Title: Duo's Request

Author: Bard of Dellenfel

Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, I am just going to use them to my own evil ends!

Warnings: Ah OOC, AU. Um death and stuff too, R rating probably.

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Duo opened his eyes to sunlight streaming into the room he shared with Heero. Duo was usually the last to rise but today he saw that Heero was still asleep.

//Probably had a mission last night//, Duo thought to himself. //Well I guess I can watch him sleep for a bit. // Duo sat there staring at his Lover longing to be able to do more than look.

"Duo if you are just going to stare at me, can you at least go get me something to eat?" The pillow muffled Heero's voice, but he was smiling to himself.

"Huh, oh sure," Duo jumped up and ran out of the room. //What the hell, how did he know I was looking at him?//

Duo went to the kitchen and made up a few eggs. Maybe he could talk Heero into going to the circus today. Quatre had invited them to go see Trowa perform and Heero hadn't said no. Of course the chances that Heero might do something for Duo were fairly minimal.

Duo went back to the room with bacon and eggs, some toast and OJ. Opening the door he saw that Heero was propped up in bed and listening to some music.

"Oh, Heero not that," Duo groaned, "it's too nice of a day to listen to 'war pigs'. Can't you find anything better to listen too?" Once, Duo had shown Heero his collection of pre-colony music and since then Heero had found a love for the old metal and hard rock.

"Ah I like this song; it reminds me of what happens in life." Heero stared darkly at his friend. "The rich cry, and the poor die."

"But look at the day. It's a great day, and we are alive!" Duo set the tray on Heero's lap and leaned against him, picking at Heero's toast. "You want to go to the circus today?"

"Hn," Heero grunted and kept eating his eggs.

"You know that is not a real response. It isn't even intelligent." Duo knew Heero would do this. "I would like to do something outside, it is the middle of the spring and we haven't even gone out once to look at the new blossoms!"

"Alright, the circus then." Heero finished up the runny yoke with the crust of bread and got up. "I'm going to have a shower."

Duo grinned at his lover. "I'll be right there!"

Downstairs Wufei heard groans and yelps from the upstairs bathroom. "When is Duo ever going to remember not to drop the soap!"

"Wufei, if you don't drop the soap, you won't have any fun!" Quatre said laughing as the Chinese pilot turned the most amazing shade of red.

Trowa walked into the kitchen dressed for his performance that night. He had to practice for the rest of the day. "Quat, you coming?" Trowa asked looking at the blonde pilot.

"Hai," Quatre said grabbing his outfit. "Wufei are you coming to watch tonight?"

"Yeah, I think so. Duo said that he was going to try to get Heero to come too."

***

"Duo, I need to actually shower now," said a panting Heero. Duo's body glistened with sweat and water. "Hn, you are to damn good to look at!"

Heero dove at Duo again. Making this the third time, he had made Duo "drop" the soap.

"For someone that says I should leave," Duo said in short breaths, "you have an odd way of showing it."

In an hour the water turned cold and Duo got out, a little winded from such an early morning work out. //Heero must've had a rough mission; He is rarely that open to his feelings.//

