Author's Notes: Shin's Voice reporting. Thanks a lot, kind people who have
reviewed, specially the ones I invited to read this fanfic. It's time for
01 and 04 to hear an interesting story….
"Believing in Angels"
Chapter Five
"Because if he continues like this he is going to get killed in our next mission. He can't fight like that. We are soldiers and he is risking too much in war…" –01 said slowly.
Gene looked at them one more time and then he started walking around, thinking. Then he stopped.
"I supposed so. That crazy scientist has something to do with all this…Gundam Pilots, right?"
Heero and Quatre nodded in affirmation.
"I...I know you're right" –Gene said suddenly- "Duo is really depressed. Though he tries his best to hide it. He has always been like that. A wall around himself; in order no one realizes what he feels…I can't really scold you for reading files without permission, because I also did it…"
"But, we haven't found more information than the ship's files..." –Quatre replied.
"I looked for 'Duo Maxwell' in the church's files, but I found nothing…" –Heero added.
"And you won't find anything, 'cause Duo didn't have a name back then. 'Duo Maxwell" isn't his real name. From what I know, no one knows his real name. There's no information in any place…That's what I though, until I found several files under the label of some 'Sister Helen' journal. This nun, along with a priest called Father Maxwell, were the ones who took care of the orphans of this Home…"
Gene trailed off, not sure if he should continue, but he wanted to help Duo and he had to trust his friends, so he went on…
"According to this information, this kid of long chestnut hair, along with many other children, entered under their charge just because their 'boss' was really sick and they needed help for him. They were sort of a gang, famous for allowing no one to take care of them. They all lived on the streets, 'little street rats' for all the people. But this Sister and the priest were able to take them to the Home due to the serious illness of the boss. And there was this long haired kid, the boss' right hand, always taking care of him…But it was too late. Two days after their arrival, the sick kid died and the nameless kid became the gang's leader, because the former boss was his best friend…"
"Solo" –Heero said.
"Yes, that was the kid's name. Solo, Duo's best friend…How did you know?" –Gene asked.
"Duo mentioned it some time ago…I mean…only the name. It seemed to escape from his lips…" –Heero explained.
"Duo took responsibility of the children and they stayed in Maxwell Home. Gradually, some of the kids were adopted and the gang became smaller. But there were also other children there, who became part of Duo's group. They spent there almost two years…Sister Helen's notes go on with some comments like:
'It's hard to teach this kids that they don't need to steal food anymore. I keep telling them that everything here is theirs, but they just can't believe it. They had never had three food times in one day, they had never had more than two sets of clothes, and my little one, the leader…he just keeps coming every morning for me to braid his hair…'
Gene cleared his throat and continued.
"It seemed that the nun and the priest had grown fond with Duo. Several families tried to adopt him, but it just didn't work. He was always sent back. The foster parents said he was too much of a problem, a little brat…But they were always happy to have him back. After some time, they decided to keep the kiddo with them, permanently. That's another of the Sister's notes." –Gene smiled sadly.
"Then OZ made its entrance when some general took the place as a military shelter, taking everyone there as hostages. The children were terrified and there was nothing the priest or the nun could do. The only one who stood against the soldiers was the kid's 'leader', who claimed they had no right to play with children's lives. But the soldiers beat the hell out of him and then left to fight against the rebels. This made Duo believe the only way OZ would leave was by fighting. So, being the expert young thief he was, he escaped from the church and stole a Mobile Suit and hacked into the OZ's computers…But the soldiers realized he had escaped, so the general ordered to fight 'without any restriction'. They will no longer worry if the home was 'accidentally' fired…"
There was a long pause in Gene's narration…Quatre and Heero could tell what was going to be the end of the story.
"They didn't care. They blew the place into ashes. And everyone was there, trapped. They killed them all…the children were burned alive…I guess Duo was outside, trying to help and save them but…"
The ship's captain took a deep breath before continuing.
"But it was impossible. No way out of that hell…And I don't know what happened after that…I suppose Duo decided to adopt the 'Maxwell' name. It's understandable, but I still haven't figured out why 'Duo'… Then, almost 8 years ago, we received in our ship this crazy scientist G, C or something…he was going to stay here for a while, since he was hiding from OZ. Along with him he brought this Duo kid, who had tried to steal some weapons from him. And that's the way he became one of us, like our little brother during 3 years. But there was something weird with this scientist. It seemed like he had taken Duo as a young recruit. And after that time, the psycho scientist left, taking Duo with him…I figured out he had something to do with the Gundam attacks"
"And now, I finally found him again, just to discover he is having sort of a bad memories' crisis" –Gene finished leaning against the wall.
