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Title: Is This Called Destiny?
Chapter: Eight
Author: Jumping Jellybeans
Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or this song.
Author's Notes: Gomen nasai for not updating!!!! First, I was banned from the computer for MONTHS, and then I went on vacation!!!! WAHHHH! I hate sightseeing!
Symbols: '...' = thinking
"..." = speaking
^*^...^*^ = song
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^*^I will remember you^*^
Moonlight filtered through the half-closed shades, landing on the two figures in the room. One figure sat in a spindly chair that looked (and felt) like it would collapse any minute. The other figure lay asleep on the bed, unconcerned about the going ons in the world.
Duo leaned back in the chair and studied the sleeping girl in front of him, preserving the picture in his mind even as he ran through the last month briefly. They had just arrived at the abandoned apartment an hour ago and he was exhausted, but being a Gundam pilot, he didn't let that bother him. He glanced at the clock, in the corner of the room, and the bright red numbers read 11:59 PM.
One minute left. Just one, before his given month would disappear like dust. One minute until Hiiro would appear at the door of the apartment to take Usagi to the doctors (that he had now dubbed 'crazy and insane'). Most likely, he would have very little time to prepare once they came, so he picked up his gun and clicked the safety off just as the numbers 12:00 AM appeared on the clock.
There was a knock on the door that echoed through the empty apartment, however, Duo remained seated in his chair as he glared at the door in front of him, a sort of second barrier after they broke down the front door. The door was locked and bolted and Duo had dragged a sofa from the main room and blocked it.
There was a crash and a thud as the front door was kicked open. He heard murmurings in the other room and he recognized all of his 'fellow' Gundam pilots along with a truckload of enforcers they had managed to scrape up. The door in front of him trembled as it rocked on its hinges, by now, Usagi had woken up behind him and was staring at the door.
"Duo, what's going on?" Usagi questioned as the door was kicked so violently that a foot came through.
"Oh, a couple of friends of mine are visiting." Duo replied as Quatre's face appeared in the gaping hole.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
"Usagi-san, it's a pleasure to see you again." Quatre said politely as he spotted Usagi scrambling out of bed.
"Duo, who's he and why does he act like he knows me?" Usagi asked as her eyes darted towards the door and back to Duo.
"He's a friend o' mine." Duo replied tightly, "Climb out the windowand down the drainpipe, and run, Usa-chan."
"Eh? If he's a friend, then why am I running away?" Usagi questioned as she started towards the window.
"Just do it."
"Duo, if you would just listen, we could solve this without anybody getting hurt." Quarte said kindly.
"Listen to what?" Duo snapped back, "Listen to how we you can bring Usagi back to the doctors and let her become a scientific wonder? Do you want me to listen to that?"
Usagi stiffened as she reached the window and turned around, "What?"
"Usa-chan, just go." Duo pleaded, "Please."
"I can't and I won't." Usagi replied coldly as she started back towards him, "There are a whole bunch of mad guys out there that are fiddling around with some sort of metallic net."
Duo's eyes narrowed as Quatre pulled away and talked in quiet tones with the people in the other room. Moments later, Wufei appeared in the 'face-hole'.
"Maxwell, get your damn ass out here this instant, this isn't the time to play around." Wufei growled.
By this time, Duo was tired of talking to their 'negotiators' and he fired at the space right above Wufei's head, "Excuse me? I believe that you're the one trespassing on private property."
Wufei's head withdrew and their was a quiet command outside and Duo grabbed Usagi and forced her to the ground, following quickly afterwards. Shots were fired and small tranquilizers came through the wooden door at the places they had been standing.
"I thought these were your friends." Usagi muttered as a katana came through the door and sliced the sofa, and door, in half.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
"They were." Duo answered as the katana reappeared to slash through the door horizontally.
"Omae wa koruso." a voice said as Duo stood up, his violet eyes furious.
"Go ahead, 'buddy'. Kill me." Duo answered coldly as he met a death glare.
"Duo, are you crazy?" Usagi cried as she jumped up and slid in front of him, "Now way in hell am I letting you kill yourself!"
A smirk played on Hiiro's face as he fired right at them, "Bad move."
Duo's eyes widened in horror as a net unfurled from the 'bullet', with a hard push, he shoved Usagi out of the range of the net, causing her to topple on the floor a few feet away. In a flash, Hiiro had heaved Duo to the other side and had a gun pointed at his head.
"Like I'm going to fall for that bluff." Usagi scoffed as she stood up, "It's another net, big deal."
A shot rang out and plaster fell out of the hole in the ceiling, "Are you sure?" Hiiro replied in a monotone voice, "Are you willing to risk it?"
Usagi saw the past month with Duo flash before her eyes. And now, this total stranger was firing bullets and threatening to kill him!
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
"It's me you want, right?" Usagi questioned, stepping over the divider, "Then, let him go."
The net around Duo disinegrated and Duo was shoved violently forward as a net was flung over Usagi.
^*^Remember the good times that we had?^*^
^*^I let them slip away from us, when things got bad^*^
Duo immediately started after her, ignorant of the orders given by the soldiers surrounding him. Hiiro glanced at the soldier behind Duo and the soldier came forward and locked Duo in an tight grip. Usagi gave Duo one sad glance before it hardened at landed on Hiiro.
"Don't hurt him." she warned softly as the soldier leading her away pulled violently on the net, causing her to stumble and fall.
"Let her go, damn you!" Duo cursed, struggling against his captor, "Let her go and take me!"
A different soldier, female this time, walked up to him and slapped him, "Shut up, we ain't got no time for the likes of you, sweetie. It's her they want and it's her they get. Deal with it."