Heero finished his shower, in cold water. His mind drifted back to the mission the previous night.

~~~~~~~~

As Heero set the last of the bombs he heard a click. Turning he saw a soldier, standing with a 9mm pointing at him. "Got you!" The strange man exclaimed.

"Hn." Heero lunged at the soldier. Surprised the soldier froze for a split second, too long. Heero stood holding the man's throat in his hand, the now lifeless body twitching on the ground.

"Nooooo!" A voice cried out from the other end of the yard and Heero turned to look. There was a boy at the edge of the field, running at Heero. "No! You Killed him."

Heero turned and left, not wanting to have to kill a young boy.

"You killed him!" A voice yelled beside Heero.

Heero jumped, //shit this kid is fast//, The boy was standing beside Heero. The kid had been a good 200 feet away and now he was beside him. Heero reacted tearing at the kid's vital points. The kid dodged the attacks easily. "Why did you kill him?"

Heero couldn't get a good hit in. //Who is this kid?// "Why did you kill my brother? I was coming for him tonight, and you took him! He is lost to me now."

Heero jumped back as the kid punched at him. Even with his backward momentum the kid's punch cracked Heero's collarbone. This kid was trouble, and a lot of it. Heero tossed a smoke bomb at the kid. The kid jumped back and Heero buried a knife in the kid's thigh.

Turning he ran, jumping the fence and disappeared into the forest. Heero flew off on Wing. //What was that kid?//

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

"Hey are you trying to use up all the cold water too?" Wufei's voice shouted through the closed door, bringing Heero back to the present.

Heero got out and wrapped a towel around himself. He passed Wufei in the hall and went to his room. Duo was stretched out on their bed and the CD player was playing some lame ass country music. "Why do you listen to this crap?" Heero asked, turning off the girls signing about some Earl character.

"Well it's better than always listening to metal and rock." Duo answered.

"If we're going to see Trowa and Quat perform we had better head over there now," Heero said.

Duo stared at him. "You coming?"

"Yeah, you asked me to."

"Since when have you ever done something because I asked you to?"

"Well its about time I started to," Heero sighed, "I'm sorry Duo, I know I can be a little hard to get along with sometimes." Heero sat on the bed next to Duo. Duo was still in his towel and Heero lay back beside him. "I never want you to leave me Duo. I never want you to go away!"

"Oi Heero, where is this coming from?" Duo was a little worried, Heero never acted like this. "What happened on the mission, was it that bad?"

"No, I just saw my death, I escaped, but I saw it. And it was a little kid." Heero wondered why this kid scared him so much.

"You're not afraid of death are you Heero?" Duo turned to his friend; there was something in Heero's eyes, something that was deep. Under all the layers of Heero; Duo could see it. What was it?

"Death? No I'm not afraid of death, but this kid, I'm afraid of him." Heero shivered, //What was so scary about that kid?//

Duo got up and dressed, Heero watched, smiling at Duo's back. "You are so beautiful," Heero breathed.

Duo felt Heero's arms wrap around his waist. "Not now, we have to get going," Duo said.

Heero and Duo left the house just after lunch and they walked down to the circus. They spent the afternoon in the concessions and game booths. Heero and Duo laughed. Duo watched amazed as Heero came out of the reclusive shell that had been Heero's existence for so long.

The circus speakers were blaring with pre-colony music over the sound system and Duo just laughed at the way it affected Heero. He seemed to be alive, to flow with the music. Heero had changed over night, he seemed to be open and trusting, and Duo liked it.

"Now if only they would play a song that would fit this day!" Duo said as Black Sabbath started to thump away over the speakers. "I mean, look at this day, it's beautiful, sun out, flowers in bloom, the trees have buds open."

Duo inhaled deeply, giving up his dance of death had been the best thing he had done. He was no longer the God of Death, now he was Duo, just that, and Heero loved him for it.

A thought occured to Heero then, smiling at his koi he said, "I'll be back in a minute Duo." Herro ran off in the opposite direction.

Duo stood there waiting for Heero to return, //what could he have had to do in such a hurry, and why now.// The line up for the tent that Trowa was performing in had already gotten long; it would be at least an hour before they could get into the tent.

Heero was back beside Duo a few minutes later. "Where were you off to?" Duo asked.

"You'll see" Heero smiled. "Duo, last night I quit the preventers, I told them to shove it, and I quit."

"What!?"

"I don't want to fight anymore. I'm finished with it." Heero tried to smile, " I feel like I've been fighting for ever."

"Well what are we going to do then?"

"I have an idea for a shop." Heero said. "You don't mind that I quit do you?"

"No, I have been thinking of quitting lately too. I relinquished my title as Shinigami and now it is more of a hassle to get into Death Scythe than anything. It's like Death Scythe knows that I'm different."

"Great, then you won't mind moving? I was thinking we could set up a manga store on one of the outer colonies." Heero smiled as Duo's face split in a grin.

"Oh Heero, that is the best idea I have heard in a long time!" Duo could just imagine it, how the store would look and what mangas to bring in.