Heero and Quatre stayed silent for several minutes. Who could have ever imagined? Such a dark past for someone who was always joking and smiling.
"I understand you're soldiers, not counselors…but maybe you could help. That's all what I got to tell. If you're gonna do something, do it now" –Gene said walking towards the computer and replacing the image on the screen. Now it showed the ship's video from the past hours. Duo had been in the shooting gallery when he was left alone, and he spent almost an hour there, firing the simulated targets without a minute to rest. He just kept shooting and shooting with perfect accuracy. Then the video showed the actual image and Gene pointed it.
"Duo isn't in fighting condition now. He hasn't sleep all night. He has been sat there for hours" –Gene explained as Duo's image appeared in one of the meetings rooms, sat in front of a large window.
"Thanks, captain Gene." –Quatre said- "We are surely going to use this opportunity to talk to him"
"Sure" –Gene said and then started to murmur- "Though he is gonna kill me when he realizes it was me the one who opened the mouth…"
"Why did you do it?" –Heero asked seriously- "If you knew about this, why didn't you talk to him?"
"You don't get it. Duo is the jokester, the playful guy who calls 'friend' or 'brother' to anyone. But that's just a disguise. He consider no one, not even me or any other man on board, as a person close enough to truly rely on. But I just can't get out of my mind he said you were his big happy family when you guys arrived. Don't you see? He has never had a family. Even though the usual mischievous smile, it looked like he really meant it…" –Gene explained as he left the room.
-------------------0--------------------
´´´´´´´´´´Well I never pray
but tonight I'm on my knees,
I need to hear some sounds
that recognize the pain in me
I let the melody shine,
let it cleanse my mind…
I feel free now…
But the airwaves are clean
and there's nobody singing
to me now……..´´´´´´´´´´´´´´
The blonde pilot looked over Heero for an instant and then glanced back towards Duo. Neither of them, 01 and 04, had realized before that Duo was wearing earphones while he contemplated the window towards L2. Duo murmured the words in a total absentminded state. He hadn't even realized of the two boys standing behind him.
Duo had locked his glance beyond the crystals, the darkness of outer space. The darkness…and then, the colony. And in the colony, the memory of a white cross, a white crypt…He opened his eyes, wide in surprise, when he saw for one second a white feather falling slowly in front of his face. But the sight disappeared in that same second…
"Hmm? Duo…" –Quatre called him with soft voice.
Duo lifted his glance when he heard something behind him and he looked the reflection of the two pilots standing there.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" –Duo smiled removing the earphones. He didn't like the silence from his comrades- "It's something wrong?" –he asked concerned. He realized the others' look was kind of strange for him. They have never looked at him in that way.
Quatre was the first to break the silence, trying to smile slightly.
"Well, Duo, the truth is…we are worried about you. We didn't know what was going on with you, so…" –Quatre inhaled as he continued: "So, we talked to Gene and he is also very concerned because of your state…"
"My state?" –Duo repeated confused.
"Exactly. You are acting very distant to all. It's like you aren't here. We wanted to help you but we didn't know what we were dealing with. But Gene does. And he told us everything…about you" –Quatre said ashamed.
Heero took a look at 04. For once, Quatre had gone directly to the point.
But Duo just raised an eyebrow, totally lost in the situation. What were they talking about? Gene told them everything? Everything what?
"Hmm…What are you exactly talking about?" –Duo asked at last.
"The reasons of your behavior" –Heero replied- "Since that accident with the ship you were involved with, you have been…weird." –01 knew it was better to be clear and say it once and for all. Besides, being blunt was his characteristic- "From what we now know, it's obvious that the former incident brought to your mind your past…the Maxwell Massacre that you survived…"
Absolute silence. Heero and Quatre continued looking concernedly at Duo. But Duo was…stunned. More than stunned, he was shocked. His look was locked in them, with complete unbelief expression.
"And the memories of your friend Solo, the Home's children and the nun, the Oz's attack…" –Heero went on, ready to face this right there and then.
Duo was holding his breath. He felt like if a bucket of cold water has just been tipped over his head. 'They…they know' Duo thought amazed. But his shock disappeared within a minute, and his glance turned icy, an anger glitter in his amethyst eyes.
He was mad. He was very mad.
************Shinigami's Voice***************
A/N: This is kind of a disclaimer. I know you guys know that the song in this story is "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Nerve, so I am not claiming it as my own. It doesn't belong to me, I just borrow those lines 'cause I thought they fitted well in that moment.
