saying to the pacifist. "But I believe we should use a full frontal attack and-"The pilot known as Death once again drifted out of hearing range. But being Duo, he only had one thing on his mind anyway. Coffee and or food. Finding only the first he made his way to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. He tipped the black caffeine filled goodness into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. The pilot of Deathscythe tapped himself on the chest as he started to choke, and ignoring the stares he was receiving from Trowa, started to speak.
"Where: cough: is: gag: Quatre's: choke: tray: gasp? Relena pointed to the counter as Wu Fei gave him a look that said 'you were over acting a bit were you not?' Duo glared, picked up the tray and glided back into the bedroom. Setting the tray on the bedside table he gently shook the Arabian awake.
"Unh?" The blonde questioned sleepily.
"Time to eat." The braided boy said softly and set the tray in front of him. "After this we get to do our jobs. For less then minimum wage! I made more then that working in the scrap business." He rambled off on a tangent, as was the usual way he had a conversation with himself. By the time he had finished Quatre had already put on his flight suit and was halfway out the door. Duo mumbled a sheepish 'wait up', picked up the tray and followed the blonde out the door. Just as they had entered the kitchen, the Peacemillion gave a violent lurch and Howard's voice came over the loud speaker.
"Peacemillion is under attack! Peacemillion is under attack! All gundam pilots report to the docking b-" He was cut off as the speaker was disconnected and the ship tilted to one side.
"Well thanks for stating the obvious Howard." Duo said sarcastically and caught Hildi as she went hurtling by. Quatre on the other hand went flying into the wall. The blonde grunted as his knees were shoved into his stomach. Recovering his composure, he pushed off the wall towards the docking bay. The rest followed his lead.
"They are early!" Wu Fei shouted above the alarm siren.
"Battles are not timed Wu Fei. You should know that." Heero said in a low tone as he ducked into the cockpit of the Zero One. The docking bay became filled with the sound of five engines coming to life. The door opened and they sped out into space. As the ship stabilized, Relena gazed out the window and watched Heero's gundam zoom away becoming ever smaller. The young vice foreign minister then noticed her reflection in the window. It was poised over the Japanese boy's gundam.
"Almost like a guardian angel… reflection angels." She laughed out loud at the thought. With one last lingering gaze she turned away from the window and the already ensuing battle.
Chapter 2:"Battle and Betrayal"
"Duo!" Quatre yelled over the consul. "Three! On Your left!" The black clad pilot smiled in satisfaction as his cruel beam scythe cut through the offending mobile dolls. He snickered and continued to slash out at them. Quatre watched as Duo went on a large killing spree. "War." The blonde said callously. The braided boy's face flashed onto the view screen.
"You say somethin' Quatre?" He asked hurriedly.
"No." The Arabian answered and returned to the melee. Duo shrugged and left him to his own thoughts. The pilot known as Death returned to the fight. Slash. Duck. Slash. Shoot. They were perfectly trained killing machines, the gundams and their pilots. Each one taking out as many mobile dolls as possible and trying not to die.
"The God of Death has arrived! And I will kill you all!" The braided pilot's war challenge rang out above the battle. "Huh? Duo let out a gasp of surprise as the Epyon appeared from behind the ranks of the mobile dolls. "Time to meet your maker!" Punching up the engines, the black clad pilot sped off towards the offending gundam. Quatre, seeing Duo and his target, called out to the other pilots. "Trowa, Wu Fei! Go help Duo!" The Arabian then turned his attention back to his own predicament. Heero had also gone to fight the Epyon and the blonde was slowly being over run by mobile dolls. On the screen in front of him he could see seven or eight speeding towards him. Quatre quickly dispatched the two in front of him and groaned as the first one to reach him rammed Sandrock from behind. The blonde was in bad shape. All the blows he had been giving and receiving had re-opened the wounds in his midsection. The floor of the cockpit along with the pilot was covered in blood. The wounded pilot was about to turn round to meet them when they exploded. It was Noine, in a Taurus suit.
"Figured you could use a little help." She said with a smile.