Duo expression changed as he looked around him. There was a feeling in the air, a sensation of something that he had once known long ago. Heero looked at Duo, concern on his face. "Duo what's the matter?"

"The kid you met last night, was he fast, extremely fast?"

"Yeah, he covered 200 feet in less than 10 seconds, why?" Heero saw concern in Duo face. Heero was worried about his friend and lover. "Do you know that kid?"

"Heero, that was no kid, that was the god of the damned." Duo was now searching the crowds, looking for something.

"God of the damned, I thought you were...." Heero stopped mid sentence, Duo turned to look at him, wondering what had made Heero stop.

Duo caught Heero as he fell. He held Heero in his arms, a pool of blood was slowly spreading out around the two boys. Heero's chest was ripped open, blood soaking his shirt. To the side a boy stood, laughing. "He killed my brother, He took a brother of the damned, one promised to me."

Duo looked at Heero. Heero's cobalt blue eyes were slowly losing their shine. "Duo, I think I remembered something, I was your friend in a past life." Heero coughed spitting up blood, "Duo, the seals are breaking," Heero reached up and wiped away the tears that were on Duo's cheeks, his lips moved mouthing the words, I love you.

"I love you too, so don't leave me, not yet, I promise I won't ever leave you, just don't you leave me."

In the background the DJ came over the speakers. "This next song is sent out to Duo, because today is a great day to be alive!" The music started, it was a country song, but Duo didn't know the song. A man started to sing what seemed to be a nonsense song. //Why can I hear this stupid song, I just want to hear Heero again.// ~I got rice cooking in the microwave, got a three day beard I don't plan to shave.~

Duo's mind listened even though his heart didn't want to, the song Heero had picked for him.

~And it's a goofy thing, but I just gotta say hey I'm'a doin alright.~

Why now. Heero had finally opened up, he had come out of the protective walls he had built up. Duo rocked Heero's body back and forth.

~Yeah I think I'll make me some home made soup, feeling prtty good and thats the truth. It's neither drink nor drug induced.~

Duo felt hot tears sliding down his face, how long had it been since he had cried, how many of the people he knew, people that had loved him had died. His eyes had been dry at all their funerals, why did he cry now.

~And it's a GREAT day to be alive; I know the suns still shining when I close my eyes.~

Duo looked to his friend, a smile on Heero's lips. The blood had congealed and looked like a sick parody of pudding. Duo looked to the sky. The sun shone and he knew that birds were singing. But to him, there was no light left in the day, no beauty in the bird's song. Duo felt a change inside him, he felt as though his memories had been returned. Memories cascaded through Duo's mind. Inside Duo felt something breaking, as his tears fell on the first person he had loved in all his life, the seal broke.

*****

Quatre had heard the people screaming and had gone to see what the trouble had been. When he saw that Duo was sitting in a pool of blood he called to Trowa and ran out to Duo, Trowa hot on his heals. "Duo, what happened? Will Heero be alrig..." Quatre choked on his question as he saw the massive wound to Heero's chest. "How?"

Duo ignored his friends, looking straight at Damon, the child god of the damned. "Why did you do it?" Duo growled.

"I told you, I was after one of the damned, one of my brothers, but he killed him before I could." Damon laughed, "Why should you care Duo? You gave up on your divinity, or it was sealed away, you are nothing but Shinigami now"

Duo rose from the ground, Quatre and Trowa stepped back. Both could feel the power that radiated from Duo. Damon stopped laughing. The child god stared "You can't! You, were sealed, your power was sealed! You are only seraphim!" Damon turned to flee, opening what looked like a black hole in the middle of nothing. From within, Quatre could here wailing and people calling out in pain and agony.

The sun seemed to dim, the birds stopped their songs, Duo's shirt ripped to shreds as two large wings sprouted from his back. The wings were void of all things; the light of the day seemed to vanish into the emptiness. Duo pointed at Damon, who had just started to enter his portal.

"I will come against you, I have returned, The seals have broken!" Duo raised his head looking at the boy. "Ready your damned, bring their souls to a rage and prepare them for battle. For I am coming in the night, and I come to eliminate you from the plains of existence!"

Damon whimpered and fled to his dimension. Duo turned to Trowa and Quatre; the two boys stood in amazement. "Duo you're"

"I am Death." Duo finished, his voice a whisper, Quatre shivered. It felt as though all the heat in him had leached out of him.

The sun became bright again the birds began their song and Duo was gone. In the background Trowa could hear the music play, "And it's a GREAT day to be alive, I know the suns still shining when I close my eyes."

"Come on Quat, grab Heero, we need to get him inside." Trowa took Heero's shoulders and lifted him. Duo was gone, Heero was dead, the seals were broken. //what seals, Duo was Seraphim, a Shinigami, what seal, was Heero an angel too?//

In the dark realm that Damon ruled he began to ready his minions for battle. //how? How had the seals broken!//

God watched, looking up at Michael, "prepare for war, the Arch Angels have awakened!"