Disclaimer: Besides not owning Gundam Wing, Nezumi does not own any other
reference made to any other book or anime character-
Chibi Wufei: COUGH Tamora Pierce/CCS COUGH
Seak5: thank you for your approval! ^_^ Moonlit Eyes1x2x1: Nezumi is on 2 squads, works after school and Anime Club, but its actually school work-
Chibi Heero: COUGH writersblock COUGH
-that's slowing us down.plus, do you know the subway route to our school? Nezumi takes Q46 to Kew Gardens on E to Broadway to 7 to Queensboro Plaza to N to 59th to 4. What! Its tough getting from the Nassau end of Queens to the Bronx. Sorry, Nezumi needed to rant a little. (looks sheepish) Ash Night: that's right, Nezumi started this, never finished, and is re- doing it. We might never finish, but we'll try to come up with a half- hearted conclusion. c we originally had 20 REALLY short chapters, and when we revamped it, we merged a couple of chapters together. And took out the pointless psychobabble from the gnomes.
Mask 3
Duet completely lost it. The mental barriers she had placed between herself and the rest of humanity were tearing down. She had never cried, not even when Solo and Father Maxwell and Sister Helen died. Not even when she had left her brother. Since the night she had stolen away from her home in the slums of L2, she had never allowed herself to remember her past life. Duet Maxwell had died when Duo was born. She had always thought she didn't belong on L2, but now. she missed it so much! She had never felt nostalgic, because she thought she had no home. But memories of her brother, of the gang, they kept flooding into her mind, as if saying, they were your home, the family you never had. Part of her said if you are nothing but pilot 02, then why did you tell Trowa your real name?
And then there was the unavoidable question of who were you before you were an orphaned street rat? Fine, you've just realized you have a family waiting for you in the streets of L2, but what of the one you never knew? Who was the mother that threw you away, the father that wasn't there?
Deuce and Duet had always assumed that they were average street rats, children of street rats, destined to die, end up in jail, or grow old in the streets and have street rat kids.
They would never have dreamed of a family somewhere, completely legitimate, with a tendency for twins with purple eyes.
Duet let her tears flow freely for the first time in her life.
Heero finally regained his senses after Duo had stormed out on him. He started in the direction sheHE had gone. Soon, he heard muffled sobs coming from ahead. He turned a corner and came to a screeching halt.
Leaning with his back against the wall, some ways ahead of Heero, was Thom Trebond. He had his arms around a weeping Sakura and was softly stroking her hair.
He felt strange somehow. As if something in his chest was exploding. He couldn't help noticing how lovely Duo looked with her hair blowing with the wind and her tears catching the sunlight.
Duet didn't understand what had come over her, crying in the middle of the street in the arms of a boy she had just met. She was vaguely aware of a motorcycle revving up the road. She pulled herself away from Thom and towards Trowa.
As she leapt onto the bike and pulled on her motorcycle helmet she felt someone watching her.
She turned her head to see Heero staring her from the corner. His eyes seemed mystified, as if she had confused him somehow. As their eyes met, he quickly turned towards the school and raced away.
Duet stared after the retreating figure as Trowa revved the bike again and turned away from the street. The street where her Gundamian mask lay broken on the sidewalk.
Duet leaned sideways to get the full blast of the wind directly in her face. Her head throbbed, her eyes were raw from crying, and she couldn't think straight.
Her face was freezing and she could barely breathe from the air hitting her head. She decided it had been very stupid to take off her helmet three miles ago. But it had been suffocating her.
"Don't do that!" Trowa snapped, jerking her back behind him.
"Trowa. everything's gone wrong." Duet could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again.
"Shhhh. its alright, tell me all about it when we get to the safe house." He murmured soothingly over his shoulder. Somehow, she heard him over the roar of the motorcycle engine.
As Trowa pulled the motorcycle into the garage of the safe house Quatre had procured for him, Duet scowled jealously.
She had never minded going to the prep schools and living in the dorms on- campus, but now, she really needed the privacy. The old Duet, whom we will now refer to as Shinigami, had loved the challenge that came with each new mission, especially the ones that involved going under cover where the slightest slipup was fatal.
Shinigami could not comprehend the chance she might not live through the mission. She was death; she could not succumb to it.
Ok Nezumi is gonna explain something here: Sakura Yue is the secret identity of 3 people:
"Duo" Maxwell, the funny, outgoing blabbermouth Chibi Trowa: The one everybody sees 'Cept Nezumi's warped version of Trowa!!
Shinigami, up until 2 chapters ago Duet, cold, emotionless, u get the drift
Chibi wufei: The pilot a Dettsite, the cowd-bwooded killah
(Pilot of Deathscythe, cold-blooded killer) Right up your alley neh fei-chan! .:shina ducks pillow thrown at head:.
