Disclaimer: Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon is a really great manga by Naoko Takeuchi. Kidou Senshi Gundam W (aka Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) is my all time favorite anime created by mecha-geniuses Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino.  If I had the ability to draw like Naoko or the money to hire people to make my visions come true maybe I'd be reading someone else's fanfiction of my work…but as it is I must rely on others' work to write fanfictions about.

a destiny equal to the gods

No one knows the future
There aren't supposed to be things such as promises
Sharp like a knife
I'd like to be myself
 
In their dreams
People dance in the distant sky
Reaching anywhere
Going beyond eternity

--Duo Maxwell

"Wild Wing"

Route Venus

Minako hugged Duo tight and continued to cry into his chest, "Well I do, you've been just perfect to me, and I'm going to miss you so much when you go home."

"Go home?"

"I contacted Setsuna, she said that she could send you home tonight."

"Tonight, Mina. That's… That's so soon."

"I know, but we can't mess with Setsuna, when she says now she means now." 

Duo nodded and knowing that Minako must be right he decided that he would not whine about it, instead he would try to enjoy the last day they had. "Well then, let's get out of here shall we?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"You'll see."

Minako smiled. "Duo that's my line."

"Not today."

Minako was trying not to be sad for Duo, but no matter how she tried she couldn't get it all out of her system.

            Duo scooped Minako up and carried her back into her bedroom. He set her down on the bed and then he slowly walked over to the closet and began going through her entire wardrobe. After ten minutes of searching he found the perfect outfit for where they were going. He folded it up and walked over to her dresser where he grabbed her red bow and everything else that she'd need. He then carried a sobbing Minako to the bathroom with all the stuff.  "Here you go," he knelt down to look into her face. Putting a hand to her tear he said, "Mina. It's so all right. Maybe too right. A goddess smiles. Come to light." Minako did smile, and Duo wiped away her tears, "Mina, take a shower, you'll feel better. Then I'll take you someplace relaxing. Okay?" Minako nodded. Duo left the bathroom shutting the door, and Minako smiled, shook her head and then proceeded with the shower process.

Duo then went to the phonebook and attempted to read it. "Oh. Reading Japanese is harder than it looks," he said to Artemis.

Artemis shook his head and jumped up on the table, "What are you looking for?"

Duo told Artemis his plans, and Artemis helped him find everything he needed.

            When Minako was done showering she came out dressed in a pale yellow dress that flared at the waist and fell just below her knees. Over that she was wearing an Orange cardigan and a bright green towel in her hair. Walking out of the bathroom drying her hair with her hands she stopped and watched Duo as he packed a basket full of stuff while singing, It's So All Right. She really didn't want to interrupt but she asked, "So do I get shoes too?"

Duo smiled, "Nah, you won't need them."

Minako cocked her head and looked at him through a mop of wet hair.

Duo laughed and walked over to her hairbrush in hand. "Here let me help." He sat Minako down on the back of the couch and began to brush her hair gently, "I was just kidding about the shoes; they're in your room." Minako didn't say anything she just sat back as Duo brushed her hair and Duo sang his song for her one more time before letting silence take over the room. After about an hour of this Duo had almost brushed all the wetness out of her hair. Realizing Minako was zoned out in her own little brush-hair-good-world Duo separated her hair into three equal parts and began to braid it. When he got to the end he tied it off with her red bow. Duo then got her shoes and walked around the couch to face Minako. Placing them on her feet he looked at her and said, "Are you ready?"

"Hai." Minako said softly. Duo scooped her up off the couch and put her feet on the floor. Duo grabbed a basket off the counter. As they walked out the door, "Duo what'd you do to my hair."

"I braided it."

Minako was silent.

"Relax I brought your brush, I can change it later."

            First Duo took Minako out for a light breakfast. Then Duo took Minako down through the park to the lake where they rent out rowboats. Duo had called ahead and they had a boat waiting for them. Out on the lake Duo rowed while Minako leaned up against him. Duo rowed them out towards the middle and then to the other side by a lovely cherry tree he then slowed and stopped the boat and just let it coast Duo reached into the basket and pulled out Minako's book. He removed the bookmark and began to read to her from where she had fallen asleep under the tree.

            After a while of reading, Duo paused having just ended a chapter and looked to see if Minako was still awake. When he saw her staring back up at him he asked, "Would you like me to continue?" Minako didn't respond. "Mina?"

"I'm thinking. I'd love for you to continue, but I can think of a few more things to do too." She smiled.

Duo shook his head and smiled back, "Oh is that so?" He put the book down and asked Minako, "What were you and Usagi fighting about?"

Minako thought a minute, "Absolutely nothing. It was just an argument about nothing."

"One of those empty best-friend kind of arguments?"

"Sorta, except we did hit on the fact that we haven't really talked in forever. That was important, but everything just kept getting twisted around and we never really got to fix that."

"Mina nothing ever gets fixed in one argument, just like one battle will not fix everything a war wants to accomplish. It's going to take some time, more arguments but hopefully just a lot of talks. If you're lucky there won't be any punches thrown."

"Punches? Duo girls don't throw punches, we scratch, pull hair, and throw things, and well if you just happen to have secret powers sometimes we end up blowing things up."

"Oh now you sound like me and Heero, we argue and things get demolished."

"Duo, tell me something." Minako said changing the subject

"Like what?"

"Something no one else knows."

Duo tries to think of something that no one else knows that would be worthy of telling Minako.

"Duo?"

