Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but their backgrounds within this fic *are* mine. So are my original characters and the magicky bits I put in! So "omae o korosu" to anyone who hurts them! *over-protective mummy face*

Warnings: eventual shounen ai, swearing, some OOC, heaps of magic

Notes: Thanks to my readers and reviewers! And here are my brief replies:

Duo's ONLY Chick: As if I would shoot such a cool reviewer! *grins* And believe it or not, there's going to be a *lot* of different types of magic coming in... just you wait!

Landlady of the Universe: That was part of the reason I terminated Heero's gift, actually. Cruel, aren't I? But I'm glad you like Suri - I put her in because I needed someone with her personality and her background. As for her and Mili... hmm, at the moment, she has a one-in-six chance of going together with him. That will change soon, since all the so-called female counterparts (*cough*... I hate some of the relationships. You'll know which ones they are, by the end.) will be coming in. I'll leave it to my readers to guess what relationships will turn out - I have them all worked out. *evil laugh* And yes, Treize and most other characters appear, but some of their backgrounds might turn out to be *very* unexpected.

Part VI: Story of a Girl

"Hi, Duo... are you okay?" The soft question startled Duo out of his reverie, and he glanced up, quickly pasting a smile on his face.

"Hey, Kat - 'course I'm fine. Since when am I not?"

The blonde knelt beside him, careful not to move too close - the braided boy tended to become touchy when he thought people were pitying him. "Since Heero's Master Exam, maybe?"

For a moment, raw pain flashed in Duo's eyes, but it was quickly hidden beneath his joker's mask. Turning away, he replied, "I'm fine, Q, honestly. He just needs time to get over it, that's all..."

Quatre said nothing, simply putting his arm around his friend and pulling him close, offering the braided boy a chance to let his emotions out. For Duo, that was enough - he buried his face in the proffered shoulder and wept, allowing himself the comfort of the blonde's embrace, if only for a while. The Arabian held his trembling friend as he sobbed, letting go only when he felt Duo's body tense up, as though wanting to pull away. Then, Quatre leaned back, watching the boy compose himself. "Want to talk?"

Duo was silent for a long moment, but just as the blonde was about to lose hope, he whispered, "We used to be close, you know. I mean, sure we were at each other's backs all the time, but he knew me better than anyone else. Almost as though he was a brother. And he was the one who kept me wanting to live, when Solo..."

The blonde bit his lip, remembering Duo's despair after his older brother died of a plague four years earlier. That was when Heero started looking out for him, coaxing and taunting him at the same time, helping him forget. I've never forgotten that, even when things returned to normal and Heero went back to his seemingly arrogant self. Outwardly, he remained quiet, letting Duo continue at his own pace.

"But now... he's changed. Hellsfire, he doesn't even talk to us any more! And when I talk to him, all he ever does is say 'hn'... he doesn't even bother calling me a baka. Before, he would have tossed sarcastic remarks at me until I choked." The braided boy took a deep breath, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall again. "All he's done during the last five days was practice and more practice - if he could have gone without food and sleep, I swear he would have. Those Oz bastards - they've killed him, dammit!"

Duo looked almost as shocked as Quatre as the words left his lips. "I-I'm sorry, Q. It's just so damned frustrating when he doesn't let anyone near him... not me, not you, not even his parents. And I can't do anything about it!"

The blonde quickly regained his composure, chiding himself for becoming startled in the first place. Some Healer trainee I am - now he's going to feel guilty for saying that. "It's okay, Duo. Honestly. And they've totally shattered his dreams - you know how important those dreams were to him. If you have to blame someone, it shouldn't be yourself."

After a long moment, Duo nodded, and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Q. You reminded me of who the enemy *truly* is." Then, his face hardened, violet eyes darkening until they were barely recognisable. "And I'm going to send the bastard to hell. That goes for *anyone* who hurts people I care about - even if I have to become death itself." Abruptly, he stood up, offering his hand to the blonde.

Quatre felt his blood chill as he hauled himself up... and saw the grinning joker once more. Only then did he notice how the recent events had affected his friend, and how much lay hidden beneath the laughing facade. He means it, the blonde realised. He really means what he said. If anyone hurt people close to him, they will die - or Duo will die trying to kill them. Oh gods... let's pray it never comes to that.

His thoughts were interrupted as Wufei and Trowa entered... with Heero following slightly behind them. Oh yeah - Heero was due to come out tonight! "Hey guys, hey Heero. How are you feeling?"

The Japanese nodded at him, his face expressionless. "Hn. As well as can be."

Duo also grinned as he greeted his cousin, but Quatre saw the uncertainty in the violet orbs. Poor Duo - he doesn't deserve this. Just as Heero didn't deserve what happened to him.

Trowa's emerald eyes flickered around the room - if they noticed Duo's uneasiness, he didn't show it. "Where's Mili?"

The blonde gestured to the couches, and they all sat down. "He was visiting Suri - trying to get her to accept training, I think."

Cobalt eyes narrowed slightly. "Suri?"