Duet, emotional girl
Chibi quatre: The one that dinnut existh untiw all the sthuff Nezumi put huh thew in the lasth few chaptahs. poww (poor) Duet-chan needs a hug! .:crawls to Duet and hugs her:.
Kawaii!!
If you didn't understand us, Nezumi needs her to have multiple personas, ok?
Duet burrowed into the beanbag couch and whispered meekly over the blanket Trowa had given her: "C'n I have some hot cocoa?"
Trowa raised his eyebrow (the one that's not covered by the uni-bang). There was something decidedly strange about Duet. Even when he confronted her about being a girl, and during the weeks they had spent preparing her to act like a girl, she had never lost the façade of being a cheerful, carefree Duo. During missions she became the God of Death, and that was what Duet was like inside her cheerful mask.
But this was a side he had never noticed. He had been able to see through the jokester to the soldier within, but perhaps there was another layer to pilot 02.
He mused at the scene he had interrupted as he added hot water to the cocoa mix.
Duet had been sobbing in the arms of a strange boy with an aura much like hers. but less tainted by the darkness that was Shinigami, and more powerful.
Trowa had sensed the boy as soon as he had arrived in town, but he had been in school and couldn't get out. He had felt Duet ripping apart, as Shinigami made way to the confused, lonely little girl that must once have been, and was again, Duet Maxwell.
On the other side of town, in the boys' dorm of the Elite school, Heero was even more confused than Trowa.
He was a master tactician, but he couldn't second-guess human emotion. He was used to Duo being annoying, and more cheerful than an assassin had any right to be. But he knew that pilot 02, being as incompetent as he was, nevertheless knew to stay within mission parameters, and had never broken down before.
Something went wrong. Thom Trebond, quite possibly Alanna as well, were dangerous to the mission.
It had been unexpected when one of them had been assigned to be disguised as a girl, but understandable because OZ was looking for 5 boys, not 2 boys and a girl. But to be assigned to a location where their identities could be compromised because of the uncanny similarities between a pilot and locals, it was impossible!!!
The Doctors wouldn't send Duo to a location where he would be distracted from the mission. would they?
Back in the safe house, Duet leaned back and succumbed to Shinigami. Shinigami could not be hurt, could not cry, could not feel the human emotion called sadness.
She saw the laptop light blinking INCOMING MESSAGE.
Shinigami pushed the weakling Duet aside, and summoned the Duo mask.
Nezumi just randomly inserted Trowa's psychic type abilities- it adds to his mystique and overall OOC-ness in this fic.
Quatre's face appeared on the screen. "Duo?" he blinked.
"Ya I ran into some problems at the Elite school, so Trowa picked me up."
"Oh. well! Good, call Heero, our missions have been changed, the doctors will be contacting you soon."
"Affirmative"
"Here's your hot chocolate" Trowa held out a steaming pink cup.
"Hoe? Oya, thanx bro!!" Duo took the cup gratefully and began slurping the cocoa, heedless of her burning tongue. The boys sweatdropped.
"News?" Trowa asked Quatre. "You're began reassigned here. Heero and Duo will stay in Readington to finish the mission." The blonde boy answered.
Duet began coughing hard as she choked on her cocoa. Stuck in this ****hole with the Perfect Stick-in-the-mud for company and a psychic dude that looked just like her brother? And now the only sane aspect in her miserable little life was going? She'd never survive without Trowa's company!
"Are you all right Duo?" Quatre asked kindly from the computer screen.
"Yeah. Peachy." Duo answered as he gasped for breath. Shinigami absorbed this new information. Trowa was the decoy of this operation, a necessary factor of the mission. Yet something had occurred to make him obsolete.
How were they supposed to sneak into a secret super-weapon manufacturing base without a distraction? Maybe-
=============================================================== -Something's gone wrong.
Heero received Trowa's call about new orders. At first, he wondered why he wasn't informed directly by his laptop. But his trained soldier mind took over and he realized it must be important if it required the presence of the other two pilots. Normally he received orders and relayed them to Duo. to whoever was working with him. usually Duo.(In the American version, the only times he's undercover with a partner is the schools with DUO)
He had barely reached the dormitory when Trowa called his cell phone. It had taken about two seconds to reach the forest where he and his partner had hidden their Gundams. Thankfully the safe house had, along with the motorcycle Trowa had used, a black jeep with rotating license plates. It was for when he and Duo would sneak into the base. Though he would've preferred no plates at all, Duo had convinced him to install a few different ones, so they could use the jeep for every day things, but not be traced or attract unwanted attention by having no plates at all.
He reached the safe house in record time, without drawing the suspicion of local authorities by passing the speed limit.