"Thank you Miss Noine." Quatre replied weakly. Consciousness was fading quickly and he could feel what little strength he had ebbing. Between the two of them they got rid of the rest quickly.
"Quatre! Quatre stay with me! Come on! Just a bit longer. Please!" Noine pleaded as she turned on the view screen. The blonde's face appeared on the consul. It was flushed and it looked as if he couldn't breathe. His head was slumped forward a bit on his chest. Even without a full body picture she could see that he had lost a lot of blood. "Quatre!" The boy's blue eyes snapped open. "Stay with me!" Noine was shouting now.
"Ri…righ…t" the teen gasped. Knowing he was telling a lie and that there was no way he would be able to get back to the docking bay himself. He punched in the code for Peacemillion. The blonde let his head slump forward once again and the darkness envelop him.
"What's the matter Zhex? Can't defeat an annoying gundam pilot without 14 units to protect your precious hide? Pathetic!" Heero sneered with a small hint of a smile on his face. Trowa's face appeared on the screen in front of the Japanese pilot.
"Heero?" The pilot of Heavyarms asked tentatively in his quiet voice. "Heero, the mobile dolls are gone. Noine and Quatre have gotten rid of them."
Milliardo sighed. "I am afraid I must leave you. We will meet again, Heero Yuy." The Epyon turned and sped away to Libra.
"Coward!" Wu Fei spat. "He has no honor!" The remaining pilots made their way back to Peacemillion.
"Mmmm!" The black clad pilot stretched as he walked down the catwalk. "Hey? Where's Quatre? Didn't he get out of Sandrock?"
"No he didn't Duo." The braided pilot turned to see Relena running towards him. "Noine called back. He's still inside." At the last few words Heero had jumped up to the cockpit. The brown haired boy punched in the encrypted code that would allow him access to the unconscious pilot. The cockpit burst open to reveal the broken body of the Winner heir. The crimson flow on the floor had gone far enough to seep out over the confines of the cockpit. The Japanese boy hoisted the Arabian over his shoulder and followed the young pacifist to the infirmary. The other pilots followed close behind and were soon joined by Hildi. Relena indicated a table to the far left of the room. Heero carefully laid the pilot down. In one quick motion the quiet boy had ripped off the flight jacket. Relena came over and gently removed the old bandages to replace them with new ones. The blonde's eyes flickered open.
"Re…Relen…a." It was a statement rather then a question. He turned his head and slipped away again. As Duo hooked up an IV unit while Noine shooed everyone out of the room. Hildi refused to go.
"I want to stay with him." She said softly to Noine so that only she could hear it. Brushing her midnight blue locks out of her eyes Noine stuttered out,
"But I thought…wait…Duo?" Hildi just smiled deviously and walked to Quatre's side. The black clad pilot in question, confused by what he had just seen walked slowly out of the room. He was so absorbed in his thinking that he didn't even notice he had hit his head on the frame of the kitchen door.
"Hey Maxwell." Wu Fei inquired. "Did you or did you not notice you hit your head? Or was I suffering a hallucination?"
"What? Oh… yeah." The pilot of Deathscythe raised his hand in a halfhearted gesture as he finally realized what he had witnessed. He turned and ran leaving the remaining pilots staring after him. He slowed when he reached the infirmary. Just as he looked inside the braided boy saw Hildi place a lingering kiss on the prone pilot's pale cheek. The black clad pilot let out an involuntary gasp. His former girlfriend heard this and made to turn around. Duo ducked out of the doorway as fast as he could and ran. Unfortunately it hadn't been fast enough. Hildi saw the tip of his braid and could hear his receding footsteps. A cold cruel laugh escaped from her lips. He was running. He always ran. He ran from his past. He ran from his life. He ran from her. He ran from his friends. This would teach him to run. She laughed yet again. This one colder then the first.
He ran. He didn't know where. He just ran. The black clad pilot suddenly found himself in the docking bay.