Duo's explained, "That's a girl we met on the day..." Shit, how am I s'posed to say *that*?

Quatre stepped in, earning himself a grateful look from the braided boy. "Six days ago. Heero..."

The Japanese features remained inscrutable. "Spit it out. And stop avoiding the event - it happened. Nothing will change it."

The blunt statement made Quatre wince, though he hid it well. Surprisingly, it was Trowa who continued, "She's a commoner. Mili brought her to the stadium, but didn't tell us how they met, only that she was a rogue Elementalist. After we left, the same power that attacked you knocked her out. Tumi and Yurino shielded her, and we brought her to the Healers."

If the situation hadn't been so awkward, Quatre would have smiled at the way Trowa condensed so many events into such a short explanation, but as it was, he merely looked on, carefully watching for any reaction from Heero.

The Japanese just nodded, expressionlessly. She must have been the one I saw right before the exam. And since the energy was only attracted to strong, unguarded channels, she must have an above-average amount of potential. His eyes snapped upwards as footsteps approached - two sets of footsteps.

"Hey guys. How are you feeling, Heero?" The prince's voice sounded from the doorway.

After Heero repeated his reply to Quatre, the blonde smiled at his half-brother and the girl standing behind him. "Come in, Mili. Hi, Suri - remember me?"

The girl blushed self-consciously for a moment. "Uh... hi, Quatre. Didn't you save me from an... uh, 'overgrown hormone' last time?" At the rather shocked expressions on some of the faces, Suri blushed harder, looking down at her feet. My stupid tongue just *had* to kick in, didn't it? Never mind that I said I'd try and act normal around these people - they're probably all princes and nobles or something! And I highly doubt all of them are as easy-going as Mili...

To her surprise, Quatre quickly got over his shock and laughed with Mili. Even the Asian youth - Wufei, I think - wore a smirk, because the usually talkative Duo had suddenly become tongue-tied, and was actually turning rather red.

"Oh, good one, Suri - I haven't seen anyone shut him up in a long time. But I don't think you've met Heero yet, so..." Mili turned and gestured at the boy with piercing blue eyes. "Suri, this is Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Suriku..."

"Just Suri. I... I don't exactly know my last name. Um, nice to meet you." The raven-haired girl, nodded at the Japanese, who returned the nod. As she caught a glimpse of his face, the girl paled slightly. Oh shit. You're *that* Heero... should have realised, shouldn't I? Mili *did* say you were his friend. I'm not sure how I should act around you, you know - especially not now that I've been accepted into the Elementalists' Collegium.

Fortunately for her, she was saved the trouble of making conversation when Trowa spoke up quietly. "Would you tell us a bit about yourself?"

Suri nodded, hiding her relief. "Uh... did Mili tell you how we met?" When Trowa shook his head, she continued, "Well, frankly, I was serving in an inn and spilled coffee on him."

At that, Duo found his tongue. "You did *what*?!" The braided boy's eyes twinkled, and his face formed a smirk. "Now I'm *really* glad you're here... you might give me some tips."

This, I can handle - you watch out, braided hormone. My tongue can fight too. Those thoughts having flashed in her mind, Suri smiled at him sweetly. "Would Mr. Hormone like a personal demonstration?"

Quatre and Mili promptly began laughing again, and this time, even Trowa had to hide a smile. Suri raised an eyebrow, and the braided boy raised his arms in mock surrender. "Okay, okay - I yield. This time. I'm out of practice, you know - there aren't that many people who run around spilling coffee on Mili. Anyway, weren't you telling us about yourself?"

The girl flashed a quick grin at him. "I was, until certain hormones offered to become target practice. Anyway, I spilled the coffee because I suddenly had a *really* bad headache. But since I had had a couple of those headaches before, at rather inconvenient times, I got fired - for the eighth time in eight months, and from eight different inns. A record, I think. After I got out, a man basically tried to assault me - I was being careless. I panicked, and flamed him, without knowing how. Then I fainted, and when I woke up, Mili was there." Suri shrugged. "That's it, really." And acting "normal" isn't that hard either. Who knows - I might actually end up fitting in around here.

Quatre raised his eyebrow as the casual way the girl talked about assault. Is that what life is like, out there? If it is, I can understand why she has such a sharp tongue - she would have needed it. But her gift must be strong, if she managed to scorch a man and not burn herself in the process. That must be why Mili brought her back.

Wufei, however, looked curious. "But onna, why were you working in the first place? You can't be that much older than Maxwell." He gestured at Duo.

"Onna?"

The braided boy was quick with his reply, "It's an insult to your femininity. Now you can go sharpen your tongue on *him* instead."

Sure enough, Suri let her eyes narrow. "If Mr. Hormone is twelve, then no, I'm not older than him. And I was working because I couldn't afford to sit around and look down on arrogant *males* all day."

