Angel kept bugging me to write the next part...so here it is? Oo;;






Stop: Part 4









The windows rattled, and shattered simultaneously at the sound of the gunshot and everyone ducked to the ground except for Duo.

Wufei instantly leapt to his feet, glass shards flying from him, and aimed his gun at Duo. He cocked the gun, but before he could fire, Makoto knocked him to the ground again. Both of them hit the floor with a loud 'thud' and Wufei yelled, trying to push the Asian girl off of him.

"What the HELL do you think your doing, Onna?!" he snapped, still trying to push her away. He looked up to the kitchen doorway, and banged the floor with his fist, seeing Duo had fled. He instantly turned on Makoto again, onyx eyes flaring dangerously.

"I couldn't let you shoot him! He just needs help...killing him wont make things any better!" Makoto yelled, unfazed by Wufei's cold stare. "You wouldn't shoot your best anyway, would you? You went through a war with him!"

Wufei just glared at her. "I do what I am ordered. He was simply an ally and the war is OVER in case you haven't noticed, baka Onna!"

"But you weren't ordered to kill him," said Makoto, crossing her arms over her chest.

Angel stepped in between the two, her two butterfly daggers back in their sheaths. "It won't do any good to fight now, Duo's gone and we need to find him!"

The five of them looked around apprehensively before heading out the back door, and stepping onto the dry ground of the backyard. the sky looked like someone had spilled an ink bottle all over it, then showered the mess with silver glitter. The group didn't have much time to admire the beautiful night's sky -- they had to find him.



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Hilde twiddled her thumbs absent mindedly, wondering what was going on inside the house. A still smoking revolver lay on the hood of the car beside her. She'd been the one to shoot the mysterious shot through the window, once she saw Wufei about to shoot Duo. He'd carelessly left the weapon sitting in the glove compartment of the truck.

She only hoped she hadn't hit anyone.



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Duo stumbled through the thick brush, making his way along the side of the house as quietly as he could. Blood trickled from the small wound the single gunshot made, soaking his pantleg. He seemed not to notice the pain, though, as he stepped over a small shrub, and poked his head around the corner of the house to look into the driveway.

Hilde sat on the hood of the blue truck, his back to him. With his eyes, Duo traced the elegant slope of her neck, and the graceful curve of her back. He began to wonder how he could let such a beautiful creature slip through his fingers.

"Not any more," he whispered to himself. "She's mine."

Duo stepped from the shadows of the house and made his way silently to the car which Hilde sat upon. A single tumbleweed brushed by under his foot and he stepped on it, making a loud 'crunch' sound.

Hilde whirled around at the sound and nearly toppled off the hood of the truck at the sight of him.

"You..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You...BASTARD!" she screamed, leaping off of the hood of the truck. "What have you done with my daughter?!"

Duo simply stood there, admiring the look of anger on her face.

"You always looked so cute when you were angry."

More anger boiled up from inside Hilde. She fought the urge just to walk up to him and knock his teeth out. How dare he! Flirting with her, at a time like this! When he left her in the first place?

"Damn you to hell," she said simply, trying not to reveal the waver in her voice.

"Please...forgive me? I only did this to bring you here!" said Duo, stepping closer to her.

"HA! I'm NEVER going to forgive you! And now they're going to lock you up even LONGER in that jail because you DESERVE IT!" she screamed, stamping her foot against the dusty ground. She looked Duo over once, and noticed his ever-present braid was gone. "You cut your hair."

"I would've been recognized too easily if I kept it," he explained.

"Don't you have any decency?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "You kept your hair long to preserve the memory of those you loved. That just proves what a sick bastard you are."

"The past is behind me, Hilde. Except for one thing. And I'd like to apologize from the bottom of my heart, for leaving you that night Hallie was concieved," he said, stepping closer to her again.



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"Guys! Mako, Wu, Quatre! Get over here, now!" Angel yelled, bending over a rather large bush. She'd gotten the shock of her life once she had bent over the bush and found a young girl kneeling there.

"What's your name?" Angel asked kindly, picking the girl up.

"My name's Hallie. Are you here with my mommy?" Hallie responded, looking around as Quatre, Wufei, and Makoto came running up.

"You found her!" exclaimed Quatre, taking Hallie from Angel's arms. Hallie squirmed and hugged Quatre around his neck. "Hallie, this is very important. Now did you see where your father went?"

Hallie nodded and pointed to the corner of the house Duo had dissapeared behind to meet Hilde. Immidiately, there was a mad rush to get to the clump of brush at the side of the house.

Wufei managed to get there first and, gun drawn, he crept along the length of the house. He noted the footprints and spots of blood that left a trail leading to the front yard of the house. Angel, Mako, and Quatre followed silently behind Wufei. Angel looked to the blood on the ground and raised a curious eyebrow.

"Why's there blood?"

Wufei shook his head, causing some loose hair from his ponytail to fall in his eyes. "I don't know, but if he's wounded it'll give us the upper hand."

Hallie followed close behind Quatre, her tiny hand wrapped in his larger one.

"What are you going to do?"

Quatre looked down to the young girl with a kind look on his face. "We're going to catch your daddy and lock him up, okay?"

"No! I talked to him and he said he took me to get my mom's attention! He doesn't want to be locked up anymore!"

Wufei whirled around, eyeing Hallie with a menacing gaze. Hallie stared back at him, her dark eyes watering slightly. Quatre ignored Wufei and bent down to Hallie's level.

"Your daddy did a bad thing, okay? No matter if he doesn't want to be locked up, we have to. Think of it like when you did something bad and your mommy put you in time out. You didn't want to go, but you had to to learn your lesson. Okay?"

Hallie nodded silently and wiped her large eyes with a sleeve.



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"You think I'd forgive you? After you kidnapped my daughter?" Hilde snapped, stepping back even more toward the hood of the truck.

"OUR daughter, Hilde. She's half mine too."

Hilde stared at him as he began to walk closer with a steady pace. She backed up until he hip hit the cold metal of the truck, and her fingers wrapped around the gun that was left there. Duo glared at her and suddenly broke into a lunge the last five feet from her. Hilde screamed as the sound of a gunshot tore through the night for a second time.

She could barely feel Duo's hands blindly grope her shoulders as he fell to his knees. Her numb brain didn't register the fact she was holding a smoking pistol in her trembling hands.

"Hilde!"

The voice sounded so far away as her vision was clouded and she fell into a dead faint.



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"Hilde? Wake up."

Hilde opened her eyes slowly and met the kind face of Quatre hovering over her. She blinked and looked around quietly and saw Wufei sitting on the worn couch, and Angel and Mako sitting in chairs at the table. Hallie sat on the floor beside the couch she laid on, asleep.

"You got her back!"

Hallie stirred, but didn't wake. Hilde gently stroked her soft hair and looked around at everyone else. "Where's Duo?"

At those words, Wufei glared, and stabbed a dagger onto the worn couch out of anger.

"We all ran to you at once when you fainted, so Duo got away while we were occupied with you. But, you shot him in the left side so he can't have gotten far."

Hilde looked down.

"I wanted him caught. He could come after us again."

Quatre gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, while Hilde continued to stroke Hallie's hair.



*End Part 4*