"Hey Duo!" Howard yelled. "What do you think yer doin'? Come back! The braided pilot ignored him. He pushed the technicians away from the cockpit of his gundam and jumped inside and punched up the engines.
Back in the infirmary Hildi could hear a gundam's engines. She knew it would be Duo's. Still running.
The braided teen opened the bay doors and sped out into the cold reaches of space.
Chapter 3:"Recolections"
Death. Destruction. Pain. Sorrow. Death. He had lived up to his nickname well. He didn't care. For once in his life he just didn't care. The others would probably think he had gone off to self detonate or something. But he didn't care. He was too tired to care. But the black clad pilot didn't want to sleep. He knew that if he fell asleep the horrible nightmares would return. Giving a sigh of defeat at the knowledge that he couldn't stave it off forever, he powered down his gundam, Deathscythe. Leaving on only life support he slipped away into the darkness.
----"Ha! I didn't do it! I swear!" A small boy yelled happily as a little girl a few years younger then he tackled him. "I swear! Ha ha! Stop! No! Stop tickling me! Please!"
"I mean it! Give me back my dolly! Come on! Give her back!"
"I didn't take it!" The small boy jumped up and ran away from her. "I swear Michelle!" The little girl hiked up her light blue dress and ran after him, laughing. A large hand appeared from nowhere and grabbed the long chestnut braid and yanked the black clad owner to the ground. A small doll fell out of the boy's pocket.
"Hey! That's not fair Michelle! You brought endorsements." The nun that had grabbed him picked him up.
"I think you mean reinforcements little one." Sister Helen laughed and set him on his feet.
"Well yeah. And I am not little!" The small boy retorted and ran off. Michelle curtsied and followed, giggling. ----
----"Duo! Duo, help me! I can't move! I'm scared!
"Hang on Michelle! I'm coming!" The braided boy yelled above the melee. He ran towards her fallen form, dodging falling metal and gunfire. As he neared her he saw that no matter what he did she would die. Her back was broken. He knelt beside her and lifted the metal sheeting that had fallen on her small body. Picking her up carefully, he ran. He didn't stop until he had reached the forest. The black clad boy looked back upon the burning monastery that had once been his loving home. The enemy troops, their mission being accomplished, had dispersed.
"We made it Michelle. Michelle?" Duo looked down at the still form in his arms. Her doll clutched weakly in her hands. She was dead. He fell to his knees and raised his tear-streaked face to the moon and cried out loud in the cold winter air, not even trying to hide his tears. "Michelle. He whispered, looking once again at her broken body. "You didn't say goodbye." ----
Duo woke in a cold sweat. He knew what had happened after that. Nearby townspeople had found him curled up next to his little friend's body on the cold winter ground. They had taken him to a nearby house where he could stay until they found a new orphanage. Later telling him that he was the only survivor. After that he had faced seven years of rejection. No one wanted him because of his past and rumors. A family would take him only to return him a week later when they found out. Now, after he had thought the long pattern of rejection had stopped the only other person he had let close to him had stabbed him right through the heart. He punched up Deathscythe's engines.
"Well, time to go back buddy." The braided pilot screwed the fake smile that he hadn't needed to use for years back in place securely on his face and made his way back to Peacemillion.
Quatre waded through muddy nightmares towards a faint light in the far corner of his mind. Every time he got close a new wave of pain sent him spiraling back to his bloody nightmares and memories. Flashes of horrific battles raged a war inside his head. Visions of his uncontrolled mistakes that had put Trowa in danger kept flashing through his mind. Nothing could ever make up for what his stupid lapses in judgment had done to everyone. According to his myriad of remembrances in his opinion, he had led a cruel and heartless life. Killing innocents to achieve a sense of peace. Perhaps his father was right. All of a sudden a horrible scene flashed through his subconscious.
Watching the blonde teen struggle through some unseen problem sent daggers through Hildi's heart. All at once the blonde's eyes flickered open.
"Du…Duo is in trouble." He said in an urgent voice and fell back into a restless sleep. Relena looked on in wonder as Hildi held the blonde's hand.