Heero stormed through the door, nearly wrenching it off its hinges. 03 turned his head slightly to acknowledge his leader's presence. Duo was slowly slurping a mug of steaming liquid as Quatre watched him, wincing at the loud, obnoxious slurps.
Heero did a double take when he saw Duo. The Deathscythe pilot was huddled in a beanbag couch, wrapped in blankets. Only herHIS face, and hands were visible. SheHe looked so.
Helpless. the Duo Maxwell he knew and. that he knew was, if not in control, grinning away while his pathetic excuse for a brain schemed on how to take control of things.
But the girl, BOY in front of him seemed lost, confused somehow.
"Hiya Hee-chan!!!" Duo jumped up, then squealed as the remainder of the cocoa he had been drinking spilled over the brim of the mug and straight onto his hand. The pilot began sucking obnoxiously on his burnt fingers.
Heero mentally face vaulted. For a moment sheHE had seemed so- =============================================================== ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-Sad, really, how she had reacted when she saw Heero. Shinigami berated herself on not hearing him enter the room. This pathetic female was too emotional, much too weak to bear Shinigami.
She had been so easy to take over. The girl had no life, pleading for anyone, anything, to take her out of this existence.
Duet Maxwell should've been dead. She had accepted Shinigami's control, she had become Shinigami. The God of Death would always be inside this one.
Now she lived to take lives. Shinigami was in control. Shinigami did not like to be ignored, to be shoved aside by a girlish weakling. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Duet grinned lopsidedly at Heero. If wasn't going to mention the little scene he had witnessed earlier, she sure as hell wasn't!
Quatre was looking forlorn. They all knew something and he was feeling left out. Duo had had Trowa all to himself, and they had a secret, he just knew it. And Heero, somehow he knew something about it too; judging by the nervous glances Duo kept giving him.
What was going on? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Why is Duo acting so upset? Sure he and Trowa had somehow grown close but hugging him in the middle of a public plane terminal is a bit much.
And the other boy, Thom Trebond, what was he doing here? Every moment that Duo wasn't with Trowa, Sakura was with Thom.
When Sakura Yue had shown up at school the next day, late as usual, she had completely brushed off any questions about her relation to the Trebonds. However, she spent entirely too much time with them, especially the boy.
Duet glanced over at Heero after she said her final goodbyes to Trowa. He had been moodier than usual, and was continuously glaring at Thom. After talking with him for hours and hours, she felt so much better. But she seemed to have neglected Hee-chan. he's probably gone nuts wondering if I'm divulging confidential information with a civilian, or something.
Thom, whom she had dragged along purely to annoy Heero with, had not said a word to either of the boys.
Duet had told him her real name, and that she was Deuce's sister, nothing more. And surprisingly, he had never asked about why she was here, as "Sakura Yue", not Duet. Instead, he had told her all about his family. She really felt she belonged, she knew so much about them by now.
Take care of her, she's as much my sister as she is yours
I don't think she's my sister. too close in age
Close enough
(Trowa and Thom mind talking to each other. forget 3xallana it's a 3xthom!)
Duet sang along to the radio she turned on full blast. She bounced around the dorm attempting to dance as Heero glared moodily at her from over the screen of his laptop.
Heero wasn't supposed to be in her dorm room, but nobody ever bothered to check. She had a private dorm while he had a roommate, so they exchanged info here.
Duet stopped her antics for a split second to turn and grin at Heero. As she flashed him her signature wink and v-sign she wondered what he could be thinking about that made him so grouchy.
He has no right to be so. so perky! Heero grumbled to himself. Duo had always been energetic, but he was now completely hyper!
Doubtless it had something to do with Thom Trebond.
Heero scowled furiously and began to type away on his laptop. The violet- eyed boy. the other violet-eyed was getting on his nerves. His existence offended him more than Duo's ever had.
He had meant to report the anomaly to Doctor J, but it had been Professor G that gave them the new mission parameters. Somehow Heero had a feeling G knew exactly what was going on, and was going out of his way to keep the two of them, Duo at least, in Reedington.
He also had a strange suspicion that it had been G that had issued one of the undercover identities as Sakura Yue. judging by the Deathscythe's pilot, it's creator was bound to be nuts too.
"G-dude!!! How couldja do this to me!!! How'm'a gonna su'vive with that fer company!!! It doesn't even talk!!!"
"Hn."
"You talk enough for the both of you. And you're not supposed to whine. Its not becoming of a proper lady."
"Shaddup!!!"
And so the whole debriefing had proceeded, with constant interruptions and much bickering on the part of 02 and G.
Heero wondered how these two had become part of Operation Meteor. Neither had the self-control, or the intelligence for that matter, to be good assassins.