Duo spit in her face in return causing her to rub her face with the end of her sleeve. By now, Usagi was out of sight and everyone could hear the creaking groan of the elevator as it started down from the top of the twenty-story building.
"Why I oughta..." the female growled, cracking her knuckles.
"Leave it, Melantha." Wufei growled, "It's dishonorable to hit a man when he's down."
"Oh yeah?" Melantha answered, glaring at Duo, she stalked over to the window and flung the heavy drapes open, revealing a brightly lit area.
^*^How clearly I first saw you, smilin' in the sun^*^
Duo quickly averted his eyes although he knew that Usagi wouldn't be walking out anytime soon, considering the shape the elevator was in.
**Flashback**
"Duo-kun, look!" a four-year-old Usagi chirped, pointing at a tree, "It's a bird!"
A five-year-old Duo came out and sat down next to her, his violet eyes following the path of her finger, "Yeah, so?"
Usagi turned to him and smiled brightly, "Isn't it pretty?"
**End Flashback**
A loud creak sounded throughout the entire building, bringing Duo back to reality. The lights above him flickered out and they were left in total darkness except for the light coming from the window. He heard loud shouts a few floors down, and moments later, he heard Hiiro dispatching someone to find out what the hell was going on.
"Elevator's stuck," the messanger reported, "they're between floors fifteen and sixteen. And, you already know this, but there's a power outage. I checked the fuse box on the first floor, there was a discarded flashlight on the floor, all wires are cut. Apparantly, someone's working for them."
Duo frowned, there was no one working for them, no helpers at all. He froze when a whisper echoed throughout his mind, 'Don't fret, D-chan...everything's going to work out.'
The voice disappeared, leaving nothing except the beginnings of a plan in Duo's mind, 'Take care of yourself, Usa-chan.'
^*^Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one^*^
Duo forced himself to relax and, as expected, his captor released him slightly. And in that moment, he acted. A quick backward thrust with his elbow sent the soldier staggering away and Duo quickly made his escape during the confusion. Except, he could hear Hiiro coming after him.
Quickly, Duo ran through the floor plan in his mind, he needed a window, fast. Seconds later, a window that suited his needs popped up in his head and he averted direction. The given window appeared around a corner and Duo opened it up all the way. Then, he stood on the window sill and waited.
"Hey, Hii-man." Duo called out as he spotted Hiiro coming towards him, "Looking for me?"
"Duo, get the hell away from that window." Hiiro growled out, skidding to a stop.
"You know, you always were my best friend." Duo continued, ignoring Hiiro's order, "It didn't have to be like this. But I guess Dr. J's training ordered you to shove me aside just so you could fullfil your mission. Well, I'll step aside, I'm sure that'll be a load of your chest."
"Duo, don't do this." Wufei said as he stopped beside Hiiro.
"You're honorable, right, Wu-man?" Duo asked, "Well, then would you mind telling Usa-chan that I love her? If you catch her, that is."
With that said, Duo took one step off of the window sill, and let go.
^*^I will remember you^*^
Usagi's head shot up, her eyes filled with horror.
'No, he wouldn't have...' she thought as she collapsed on the floor, 'He wouldn't leave me.'
Tears slid down her face and splattered on her skirt. Silver and blue streaks swirled through the frozen elevator, causing all the soldiers in it to back away from her and plaster themselves against the wall.
With a brilliant flash, she was enveloped by the streaks of light and when the faded, she looked up from her position on the floor, crystal blue eyes now the clearish white-blue of ice.
She closed her eyes and the air hummed with magic, the net surrounding her began to glow in an unearthly light.
"Ain't nothin' you do is gonna damage that net, sweetheart." a soldier, who had recovered, said smugly, "It's made of gundanium."
"Oh yeah?" Usagi asked in a soft deadly voice, a voice not quite hers.
"Yeah." another cocky soldier replied.
The elevator shook as power filled it, moments later, the light died down to reveal five soldiers dead and a girl sitting in a puddle of molten gundanium.
Slowly, she stood up, gundanium dripping off of her skirt, with a jerk, the lights flickered back on and the elevator started to move, "Arigato, onee-chan." Usagi whispered.
"Good luck, imouto." an invisible person whispered.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Duo clutched the edge of a window sill, only a few feet from the ground. He saw a flash of silver light a few floors above him and the faintest trickle of a smile appeared on his face. Well, it was worth it. Even if she wouldn't remember him afterwards, at least she wouldn't give up without a fight.
"They're coming." a soft voice whispered, "Run."
Duo's head shot up and he glimpsed a flickering figure leaning out of the window above him. Reddish-gold eyes were the only features he saw as he let go and landed on the lawn. He had to get off this colony before the search for him started. He knew Hiiro would know instantly that he was alive since there was no blood and certainly no body.
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"Hiiro." Usagi stated as she turned around to face him.
"Usagi." Hiiro replied just as coldly.
"You killed him." Usagi accused, her icy blue eyes filled with anger.
"He did it himself." Hiiro answered, completely unfazed by the slightly insane look in her eyes.
"He wouldn't have jumped if you could have just left us alone!" Usagi shrieked, unseen winds whipping around her, a crescent moon blazed on her forehead.
"You're a danger to everyone around you." Hiiro said, ignoring the winds rushing around them, "You would have lost control eventually and killed him. That's why I'm taking you to a place where you'll do no harm to anyone."
"You forgot to mention that I would also be poked and prodded by crazy doctors." Usagi replied cooly.
"It's for your own good." a voice from behind her said as a tranquilizer was stabbed into her arm.
"Is...not..." Usagi choked out before everything turned black.
