((another A/N: Semi-fan-service!!! I changed the shows so you as Americans would understand… Quatre really wanted to watch Doreamon! Though Wu Fei seems to have a deep respect for Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Um, Geeze… I wish I could scan the manga… It's so cool how Kurokawa goes from the sharp, serious sketches to these kawaii not-quite-chibis! Never losing the beat of the story! And, no, the fan service is never supposed to appear in the script...))
"Where's Duet?" Duo yawned and plopped down on the couch. He wiggled his toes in his Ryo-ohki slippers and reached for the remote.
"Not likely," Trowa said and grabbed it.
"No one wants to watch the Discovery Channel, Trowa," Heero said and pulled it out of Trowa's hands.
"There's a special on PBS tonight, guys!" Quatre explained and grasped for the remote which Heero held just out of his reach.
"That old movie Operation Condor's on channel five," Wufei said and grabbed the remote.
"But Whose Line is it Anyway is on!" Duo complained and tried to get it away from Wufei.
"Ranma!!! Just what do you think you're doing!?" yelled the blue-haired girl on the television. Slowly, the boys turned to watch and decided it was as good as anything they could come up with. Duet stepped away from the TV.
When the five weren't looking, she slipped down the hall and soon found her way into the hangar. Six Gundams knelt side-by-side in the huge warehouse. "Washi Ookami," Duet said and sat down on the open cockpit door. "I think I love him," she whispered and lovingly caressed the Gundanium alloy along the door frame. "Hmmm, Howard said I needed more friends," she laughed in self-mocking and lay back on the door with her hands behind her head. Duet studied the cockpit for a moment, smiling sadly. "Now, how am I gonna fix you…?"
"Hey, you up there!" Heero called from the floor. Duet rolled over and looked down. "You need help?" he asked. Duet nodded as he climbed up.
"I noticed something about your suit back on L4," he told Duet as they worked to repair damage from the last battle. Duet froze and stared down. "Your suit shares characteristics with all five of our MS," he continued, sparing her only a slight glance. She relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes, it was designed by all five of the engineers together. They wanted my suit to be the best fighter, but of course there is no such thing," she said and continued working. Heero shot her a confused look and smiled.
"We underestimated you," he said as he connected a pair of wires.
"Because I'm a girl," Duet added. "I'm a girl and I'm a kid. I should be the embodiment of gentleness and kindness and God knows I'm anything but. It's supposed to be my advantage, being underestimated," she explained.
"Hmmm," Heero nodded at the logic.
What's this? Heero wondered as he inspected the cockpit of the Washi Ookami. No… he thought, No! They did want it to be the best Gundam! They weren't going to let the Gundam be held back and kept from its full potential by an insecure pilot! Dr. J and the others didn't take any chances.
"What is it, Heero?" Duet asked as she peered upside down from the top of the doorway.
"You Gundam has the Zero System," he accused. The smile on her face disappeared instantly. She jumped down from her perch and walked up to him.
"I told you. Professor G said it was supposed to be perfect, and for the suit to be perfect, the pilot has to be perfect. No distractions, no emotions, no decisions," she hissed.
"But when we fought! Why didn't you kill me as the Zero System would have had you...?" Heero asked and stared straight into Duet's liquid blue eyes, his sentence trailing off. Her blue eyes were so much like the ones belonging to the girl whom he both loved and hated. They looked the same, but what was behind them was so different that the two girls could only be described as opposites. There was some in Duet's eyes that couldn't be found in Relena's, and it was very attractive. Her wild, playful, unbreakable spirit was so different from the calm, peaceful soul Relena possessed.
With one hand, Heero grasped Duet's shoulder and kissed her. When he released her, she remained where she was, standing with her eyes closed. "Self control, Heero," she said coldly and left him standing in the cockpit wondering if she meant the Zero System or the kiss.
~~~
Duet slowly made her way back to her room. She stared at her feet while she climbed the steps, her eyes not really focusing. "Duet?" someone whispered and touched her shoulder where Heero had. She jerked away. "Are you all right?" Quatre asked and held both of her arms.
"Oh, yeah. You just surprised me, Quatre," she replied and he let her go.
"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and lowered her gaze.