Heero and Duet quietly slipped into the OZ base under cover of night. They took out the guards stationed at the perimeter, and made their way inside the base.
Duet saw Heero signal her to split up, but she was already moving away from him.
As Heero took the hallway that would lead him to the central computer, Shinigami turned towards the dormitories. Her mission, take out the scientists behind the new mobile suit project.
And blow up the base of course. that had always been the funnest part of these missions. even her conscience, the annoying little presence called Duet, loved the power that came with pressing the trigger that would blow up the surrounding mile or so.
Shinigami grinned maliciously as she saw her targets. She attached mines on the desks of every set of computer consoles. She set them to the first detonator switch attached to her wrist.
She came across the first door leading to a dormitory. According to the floor plans, this was the living quarters of the head scientist. Counting softly under her breath, she reached one, and kicked the door open, guns blazing.
She stopped firing, stunned as she watched her target turn slowly, gaping at the holes on his chest.
She backed away slowly, horror on her face. The man's violet eyes pierced into her own. She crashed into a desk, sending a picture frame into her startled hand.
She turned from the man and ran down the corridor. Blindly, she raced into Heero.
"Baka." He snapped, as she stood stunned.
He practically dragged her out of the base as the alarms blazed.
When they were on a hill a safe distance away, he turned to her. "Did you complete your mission?"
Dumbly she nodded an affirmative. She shakily pulled up her wrist and pressed the detonators. Explosions tore the base apart even as the mobile suits struggled to get out.
"And the head scientist?" snapped Heero.
"Dead." Duet whispered, as she collapsed into Heero's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Confused, Heero gently pulled the frame out of his partner's hands.
.and stared at the family photo of a violet eyed man, his twin sister, and a younger boy and a redhead girl, also with the violet eyes specially to a certain family.
Heero blinked, confused, at the photo.
Realization hit him like a bullet train. All the violet eyed people, two sets of twins.
Thom Trebond's family. Duo's family.
Heero's mind was reeling, but he snapped himself out of it. It was a mission. It was war. People died in war. War forces people to become killers.
War forces children to kill family, friends. War created Duo, and the other Gundam pilots, created Heero, the perfect soldier.
It is a war we will win. Despite who is lost along the way. Heero lifted the surprisingly light Deathscythe pilot. He carried him swiftly to their transport.
On the drive back to the dorms, Heero stole a glance at his braided partner. His sobs had receded, but he was still curled up in a ball in the back seat.
Heero wondered what he was thinking, what was going on in his mind.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinigami, even the Duo mask had been forced away by the emotional, grieving Duet.
What have I done? She clutched her head, tried to make the sad little voice go away. What am I gonna tell Thom.
Her thoughts went back to the picture, now resting face down on the front seat, where she couldn't see it.
It was a family picture. A family that could've been hers.
But wasn't. The similarities were great, but Shinigami had no family. Yet, she was no longer completely Shinigami either.
But she had a reason to fight. She had ruined the life of a boy that could've been her brother, but her brother, and all of the colonies, depended on her skill as a killer. She had the colonies to think about first, her own sorrow later.
She wiped away her tears as Heero slowed the transport. "Sorry. Won't happen again" she said as she turned on her heel and walked away from the thoroughly confused Wing pilot.
It was the last day at this school. Sakura Yue and Maxwell Dune were transferring out due to the horrible attack on the military base down the road. Everyone was comforting Allana and Thom Trebond, because their father was killed in the attack.
"There, there, let it out" Sakura whispered to the wailing Alanna that was crying into her shoulder. She had been with Alanna all day, pretending to soothe her in her hour of need.
She spotted Thom glaring at her coldly from across the room. "Mind if I go talk to your brother now?" she said softly to the crying girl.
"Sure, go on, you've been so much help to me already" Allana sniffled as another girl handed her a tissue.
Thom whirled around to confront the girl walking up behind him.
"I know you had something to do with it. How can you not even feel guilty?"
""Excuse me? I just came to offer my condolences."
"Don't give me that crap. I know who you are. What you are."
Duet froze. As she opened her mouth to speak, she felt Heero's hand on her arm, restraining her.
"Come on. Our ride's here." Heero felt slightly uncomfortable at the twin glares that were turned to him, but he couldn't let the conversation continue any further.
Normally he would've secluded Thom, them killed him as a threat to security. But somehow, he knew his partner would never allow that.
The braided boy and the braided girl. the two braided boys glared at each other vehemently, but each was sad to part ways.
As Duet rode away from the school, she turned to look at the crowd waving to her, and the solitary boy that wasn't. She felt deep remorse at leaving behind a family that maybe she knew, maybe she belonged to, but still, she would never return to this place called Readington, that promised her a normal life.
