Essence
Part Twelve
By Lady AngelFiren


Disclaimer: I know I've written this damned disclaimer a million times (at least) by now, and still, there is the chance that I will be sued (yeah right) if its not on here. So here you go, although I doubt anybody will read it. I don't own Gundam and I never will. Whoever does, great for them, I don't care. I'm using their characters for my own amusement, and possibly because I'm too dumb to make my own. If you wanna sue, you should try getting water from a rock first, It'd be easier than getting money outta me. Happy? There's your damned disclaimer.

Warnings: A little humour, some violence and language. I am not, by any means, a doctor, so don't bitch at me if stuff don't work out like it should, I have no time to spend on research. I think, ok, I _hope_ that I actually got the characters to behave like themselves, but I've never written POV Heero before, so the parts where its him narrating could be a little OOC. I think I got Duo right though. Yeah, on with the fic. As always, ME WANT FEEDBACK!!! So please, send some!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Change of scene/POV/beginning of part/end of part
"--" = Speech
/--/ = Thoughts
~~--~~ = Spirits/ghosts talking

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After I felt Solo show up draped all over Heero in the park behind the hospital, I was forced into trying to outrun the dry gasps that would normally be accompanied by tears. I found a secluded niche against the wall of the hospital and slumped down there after sinking one hard punch into the brick. I nearly screamed when the actual brick cracked and some of it fell down to the ground when I withdrew my hand. I had also managed to put sizeable slices in a few of my knuckles, but really I didn't care about that, I just wanted to be away from everything, away from the sick feeling of people rotting alive and dying painfully slowly on the other side of the walls.

"Fuck"

I had lost most of my vocabulary for the time being as a nice side dish to my plate of bull, so I just kept repeating 'fuck' over and over, tying to think of what to do. Finally I decided to call a cab and get the hell away from the hospital. I would have to check in with G, see if I had any missions and such. That would be a good thing to keep my mind off Heero and theft and everything else. However now that I had my mind made up, I felt my stomach twist, Heero was worrying about something, I was so in tune with him that I could feel him even when he wasn't actually around.

/If I stopped every time Heero worried I'd be going backwards by now.ignore it Duo, get your ass in gear. Dumbfuck./

Pushing the knots out of my mind and ignoring the dread that had given me a pretty sufficient adrenaline rush, I padded to the front of the hospital and caught a taxi to take me back to the city. Really it made no sense that a hospital should be so far out of the way, but if a city was bombed or attacked in some battle, then the hospital would have a better chance at survival, and the patients would have nice clean air to breathe, that was apparently the logic of putting the general hospital and hour's drive out of the city.

When the cab arrived at the spaceport I paid the guy and hopped out, looking around without seeing much and just generally feeling lost. It was difficult to block out the array of hurried people who were making their winding ways about the busy port, trying to get where they needed to be. Random things just popped into my head, flashes of what people had done the night before, or on their flight, thoughts about what people wanted for dinner this eveningthere were a few people having sex in the spaceport bathroom, I could hear some woman screaming her climax loudly enough that I swear I could feel her orgasm. The spaceport.man, what a fucking dirty horrible place. People fucking in the bathrooms I hate casual sex, but then you already know that so why bother going into detail?

I wasn't sure why I had decided to come here, I wasn't catching a flight anywhere and I wasn't meeting anybody. It was definitely not a good place to sit and thinkwhat the hell was I here for? I stood up quite suddenly, causing various people to look at me like I was going to shoot them, I guess it comes with the face, people always think Heero is gonna kill them. Now I have his face, so they think that about me too even though I wouldn't do it unless they were my enemies.

Walking out of the huge port into the sunny day I stopped in my tracks as I felt Solo's presence hovering around me. He was a mist the developed out of nowhere and evaporated quickly after, but I was left with the distinct feeling that I was being watched, by Solo. Consequentially, I got the chills and anger bubbled up, turning my face an irritated shade of red even though I felt more fear than anger. Its easier to me mad than scared. I hurried away from the port on foot and walked into the city, positive that someone or something was after me. Was Heero even on my side anymore? I knew Solo was in cahoots with Heero, maybe they had something against me. But that made no sense! Why would Heero do anything until he had his own body back? And he couldn't possibly be the thief, he had been at the hospital the whole time.

