Okay, here's the disclaimer:
I don't own Gundam Wing, nor any of its characters, so don't sue me, okay?
Please remember to review, and send any requests to me via e-mail.
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No one remembers… no one cares… there is nothing left.
She made her way down the crowded streets, her hood pulled over her head, eyes cast down to the street. The rain fell in buckets, soaking what was left exposed to the frigid morning air. She came to a small coffee shop, and peered in. Deciding that it looked inviting enough, she entered, and sat at the counter. As she waited for an employee to take her order, she glanced around for a friendly face…
She found it in the braided shinigami that was seated next to her.
"Hello. What brings you here this early?"
Duo asked the stranger that sat next to him, just out of curiosity. The girl turned and smiled, and was instantly attracted. After pulling off her raincoat, she turned her attention back to him, and smiled once again.
"Oh, just the warmth and the coffee, I suppose. What's your name?"
Charming. Be charming at all costs. The last one didn't think you were charming enough, remember? And he also said you weren't pretty enough to be with him. Keep smiling. Be considerate and thoughtful… be everything that you know you are not.
The shy girl blinked, shutting out the voice… that strange voice that was exactly like her, but not her at all at the same time. She hated when this happened, and it happened quite often.
Duo smiled and nodded, oblivious to what was going on with the blue haired girl sitting next to him.
"The name's Duo Maxwell. Please to meet you…"
He shook his head and laughed.
"I didn't catch your name. Please, tell me your name."
Taking her order, a busy worker bustled about behind the counter, refilling Duo's cup with fresh coffee, and then disappearing to take care of other customers. The girl nodded at Duo, and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"My name is Elaine Anderson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Duo."
Yes, this is good. He will become a friend, and be the closest one to you. Just remember to be everything that you are not…
Elaine shook off the voice again, slightly irritated that it dared to interfere once again. Soft plum eyes darted from Duo to the employee who had returned with her coffee back to Duo again.
"Like I said. Pleasure to meet you, Elaine. You live around here?"
Duo took a gulp of coffee and set the cup down, feeling slightly uneasy from the gaze of Elaine. He squirmed in his seat a bit, and then once he was settled he gave an awkward smile to her.
"Yes, likewise."
Elaine took a sip of her coffee, gazing softly at the dark substance. She held her cup as she looked back to Duo, her gaze losing the dream like hue as her eyes brightened.
"I live in a small house a few blocks from here. It's in a quiet neighborhood… lots of children around and such."
Duo nodded in understanding, and scratched the back of his head.
"You come here often?"
Yea, it sounded lame, but Elaine was really giving Duo a bad case of the jitters. He wanted out of the shop to get some fresh air, but he couldn't just be rude to her, either.
"Yes, actually. I usually arrive later, but I just had some problems with an ex. I figured since I was passing by, I might as well stop for some coffee."
Elaine peered at her watch, and then looked once again at Duo.
"I'm so sorry, but I must be going."
She rose from her seat, and grabbed her raincoat. Smiling at Duo, she retrieved five dollars from her pocket, and leaned over to place the money on the counter.
"Oh, no. Lemme get that. You go on, I'm sure you're a busy person."
Duo motioned for her to go on, and Elaine nodded.
"Thank you so much. Maybe we'll meet again sometime."
Elaine waved and left the shop, leaving Duo staring blankly at the door.
"Goddamn she gives me the creeps."
Duo shivered and slapped a five down for the waiting employee who was staring wide-eyed at Duo for his outburst.
"What? Do you know her? I mean, just how often does she come here?"
The employee shook her head and picked up the bill.
"Oh yea, she comes in everyday around ten, but she's early today. Normally she sits here alone, but apparently you looked friendly enough for her to talk to."
The employee shrugged and opened the register, producing change for Duo.
"She seems nice enough I guess, but something about those eyes scares the hell outta me."
The employee handed Duo his change, and Duo placed it in his pocket. He looked at the employee's name tag, so that he could address her later on if needed, and then turned his gaze to the table. As the employee walked off, Duo jumped as Quatre tapped him on the shoulder.
"What's wrong with you?"
Quatre sat in the chair once occupied by Elaine, and peered at Duo, a look of concern on his face.
"Oh nothing really, I just met the weirdest girl though."
Duo shook his head, and snatched the paper that Quatre was holding.
"Really now? What was so weird about her?"
Quatre waved at the same employee Duo had been talking to, and she brought him a cup of hot tea. Quatre began to sip on it quietly as he waited for a response from the weirded out shinigami.
"Oh, I dunno. She's just got this strange…"
Duo paused as he thought of an appropriate word for his thought, and looked at the main page of the paper.
"…aura about her. Yanno what I mean?"
Quatre nodded quizzically, but didn't question it further, he just looked at the paper's headlines along with Duo, and both of their eyes went wide as they looked at the main story. There had been a gruesome murder just outside of the town, taking place in a large estate belonging to a wealthy young businessman. No one knew who had done it, but it was suspected that a secret love interest may have had something to do with it. The only problem was that no one knew who the love intrest might have been.
"Would you just look at that… what is the world coming to, anyway?"
Quatre shook his head sadly, and took another sip of his tea quietly.
"It ain't coming to anything, it's going to hell."
Duo retorted, and folded up the paper and slid it over to Quatre, who stuck it on top of a small glass encasement containing various pastries and breads.
"I suppose you're right. What do you say we get out of here and meet the others at Trowa's place for a while?"
Quatre stood up, and looked to Duo, hoping for some sort of agreement. He wasn't one for coffee shops, and didn't intend on staying longer than necessary.
"Aw, sure. I need something to do anyway."
Duo stretched and flung another five dollar bill at the employee, who was quick enough to retrieve it from the edge of the counter.
"Thanks for the coffee, Danielle. It was great."
"Yea, well get going. You're gonna be bad for business if you keep here much longer."
She retorted back, and pocketed Duo's change with no objection from him.
"Sure doll. You'll miss me when I'm gone though."
Duo smirked and hopped off his seat and led the way out of the shop, Quatre following close behind.
~~~
Duo entered the small house, and watched for Quatre to follow. Once they were inside, they made their way to the dining room where everyone had collected. It was still outcast outside, and it looked like the bottom was about to drop out again.
"Hey everybody! Look who showed up!"
Duo tried to cast attention to himself as usual, but everyone just looked at him and either laughed or shook their heads.
"Baka, do you always have to make such a loud entrance?"
Hiiro asked quietly, sipping on a cup of coffee. Duo smirked and then looked at Hiiro.
"Uh huh. You know me, always one for a flashy intro."
Duo threw his arms up, and strutted in a circle to further his point. It was only intensified when lightning was seen outside the window, and illuminated the somewhat dreary and dark dining room.
"Duo, you are such an idiot."
Trowa flipped a nearby light switch on, and the light over the table turned on. Duo turned to Trowa with a look of disgust on his face, but then 'hmphed' and pouted.
The gundam five spent a few hours playing the catch up game, and then sat in the living room and shared a few laughs. After a while of this, everyone slowly started to get tired, and decided to return to their homes. Duo said his goodbyes, and left.
~~~
Once he reached home, Duo welcomed himself to his favorite coffee cup mug, only it wasn't there. He searched the kitchen frantically, but the mug was nowhere to be found.
"What the…?"
Ignoring that for the meantime, he pulled out
~~~
Alright. That's it for the first chapter, I'll update this later with the second chapter. Enjoy!