Nezumi wishes to just finish this fic already so u don't have to review. Nobody loves us.
Chibi Wufei: COUGH Tamora Pierce/CCS COUGH
Seak5: thank you for your approval! ^_^ Moonlit Eyes1x2x1: Nezumi is on 2 squads, works after school and Anime Club, but its actually school work-
Chibi Heero: COUGH writersblock COUGH
-that's slowing us down.plus, do you know the subway route to our school? Nezumi takes Q46 to Kew Gardens on E to Broadway to 7 to Queensboro Plaza to N to 59th to 4. What! Its tough getting from the Nassau end of Queens to the Bronx. Sorry, Nezumi needed to rant a little. (looks sheepish) Ash Night: that's right, Nezumi started this, never finished, and is re- doing it. We might never finish, but we'll try to come up with a half- hearted conclusion. c we originally had 20 REALLY short chapters, and when we revamped it, we merged a couple of chapters together. And took out the pointless psychobabble from the gnomes.
Mask 3
Duet completely lost it. The mental barriers she had placed between herself and the rest of humanity were tearing down. She had never cried, not even when Solo and Father Maxwell and Sister Helen died. Not even when she had left her brother. Since the night she had stolen away from her home in the slums of L2, she had never allowed herself to remember her past life. Duet Maxwell had died when Duo was born. She had always thought she didn't belong on L2, but now. she missed it so much! She had never felt nostalgic, because she thought she had no home. But memories of her brother, of the gang, they kept flooding into her mind, as if saying, they were your home, the family you never had. Part of her said if you are nothing but pilot 02, then why did you tell Trowa your real name?
And then there was the unavoidable question of who were you before you were an orphaned street rat? Fine, you've just realized you have a family waiting for you in the streets of L2, but what of the one you never knew? Who was the mother that threw you away, the father that wasn't there?
Deuce and Duet had always assumed that they were average street rats, children of street rats, destined to die, end up in jail, or grow old in the streets and have street rat kids.
They would never have dreamed of a family somewhere, completely legitimate, with a tendency for twins with purple eyes.
Duet let her tears flow freely for the first time in her life.
Heero finally regained his senses after Duo had stormed out on him. He started in the direction sheHE had gone. Soon, he heard muffled sobs coming from ahead. He turned a corner and came to a screeching halt.
Leaning with his back against the wall, some ways ahead of Heero, was Thom Trebond. He had his arms around a weeping Sakura and was softly stroking her hair.
He felt strange somehow. As if something in his chest was exploding. He couldn't help noticing how lovely Duo looked with her hair blowing with the wind and her tears catching the sunlight.
Duet didn't understand what had come over her, crying in the middle of the street in the arms of a boy she had just met. She was vaguely aware of a motorcycle revving up the road. She pulled herself away from Thom and towards Trowa.
As she leapt onto the bike and pulled on her motorcycle helmet she felt someone watching her.
She turned her head to see Heero staring her from the corner. His eyes seemed mystified, as if she had confused him somehow. As their eyes met, he quickly turned towards the school and raced away.
Duet stared after the retreating figure as Trowa revved the bike again and turned away from the street. The street where her Gundamian mask lay broken on the sidewalk.
Duet leaned sideways to get the full blast of the wind directly in her face. Her head throbbed, her eyes were raw from crying, and she couldn't think straight.
Her face was freezing and she could barely breathe from the air hitting her head. She decided it had been very stupid to take off her helmet three miles ago. But it had been suffocating her.
"Don't do that!" Trowa snapped, jerking her back behind him.
"Trowa. everything's gone wrong." Duet could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again.
"Shhhh. its alright, tell me all about it when we get to the safe house." He murmured soothingly over his shoulder. Somehow, she heard him over the roar of the motorcycle engine.
As Trowa pulled the motorcycle into the garage of the safe house Quatre had procured for him, Duet scowled jealously.
She had never minded going to the prep schools and living in the dorms on- campus, but now, she really needed the privacy. The old Duet, whom we will now refer to as Shinigami, had loved the challenge that came with each new mission, especially the ones that involved going under cover where the slightest slipup was fatal.
Shinigami could not comprehend the chance she might not live through the mission. She was death; she could not succumb to it.
Ok Nezumi is gonna explain something here: Sakura Yue is the secret identity of 3 people:
"Duo" Maxwell, the funny, outgoing blabbermouth Chibi Trowa: The one everybody sees 'Cept Nezumi's warped version of Trowa!!
Shinigami, up until 2 chapters ago Duet, cold, emotionless, u get the drift
Chibi wufei: The pilot a Dettsite, the cowd-bwooded killah
(Pilot of Deathscythe, cold-blooded killer) Right up your alley neh fei-chan! .:shina ducks pillow thrown at head:.