"What does he mean?" The young vice foreign minister asked herself. Coming up with no really logical answer, she dismissed it as a fever induced delusion and went about gathering up the blood soaked clothing.
Duo stared out into the void going over his last joy filled moments he had spent with Michelle. The bright smile he had tried to keep in place had faded and a sad one with a few tears had replaced it. Speeding through space and sad memories the braided pilot hadn't even noticed the blip on his radar. Seven units of mobile suits were bearing down on him. A huge flash of light brought him back to reality.
"Evil has arrived! The black clad pilot roared. Knowing he was alone he dove right in. Being quickly overtaken he fought with the best of his ability. The braided teen slashed with his cruel and deadly scythe. Mobile dolls were exploding all around him but they still held the advantage. Though a skilled pilot he was glad when they finally backed off. The braided teen said a silent prayer of thanks as he punched up the stats on Deathscythe. He saw that there wasn't too much to be thankful for. The destructive gundam was in bad shape and almost out of fuel. The tired pilot slowly made his way back to his former destination praying that he wouldn't run out of power before he got there. As he approached the docking bay the pilot known as Death was suddenly overcome by a wave of fatigue. He could vaguely hear Howard and the other technicians exclaiming about the horrible shape that the Deathscythe was in. Howard hurried over. Heero and Trowa looked up from the Wing Zero. The cockpit of the gundam flew open and they all saw a very disheveled Duo.
"Tough battle. Being alone and all you know." The pilot said with a forced smile. As he took a few shaky steps down the catwalk he clutched his side. Trowa moved to help him.
"Hear, let me help." The pilot said in his soft voice.
"No thanks Trowa. I'm okay. " The black clad pilot added a really to that as he saw his friend's skeptical look. The violet eyed pilot straightened up and walked briskly towards the infirmary. When he reached it he hesitated. Hildi was helping Quatre drink a cup of tea.
"It wasn't as if I expected her to care." The braided teen murmured even though he felt a pang of jealousy toward his fellow pilot. He walked in. Seeing that his friend was basically okay he made to get up but Hildi pushed him back down.
"Hey Duo." The Arabian said in a greeting. Smiling, Duo answered back. Moving to the back of the room the pilot of Deathscythe took of his shirt. Looking in the mirror he could see dark purpling bruises.
"Great." He said sarcastically. "I probably got bruised in that fight. But I can't remember banging against the consul that much." Slipping his shirt back on and ignoring the two figures to his right the pilot made his way to his room. He dragged himself over to his bed and fell across it. A blank look crossed his face as he slipped away into a dreamless sleep.
"Hm." Hildi smirked. "I guess that will teach him to run from me."
"What?" Quatre asked and got up. Ignoring the sharp pains in his mid section he pulled out the IV and went to check on Duo. Before Hildi could say anything the Arabian was out the door.
"Men." She thought.
Upon entering the room Quatre could hear soft uneven snores coming from Duo's side of the room.
"I hope this doesn't wake him, but I can't see a thing." The blonde murmured as he flipped the light switch. He looked over at the sleeping form. "He wouldn't wake up if all the mobile dolls in this war were fighting on top of him." The young pilot settled down between the now clean sheets and slowly drifted off into a sleep that wasn't plagued by nightmares of his friend's deaths.
Chapter 4: "Mission accepted"
Duo was awakened by the sounds of a fight. Wu Fei was yelling about injustices. No big surprise. And priorities, while Relena was shrieking about the importance of the situation. Trying to discern what they were talking about the black clad pilot could hear Quatre telling everyone to calm down and be quiet.
"Shhh! Duo is trying to sleep. Can't you be quiet? I mean, just settle down and talk about this calmly." Figuring that Quatre would run the risk of getting shot by sticking up for him, Duo got up. He inhaled sharply and bent over as a sharp stab of pain in his rib area sent his head reeling. The braided pilot slowly stood upright and walked out of the room.
"Hey Quatre. It's okay. I'm up." Duo walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. "What's goin' on?"
