A/N Oops….I totally screwed up my summary last time……Heero and Relena don't die, they find out the hard way that they're both in danger, and Faith could be hurt if she stays close to them, so they go into hiding and Faith stays with Duo. But all will be explained later. Better now? Sorry!!! And sorry about the cliffhanger ending and how short this is, but I'm leaving in the morning, and I really have to pack!!!
~Two years later~ (After the prologue)
Duo laughed at Faith's silly baby face. They were in the park together while Heero and Relena were attending a conference with colony leaders. Two year old Faith was trying to find bugs for Duo while they waited for her parents. He didn't mind babysitting her at all; if fact, after two years of being around Duo more than Heero or Relena, Faith had started pushing her parents away and clinging to Duo instead. Not that he minded at all; Faith was a sweetheart, everybody but Wufei seemed to love her. Wufei just pushed her away whenever she came near.
"Ladybug!" Faith shrieked happily. She held out a leafy branch that held a squirming caterpillar for Duo to see.
"No, no, sweetheart. That's not a ladybug," Duo looked down at Faith's baby face as she thought about what he'd said.
"Not a ladybug?" Faith asked hesitantly. She looked up at Duo with those puppy dog eyes he had found he couldn't resist. He scooped Faith up off the ground and plopped her down on his lap.
"No, that's a caterpillar, babe," Duo replied.
"Kittypillow!" Faith giggled, making Duo laugh out loud again. She was so funny!
Duo tickled her, making her laugh louder and beg him to stop. He complied, and she turned around and tried to tickle him back.
"Oh, somebody help!" Duo cried. "It's the Tickle Monster!" He laughed and Faith threw her arms around his neck.
"Silly Uncle Duo. No Tickle Monster. Oooh, pretty!"
Faith was looking up at something over Duo's head. He tried to turn and see what she was looking at, but he couldn't quite manage. "What's up there, babe? Is it a ladybug?"
"Bu'ffly! Big bu'ffly!" Faith sounded scared. Duo tried to turn again, and this time managed to see Faith's "bu'fflies." They were huge ships, and with their bright mix of black and orange they did seem to resemble giant butterflies. After that, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The sky above them, previously clear and blue, was filled with thick, choking smoke, and Duo watched in horror as the building where the conference was being held began to slowly collapse.
Duo grabbed Faith and started running for shelter. He crossed the street and ducked under an overpass climbing as far under it as he could, going on his hands and knees and pushing Faith in front of him, hoping they would be safe from flying debris. Unfortunately, another of the ships had chosen to blast the overpass. Duo clutched Faith against him and shielded her with his body, hoping desperately that they would be safe where they were. The last thing he remembered was Faith's scream before something hit him hard in the back of the head.