Duet, emotional girl
Chibi quatre: The one that dinnut existh untiw all the sthuff Nezumi put huh thew in the lasth few chaptahs. poww (poor) Duet-chan needs a hug! .:crawls to Duet and hugs her:.
Kawaii!!
If you didn't understand us, Nezumi needs her to have multiple personas, ok?
Duet burrowed into the beanbag couch and whispered meekly over the blanket Trowa had given her: "C'n I have some hot cocoa?"
Trowa raised his eyebrow (the one that's not covered by the uni-bang). There was something decidedly strange about Duet. Even when he confronted her about being a girl, and during the weeks they had spent preparing her to act like a girl, she had never lost the façade of being a cheerful, carefree Duo. During missions she became the God of Death, and that was what Duet was like inside her cheerful mask.
But this was a side he had never noticed. He had been able to see through the jokester to the soldier within, but perhaps there was another layer to pilot 02.
He mused at the scene he had interrupted as he added hot water to the cocoa mix.
Duet had been sobbing in the arms of a strange boy with an aura much like hers. but less tainted by the darkness that was Shinigami, and more powerful.
Trowa had sensed the boy as soon as he had arrived in town, but he had been in school and couldn't get out. He had felt Duet ripping apart, as Shinigami made way to the confused, lonely little girl that must once have been, and was again, Duet Maxwell.
On the other side of town, in the boys' dorm of the Elite school, Heero was even more confused than Trowa.
He was a master tactician, but he couldn't second-guess human emotion. He was used to Duo being annoying, and more cheerful than an assassin had any right to be. But he knew that pilot 02, being as incompetent as he was, nevertheless knew to stay within mission parameters, and had never broken down before.
Something went wrong. Thom Trebond, quite possibly Alanna as well, were dangerous to the mission.
It had been unexpected when one of them had been assigned to be disguised as a girl, but understandable because OZ was looking for 5 boys, not 2 boys and a girl. But to be assigned to a location where their identities could be compromised because of the uncanny similarities between a pilot and locals, it was impossible!!!
The Doctors wouldn't send Duo to a location where he would be distracted from the mission. would they?
Back in the safe house, Duet leaned back and succumbed to Shinigami. Shinigami could not be hurt, could not cry, could not feel the human emotion called sadness.
She saw the laptop light blinking INCOMING MESSAGE.
Shinigami pushed the weakling Duet aside, and summoned the Duo mask.
Nezumi just randomly inserted Trowa's psychic type abilities- it adds to his mystique and overall OOC-ness in this fic.
Quatre's face appeared on the screen. "Duo?" he blinked.
"Ya I ran into some problems at the Elite school, so Trowa picked me up."
"Oh. well! Good, call Heero, our missions have been changed, the doctors will be contacting you soon."
"Affirmative"
"Here's your hot chocolate" Trowa held out a steaming pink cup.
"Hoe? Oya, thanx bro!!" Duo took the cup gratefully and began slurping the cocoa, heedless of her burning tongue. The boys sweatdropped.
"News?" Trowa asked Quatre. "You're began reassigned here. Heero and Duo will stay in Readington to finish the mission." The blonde boy answered.
Duet began coughing hard as she choked on her cocoa. Stuck in this ****hole with the Perfect Stick-in-the-mud for company and a psychic dude that looked just like her brother? And now the only sane aspect in her miserable little life was going? She'd never survive without Trowa's company!
"Are you all right Duo?" Quatre asked kindly from the computer screen.
"Yeah. Peachy." Duo answered as he gasped for breath. Shinigami absorbed this new information. Trowa was the decoy of this operation, a necessary factor of the mission. Yet something had occurred to make him obsolete.
How were they supposed to sneak into a secret super-weapon manufacturing base without a distraction? Maybe-
=============================================================== -Something's gone wrong.
Heero received Trowa's call about new orders. At first, he wondered why he wasn't informed directly by his laptop. But his trained soldier mind took over and he realized it must be important if it required the presence of the other two pilots. Normally he received orders and relayed them to Duo. to whoever was working with him. usually Duo.(In the American version, the only times he's undercover with a partner is the schools with DUO)
He had barely reached the dormitory when Trowa called his cell phone. It had taken about two seconds to reach the forest where he and his partner had hidden their Gundams. Thankfully the safe house had, along with the motorcycle Trowa had used, a black jeep with rotating license plates. It was for when he and Duo would sneak into the base. Though he would've preferred no plates at all, Duo had convinced him to install a few different ones, so they could use the jeep for every day things, but not be traced or attract unwanted attention by having no plates at all.
He reached the safe house in record time, without drawing the suspicion of local authorities by passing the speed limit.