"Well." Noine began. "We received a transmission last night. The White Fang federation has captured a very important family of pacifists. They our holding them on an abandoned colony in the L2 area in a building that is said to be a burned out monastery to the Far West."
"No!" Duo thought worriedly. "This can't be happening to me! Why does it have to be there! I can't go back."
"This family is vital to the end of the war. If we don't get them back…well I shudder to think where this war will lead. They are the Ashinta family, a mother, a father, two daughters and one small boy. According to our tip the children have been separated from their parents and our being held in a different part of the facility." She finished. Quatre looked around the room at the others. He saw Duo nervously biting his lip so hard it began to bleed. The blonde stood up and walked over to the braided pilot. He was the only person Duo had told about his past and that had been under the influence of a truth serum. The Arabian put his hand on Duo's shoulder.
"Lets get some breakfast." The caring boy said to his worried friend. "I haven't eaten yet and I take it neither have you."
"Huh? Oh okay." The black clad pilot knew very well that it was so Quatre could talk to him. He slowly got up wincing as his ribs felt like they were on fire and followed his fellow pilot into the cooking area.
"You know you don't have to go." The blonde said in a quiet voice. "I'm sure you could say you were tired because of that big battle yesterday. It wouldn't be a problem." Even as he said it in a reassuring voice he knew Duo would never accept.
"I know Quatre. But I have to go. It's what I got to do. Thanks for givin' me a way out, but it's okay." The black clad pilot said softly with a small smile on his face. The grin widened. "So what about that breakfast offer huh?" The Arabian smiled. He knew it was an act to appear normal. Duo could never fool him.
"Yeah. I'll get right on it Duo."
"And Quatre, thanks again."
"Sure. Anytime Duo."
The commotion at the kitchen table was getting louder and Duo was beginning to wish he hadn't been woken up. The braided boy joined them.
"So let me get this straight. We have to save a family of pacifists so that this war will end." Duo said to the yelling group.
"Well, yes Duo." Noine answered. "If we don't get them back then the rest of the colonies that are not in the war will join it to try and save them. It truly is up to us."
"What's in it for me?" He peered around at the faces staring at him. "What? I'm just kidding. I'll go. When do we leave?" Quatre set a plate of food down in front of him and at once he began to eat.
"We have to go right away so as not to miss the shuttle flight to L2." Noine explained. "If we linger then we'll never make it in time. Are you done stuffing your face yet Duo?"
"Mumm. Pemf meph nonf."
"What did you say?" Noine asked.
"Mmumph." The black clad pilot replied and held up a finger. "Yeah. Let's go grab a shuttle." He jumped up and ran to the docking bay. The others followed suit with Hildi and Relena close behind.
"Yo! Howard! You got the shuttle ready yet? We gotta catch another in a little while!" Duo called to the technician.
"Yeah! We were just waiting for you guys." He called back. The gundam pilots got the girls settled in the shuttle and Noine pulled out of the docking bay.
"So quiet." Duo whispered to himself as he peered out into the blackness of space. "I wonder if I'll ever be able to enjoy it again." The American thought back to all the good times he had had with Hildi and how he would never experience those good times again. He sighed.
Quatre looked over at his silent friend and attempted to pull himself away from a Hildi that was hanging onto his arm. It was a wonder Duo even liked him at all anymore. The Arabian didn't really like Hildi.
"Why is she behaving like this!" Quatre thought wildly. "Why won't she leave me alone!" Throughout all the struggles and attempted thought no one had even noticed that they had reached their first destination until Noine called in.
"Come on! It leaves in a few minutes!" The passengers gave a start. Quatre pulled away from the bothersome woman hanging on his arm.
"Lets go Duo!" The blonde pulled his friend up out of his seat. Even though the pull had hurt him, Duo did not resist. The Arabian led him out of their shuttle and onto another one. "Look Duo. I hope you don't think I stole Hildi because I didn't really."
"I know Quatre. I just can't figure out why. I just…" The American never got a chance to finish because at that moment Hildi and the others had come in. Hildi at once latched onto a protesting Quatre's arm.