Up until that second it had never occurred to me that maybe Solo could have been the thief. After all, he was dead. It was irrational that he could steal material things, and where would he put them? Dur, I'm such a moron.maybe it was him. There was no way to know.

I found that I had spent all my free time thinking and walking around the city, and I had ended up right back where I'd started this whole mess.the Saint Jame's Secondary Academy. Actually that's nowhere near where this had started, but close enough. It was getting dark out now, soon it would be completely black and I've noticed that Heero's vision isn't quite perfect, he can't see in the dark the way I can. So naturally now I can't see in the dark as well because I have his eyes. But damn they're nice eyes, I have to admit. Having the body of the Perfect Soldier will really up your self-confidence. Perfect abs, perfect ass, perfect everything, and then some. Steel strength that would be impossible if it wasn't so real, and flexibility past anything that I would consider normal. If I wanted to I could sit down on the grass and stick my legs behind my head, then hold them there while I practiced sucking myself off. Very flexible, wish Heero would have let me know all about his perks before we'd switched, it would have been nicer to maybe actually do something enjoyable rather than have him pound relentlessly into my ass until he was satisfied. Of course that train of thought made me contemplate whether or not I was currently possessing a body that had raped my original body.but I don't think it was rape, I let him do it and the one time I did say no he stopped. Actually the one time I did say no everything stopped between us, and there was just no more sex after that. Heero didn't change at all, he just got a little tenser after I got out of the shower and that's about it.

I wandered over to a stray picnic table that was parked easily on the front lawn of the school beside the smoking area under some nice trees that would give lots of shade. I was kinda hungry, but not hungry enough to actually do something about it. The front lawn of the school was huge, like a football field. There was the driveway and a walkway, and the rest was evenly cut green grass that glittered vaguely in the rising moonlight. I wondered how Heero was, then growled under my breath and forced the persistent thought from my head. He would be fine, the doctors would fix him and all would be well. And if the regular docs couldn't do it then the evil mad scientist people would.

I heard something in the trees above my head but I didn't look up, that would let whoever was there know that I knew they were where they were. I calmly stood, and that's when I felt Solo's presence around me once more, he was hovering in the trees.fuck the bastard was out to get me! I started to bolt across the school lawn, my mind going in little panic circles, my lungs taking giant panic breaths. I made it to the west side of the lawn and still Solo's presence followed, and now I could hear distinct footsteps following me. The person was not breathing too hard, in fact I could only hear their footsteps, not any breathing or panting or sounds of movement. Chills went all though me and made my muscles ache, but the adrenaline kept on coming as I ran, now sprinting off the lawn into the woods to the southwest of the school.

I was hearing leaves crunch beneath feet that seemed somewhat unsure, and that surprised me. Mostly though, I felt blood pounding in my head from fear. It wasn't so much that I was being chased, Heero's body was well equipped for long-distance running. But Solo was following me, somehow in a physical form that I didn't understand, and that scared me enough that I actually felt pee trickling down my legs as I ran, but at the time I didn't give a fuck whether I pissed myself or not, I was being chased by a dead man and all I could do was run. Solo was gaining on me. I stopped in a moment of insane courage and turned to face him, but blackness covered me before I could do anything about it and the last thing I remember about that scene is feeling vertigo as I hit the ground and the blackness engulfed me fully.

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When I had arrived back in my room Duo wasn't there. Solo hovered in and out of my senses throughout the day, but he refused to tell me what Duo was doing, or even if he was still in the area. Without my sense I had no idea how to get that information, but I was worried for Duo and I didn't want whatever was after him to get him before I could stop it.