So! Give me one day, and I'll tell you what is gonna happen next…
"Believing in Angels"
Chapter Five
"Because if he continues like this he is going to get killed in our next mission. He can't fight like that. We are soldiers and he is risking too much in war…" –01 said slowly.
Gene looked at them one more time and then he started walking around, thinking. Then he stopped.
"I supposed so. That crazy scientist has something to do with all this…Gundam Pilots, right?"
Heero and Quatre nodded in affirmation.
"I...I know you're right" –Gene said suddenly- "Duo is really depressed. Though he tries his best to hide it. He has always been like that. A wall around himself; in order no one realizes what he feels…I can't really scold you for reading files without permission, because I also did it…"
"But, we haven't found more information than the ship's files..." –Quatre replied.
"I looked for 'Duo Maxwell' in the church's files, but I found nothing…" –Heero added.
"And you won't find anything, 'cause Duo didn't have a name back then. 'Duo Maxwell" isn't his real name. From what I know, no one knows his real name. There's no information in any place…That's what I though, until I found several files under the label of some 'Sister Helen' journal. This nun, along with a priest called Father Maxwell, were the ones who took care of the orphans of this Home…"
Gene trailed off, not sure if he should continue, but he wanted to help Duo and he had to trust his friends, so he went on…
"According to this information, this kid of long chestnut hair, along with many other children, entered under their charge just because their 'boss' was really sick and they needed help for him. They were sort of a gang, famous for allowing no one to take care of them. They all lived on the streets, 'little street rats' for all the people. But this Sister and the priest were able to take them to the Home due to the serious illness of the boss. And there was this long haired kid, the boss' right hand, always taking care of him…But it was too late. Two days after their arrival, the sick kid died and the nameless kid became the gang's leader, because the former boss was his best friend…"
"Solo" –Heero said.
"Yes, that was the kid's name. Solo, Duo's best friend…How did you know?" –Gene asked.
"Duo mentioned it some time ago…I mean…only the name. It seemed to escape from his lips…" –Heero explained.
"Duo took responsibility of the children and they stayed in Maxwell Home. Gradually, some of the kids were adopted and the gang became smaller. But there were also other children there, who became part of Duo's group. They spent there almost two years…Sister Helen's notes go on with some comments like:
'It's hard to teach this kids that they don't need to steal food anymore. I keep telling them that everything here is theirs, but they just can't believe it. They had never had three food times in one day, they had never had more than two sets of clothes, and my little one, the leader…he just keeps coming every morning for me to braid his hair…'
Gene cleared his throat and continued.
"It seemed that the nun and the priest had grown fond with Duo. Several families tried to adopt him, but it just didn't work. He was always sent back. The foster parents said he was too much of a problem, a little brat…But they were always happy to have him back. After some time, they decided to keep the kiddo with them, permanently. That's another of the Sister's notes." –Gene smiled sadly.
"Then OZ made its entrance when some general took the place as a military shelter, taking everyone there as hostages. The children were terrified and there was nothing the priest or the nun could do. The only one who stood against the soldiers was the kid's 'leader', who claimed they had no right to play with children's lives. But the soldiers beat the hell out of him and then left to fight against the rebels. This made Duo believe the only way OZ would leave was by fighting. So, being the expert young thief he was, he escaped from the church and stole a Mobile Suit and hacked into the OZ's computers…But the soldiers realized he had escaped, so the general ordered to fight 'without any restriction'. They will no longer worry if the home was 'accidentally' fired…"
There was a long pause in Gene's narration…Quatre and Heero could tell what was going to be the end of the story.
"They didn't care. They blew the place into ashes. And everyone was there, trapped. They killed them all…the children were burned alive…I guess Duo was outside, trying to help and save them but…"
The ship's captain took a deep breath before continuing.
"But it was impossible. No way out of that hell…And I don't know what happened after that…I suppose Duo decided to adopt the 'Maxwell' name. It's understandable, but I still haven't figured out why 'Duo'… Then, almost 8 years ago, we received in our ship this crazy scientist G, C or something…he was going to stay here for a while, since he was hiding from OZ. Along with him he brought this Duo kid, who had tried to steal some weapons from him. And that's the way he became one of us, like our little brother during 3 years. But there was something weird with this scientist. It seemed like he had taken Duo as a young recruit. And after that time, the psycho scientist left, taking Duo with him…I figured out he had something to do with the Gundam attacks"
"And now, I finally found him again, just to discover he is having sort of a bad memories' crisis" –Gene finished leaning against the wall.
