Hello! I am Melyn the Otaku! Love me! Love me! *clears throat* Ok, if anyone here has read any of my other works, they know I am a humorous writer and I have been told I am good at that.

Well, that all ends today...Ok, I will still write humorous fanfiction, but for the past two months I have had a craving to write at least one serious fic, and this is it.

It is a little bit of an abstract idea for a Gundam Wing fic, but trust me on this. Stories about Duo Maxwell don't get much weirder.

Please be kind. And do review. I really want to know what you think and criticism is good, when it is a thoughtful remark. I do not like getting 'dude this sux!' as a review.

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When the dream ends

Chapter 1: Reflections in a mirror

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Duo yawned and stretched across his bed. Today was his eighteenth birthday. Ok, he did not know his birthday, but Quatre insisted he pick a date to be his birthday.

He picked the day he was first Duo. He did not even remember that exact date, but he did remember the season and picked a day in the spring. March 21 sounded good.

And March 21 had rolled around once again. This would be his third of fourth actual birthday, again, he didn't remember. It was never that important to him. Sure he got cake and everyone bought him a gift, but other than that it was not a day of significance. Never has been, never will be.

Duo cracked open an eye and glanced over at the clock. 9:25. They let him sleep in.

Wufei must be going insane. He was prompt and did not like him sleeping in over a minute. Duo would have to thank Quatre later for holding back the Chinaman.

"Maxwell! Get up now!" Wufei barked up the stairs.

All good things have to end. That was life.

Duo sat up and stretched. He yawned again and scratched his head. He decided long ago that mornings were the best. There was no need for him at this time and the rest of the world just slipped away from him. It was heavenly, or as close to heaven as he would get.

Duo looked across his room and stared into the floor length mirror hanging off his door. Eighteen, but he didn't look older.

He continued to stare at his reflection. It was him, he knew it. But before he looked different... The reflection in the mirror still felt like a stranger, even though he had lived this was for eighteen years.

What had happened to him? He was once something much different, but now he was this. An eighteen year old kid, in his boxers staring blankly at a mirror. He could now classify himself as a hopeless case.

"Maxwell!" Wufei sounded even more annoyed.

"Coming!" Duo sighed and left the comforts of the bed and quickly dressed himself. He threw open the door and put on his jester's mask.

It was time to face the world for yet another day.

******

Duo flopped down on his bed. Ok, this birthday was much different than all his others. Mainly because sweet innocent little Quatre decided it would be fun to take Duo to a strip club for his birthday.

Who would have though Quatre would think up such a thing? All the others didn't even know the blond Arabian would do that! Though the look on Trowa's face when he realized where they were was a priceless memory.

Duo laughed. Heero blushing when Claudia, the stripper, told him he was cute was also one of those Kodak moments.

He had good friends, there was no two ways about it. These four were his family.

Family...He hadn't used that word in awhile. The last time he used that word was to describe...

Duo shook his head. He would not think of them! They were al dead. They were not his family anymore...were they?

Duo sat up again. Why did he think about them now? The last time he saw them he was still a child! It had been years since they even made an impact on him. Most of that impact he still felt in his dreams.

"No more!" Duo smacked himself on the face. "Just forget!"

He fell back onto his bed and shut his eyes.

Sleep would make him forget...It had to make him forget...He had to forget...

*****

Quatre sighed and looked at the three other boys at the table. They had gathered to discuss one specific topic. Duo.

"Do you have any ideas on why he was acting like that? Duo was so distant today." Quatre looked at Heero. Duo tended to tell the former perfect soldier everything.

Heero shrugged. "He said nothing to me. Must just be in a bad mood."

Trowa shook his head. "This is Duo. He's always in a good mood, even when he's not."

It was true. They all knew that happy Duo Maxwell was not always happy. He did have other moods besides obnoxious, annoying and happy-go-lucky. He hid his bad moods well, but they could always tell when Duo was depressed. He made no effort to hide his mood today. That or he was just getting sloppy.

Whatever Duo was feeling now was very serious. It was a mutual feeling throughout the group of former pilots.

"I'll ask him tomorrow--"

"No." Heero cut Quatre off. "If you bring it up, he will hide it. If he doesn't want us to know, we won't know.:"

"Point." Wufei sighed in frustration. They all had know Duo Maxwell since they were all fourteen, and yet, of all the pilots, he was still the biggest mystery. "Let's hope this is nothing. If Maxwell isn't himself by tomorrow, we approach him."

"Together would not be a good idea." Trowa spoke up. "He'll run if we all come up. Heero or Quatre would be the top two choices to talking to him."

"Quatre." Wufei agreed. The blond was the most sensitive of the group and it would not be as suspicious if Quatre started to ask questions concerning Duo's behavior.

Heero nodded as did Quatre. Tomorrow Quatre would find out information.

*****

Duo sat up in a cold sweat. The full moonlight cast a ghastly glow about him. He shook violently as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Oh God...He couldn't escape it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape his past. It would soon find him.

Duo wrapped his blanket around his body and rocked back and forth as he tried to calm himself down. There was no where to run. They would find him, like they did before, but this time, they would kill him.

******

How was that? Good? Bad? Are you interested? Not really? Curious on what's happening?

I know it is a little confusing right now, but I promise it will make cense in later chapters. This story is based on a dream I had, so that is the background of the idea. It has been plaguing me for a month, so I finally decided to write it. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Duo Maxwell or any one else. This is the entire story's disclaimer and I do not think I will be posting another one of these here. Read it over carefully and remember, NOT MINE!