Before the Chinese could reply, Mili sent him a warning look. Turning to Suri, the prince said, "He makes a habit of insulting women - you should stay around to keep him in line. But seriously, would you mind telling us about your past? I mean, I assumed you didn't have parents or relatives because you were working, but aside from that, I don't know anything. Is there anyone you might need to contact?"

After sending Wufei another glare, Suri shook her head. "There isn't much, you know - you're right about me not having parents or relatives. My earliest memory was when I was seven. And I don't know how I knew that, so don't ask. I was in a house - just a normal, smallish one you'd find along the streets - and the only other person living there was an old lady. I called her Granny, and she told me that she found me on her doorstep one night. Wrapped in gypsy clothing. There was no note whatsoever, so I don't know where I came from - one day, I might find the gypsies and ask them, but it doesn't really bother me that much. I mean, why find out about the past when the future has so much potential?"

Glancing around, she continued, "So anyway, I lived with her until I was eleven, basically doing things she couldn't do, chores and the such. Then one night, I was out buying fruit - she sold pies and preserves, you see - and when I got back, everything had turned into ashes. Literally. The whole street had been burnt to the ground, because some damned fool of a parent decided to let his kid play with fire, and didn't bother watching over him."

Suri heard the hatred in her own voice, but didn't care - let these people hear it as it is. Let them see that life isn't easy for us commoners. "The ironic thing is, both the kid and his parents got out fine - the fire didn't spread all that fast. But Granny couldn't walk properly, and nobody even bothered checking up on her! She had been living there for decades as well..." At that point, Suri's voice trailed off. Dammit - I won't let them think I'm weak. Even though I'm a female. Even though I'm a commoner, and they're all nobles...

Shaking herself, she resumed, "So I ended up on the streets. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to find work - a lot of people knew Granny, you see. For the first couple of months, I worked at an inn, then the headaches started coming in. Every few days or so, my head would feel like it was exploding, and if I was holding any type of drink at the time..." She grinned, slightly self-conscious now that she was doing all the talking. "You can guess what happened. So I got kicked out of one inn after another - as I said before, it had been eight in eight months. And that's basically my life, to this point."

Silence lasted for quite a long time, as the audience pondered the girl's story. Suri fiddled with her raven-coloured curls, growing all the more aware of the elegance of her surroundings. Maybe I shouldn't have been so direct after all - now, they might think even worse of me...

Sensing something of her discomfort, Quatre broke the silence. "Now we owe you some details about us, don't we? How about you come back tomorrow - it *is* rather late, after all. And there's a hunt on really early tomorrow morning..." He gave a slight grimace.

Catching on, Duo grinned. "How about I escort you back? You're boarding at the Collegium, aren't you?"

Suri nodded, smiling slightly at both of them. "That would be nice - and I should know what kind of people I'm insulting. And I'd swear this place was a maze."

The prince grinned. "It is, actually - something to do with defences. Do you think you'll be safe with Duo?"

The braided boy pretended to bristle. "Hey! I *do* have honour, you know. And anyway, if I *do* have to whip someone with my tongue, I'll do it where people can appreciate it."

Both Suri and Mili laughed, and the girl stood. "Then I trust you, Mr. Hormone. For now, anyway."

Duo gave a mock bow and led off, with Suri following after wishing all of them 'good night'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the pair left, Quatre grinned at his half-brother. "She's nice - and anyone who can do *that* to Duo will fit in perfectly."

Mili returned the smile. "I like her, actually. I must enjoy having coffee spilt on me."

"She's sharp enough, for an onna." Wufei's voice was gudging. "She'd just better not get in the way. If she does, I won't bother acting as though I like her - that would be dishonourable."

Trowa spoke up quietly. "I don't really think she'll get in the way - and she has been through enough to deserve a chance."

Quatre glanced at the tall youth, whose emerald eyes were expressionless. The fact that she doesn't know about her past touches you, doesn't it, Trowa? Maybe you are more similar than you realised...

Wufei snorted. "If she was telling the truth, then..."

A monotonous voice cut in, "She was telling the truth."

Everyone turned to the Japanese who hadn't spoken more than ten words all night. The prince raised an eyebrow. "Truth spell?"

Heero nodded curtly, cobalt eyes as inscrutable as Trowa's. But only the surface of the truth. I have a feeling her past was worse than she made it sound - if that's the case, I'll need to find out about it. She might be dangerous - and I can't afford distractions. Much less one with such a powerful gift...

Notes:

So, the Shinigami side of Duo appears, if only briefly. And I finally explained *something* about the Suri's background. I'll do the same for the others soon, I promise. O_o Remember, these chapters are only a prologue to the story - after all, Heero is only 13, and Duo 12. Soon, time will skip ahead to the *real* story, and the things might actually start happening! And if you have noticed, this fic steals quite a lot (you know, personalities, certain events, characters) from the actual anime, but tosses them all into a new backdrop. I hope it's turning out okay ^.^

Oh yeah... threatening to kill people wasn't that nice, was it? Oh well, gomen for that... let's see, how about "omae o kisu" instead?

*splutters* ... then again, maybe not. O_o Just please, PLEASE review!