Heero stormed through the door, nearly wrenching it off its hinges. 03 turned his head slightly to acknowledge his leader's presence. Duo was slowly slurping a mug of steaming liquid as Quatre watched him, wincing at the loud, obnoxious slurps.
Heero did a double take when he saw Duo. The Deathscythe pilot was huddled in a beanbag couch, wrapped in blankets. Only herHIS face, and hands were visible. SheHe looked so.
Helpless. the Duo Maxwell he knew and. that he knew was, if not in control, grinning away while his pathetic excuse for a brain schemed on how to take control of things.
But the girl, BOY in front of him seemed lost, confused somehow.
"Hiya Hee-chan!!!" Duo jumped up, then squealed as the remainder of the cocoa he had been drinking spilled over the brim of the mug and straight onto his hand. The pilot began sucking obnoxiously on his burnt fingers.
Heero mentally face vaulted. For a moment sheHE had seemed so- =============================================================== ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-Sad, really, how she had reacted when she saw Heero. Shinigami berated herself on not hearing him enter the room. This pathetic female was too emotional, much too weak to bear Shinigami.
She had been so easy to take over. The girl had no life, pleading for anyone, anything, to take her out of this existence.
Duet Maxwell should've been dead. She had accepted Shinigami's control, she had become Shinigami. The God of Death would always be inside this one.
Now she lived to take lives. Shinigami was in control. Shinigami did not like to be ignored, to be shoved aside by a girlish weakling. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Duet grinned lopsidedly at Heero. If wasn't going to mention the little scene he had witnessed earlier, she sure as hell wasn't!
Quatre was looking forlorn. They all knew something and he was feeling left out. Duo had had Trowa all to himself, and they had a secret, he just knew it. And Heero, somehow he knew something about it too; judging by the nervous glances Duo kept giving him.
What was going on? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Why is Duo acting so upset? Sure he and Trowa had somehow grown close but hugging him in the middle of a public plane terminal is a bit much.
And the other boy, Thom Trebond, what was he doing here? Every moment that Duo wasn't with Trowa, Sakura was with Thom.
When Sakura Yue had shown up at school the next day, late as usual, she had completely brushed off any questions about her relation to the Trebonds. However, she spent entirely too much time with them, especially the boy.
Duet glanced over at Heero after she said her final goodbyes to Trowa. He had been moodier than usual, and was continuously glaring at Thom. After talking with him for hours and hours, she felt so much better. But she seemed to have neglected Hee-chan. he's probably gone nuts wondering if I'm divulging confidential information with a civilian, or something.
Thom, whom she had dragged along purely to annoy Heero with, had not said a word to either of the boys.
Duet had told him her real name, and that she was Deuce's sister, nothing more. And surprisingly, he had never asked about why she was here, as "Sakura Yue", not Duet. Instead, he had told her all about his family. She really felt she belonged, she knew so much about them by now.
Take care of her, she's as much my sister as she is yours
I don't think she's my sister. too close in age
Close enough
(Trowa and Thom mind talking to each other. forget 3xallana it's a 3xthom!)
Duet sang along to the radio she turned on full blast. She bounced around the dorm attempting to dance as Heero glared moodily at her from over the screen of his laptop.
Heero wasn't supposed to be in her dorm room, but nobody ever bothered to check. She had a private dorm while he had a roommate, so they exchanged info here.
Duet stopped her antics for a split second to turn and grin at Heero. As she flashed him her signature wink and v-sign she wondered what he could be thinking about that made him so grouchy.
He has no right to be so. so perky! Heero grumbled to himself. Duo had always been energetic, but he was now completely hyper!
Doubtless it had something to do with Thom Trebond.
Heero scowled furiously and began to type away on his laptop. The violet- eyed boy. the other violet-eyed was getting on his nerves. His existence offended him more than Duo's ever had.
He had meant to report the anomaly to Doctor J, but it had been Professor G that gave them the new mission parameters. Somehow Heero had a feeling G knew exactly what was going on, and was going out of his way to keep the two of them, Duo at least, in Reedington.
He also had a strange suspicion that it had been G that had issued one of the undercover identities as Sakura Yue. judging by the Deathscythe's pilot, it's creator was bound to be nuts too.
"G-dude!!! How couldja do this to me!!! How'm'a gonna su'vive with that fer company!!! It doesn't even talk!!!"
"Hn."
"You talk enough for the both of you. And you're not supposed to whine. Its not becoming of a proper lady."
"Shaddup!!!"
And so the whole debriefing had proceeded, with constant interruptions and much bickering on the part of 02 and G.
Heero wondered how these two had become part of Operation Meteor. Neither had the self-control, or the intelligence for that matter, to be good assassins.
Heero and Duet quietly slipped into the OZ base under cover of night. They took out the guards stationed at the perimeter, and made their way inside the base.