"Where's Duo?" she mumbled.
"He's upstairs. C'mon," Quatre answered and led her to Duo's room.
"Arigatou," she whispered and looked up at Quatre.
"Sure," he smiled and walked off to his own room. Duet open Duo's door a crack and peered inside.
"No, I'm not asleep, and yes, please come in," Duo said and sat up in his bed. He switched on the bedside table lamp and Duet sat on the corner of his bed. "What's with the guilty look? You do something wrong?" he asked and gently pulled on her long braid. She shrugged and hugged one of Duo's pillows. "Listen, if you broke something of Quatre's, then don't worry. Been there, done that. He doesn't care and besides, I don't think there's something in this house I haven't already broken," Duo explained.
"It's not that," Duet laughed and whacked him with the pillow she was holding.
"Oh no! Not the pillow again!" Duo yelled and dragged her down next to him. Duet giggled uncontrollably and struggled to escape. "Now, tell me why you were so gloomy," he demanded and tickled her ribs. Duet kissed him full on the lips and smiled.
"Nothing anymore!" she grinned and hugged the stunned pilot.
"What was that for?"
"Just checking," she replied. Just then, Trowa opened the door.
"I'll leave," he said and shut the door quickly.
"Trowa, get the Hell back in here! What do you want!?" Duo yelled and yanked the door open. Trowa covered his mouth and laughed to himself. "That is so NOT funny!" Duo yelled and Trowa walked off.
"What'd he want?" Duet asked and peeked at Trowa around Duo's shoulder.
"You think you know a guy…" Duo mumbled.
"You? Think?" Wufei asked as he strolled by.
"Doesn't anyone ever sleep around here!?" Duo yelled and waved his fist.
"Not with you yelling so loud, Maxwell," Heero stated and closed his door.
"Goodnight, Duo," Duet smirked and kissed him on the cheek.
"What can I say? I'm a babe magnet," Duo sighed and shrugged.
"Yes, well the babe-less ones around here are TIRED! Shut up and go to sleep!" Wufei shouted from the end of the hall.
"Goodnight, everyone," Quatre called and shut his door. Five voiced echoed in reply.
~~~
Quatre sighed and stared at the ceiling. "I feel so guilty," he whispered and clutched his heart, "Why isn't the soul of outer space guiding me?"
"Where's Duet?" Duo yawned and plopped down on the couch. He wiggled his toes in his Ryo-ohki slippers and reached for the remote.
"Not likely," Trowa said and grabbed it.
"No one wants to watch the Discovery Channel, Trowa," Heero said and pulled it out of Trowa's hands.
"There's a special on PBS tonight, guys!" Quatre explained and grasped for the remote which Heero held just out of his reach.
"That old movie Operation Condor's on channel five," Wufei said and grabbed the remote.
"But Whose Line is it Anyway is on!" Duo complained and tried to get it away from Wufei.
"Ranma!!! Just what do you think you're doing!?" yelled the blue-haired girl on the television. Slowly, the boys turned to watch and decided it was as good as anything they could come up with. Duet stepped away from the TV.
When the five weren't looking, she slipped down the hall and soon found her way into the hangar. Six Gundams knelt side-by-side in the huge warehouse. "Washi Ookami," Duet said and sat down on the open cockpit door. "I think I love him," she whispered and lovingly caressed the Gundanium alloy along the door frame. "Hmmm, Howard said I needed more friends," she laughed in self-mocking and lay back on the door with her hands behind her head. Duet studied the cockpit for a moment, smiling sadly. "Now, how am I gonna fix you…?"
"Hey, you up there!" Heero called from the floor. Duet rolled over and looked down. "You need help?" he asked. Duet nodded as he climbed up.
"I noticed something about your suit back on L4," he told Duet as they worked to repair damage from the last battle. Duet froze and stared down. "Your suit shares characteristics with all five of our MS," he continued, sparing her only a slight glance. She relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes, it was designed by all five of the engineers together. They wanted my suit to be the best fighter, but of course there is no such thing," she said and continued working. Heero shot her a confused look and smiled.
"We underestimated you," he said as he connected a pair of wires.