I was getting a hang of life with dead weight for legs at least. I was able to put myself into the chair without too much fumbling, and as long as I wore the seat belt I could actually get around by wheeling myself. My sitter followed me, but I wheeled a little faster than she walked, so she wasn't too much of a hindrance. Unfortunately I could only do a little at a time. It was pretty hard on my arms, and chest, even with the added muscle from piloting a gundam for so long. Duo's chest and arms were different from minehe just wasn't as strong. He was muscled like a cat, powerful but sleek, and always sensuous. I am not exactly the sensuous type. More like the ascetic type.

It felt cold in the hospital, so I spent a lot of the day wrapped up under my blankets, but around sunset Solo came to me after a long absence, and he was definitely upset. He didn't offer any hugs or comfort, he merely slipped mistily into the room and started to panic.

/What happened?/ I asked, my stomach tightening up at the realization that something had made Solo upset.

~~Its Duo.like I said before, he's in trouble now. You have to save him Heero. If you don't then you'll never get your body back and he'll suffer worse than that.~~

/What happened to him.where is he?/

~~.I can't tell you.~~

/Then how the hell do you expect me to save him? Are you stupid? I can't walk!/

I pushed the long locks back out of my face and waited for the angel to do something, to miraculously heal me, or maybe to tell me exactly how to save Duo, but it never came. Solo was growing thin in the air, his presence was dissipating the way a fire burns, dies, and simmers into nothing.

/Don't leave yethow do I help him!?/

~~I can't.you have to learn how to save him.I can't do anything for you but watch you. And right now I can't even do that.sorry Heero~~

Solo faded out and I was left blinking at the ceiling, shivering and feeling sick. Something was happening to Duo at this very moment, or something was going to happen to him.and Solo wouldn't help me. Anger brimmed up in me, the same startling and powerful anger that had let me crack the window and shove the chair. It was going to happen again.something would move or explode.fuck, this was not the kind of power I needed! How was I supposed to manipulate this? How could I use this?

Past the fogging anger in my brain I knew that I was sweating and shivering in the bed. My eyes had rolled up into my head so that the whites showed, and the monitoring equipment that was attached to me was all going haywire. As before I felt light-headed and I knew I was going to pass out if something didn't change.

But then things did start to change. I found I could see the way everything around me was composed, how denser and heavier things had different components, even the little molecules that formed the cells that formed my body, I could see everything.touch it if I wanted. But there was fear in this too, and confusionhow would this help? What could I DO!?

The light-headed feeling swayed through me and the strange vision and sense of my surroundings wavered back to being a regular hospital room, then it wavered again to the other thingthe weird molecular stuff. I know how scientific and precise and Heero Yuy-ish this explanation is, but I am not sure how else to say it, it was creepy and disconcerting, at the very least. I could see through and into everything in the room without feeling a thing from anything, except that I knew it was there. Ok, this is getting more complicated.

Maybe this would make more sense. The room was at first normal, like any room, and then it was made out of tiny little molecules, all stacked together, but somehow visible to me even though nothing had moved as of yet. I could even see the molecules that composed the nice Russian lady. She was reading a magazine, but when she noticed what was happening to me she stood up, her eyes growing wide, and he thumb went to the call button she had been given. I couldn't let that happenif she called nurses then I would be sedated and Duo would never be saved.but it was too late. There were already two people rushing into the room.

I couldn't hear anything at all in my state, there was only the scene of all the little molecules that had wrapped themselves together to make the chairs in the room, and the bed and the window, even my own body. Before I was able to try anything, I fell unconscious at the prick of a needle in my arm.

~*~*~*~

When I next opened my eyes I was still in the same hospital room, but there was a different lady sitting at the door. She had a thin line for lips and angry looking eyes. Her hair was blonde, pulled back into a bun. When she saw that I was awake she looked at me and forced a smile. I didn't smile back.

"How long have I been out?"

"The whole night, its about nine AM now." She said pleasantly, but the courtesy, once again, was forced.

"Ah."

It had been too longsurely Duo was beyond help now.how could he have survived whatever was so incredibly urgent without my help? You can well imagine that I was completely dumbstruck when I saw Duo walk into the room with a grin on his face. He looked kinda tired, but that was about it.

"Duo?" I asked in total surprise, my stomach jumping up into my throat as my eyes widened in shock.