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Duo deposited the brown grocery bag on the counter before plopping down on an over-stuffed sofa. Gods, he missed her, but he couldn't go back. They would just use him to make Usagi do what they wanted her to do. She was better off thinking he was dead than knowing he was alive and held prisoner. Apparantly, Quatre had managed to talk Wufei out of storming his apartment since the threats on his answering machine were disappearing.
"Damn you, Hiiro." Duo cursed kicked aside an empty soda can as he stood up, "Damn you and your tracking skills."
Duo sighed and dragged himself over to the phone were the bleary words '47 NEW MESSAGES' blinked. He considered erasing them but there might be something important in one of the messages.
::MESSAGE ONE:: the reedy computerized voice said, ::MAXWELL, YOU BETT--::
"Next." Duo said in a bored tone, he didn't need Wufei yelling at him again.
::MESSAGE TWO:: the voice continued, ::Duo, stop erasing--::
"Next."
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Usagi sat curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her face.
"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead." she chanted under her voice, "There's nothing you can do about it, Usagi. You can't raise the dead."
A week here, and she was already going insane. Silvery-blue power shielded her from cameras, mikes, and goggling doctors, giving her some sort of peace. Her life was utterly miserable but she just didn't have the strength to leave this wretched place yet. It was tiring enough to keep the shield around her.
Three times a day, food was placed just outside her shield and she would shove it away as soon as they left. The only thing she would drink was water, and only after testing it with her power to make sure it was safe. Just enough water to survive.
^*^I'm so tired, but I can't sleep^*^
^*^Standin' on the edge of something much too deep^*^
"Miss Usagi, would you mind answering some questions?" a voice asked as a lady entered the chamber.
"Go ahead." Usagi said dully, "Be my guest."
She answered a series of questions without really answering them, but the lady wrote down everything she said just the same.
"Okay, one more question, Usagi." the lady looked up to meet Usagi's eyes, "If you could, would you bring Duo back to life?"
"Get out!" Usagi shrieked, sending a bone-chilling wind towards the lady, "Get the hell out of here!"
"Thank you for your time." the lady said quickly, backing out, "Have a nice day."
The door slammed shut, leaving Usagi alone again. Usagi leaned back and came in contact with the wall, tears streaming down her face.
"Duo, why did you have to go?" she whispered to thin air, "Why did you have to leave me behind?"
^*^It's funny how we feel so much, but we cannot say a word^*^
Duo stood up as the doorbell rung, the grocery boy was here. He grabbed a fistfull of ready money and shoved it into the boy's hand as he opened the door.
"Good day to you, sir." the boy said, saying nothing about Duo's ragged.
The boy retreated and biked off again as Duo shut the door. Duo slid into a hard, wooden chair, leaving the groceries on the ground. Scattered around the apartment were pictures of Usagi and him. He picked up the one in front of him, he had taken it while they had been at the beach. Her head was tilted towards the sun and she wore a light pink one-piece bathing suit.
"Gomen nasai, Usa-chan."
^*^We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard^*^
Usagi sat on the bed, shifting through her memories and pushing all the ones not in this life aside. She paused as her mind brushed one memory that she had not seen for a long time.
**Flashback**
"Duo!" a five-year-old Usagi shrieked, as she stumbled into the church to find her best friend standing in front of three Oz soldiers.
"Usagi, get out of here." Duo answered, worry flitting through his violet eyes.
"She's not going anywhere, are you, Little Missy?" a soldier said as he picked Usagi up as if she weighed nothing.
"Usagi!" Sister Helen gasped, starting towards her before Father Maxwell held her back, "You let her go right now, she has nothing to do with this."
"Wait, it's a mobile suit you want, right?" six-year-old Duo demanded, "If I steal you one, will you let all of us go?"
"Yes." the leader said, smirking.
"No, Duo, don't!" Usagi cried as Duo darted out of the church.
**End Flashback**
"Duo..." Usagi whispered softly, "I'm glad you left that day even if it only fed your hatred, at least you weren't there to hear the screaming."
**Flashback**
Smoke was everywhere, in her clothes, in her hair, and in her face. She was crushed under a pile of smoking wood, there was no way out. A small flicker of power in her called softly and Usagi answered it.
"Gomen nasai, D-chan." Usagi whispered as the power drew nearer, "I hope we meet again."
Silver light erupted everywhere around her, burning a path through the wood and even stone. A young goddess-like girl slipped through the tunnel and it closed behind her. Once outside, she collapsed and the silver glow disappeared.
**End Flashback**
^*^But, I will remember you^*^
Duo woke up to his computer beeping, it was a habit of his. He stood up and walked over to the glowing screen.
::E-MAILS = 238. YOU HAVE USED 87% OF YOUR SPACE. PLEASE READ OR DELETE YOUR E-MAILS TO AQUIRE MORE ROOM.::
"All junk mail." Duo muttered as he saw the endless list of e-mails from Quatre and Wufei.
He selected all of them and clicked 'delete'. There was a small whirring sound as the e-mail's started to disappear. Violet eyes skimmed the description for each e-mail as it was being deleted, finding nothing of interest, Duo left the room and stalked towards the refrigerator.
He pulled open the refrigerator and snagged some left-over pasta from last night's dinner. As usual, it was another TV dinner, after all, he wasn't the best of cooks. Two weeks had passed and he was constantly swallowing anti-depressant pills that did nothing to help his mood.
"Look what you've done to me, Usa-chan." Duo said as he heated the pasta, "I can't live like this forever."
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Usagi sank down on the bed, studying how thin her wrist had become. There were memories of wolfing down food, but she brushed them aside, she couldn't stomach anything anymore. Anything she ate came right back up two to three hours later, all she could do was drink water.