"Because I'm a girl," Duet added. "I'm a girl and I'm a kid. I should be the embodiment of gentleness and kindness and God knows I'm anything but. It's supposed to be my advantage, being underestimated," she explained.
"Hmmm," Heero nodded at the logic.
What's this? Heero wondered as he inspected the cockpit of the Washi Ookami. No… he thought, No! They did want it to be the best Gundam! They weren't going to let the Gundam be held back and kept from its full potential by an insecure pilot! Dr. J and the others didn't take any chances.
"What is it, Heero?" Duet asked as she peered upside down from the top of the doorway.
"You Gundam has the Zero System," he accused. The smile on her face disappeared instantly. She jumped down from her perch and walked up to him.
"I told you. Professor G said it was supposed to be perfect, and for the suit to be perfect, the pilot has to be perfect. No distractions, no emotions, no decisions," she hissed.
"But when we fought! Why didn't you kill me as the Zero System would have had you...?" Heero asked and stared straight into Duet's liquid blue eyes, his sentence trailing off. Her blue eyes were so much like the ones belonging to the girl whom he both loved and hated. They looked the same, but what was behind them was so different that the two girls could only be described as opposites. There was some in Duet's eyes that couldn't be found in Relena's, and it was very attractive. Her wild, playful, unbreakable spirit was so different from the calm, peaceful soul Relena possessed.
With one hand, Heero grasped Duet's shoulder and kissed her. When he released her, she remained where she was, standing with her eyes closed. "Self control, Heero," she said coldly and left him standing in the cockpit wondering if she meant the Zero System or the kiss.
~~~
Duet slowly made her way back to her room. She stared at her feet while she climbed the steps, her eyes not really focusing. "Duet?" someone whispered and touched her shoulder where Heero had. She jerked away. "Are you all right?" Quatre asked and held both of her arms.
"Oh, yeah. You just surprised me, Quatre," she replied and he let her go.
"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and lowered her gaze.
"Where's Duo?" she mumbled.
"He's upstairs. C'mon," Quatre answered and led her to Duo's room.
"Arigatou," she whispered and looked up at Quatre.
"Sure," he smiled and walked off to his own room. Duet open Duo's door a crack and peered inside.
"No, I'm not asleep, and yes, please come in," Duo said and sat up in his bed. He switched on the bedside table lamp and Duet sat on the corner of his bed. "What's with the guilty look? You do something wrong?" he asked and gently pulled on her long braid. She shrugged and hugged one of Duo's pillows. "Listen, if you broke something of Quatre's, then don't worry. Been there, done that. He doesn't care and besides, I don't think there's something in this house I haven't already broken," Duo explained.
"It's not that," Duet laughed and whacked him with the pillow she was holding.
"Oh no! Not the pillow again!" Duo yelled and dragged her down next to him. Duet giggled uncontrollably and struggled to escape. "Now, tell me why you were so gloomy," he demanded and tickled her ribs. Duet kissed him full on the lips and smiled.
"Nothing anymore!" she grinned and hugged the stunned pilot.
"What was that for?"
"Just checking," she replied. Just then, Trowa opened the door.
"I'll leave," he said and shut the door quickly.
"Trowa, get the Hell back in here! What do you want!?" Duo yelled and yanked the door open. Trowa covered his mouth and laughed to himself. "That is so NOT funny!" Duo yelled and Trowa walked off.
"What'd he want?" Duet asked and peeked at Trowa around Duo's shoulder.
"You think you know a guy…" Duo mumbled.
"You? Think?" Wufei asked as he strolled by.
"Doesn't anyone ever sleep around here!?" Duo yelled and waved his fist.
"Not with you yelling so loud, Maxwell," Heero stated and closed his door.
"Goodnight, Duo," Duet smirked and kissed him on the cheek.
"What can I say? I'm a babe magnet," Duo sighed and shrugged.
"Yes, well the babe-less ones around here are TIRED! Shut up and go to sleep!" Wufei shouted from the end of the hall.
"Goodnight, everyone," Quatre called and shut his door. Five voiced echoed in reply.
~~~
Quatre sighed and stared at the ceiling. "I feel so guilty," he whispered and clutched his heart, "Why isn't the soul of outer space guiding me?"