I received only a sly, Duo-ish grin and a chuckle in return.

"Where the Hell were you Solo-"

"Never mind Solo baka, I'm fine. How are your legs?"

"Hnwhat happened last night?"

"I went back to the school.I was crossing the road and this fucking stupid guy almost ran me over with a bus, can you believe it!? He never stopped! I had to duck under the thing or loose my head, I almost didn't make it here."

"That's all? You almost got hit by a bus!?"

"Yeesh, its no big deal Hee-chan, Duo Maxwell doesn't get knocked down so easily." A big grin spread over Duo's face and I was relieved that it had only been a bus and not something totally serious. Maybe something was wrong with Solo's crystal ball and he thought Duo was in more danger. Obviously he was fine. I was incredibly relieved, if anything ever happened to Duo I don't know what I would do.

"Hn."

"Awww, were you worried about me Heero?"

"Ah."

Duo leaned forward and kissed my lips roughly, then thrust his tongue into my mouth, exploring at as if he had never had a chance to before. There was something wrong with his kiss. I pushed him away in confusion.

"What was that supposed to be?"

Duo looked, for a moment, like he'd been caught with his fingers in the cookie jar, but he covered it up with a grin. He was grinning more than usual todayhn.

"A kiss Hee-chanduh."

"Hn.You never kiss that way"

Something ran through Duo's face, the deep blues behind his shaggy brown hair flashing with what could only be categorized as fear. I took his hand in mine and looked at him curiously.

"What's different Duo? Did something happen last night?"

"Heero I."

Duo got up and sprinted out of the room, not looking back. I was stumped completely. Something was not right with Duo.had he been hurt? Had somebody done something to him that he wouldn't talk to me about? I had to know. I didn't want him hurting when he didn't have to be. Especially not if there was anything I could do to help him. I had thought that I was being more sympathetic recently, not less. Especially since he had my sense now.he could understand what was going on in my mind with ease, whereas before he would be left in the dark unless I spoke to him. What was wrong with my Duo?

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When I started to feel like maybe I was close to being conscious again, the first thing I knew was that I was not on earth. I had to be on a small colony somewhere, the gravity was completely different here. The air smelled strange, traces of gas were left in it. That meant that I was most likely in a lab. The hard feeling of tightly woven cloth beneath me added to that idea, I was on a cot. However, instead of my legs sticking off the end on the cot, or being just the right length for the cot, as they would be if I were in my own body, I was shorter than the cot. That realization sent alarm through my brain. There was an unfamiliar weight on my chest.breasts. and I was missing some vital things, like my cock and balls for example.

I was too afraid at the moment to open my eyesthis wasn't my body, and it wasn't Heero's. Slowly, I did open them, to complete blackness. I could see nothing, it was dark in the room. I sat up, feeling very dizzy and weak. It was hard to tell what I was feeling because everything had been altered so much. I was scared. There was no special sense in this body, I had grown accustomed to it and now it was gone. I put my hands together. They were calloused, this body had held lots of weapons and done lots of physical work. I was strong, but there was a roundness too. And the breaststhey were strange. I found that I was naked, and I became fascinated with running my hands over the two lumps on my chest that had never been there before. I felt my hair, it was longer than shoulder length, and smooth. It would be nice to have long hair again at least. But this.breasts were one thing...but.I had a PUSSY!!! FUCK!

I ran my hand down my tummy, which felt altogether softer than mine or Heero's, and there was a little triangular patch of pubic hair and then.fuck. I was a GIRL!

Now I had realized that I was in a female body before I opened my eyes, but the realization that I had a pussy hit me like a ton of bricks. I heard myself gasp in the darkness, and my voice was high and feminine. I clenched my teeth and curled up in a ball, the breasts feeling uncomfortable against my bare legs. Running my hands over my new legs I felt stubble from shaving, and moving down to my feet, I found that they were much smaller than I was used to.

I started to shake. I stayed curled up, naked, in whatever lab on whatever colony, and I shook and cried softly, scared of the female voice and the female features. It was when the lights suddenly came on that I got my biggest shock.