"This must be killing Duo on the inside." She thought savagely. "I hope he doesn't cry. Hmm mm." The girl laughed to herself. Quatre stopped shaking his arm long enough to ask what she was laughing about and then resumed the shaking once again.
"So Miss Noine. Where exactly is the monastery located?" :Shake, shake: "Is it far away from this site?" The blonde asked as the shuttle set down in a field.
"I'm afraid it is pretty far Quatre. We have to walk there and it will take about a day. If we keep up the pace." The Arabian looked at Duo who sitting on the ground and holding his sides then, thought back to himself. Noine was also thinking along the same lines as she passed out the guns. The American jumped up. He had been listing in on he conversation and didn't want to hold up the hike.
"Lets go. We got supplies right? So lets go." He twirled his gun around his finger and stuck it in his belt. The braided boy set off across the field towards the monastery.
"How does he know which way to go?" Relena asked Quatre. Knowing quite well that he had the answer but wouldn't tell her.
"I am not quite sure Miss Relena. But he seems sure of himself doesn't he." The blonde turned and jogged to catch up with the black clad boy Hildi still clinging to his arm.
Chapter 5: "Rescue Plans"
It was getting dark despite the full moon. Duo was still very sure of where he was. In fact he was right at the edge of the forest where Michelle died. He slowed down and waited for the others. The American had completely forgotten that Quatre was wounded as well as himself. The braided boy noticed a throbbing pain in his rib cage. He sat down on a rock to wait.
"Duo?" A flat, hushed whisper came through the crisp night air. "Where are you?" Duo couldn't make out just who it was. Worried that it could be an enemy he drew his gun and stood behind a tree. A shadowed figure was coming through the thick trees. The braided boy jumped out and aimed his gun. He was about to shoot, ask questions later, when the figure stepped into a beam of moonlight. It was Heero.
"Man Heero. I almost shot you." The black clad boy whispered.
"Wouldn't be the first time." The Japanese boy whispered in a monotone voice. Duo suppressed a laugh. "Come on. Noine sent me to find you. Quatre is exhausted and collapsed." He went off back through the trees. Duo holstered his gun and followed.
"I'm okay really Hildi. I'm fine. Let me up." Quatre was disgusted with himself. He had only tripped on a tree root and now everyone was saying he had collapsed. That showed how weak everyone thought he was. Now Hildi wouldn't leave him alone and was hanging on to him more then before. "I'm okay everyone. I just tripped on a tree root all right? I did not collapse. Really."
"It's all right Quatre. It's fine to be tired. You're wounded. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"But I'm not tired." The blonde punctuated his last word by getting up and walking almost straight into Duo. "Sorry Duo. I didn't see you in all that black.
"Hey guys. If Quatre said he tripped. He tripped. You sound like he's gonna break or something. He's ain't that frail. Geesh. Now if we have wasted enough time we should get going. The monastery is only a few minutes that way." He pointed behind him and turned around. Hildi got up off the ground to stand next to Quatre and try to get a hold of his arm. The blonde silently moved out of her reach and followed the black clad figure that was trotting through the trees. Within a few minutes time they had reached a large field. In the middle was a huge burned out building with a smaller one at the far edge. Quatre guessed that the children were being held in the smaller building. His suspicions were confirmed when a large man dragged a small figure through the lit doorway.
"We should wait until the morning. We can't see a thing when it's this dark out. Even with the moonlight." The Arabian said softly to the group standing behind Duo and himself. He looked over at the braided pilot. His mouth was slightly open in a slight smile and it looked like he was remembering better times. "Duo." He said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"Duo what do you think we should do?"
"We should wait. This place is dangerous at night. Even more so when there are enemies around." The black clad pilot silently moved back into the cover of darkness and trees. The blonde followed to relay his suspicions and plans to the others.