Duet saw Heero signal her to split up, but she was already moving away from him.
As Heero took the hallway that would lead him to the central computer, Shinigami turned towards the dormitories. Her mission, take out the scientists behind the new mobile suit project.
And blow up the base of course. that had always been the funnest part of these missions. even her conscience, the annoying little presence called Duet, loved the power that came with pressing the trigger that would blow up the surrounding mile or so.
Shinigami grinned maliciously as she saw her targets. She attached mines on the desks of every set of computer consoles. She set them to the first detonator switch attached to her wrist.
She came across the first door leading to a dormitory. According to the floor plans, this was the living quarters of the head scientist. Counting softly under her breath, she reached one, and kicked the door open, guns blazing.
She stopped firing, stunned as she watched her target turn slowly, gaping at the holes on his chest.
She backed away slowly, horror on her face. The man's violet eyes pierced into her own. She crashed into a desk, sending a picture frame into her startled hand.
She turned from the man and ran down the corridor. Blindly, she raced into Heero.
"Baka." He snapped, as she stood stunned.
He practically dragged her out of the base as the alarms blazed.
When they were on a hill a safe distance away, he turned to her. "Did you complete your mission?"
Dumbly she nodded an affirmative. She shakily pulled up her wrist and pressed the detonators. Explosions tore the base apart even as the mobile suits struggled to get out.
"And the head scientist?" snapped Heero.
"Dead." Duet whispered, as she collapsed into Heero's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Confused, Heero gently pulled the frame out of his partner's hands.
.and stared at the family photo of a violet eyed man, his twin sister, and a younger boy and a redhead girl, also with the violet eyes specially to a certain family.
Heero blinked, confused, at the photo.
Realization hit him like a bullet train. All the violet eyed people, two sets of twins.
Thom Trebond's family. Duo's family.
Heero's mind was reeling, but he snapped himself out of it. It was a mission. It was war. People died in war. War forces people to become killers.
War forces children to kill family, friends. War created Duo, and the other Gundam pilots, created Heero, the perfect soldier.
It is a war we will win. Despite who is lost along the way. Heero lifted the surprisingly light Deathscythe pilot. He carried him swiftly to their transport.
On the drive back to the dorms, Heero stole a glance at his braided partner. His sobs had receded, but he was still curled up in a ball in the back seat.
Heero wondered what he was thinking, what was going on in his mind.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinigami, even the Duo mask had been forced away by the emotional, grieving Duet.
What have I done? She clutched her head, tried to make the sad little voice go away. What am I gonna tell Thom.
Her thoughts went back to the picture, now resting face down on the front seat, where she couldn't see it.
It was a family picture. A family that could've been hers.
But wasn't. The similarities were great, but Shinigami had no family. Yet, she was no longer completely Shinigami either.
But she had a reason to fight. She had ruined the life of a boy that could've been her brother, but her brother, and all of the colonies, depended on her skill as a killer. She had the colonies to think about first, her own sorrow later.
She wiped away her tears as Heero slowed the transport. "Sorry. Won't happen again" she said as she turned on her heel and walked away from the thoroughly confused Wing pilot.
It was the last day at this school. Sakura Yue and Maxwell Dune were transferring out due to the horrible attack on the military base down the road. Everyone was comforting Allana and Thom Trebond, because their father was killed in the attack.
"There, there, let it out" Sakura whispered to the wailing Alanna that was crying into her shoulder. She had been with Alanna all day, pretending to soothe her in her hour of need.
She spotted Thom glaring at her coldly from across the room. "Mind if I go talk to your brother now?" she said softly to the crying girl.
"Sure, go on, you've been so much help to me already" Allana sniffled as another girl handed her a tissue.
Thom whirled around to confront the girl walking up behind him.
"I know you had something to do with it. How can you not even feel guilty?"
""Excuse me? I just came to offer my condolences."
"Don't give me that crap. I know who you are. What you are."
Duet froze. As she opened her mouth to speak, she felt Heero's hand on her arm, restraining her.
"Come on. Our ride's here." Heero felt slightly uncomfortable at the twin glares that were turned to him, but he couldn't let the conversation continue any further.
Normally he would've secluded Thom, them killed him as a threat to security. But somehow, he knew his partner would never allow that.
The braided boy and the braided girl. the two braided boys glared at each other vehemently, but each was sad to part ways.
As Duet rode away from the school, she turned to look at the crowd waving to her, and the solitary boy that wasn't. She felt deep remorse at leaving behind a family that maybe she knew, maybe she belonged to, but still, she would never return to this place called Readington, that promised her a normal life.
Nezumi wishes to just finish this fic already so u don't have to review. Nobody loves us.