There was a mirror in the small cube of a room that I was in. I went up to it, my frame shaking. My facemy eyes...I wasn't me, and I wasn't Heerothis was just so WRONG! I now had blond hair, although there was a touch of sand to it so that it looked earthy and natural. My lips were full, kinda pouty, but also pale. Actually, I had never noticed how much Relena resembled Heero until I looked in the mirror then and there. Her eyes weren't the same colour as his, but the way her face wasnow my face... there were similarities in the way they both looked wild but refined at the same time. I was in Relena PeaceCraft's body.and obviously there was more to her than met the eye.

I sank back down on the cot, holding my breasts, still shaking and wondering how I had gotten here, and what Solo had to do with it. It wasn't too long before someone who was most likely working for the evil mad scientist people came in. She gave me some clothes and an envelope and left, never meeting my eyes.

I wiped the tears from my face and pulled out the envelope first, opening it. There was a single sheet of text inside.

Duo Maxwell.
I bet you never suspected me...obviously you know who I am now. If you want to find out more, just try and catch me. Heero will be on my side...he'll think you're me. That's all I'm going to tell you. Happy hunting Maxwell.

My mind was quickly overloading with a million different things all at once, and Heero was standing on top of it all. Relenathat fucking BITCH! But I still couldn't understand how it was possible for her to be such a strong enemy when she was nothing but a politician. I looked though my blurry eyes at the calluses on her feminine hands. She knew how to use weaponsin fact, from the different strengths in this body, I figured she could probably pilot too. Something was definitely not right about this, and if I couldn't get to Heero before her then he would be in trouble big timenot to mention the fact that I was stuck as a GIRL! And RELENA, of all people! I looked down at my new body and sighed, hating the high tone in every sound that issued from my lips.

There were clothes for me. I pulled on the uncomfortable underwear, I wasn't used to bikini style anythingand there was a knee-length skirt that I abhorred from the second I saw it. And there was a bra. Black. Relena wore a C34 apparently, but it took me some time to try and figure the thing out. Once it was on I found that it scratched and annoyed me, so I left it on the cot and went without, pulling on the light pink blouse and buttoning it up. I looked in the mirror once more and hated the freak I saw standing there. I lookedoff.

There must be something about the way girls stand and move, cause I swear I looked like a guy, even with the tits. I tried keeping my legs closer together and that didn't work at all, I was used to having a little circulation. But first thing was first, get back to earth, get back to Heero.

I had nothing to take with me, so I left the complex with only the clothes on my back and worked out in my head that the best thing for me to do would be find a place to stay, get some clothes, get something to eat, and get a gun. Then I would be all set, and if I had to shoot Relena down to get rid of her I was ready to do it, all I had to remember was not to kill Heero's body, he'd probably be wanting it back at some point.

I earned a lot of strange looks as I dashed through the streets braless and got into the alleys, where I knew my way around even though I had never been here before. I had spent entirely too much of my life as an orphan not to know how to pick pockets. I bumped into ten people on my way to the back streets, and when I got to a doorway that was set back into a building that looked totally decrepit, I had managed to collect three hundred dollars, two watches, a gold engagement ring, and a man's wallet and credit cards. Pretty good start if I do say so myself.

I kicked the door in and pushed what was left of it shut again. The thing that bothered me most was not having shoes. My feet were sore and cut, and there was no electricity or water in this building, so they had to stay that way. My hair I couldn't brush because I had nothing to brush it with, so it remained tangled and dirty from my short little journey here. I sank down in a dusty corner, letting my head fall into my hands and pulling my knees to my chest. I had to get to Earth, find Heerohad to get rid of Relena, get my body back, find out where Solo fit into things, and there was still a war to be fought on top of everything else. Man, when the shit hits the fan things really blow

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To Be Continued

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HAH! I bet you people NEVER guessed I was gonna do that! MwahahaI am so good. Duo's in Relena and Relena's in Heero and Heero's in Duowhat a fuckin party! Please send your comments in so I can read'em! Thanx for all the feedback I've been getting, awesome!

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