"The children are guarded." The Arabian whispered. "I am also assuming that the parents are guarded as well. Probably heavily knowing that there is going to be a rescue attempt. If we have a hope of rescuing them we have to wait until morning. If we don't the results could be devastating." The blonde continued to tell his rescue plan. When he finished the others were silent. They were all letting it sink in. It was a fairly simple plan. They would see how many guards were there. Sneak in and take them by surprise. For now they would rest, each of the pilots taking shifts throughout the night. Duo had first watch.
Chapter 6:"Reflections"
Duo stared out into the night. The sounds of the forest helping to keep him awake. In the distance the teen could see a family of deer. They were apparently unafraid of the dangers that had invaded their home. The smallest one seemed to know though for it kept looking back towards the clearing. The black clad boy found himself wondering what would happen if they lost the war. Would all the colonies descend to earth? Would the earth just be destroyed and that would be the end of everything? Why did Milliardo want the earth destroyed? Did life in space really seem that good of a prospect? He paused in his thinking, hearing a noise. It was just the deer. They were moving away now. He watched them disappear into the distance. For some reason the braided boy began to worry and wonder if they would be okay. The fawns were too young to die. They hadn't lived their lives yet. Unlike him. He was a soldier, a tool. Used only to accomplish a task. How ever horrid that task would be. Another thought surfaced in his mind. What would have happened if he had died all those years ago? Would the war have even happened? And what about Deathscythe? What if another had stolen the gundam? The teen was so deep in thought he didn't notice that the enemy had also put out guards. Three large men were patrolling the edge of the woods. Duo didn't notice them until they were about 20 feet away.
"Great." He sighed knowing he had really screwed up. He slowly crept away, making enough noise to get them to follow. In all his black he knew they couldn't see him but it was still risky. The braided boy was so busy watching the three guys he didn't notice the tree in front of him. Being Duo, he walked into it. The noise of him hitting the wood was loud enough to give the men an accurate guess of where he was.
"Over there."
"Think we should get backup?"
"No. Probably just an animal. We'll pick it off to make sure." The man that said the last statement took aim right at Duo's general direction. Swearing the teen ran.
"I gotta get 'em away from the others." Running as fast as he could he circled around the woods. Reaching the end he checked to see if they were still behind him.
"It's a guy!"
"What?"
"He said it's a guy! Come on shoot him!" The cries of him being spotted gave enough proof to the teen. Diving back into the woods he drew his gun. The three were creating a circle around him attempting to surround him. Taking careful aim through the trees he fired. The shots had been quick but accurate. The two guys he had felled were dead before they had hit the ground. Straightening up he looked around.
"Just one turkey to go." Keeping his gun in his hand he ducked in and out of trees. The one guy remaining had only two options. Run or fight. The braided teen had a feeling that he had chosen the latter. Loud footsteps could be heard tromping through the dark shadows. "What an amateur. I could probably hear him a mile away." Getting an accurate fix on the guy's position, the teen jumped out from behind the trees. "Death ain't fun to mess with. Someone could get hurt." The black clad boy said just above a whisper.
"Yeah?" The man sneered. "Well it ain't gonna be me twip." The man raised his gun and fired off a round. The braided boy dove to the ground out of the line of fire. Unfortunately for the guy Duo was in black. All he had succeeded in doing was putting a lot of holes in a lot of trees. By now Duo was getting pretty fed up with such stupidity.
"You. Guy. You are not even worth my time. The Great Destroyer has no patience for your pathetic attempts at my life." With that said he jumped up off the ground and fired. One shot was all it took. The man dropped. Duo put the gun back in his belt and ran. More guards could have come while he was away and that could be disastrous. While nearing the small open area where he had left the group he could hear voices.
"Oh no." He whispered and slowed down. He crept closer, gun in hand ready to fire. Stepping into the clearing he then realized that the voices belonged to Quatre and Heero.
"There you are!" The Arabian whispered. "I woke up to take my watch and you weren't hear." He then noticed Duo's torn clothing. "What happened?"
"There were guards. They almost found us so I led them away. Don't worry they're all dead. Now if you will all excuse me, I'm going to sleep." The teen then proceeded to make his way over to a tree. He climbed up into it settled in the branches and fell asleep. Heero went back to his place on the ground and did the same.