Heero and Quatre stayed silent for several minutes. Who could have ever imagined? Such a dark past for someone who was always joking and smiling.
"I understand you're soldiers, not counselors…but maybe you could help. That's all what I got to tell. If you're gonna do something, do it now" –Gene said walking towards the computer and replacing the image on the screen. Now it showed the ship's video from the past hours. Duo had been in the shooting gallery when he was left alone, and he spent almost an hour there, firing the simulated targets without a minute to rest. He just kept shooting and shooting with perfect accuracy. Then the video showed the actual image and Gene pointed it.
"Duo isn't in fighting condition now. He hasn't sleep all night. He has been sat there for hours" –Gene explained as Duo's image appeared in one of the meetings rooms, sat in front of a large window.
"Thanks, captain Gene." –Quatre said- "We are surely going to use this opportunity to talk to him"
"Sure" –Gene said and then started to murmur- "Though he is gonna kill me when he realizes it was me the one who opened the mouth…"
"Why did you do it?" –Heero asked seriously- "If you knew about this, why didn't you talk to him?"
"You don't get it. Duo is the jokester, the playful guy who calls 'friend' or 'brother' to anyone. But that's just a disguise. He consider no one, not even me or any other man on board, as a person close enough to truly rely on. But I just can't get out of my mind he said you were his big happy family when you guys arrived. Don't you see? He has never had a family. Even though the usual mischievous smile, it looked like he really meant it…" –Gene explained as he left the room.
-------------------0--------------------
´´´´´´´´´´Well I never pray
but tonight I'm on my knees,
I need to hear some sounds
that recognize the pain in me
I let the melody shine,
let it cleanse my mind…
I feel free now…
But the airwaves are clean
and there's nobody singing
to me now……..´´´´´´´´´´´´´´
The blonde pilot looked over Heero for an instant and then glanced back towards Duo. Neither of them, 01 and 04, had realized before that Duo was wearing earphones while he contemplated the window towards L2. Duo murmured the words in a total absentminded state. He hadn't even realized of the two boys standing behind him.
Duo had locked his glance beyond the crystals, the darkness of outer space. The darkness…and then, the colony. And in the colony, the memory of a white cross, a white crypt…He opened his eyes, wide in surprise, when he saw for one second a white feather falling slowly in front of his face. But the sight disappeared in that same second…
"Hmm? Duo…" –Quatre called him with soft voice.
Duo lifted his glance when he heard something behind him and he looked the reflection of the two pilots standing there.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" –Duo smiled removing the earphones. He didn't like the silence from his comrades- "It's something wrong?" –he asked concerned. He realized the others' look was kind of strange for him. They have never looked at him in that way.
Quatre was the first to break the silence, trying to smile slightly.
"Well, Duo, the truth is…we are worried about you. We didn't know what was going on with you, so…" –Quatre inhaled as he continued: "So, we talked to Gene and he is also very concerned because of your state…"
"My state?" –Duo repeated confused.
"Exactly. You are acting very distant to all. It's like you aren't here. We wanted to help you but we didn't know what we were dealing with. But Gene does. And he told us everything…about you" –Quatre said ashamed.
Heero took a look at 04. For once, Quatre had gone directly to the point.
But Duo just raised an eyebrow, totally lost in the situation. What were they talking about? Gene told them everything? Everything what?
"Hmm…What are you exactly talking about?" –Duo asked at last.
"The reasons of your behavior" –Heero replied- "Since that accident with the ship you were involved with, you have been…weird." –01 knew it was better to be clear and say it once and for all. Besides, being blunt was his characteristic- "From what we now know, it's obvious that the former incident brought to your mind your past…the Maxwell Massacre that you survived…"
Absolute silence. Heero and Quatre continued looking concernedly at Duo. But Duo was…stunned. More than stunned, he was shocked. His look was locked in them, with complete unbelief expression.
"And the memories of your friend Solo, the Home's children and the nun, the Oz's attack…" –Heero went on, ready to face this right there and then.
Duo was holding his breath. He felt like if a bucket of cold water has just been tipped over his head. 'They…they know' Duo thought amazed. But his shock disappeared within a minute, and his glance turned icy, an anger glitter in his amethyst eyes.
He was mad. He was very mad.
************Shinigami's Voice***************
A/N: This is kind of a disclaimer. I know you guys know that the song in this story is "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Nerve, so I am not claiming it as my own. It doesn't belong to me, I just borrow those lines 'cause I thought they fitted well in that moment.
So! Give me one day, and I'll tell you what is gonna happen next…