A small window had been installed sometime ago outside of her shield. It showed an empty corrider that had glass walls, enabling her to see outside. Obviously, one of the phsycologists had reccomended it and she had to admit, it did take her mind off of things when memories weren't haunting her.
But now was not one of those times...she was depressed and completely miserable. She wanted more than anything to just die, but obviously the doctors had thought of that since there was nothing harmful in her rooms. No shatterable mirrors, no knives, no nothin'.
And she wasn't quite strong enough to bust out yet, she still needed to get used to her powers. And it didn't help that the walls were made of gundanium alloy mixed with the strongest metals in the world. Not exactly the easiest thing to melt...
So that left her with sitting on her bed and crying herself to sleep.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Duo frowned at his answering machine, since when had Trowa ever tried to contact him?
"Duo..." Trowa began in a near-emotionless voice, "...Usagi's run away. She blasted apart her cell and killed any guards who tried to stop her. Our physcologists know that she is mentally unstable since your 'death' and they believe that she might try to commit suicide. All of us are restricted to the base except for Hiiro, he's tracking Usagi down and his orders, from all of the doctors, are to kill her and bring her back for preservation. They believe that she's more useful to them dead. L1, Rosebury Forest."
'Shit.' Duo cursed mentally in his head as the message ended, he needed to get over to L1, and fast.
He grabbed a towel and a set of clothes before entering the small bathroom to take a quick shower. When he stepped out thirty minutes later, he stalked over to his laptop and booked the next shuttle to L1, which happened to be in twenty-five minutes.
"Damn it, Usa." Duo growled softly as he grabbed his coat on his way out, "Don't you dare do it."
^*^I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose^*^
^*^Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose^*^
Duo closed his eyes as the shuttle took off. Throughout the flight, memories of Usagi came and went, as he jumped in and out of consciousness.
^*^Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night^*^
^*^You gave me everything you had, oh, you gave me light^*^
"Duo!" Quatre smiled as he opened the door, "You've, uh, changed."
Duo shrugged, he knew he was considerably skinnier than the last time they had met, but he wasn't here to discuss his own welfare, "What've you got?"
"She's headed towards Earth." Quatre said simply as he handed Duo a ticket, "Your flight leaves in an hour. Do you want to come in?"
"How long has she been gone?" Duo demanded, not answering the question.
"About a day now. Hiiro's giving you three days before he starts hunting her." Quatre said quickly.
Without an even 'By your leave', Duo strode off, headed towards the nearest airport. He needed to think and the walk would give him plenty of time to do that. He glanced at his ticket, wondering where he'd be going, the bold words 'Tokyo, Japan' stood out and he stiffened. Usagi had never mentioned where she had lived when she had had a family, but he was willing to bet that this Tokyo place was it.
A chilly feeling surrounded him as he walked and as he glanced down, silver footprints shone on the gravel. Unknown to him, the black, symbol of Saturn shone on his forehead briefly before fading away. Duo blinked and looked again but the footprints were still there and he had the strangest feeling that he was running at night.
^*^And, I will remember you^*^
Hotaru stood up quickly, was it really him?
"Shi-chan?" she asked softly, the purple symbol of Saturn glowing on her forehead.
She sat down again slowly as the aurora faded away. If it was really him, why didn't he show up to reclaim his throne?
'Because, Hotaru,' she chided herself, 'he probably doesn't remember anything.'
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Duo stared out the window of his shuttle as the blue and green globe that was Earth. It had been a long time since he had been there. A really long time.
"If you look out the window on the left, you'll see Earth coming up." a snobby voice said on the com system, "Tokyo is circled in bright red on each window."
Duo snorted as a brilliant pink appeared on his window, the lady couldn't even get her colors right. He stiffened as the dot on his window glowed silver. He craned his neck to glance at the window in front, but it wasn't silver, he looked at his window, still silver.
"Hey, does this dot look silver to you?" Duo asked, poking the man sitting next to him.
"It's pink, maybe you ought to get your eyes examined." the man retorted.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Duo sighed as he stepped off of the shuttle, he glimpsed silver footprints on the thick carpeting and shrugged. Obviously Usagi was leaving these, with or without her knowledge, so shouldn't he follow them? Duo trailed the footprints to a small block where a taxi was waiting.
"Hey, kid, where do you want to go?" the driver asked, turning around.
"Did you drive a girl from here early this morning, around one?" Duo asked.
"Yeah, she looked awful scared, you after her?" the man asked.
"Just take me to where you dropped her off."
^*^And, I will remember you^*^
Usagi entered a small weaponary store, she trotted up to the counter near the front and slapped down a hundred yen, "You sell handcarved knives don't you?"
"Yes, ma'm, would you like to see our display?" the elderly man asked in a croaky voice.
"Nah, I just want a blank one from the back. Not carved, I want to carve it myself." Usagi replied, "And I'll take a carving knife too, the best you got."
The man shrugged, "No can do. They aren't for sale." he moved away.
"Two hundred then." Usagi placed another hundred yen on the counter, "I have to carve it myself."
"Well, miss, I'll see what I can do for you." the man muttered, taking the money and entering the backrooms.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
"Shit." Duo cursed as he saw the silver footprints enter a knife store and come out again.
He broke out into a run, dodging lots of shoppers, he exited the mall through the back entrance and started following the faint imprints again. These were at least a day old, he only had two left and time was running out.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
She took up a knife with an intricate design of a girl being crowned priestess, it was a ceremonial knife, the best of the best. Usagi started into the forest and made two cuts, one on each wrist.
"Duo, wait for me..."
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
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Read and review! I'm working on the next chapter right now!!! Don't worry, this isn't the end.
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Title: Is This Called Destiny?