"He has the strangest habits." Quatre mumbled to himself and stared out into the darkness.
Chapter 7: "War Has No Honor"
Duo woke to the sounds of large vehicles being revved up. Opening his eyes he could see the rest of the group staring out of the trees.
"They are moving the hostages." Came the low tone of Heero's voice.
"We must move now." Quatre said with a bit of urgency in his own. "Let's go quickly." They all crept along the tree line keeping out of sight. Seeing no one they ran to the burned monastery. Hiding behind a wall they could see a group of about 30 to 35 huge men, each of them with a large semi. Quatre gave the word and the pilots ran in followed by Noine and Hildi. Relena stayed behind the wall. All ready screams of pain could be heard. Looking at the gun she had so reluctantly taken she followed.
Duo was jumping and diving. The men he was fighting were at least twice as big as he was. After felling about five he was exhausted. The others seemed to be slowing down as well. The black clad pilot could see what must have been the Ashinta family. The children were terrified and cowering against their parents. Duo fought his way over to them. He was about to cut them loose when a knife cut deep into his side. The pain flowed through him like an unquenchable fire. Turning around yielded the face of his assailant. He was laughing. The braided boy tore the knife out of his side almost fainting at the fresh wave of pain.
"You should never mess with Death you know." Duo said with a smile. "You might not like the result." His attacker wasn't laughing anymore. The black clad pilot raised his gun and shot him. After wiping the blood off his new knife and onto his shirt he cut the family loose and told them to run. Pressing a hand to his side he went to find the others. The guards that were not dead were running away. Duo found the group standing to one side of the monastery with the now rescued family.
The black clad pilot as well as Heero took one last look around at the carnage that had once been, apparently, a joy filled place. Suddenly something caught their eyes. Assessing the situation the braided boy nodded at Heero. The Japanese teen pulled Relena to the ground while Duo jumped in front of Hildi. Duo staggered back under the assault of pain in his chest. He reached behind him and grabbed Hildi's gun; firing two quick and accurate shots. Two snipers fell from an outcrop of the stone wall. They were dead. The braided boy turned to face Hildi gasping for breath.
"Hey… babe. You…okay? Unh!" He fell forward onto her, the weight of his body throwing her to the ground. She struggled out from under him. Heero pulled Relena up from where she had fallen and came to stand beside the teen with the rest of the group.
"Du… Duo! Get up! Please Duo! Get up!" Hildi was crying and pleading with the pilot. Holding the braided boy's shivering body, his life's blood flowing over her hands in a crimson tide. Her tears falling on his pale face. A hand reached up and gently brushed them from her cheeks.
"Don… do… don't cry Hildi. It doesn't hur… hurt much." The black clad pilot gasped out.
"Duo! I love you! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me! I love you!" She was still crying. Hugging his broken body close to her own ignoring the vivid flow covering her. The teen coughed. He could taste the metallic flavor of the blood coming from his mouth. She gently wiped it away and rocked him back and forth slowly.
"You go have a good… life… and don't worry… about… me. I love… you…too… babe." With those last few whispered words the boy's violet eyes closed forever leaving Hildi and Quatre still crying over their courageous friend's body.
Heero silently came to Hildi. Taking the now lifeless body of Duo Maxwell out of her arms, he pulled her up and guided her over to Relena. The young vice foreign minister started to lead her back to the shuttle, her arm around Hildi's shaking shoulders, talking softly. The Japanese boy came back over to what had once been his friend Duo and knelt beside him. Saying a short prayer he slowly lifted the braided boy off the ground and followed. The once life filled eyes now hidden from the world. The three remaining pilots as well as Noine and the Ashinta family watched them go silently. Wu Fei stated to speak. Checking himself he turned to the wide expanse of open field. A family of deer was eating the lush grasses. The youngest fawn watching the group with large brown eyes.
"War has no honor." The Chinese pilot whispered slowly. He then turned and followed the sad procession with a bowed head. Honoring those lost to the war.