//blah blah blah// = denotes thoughts
*blah blah blah* = denotes emphasis
"blah blah blah" = denotes speech
[Flashback] & [End Flashback] = denotes flashbacks [duh]

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Duo watched as the sun set on the city. Moving slightly to get into a more comfortable position, he looked down from where he was perched on the roof of Relena's mansion. Seeing the blonde hurrying down the street, he pondered momentarily as to why the girl was out so late [1], but brushed it off, not really caring.

As he sat there, Duo brought the images of the day to his mind, and sighed sadly. //*Why* am I doing this again?// he asked himself, a small voice promptly answered, [2] //Because you miss him......// Covering his face with his hand, he remembered.

[Flashback]

A warm, solid body pressed against his back, and gentle hands blocked his vision, a deep voice whispered in his mind, "Guess who......?"

Grinning widely, the slim God snuggled into the warmth offered. Cocking his head to one side, he answered, "Hm... I don't know..... the Tooth Fairy?"

A low chuckle proved his captors amusement at the statement, "Nope, try again."

"Some ruthless barbarian who has evil plans to chain me up and use me as his personal sex slave?"

"Nope, third try, but maybe we could try that later......?"

A bark of laughter was the only reply to that suggestion. A moment passed and a pair of slender arms rose to try and pry away the hands preventing Shinigami from seeing his lover. "....love??" he whined, "....please?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner folks!" soft lips caressed his neck, and warm breath tickled his ears as his lover spoke next, "I've got something for you Shi-koi,"

The smaller boy perked up noticeably at this statement, he started bouncing with excitement, making his lover hard pressed to keep his eyes covered. "Really? What is it? Huh, huh, huh? Tell me! C'mon already, spill!"

Sigh, "Alright," the hands were removed, "Open up,"

Duo gasped in wonder at the sight before him. In a cloud of cobalt fire hung a silver necklace, attached to it was a cross about half the size of his palm, with four tiny blue stones twinkling at him from where they clustered around a larger, center stone, which glowed with an amethyst fire. "It's beautiful....." he whispered.

"Just like you," he heard from just beside him.

Raising one hand, Duo brushed slightly trembling fingers across the smooth metal, watching as the cloud of flame split in two, unclasping the chain, and bringing the two ends apart. He felt his braid being lifted from his neck, and heard the slight tinkling of the bones bumping together. The clouds floated closer, and soon the chain had encircled his neck, the clasp clinked shut, and the weight of the pendant rested in the hollow of his throat.

Brushing his fingers over the cool metal once more, Duo turned to his partner with a gleam in his eye, "Now..... how should I properly thank you, love? Maybe we could take my 'idea' for a test run?" and with that, he pounced on his lover, taking them both to the floor.

[End Flashback]

Duo sat on the roof, rocking his body slightly, one arm wrapped around his legs, pinning them to his chest. The other hand was on his chest, rubbing slightly at the now empty spot where the pendant had lain in time long past.

Burying his head in his arms, he felt the trickle of tears run across his cheeks, allowing them to mourn the loss of his lover for the first time. //I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.........//

[Flashback]

Lying in a sweaty pile of limbs after a heated bout of lovemaking, the sweaty, slim God pulled his long chestnut tresses, now free from his customary braid, away from his face, this movement successfully masking his ulterior actions. As he swept the damn strands away from his face, he popped a small pill into his mouth, without rousing any reaction from his mate.

Swishing the pill around with his tongue, Duo was careful not to swallow as it dissolved into his saliva, [3]. Turning, he mashed his mouth to that of his still panting partner, probing and tasting, and sucking his lover's tongue when the gesture was returned. As they lazily sparred with their tongues, Duo efficiently coated his lovers mouth with his now drugged saliva. [4]

Leaning back when his lungs screamed for oxygen, he gasped "Mmmmmmm........ sweet? That was amazing!"

Placing a quick kiss on his koi's lips, the Demon's lover [5] asked, "Which? The kiss, or the sex?"

Pondering a moment, Duo bent for another kiss, then answered, "Mmmmm...... both!" he grinned.

The grin faded, however, when his lover suddenly collapsed back into the silk sheets. Wide eyes conveyed fear, love and confusion. Struggling to be heard, he mouthed a single word, "Why?' before releasing a last shuddering breath and becoming still.

Duo rose from the bed and blinked back the tear that threatened to fell. Leaning over the bed, he kisses his lover one last time, whispering, "I'm sorry Koi, I'll always love you," as he swept his hand down the others face, blocking out the now lifeless cobalt stare.
Standing, Duo quickly dressed in his customary black, and returned to the bed. Before he leaned down to gather the limp body in his arms, he snapped his fingers and amethyst fire appeared around his hair. A spell that he hadn't used while with his lover, who had loved to brush his hair, the fire neatly and efficiently re-braided the long locks, plaiting in the bleach white bones in the process.

Walking from the room, Duo snapped his fingers a final time as the door boomed shut behind him, sealing the room, and setting ablaze it's entire contents.

After a few moments of walking, he entered into the throne room of the Demon Lord himself, the Devil. Proceeding, without hesitation, to the front of the room, he kneeled in front of the dais, bowing his head over the body in his arms, and simply stated, with a single tear tracing a track down his cheek, "It has been done, my Lord, as you commanded,"

[End Flashback]

Standing, Duo wiped his eyes to dry them, but to no avail, the stream of tears would not stop. Unfurling his wings, he leapt off of the three story mansion into the night sky, to glide on the warm updrafts coming from the land.

//Your running......// his mind taunted him, //Damn straight!// he snapped back. He *was* running, running from those cobalt orbs that had re-surfaced to haunt his dreams, though if they were memories of the past, or glimpses of the future, he did not know.

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[1] I know dusk isn't all that late, but I highly doubt little miss primped up princess would be outside on her own when it was dark[er]
[2] No, Duo is *not* crazy, I have little voices, they are quite helpful when you need to think of snappy comebacks
[3] I borrowed the concept of drug-laced saliva from MadamHydra's 'Mechanics of Control'. Hope she doesn't mind ^_^V
[4]Talk about spit swapping! ^_^
[5] I know Duo is Shinigami, not a demon, but I was running out of ideas on what to call his 'lover' since the guy is a no-name ^_^;;;;;; but isn't almost everything from Hell considered a demon???

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Flashbacks are a bitch!!! This is what took me so long, that and trying to find different ways to refer to Mr. Anonymous lover-boy.

C&C is craved, begged for, and even demanded if it'll help! Please tell me if these flashbacks were worth the hassle!!