Chapter: Eight
Author: Jumping Jellybeans
Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or this song.
Author's Notes: Gomen nasai for not updating!!!! First, I was banned from the computer for MONTHS, and then I went on vacation!!!! WAHHHH! I hate sightseeing!
Symbols: '...' = thinking
"..." = speaking
^*^...^*^ = song
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^*^I will remember you^*^
Moonlight filtered through the half-closed shades, landing on the two figures in the room. One figure sat in a spindly chair that looked (and felt) like it would collapse any minute. The other figure lay asleep on the bed, unconcerned about the going ons in the world.
Duo leaned back in the chair and studied the sleeping girl in front of him, preserving the picture in his mind even as he ran through the last month briefly. They had just arrived at the abandoned apartment an hour ago and he was exhausted, but being a Gundam pilot, he didn't let that bother him. He glanced at the clock, in the corner of the room, and the bright red numbers read 11:59 PM.
One minute left. Just one, before his given month would disappear like dust. One minute until Hiiro would appear at the door of the apartment to take Usagi to the doctors (that he had now dubbed 'crazy and insane'). Most likely, he would have very little time to prepare once they came, so he picked up his gun and clicked the safety off just as the numbers 12:00 AM appeared on the clock.
There was a knock on the door that echoed through the empty apartment, however, Duo remained seated in his chair as he glared at the door in front of him, a sort of second barrier after they broke down the front door. The door was locked and bolted and Duo had dragged a sofa from the main room and blocked it.
There was a crash and a thud as the front door was kicked open. He heard murmurings in the other room and he recognized all of his 'fellow' Gundam pilots along with a truckload of enforcers they had managed to scrape up. The door in front of him trembled as it rocked on its hinges, by now, Usagi had woken up behind him and was staring at the door.
"Duo, what's going on?" Usagi questioned as the door was kicked so violently that a foot came through.
"Oh, a couple of friends of mine are visiting." Duo replied as Quatre's face appeared in the gaping hole.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
"Usagi-san, it's a pleasure to see you again." Quatre said politely as he spotted Usagi scrambling out of bed.
"Duo, who's he and why does he act like he knows me?" Usagi asked as her eyes darted towards the door and back to Duo.
"He's a friend o' mine." Duo replied tightly, "Climb out the windowand down the drainpipe, and run, Usa-chan."
"Eh? If he's a friend, then why am I running away?" Usagi questioned as she started towards the window.
"Just do it."
"Duo, if you would just listen, we could solve this without anybody getting hurt." Quarte said kindly.
"Listen to what?" Duo snapped back, "Listen to how we you can bring Usagi back to the doctors and let her become a scientific wonder? Do you want me to listen to that?"
Usagi stiffened as she reached the window and turned around, "What?"
"Usa-chan, just go." Duo pleaded, "Please."
"I can't and I won't." Usagi replied coldly as she started back towards him, "There are a whole bunch of mad guys out there that are fiddling around with some sort of metallic net."
Duo's eyes narrowed as Quatre pulled away and talked in quiet tones with the people in the other room. Moments later, Wufei appeared in the 'face-hole'.
"Maxwell, get your damn ass out here this instant, this isn't the time to play around." Wufei growled.
By this time, Duo was tired of talking to their 'negotiators' and he fired at the space right above Wufei's head, "Excuse me? I believe that you're the one trespassing on private property."
Wufei's head withdrew and their was a quiet command outside and Duo grabbed Usagi and forced her to the ground, following quickly afterwards. Shots were fired and small tranquilizers came through the wooden door at the places they had been standing.
"I thought these were your friends." Usagi muttered as a katana came through the door and sliced the sofa, and door, in half.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
"They were." Duo answered as the katana reappeared to slash through the door horizontally.
"Omae wa koruso." a voice said as Duo stood up, his violet eyes furious.
"Go ahead, 'buddy'. Kill me." Duo answered coldly as he met a death glare.
"Duo, are you crazy?" Usagi cried as she jumped up and slid in front of him, "Now way in hell am I letting you kill yourself!"
A smirk played on Hiiro's face as he fired right at them, "Bad move."
Duo's eyes widened in horror as a net unfurled from the 'bullet', with a hard push, he shoved Usagi out of the range of the net, causing her to topple on the floor a few feet away. In a flash, Hiiro had heaved Duo to the other side and had a gun pointed at his head.
"Like I'm going to fall for that bluff." Usagi scoffed as she stood up, "It's another net, big deal."
A shot rang out and plaster fell out of the hole in the ceiling, "Are you sure?" Hiiro replied in a monotone voice, "Are you willing to risk it?"
Usagi saw the past month with Duo flash before her eyes. And now, this total stranger was firing bullets and threatening to kill him!
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
"It's me you want, right?" Usagi questioned, stepping over the divider, "Then, let him go."
The net around Duo disinegrated and Duo was shoved violently forward as a net was flung over Usagi.
^*^Remember the good times that we had?^*^
^*^I let them slip away from us, when things got bad^*^
Duo immediately started after her, ignorant of the orders given by the soldiers surrounding him. Hiiro glanced at the soldier behind Duo and the soldier came forward and locked Duo in an tight grip. Usagi gave Duo one sad glance before it hardened at landed on Hiiro.
"Don't hurt him." she warned softly as the soldier leading her away pulled violently on the net, causing her to stumble and fall.
"Let her go, damn you!" Duo cursed, struggling against his captor, "Let her go and take me!"
A different soldier, female this time, walked up to him and slapped him, "Shut up, we ain't got no time for the likes of you, sweetie. It's her they want and it's her they get. Deal with it."
Duo spit in her face in return causing her to rub her face with the end of her sleeve. By now, Usagi was out of sight and everyone could hear the creaking groan of the elevator as it started down from the top of the twenty-story building.
"Why I oughta..." the female growled, cracking her knuckles.
"Leave it, Melantha." Wufei growled, "It's dishonorable to hit a man when he's down."
"Oh yeah?" Melantha answered, glaring at Duo, she stalked over to the window and flung the heavy drapes open, revealing a brightly lit area.
^*^How clearly I first saw you, smilin' in the sun^*^
Duo quickly averted his eyes although he knew that Usagi wouldn't be walking out anytime soon, considering the shape the elevator was in.
**Flashback**
"Duo-kun, look!" a four-year-old Usagi chirped, pointing at a tree, "It's a bird!"
A five-year-old Duo came out and sat down next to her, his violet eyes following the path of her finger, "Yeah, so?"
Usagi turned to him and smiled brightly, "Isn't it pretty?"
**End Flashback**
A loud creak sounded throughout the entire building, bringing Duo back to reality. The lights above him flickered out and they were left in total darkness except for the light coming from the window. He heard loud shouts a few floors down, and moments later, he heard Hiiro dispatching someone to find out what the hell was going on.
"Elevator's stuck," the messanger reported, "they're between floors fifteen and sixteen. And, you already know this, but there's a power outage. I checked the fuse box on the first floor, there was a discarded flashlight on the floor, all wires are cut. Apparantly, someone's working for them."
Duo frowned, there was no one working for them, no helpers at all. He froze when a whisper echoed throughout his mind, 'Don't fret, D-chan...everything's going to work out.'
The voice disappeared, leaving nothing except the beginnings of a plan in Duo's mind, 'Take care of yourself, Usa-chan.'
^*^Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one^*^
Duo forced himself to relax and, as expected, his captor released him slightly. And in that moment, he acted. A quick backward thrust with his elbow sent the soldier staggering away and Duo quickly made his escape during the confusion. Except, he could hear Hiiro coming after him.
Quickly, Duo ran through the floor plan in his mind, he needed a window, fast. Seconds later, a window that suited his needs popped up in his head and he averted direction. The given window appeared around a corner and Duo opened it up all the way. Then, he stood on the window sill and waited.
"Hey, Hii-man." Duo called out as he spotted Hiiro coming towards him, "Looking for me?"
"Duo, get the hell away from that window." Hiiro growled out, skidding to a stop.
"You know, you always were my best friend." Duo continued, ignoring Hiiro's order, "It didn't have to be like this. But I guess Dr. J's training ordered you to shove me aside just so you could fullfil your mission. Well, I'll step aside, I'm sure that'll be a load of your chest."
"Duo, don't do this." Wufei said as he stopped beside Hiiro.
"You're honorable, right, Wu-man?" Duo asked, "Well, then would you mind telling Usa-chan that I love her? If you catch her, that is."
With that said, Duo took one step off of the window sill, and let go.
^*^I will remember you^*^
Usagi's head shot up, her eyes filled with horror.
'No, he wouldn't have...' she thought as she collapsed on the floor, 'He wouldn't leave me.'
Tears slid down her face and splattered on her skirt. Silver and blue streaks swirled through the frozen elevator, causing all the soldiers in it to back away from her and plaster themselves against the wall.
With a brilliant flash, she was enveloped by the streaks of light and when the faded, she looked up from her position on the floor, crystal blue eyes now the clearish white-blue of ice.
She closed her eyes and the air hummed with magic, the net surrounding her began to glow in an unearthly light.
"Ain't nothin' you do is gonna damage that net, sweetheart." a soldier, who had recovered, said smugly, "It's made of gundanium."
"Oh yeah?" Usagi asked in a soft deadly voice, a voice not quite hers.
"Yeah." another cocky soldier replied.
The elevator shook as power filled it, moments later, the light died down to reveal five soldiers dead and a girl sitting in a puddle of molten gundanium.
Slowly, she stood up, gundanium dripping off of her skirt, with a jerk, the lights flickered back on and the elevator started to move, "Arigato, onee-chan." Usagi whispered.
"Good luck, imouto." an invisible person whispered.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Duo clutched the edge of a window sill, only a few feet from the ground. He saw a flash of silver light a few floors above him and the faintest trickle of a smile appeared on his face. Well, it was worth it. Even if she wouldn't remember him afterwards, at least she wouldn't give up without a fight.
"They're coming." a soft voice whispered, "Run."
Duo's head shot up and he glimpsed a flickering figure leaning out of the window above him. Reddish-gold eyes were the only features he saw as he let go and landed on the lawn. He had to get off this colony before the search for him started. He knew Hiiro would know instantly that he was alive since there was no blood and certainly no body.
************************
"Hiiro." Usagi stated as she turned around to face him.
"Usagi." Hiiro replied just as coldly.
"You killed him." Usagi accused, her icy blue eyes filled with anger.
"He did it himself." Hiiro answered, completely unfazed by the slightly insane look in her eyes.
"He wouldn't have jumped if you could have just left us alone!" Usagi shrieked, unseen winds whipping around her, a crescent moon blazed on her forehead.
"You're a danger to everyone around you." Hiiro said, ignoring the winds rushing around them, "You would have lost control eventually and killed him. That's why I'm taking you to a place where you'll do no harm to anyone."
"You forgot to mention that I would also be poked and prodded by crazy doctors." Usagi replied cooly.
"It's for your own good." a voice from behind her said as a tranquilizer was stabbed into her arm.
"Is...not..." Usagi choked out before everything turned black.
************************
Duo deposited the brown grocery bag on the counter before plopping down on an over-stuffed sofa. Gods, he missed her, but he couldn't go back. They would just use him to make Usagi do what they wanted her to do. She was better off thinking he was dead than knowing he was alive and held prisoner. Apparantly, Quatre had managed to talk Wufei out of storming his apartment since the threats on his answering machine were disappearing.
"Damn you, Hiiro." Duo cursed kicked aside an empty soda can as he stood up, "Damn you and your tracking skills."
Duo sighed and dragged himself over to the phone were the bleary words '47 NEW MESSAGES' blinked. He considered erasing them but there might be something important in one of the messages.
::MESSAGE ONE:: the reedy computerized voice said, ::MAXWELL, YOU BETT--::
"Next." Duo said in a bored tone, he didn't need Wufei yelling at him again.
::MESSAGE TWO:: the voice continued, ::Duo, stop erasing--::
"Next."
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Usagi sat curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her face.
"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead." she chanted under her voice, "There's nothing you can do about it, Usagi. You can't raise the dead."
A week here, and she was already going insane. Silvery-blue power shielded her from cameras, mikes, and goggling doctors, giving her some sort of peace. Her life was utterly miserable but she just didn't have the strength to leave this wretched place yet. It was tiring enough to keep the shield around her.
Three times a day, food was placed just outside her shield and she would shove it away as soon as they left. The only thing she would drink was water, and only after testing it with her power to make sure it was safe. Just enough water to survive.
^*^I'm so tired, but I can't sleep^*^
^*^Standin' on the edge of something much too deep^*^
"Miss Usagi, would you mind answering some questions?" a voice asked as a lady entered the chamber.
"Go ahead." Usagi said dully, "Be my guest."
She answered a series of questions without really answering them, but the lady wrote down everything she said just the same.
"Okay, one more question, Usagi." the lady looked up to meet Usagi's eyes, "If you could, would you bring Duo back to life?"
"Get out!" Usagi shrieked, sending a bone-chilling wind towards the lady, "Get the hell out of here!"
"Thank you for your time." the lady said quickly, backing out, "Have a nice day."
The door slammed shut, leaving Usagi alone again. Usagi leaned back and came in contact with the wall, tears streaming down her face.
"Duo, why did you have to go?" she whispered to thin air, "Why did you have to leave me behind?"
^*^It's funny how we feel so much, but we cannot say a word^*^
Duo stood up as the doorbell rung, the grocery boy was here. He grabbed a fistfull of ready money and shoved it into the boy's hand as he opened the door.
"Good day to you, sir." the boy said, saying nothing about Duo's ragged.
The boy retreated and biked off again as Duo shut the door. Duo slid into a hard, wooden chair, leaving the groceries on the ground. Scattered around the apartment were pictures of Usagi and him. He picked up the one in front of him, he had taken it while they had been at the beach. Her head was tilted towards the sun and she wore a light pink one-piece bathing suit.
"Gomen nasai, Usa-chan."
^*^We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard^*^
Usagi sat on the bed, shifting through her memories and pushing all the ones not in this life aside. She paused as her mind brushed one memory that she had not seen for a long time.
**Flashback**
"Duo!" a five-year-old Usagi shrieked, as she stumbled into the church to find her best friend standing in front of three Oz soldiers.
"Usagi, get out of here." Duo answered, worry flitting through his violet eyes.
"She's not going anywhere, are you, Little Missy?" a soldier said as he picked Usagi up as if she weighed nothing.
"Usagi!" Sister Helen gasped, starting towards her before Father Maxwell held her back, "You let her go right now, she has nothing to do with this."
"Wait, it's a mobile suit you want, right?" six-year-old Duo demanded, "If I steal you one, will you let all of us go?"
"Yes." the leader said, smirking.
"No, Duo, don't!" Usagi cried as Duo darted out of the church.
**End Flashback**
"Duo..." Usagi whispered softly, "I'm glad you left that day even if it only fed your hatred, at least you weren't there to hear the screaming."
**Flashback**
Smoke was everywhere, in her clothes, in her hair, and in her face. She was crushed under a pile of smoking wood, there was no way out. A small flicker of power in her called softly and Usagi answered it.
"Gomen nasai, D-chan." Usagi whispered as the power drew nearer, "I hope we meet again."
Silver light erupted everywhere around her, burning a path through the wood and even stone. A young goddess-like girl slipped through the tunnel and it closed behind her. Once outside, she collapsed and the silver glow disappeared.
**End Flashback**
^*^But, I will remember you^*^
Duo woke up to his computer beeping, it was a habit of his. He stood up and walked over to the glowing screen.
::E-MAILS = 238. YOU HAVE USED 87% OF YOUR SPACE. PLEASE READ OR DELETE YOUR E-MAILS TO AQUIRE MORE ROOM.::
"All junk mail." Duo muttered as he saw the endless list of e-mails from Quatre and Wufei.
He selected all of them and clicked 'delete'. There was a small whirring sound as the e-mail's started to disappear. Violet eyes skimmed the description for each e-mail as it was being deleted, finding nothing of interest, Duo left the room and stalked towards the refrigerator.
He pulled open the refrigerator and snagged some left-over pasta from last night's dinner. As usual, it was another TV dinner, after all, he wasn't the best of cooks. Two weeks had passed and he was constantly swallowing anti-depressant pills that did nothing to help his mood.
"Look what you've done to me, Usa-chan." Duo said as he heated the pasta, "I can't live like this forever."
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Usagi sank down on the bed, studying how thin her wrist had become. There were memories of wolfing down food, but she brushed them aside, she couldn't stomach anything anymore. Anything she ate came right back up two to three hours later, all she could do was drink water.
A small window had been installed sometime ago outside of her shield. It showed an empty corrider that had glass walls, enabling her to see outside. Obviously, one of the phsycologists had reccomended it and she had to admit, it did take her mind off of things when memories weren't haunting her.
But now was not one of those times...she was depressed and completely miserable. She wanted more than anything to just die, but obviously the doctors had thought of that since there was nothing harmful in her rooms. No shatterable mirrors, no knives, no nothin'.
And she wasn't quite strong enough to bust out yet, she still needed to get used to her powers. And it didn't help that the walls were made of gundanium alloy mixed with the strongest metals in the world. Not exactly the easiest thing to melt...
So that left her with sitting on her bed and crying herself to sleep.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Duo frowned at his answering machine, since when had Trowa ever tried to contact him?
"Duo..." Trowa began in a near-emotionless voice, "...Usagi's run away. She blasted apart her cell and killed any guards who tried to stop her. Our physcologists know that she is mentally unstable since your 'death' and they believe that she might try to commit suicide. All of us are restricted to the base except for Hiiro, he's tracking Usagi down and his orders, from all of the doctors, are to kill her and bring her back for preservation. They believe that she's more useful to them dead. L1, Rosebury Forest."
'Shit.' Duo cursed mentally in his head as the message ended, he needed to get over to L1, and fast.
He grabbed a towel and a set of clothes before entering the small bathroom to take a quick shower. When he stepped out thirty minutes later, he stalked over to his laptop and booked the next shuttle to L1, which happened to be in twenty-five minutes.
"Damn it, Usa." Duo growled softly as he grabbed his coat on his way out, "Don't you dare do it."
^*^I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose^*^
^*^Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose^*^
Duo closed his eyes as the shuttle took off. Throughout the flight, memories of Usagi came and went, as he jumped in and out of consciousness.
^*^Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night^*^
^*^You gave me everything you had, oh, you gave me light^*^
"Duo!" Quatre smiled as he opened the door, "You've, uh, changed."
Duo shrugged, he knew he was considerably skinnier than the last time they had met, but he wasn't here to discuss his own welfare, "What've you got?"
"She's headed towards Earth." Quatre said simply as he handed Duo a ticket, "Your flight leaves in an hour. Do you want to come in?"
"How long has she been gone?" Duo demanded, not answering the question.
"About a day now. Hiiro's giving you three days before he starts hunting her." Quatre said quickly.
Without an even 'By your leave', Duo strode off, headed towards the nearest airport. He needed to think and the walk would give him plenty of time to do that. He glanced at his ticket, wondering where he'd be going, the bold words 'Tokyo, Japan' stood out and he stiffened. Usagi had never mentioned where she had lived when she had had a family, but he was willing to bet that this Tokyo place was it.
A chilly feeling surrounded him as he walked and as he glanced down, silver footprints shone on the gravel. Unknown to him, the black, symbol of Saturn shone on his forehead briefly before fading away. Duo blinked and looked again but the footprints were still there and he had the strangest feeling that he was running at night.
^*^And, I will remember you^*^
Hotaru stood up quickly, was it really him?
"Shi-chan?" she asked softly, the purple symbol of Saturn glowing on her forehead.
She sat down again slowly as the aurora faded away. If it was really him, why didn't he show up to reclaim his throne?
'Because, Hotaru,' she chided herself, 'he probably doesn't remember anything.'
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
Duo stared out the window of his shuttle as the blue and green globe that was Earth. It had been a long time since he had been there. A really long time.
"If you look out the window on the left, you'll see Earth coming up." a snobby voice said on the com system, "Tokyo is circled in bright red on each window."
Duo snorted as a brilliant pink appeared on his window, the lady couldn't even get her colors right. He stiffened as the dot on his window glowed silver. He craned his neck to glance at the window in front, but it wasn't silver, he looked at his window, still silver.
"Hey, does this dot look silver to you?" Duo asked, poking the man sitting next to him.
"It's pink, maybe you ought to get your eyes examined." the man retorted.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
Duo sighed as he stepped off of the shuttle, he glimpsed silver footprints on the thick carpeting and shrugged. Obviously Usagi was leaving these, with or without her knowledge, so shouldn't he follow them? Duo trailed the footprints to a small block where a taxi was waiting.
"Hey, kid, where do you want to go?" the driver asked, turning around.
"Did you drive a girl from here early this morning, around one?" Duo asked.
"Yeah, she looked awful scared, you after her?" the man asked.
"Just take me to where you dropped her off."
^*^And, I will remember you^*^
Usagi entered a small weaponary store, she trotted up to the counter near the front and slapped down a hundred yen, "You sell handcarved knives don't you?"
"Yes, ma'm, would you like to see our display?" the elderly man asked in a croaky voice.
"Nah, I just want a blank one from the back. Not carved, I want to carve it myself." Usagi replied, "And I'll take a carving knife too, the best you got."
The man shrugged, "No can do. They aren't for sale." he moved away.
"Two hundred then." Usagi placed another hundred yen on the counter, "I have to carve it myself."
"Well, miss, I'll see what I can do for you." the man muttered, taking the money and entering the backrooms.
^*^Will you remember me?^*^
"Shit." Duo cursed as he saw the silver footprints enter a knife store and come out again.
He broke out into a run, dodging lots of shoppers, he exited the mall through the back entrance and started following the faint imprints again. These were at least a day old, he only had two left and time was running out.
^*^Don't let your life, pass you by^*^
She took up a knife with an intricate design of a girl being crowned priestess, it was a ceremonial knife, the best of the best. Usagi started into the forest and made two cuts, one on each wrist.
"Duo, wait for me..."
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
^*^Weep not for the memories^*^
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Read and review! I'm working on the next chapter right now!!! Don't worry, this isn't the end.
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