"I'm thinking."

"Well I don't care what. Tell me about your parents."

 "My parents. Oh well there's a good story." 

Minako waited for him to continue.

"Well at least I hope it was a good story. Mina you probably know more about my parents than I do."

"Duo," Minako said carefully turning half way to face him, "are you an orphan?"

"My whole life."

"Okay, but I can't see you living in and orphanage what…. What happened?"

"Well what I do know is they both died because of the war, like many people did in my town. There were dozens of orphaned kids. A little neighbor girl had picked me up and treated me like a little brother, when I was about 4 she was gunned down trying to get us food and again I was alone. I joined a group of poorly organized orphans, when I was 6 or 7 we met Solo, he too was an orphan He adopted us into his gang and he taught us to fend for ourselves. Solo became my best friend.  One day an epidemic hit our colony. There was plenty of medicine and vaccines but they weren't giving any to the war orphans. When Solo got sick and they still would not give us any, I went and stole medicine for all the orphans. I tried giving some to Solo but it was too late he was dying. He told me that he had given himself the name Solo because he would always be alone. That's when I said, 'well then I'll be Duo and the two of us will always be together.'  Shortly after that Solo died in my arms. I went to see the others and they each got their vaccine and none of them got sick. It ended up I was one short though so I decided that I would go without then prayed that death would come to me so I could join my friend. Needless to say it didn't, I never got sick and to this day I believe it's because Solo was watching over me."

Minako was crying. "Oh Duo that's so…" she began turning back to face the front, leaning back against Duo she continued, "…say how'd you come up with the last name Maxwell?"

"Ah, Maxwell. Well after Solo's death I became the leader of our little gang. One morning when I was stealing food from the market I ran into a priest, and the vendor came up to grab me while I was fallen. I jumped over the father and he stopped the man from following me. Well then I had a brilliant idea, instead of stealing food from the vendors we should steal it from the base. I convinced them that this was the best thing we could do to fight back. So me and 3 others went into the base and the second we got there they opened fire; we made it into the base but we never made it to the food and we didn't escape either. The only reason we weren't executed on the spot was because that priest had a soft spot for us and took us all in. His name was Fr. Maxwell."

Minako smiled, "So that's where you got those clothes."

Duo smiled, "Oh I hated them, they were so uncomfortable, but at least I always had clothes."

Minako looked at him, "And?"

"And what?"

"Oh know you don't, there's more to this story."

"Okay fine. Then there was Sister Helen who wanted to cut my hair. Oh I threw such a fit. It wasn't until Fr. Maxwell came in and told her to do as I wished. So she put the scissors down and separated it into three parts and braided it. I was such a punk, I jumped up and said, 'This is great now when I steal things, it won't get in the way!!'" Duo shook his head.

Minako laughed, "Alright my little thief then what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"You were raised by a priest and nuns. How did you ever get involved with the, oh what did you call them, Gundams?"

"I broke into the base." Duo said putting his arms around her from behind, "It's a long sad story Mina, I don't really want to go back there."

"Alright I won't push," Minako said snuggling into his arms, "So tell me something happy."

Duo half choked-half laughed, "Something happy."

"Yeah tell me the happiest thing you remember."

Duo stopped laughing and solemnly said, "Mina, I just did." 

'Oh' Minako thought, "Well fine, then tell me something terribly sad and completely depressing."

Duo laughed slightly, and hugged Minako tighter placing his head next to hers. He swayed her back and forth a second, kissing her on the cheek he said, "You know, I absolutely love you."

Minako smiled and sighed, "I know."  They continued drifting like this in silence.

            After a while Duo decided to change the tone a bit so he opened the basket and took out her hairbrush. He slowly brushed the braid out of her hair; Minako's hair fell with cute waves to it. And Duo just carefully brushed her hair for the remainder of the boat ride. "I never want this to end," Minako said wistfully.

"Which the drifting peacefully on the water or me brushing your hair?"

"You… me… together."

"I know exactly how you feel." Minako leaned back and fell into Duo's lap looking straight up and him she smiled. Duo leaned over and kissed her. First on the forehead, then on the nose, and ended on her lips. This was a bit awkward, but if Minako were to try to turn to face him she would end up capsizing the boat. After their upside down make out session Duo rebraided Minako's hair and rowed the boat to shore.

"Where are we off to now?" Duo smiled and just took Minako by the hand helped her out of the boat and took her and the basket to a secluded part of the forest of cherry. From the basket he withdrew a blue blanket and laid it out under a tree. He then gestured for Minako to sit on it. Then he removed an assortment of food from the basket, some he had made, the rest he had ordered from nearby places that delivered quickly. Minako blushed a little as Duo sat down beside her, "Bon Appetite."

After Lunch Minako and Duo lay on the blanket and watched the clouds roll past. Minako with her head on Duo's chest fell asleep smiling. Duo smiled to himself and playing with her hair he began singing softly, "Every time our eyes meet this feeling inside me is almost more than I can take. Baby, when you touch me I can feel how much you love me and it just blows me away. I've never been this close to anyone or anything. I can hear your thoughts; I can see your dreams. I don't know how you do what you do. I'm so in love with you it just keeps getting better, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you by my side forever and ever. Every little thing that you do Baby I'm amazed by you. The smell of your skin, the taste of your kiss, the way you whisper in the dark. Your hair all around me, baby, you surround me, touch every place in my heart. Though it feels like the first time, every time, I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes. I don't know how you do what you do. I'm so in love with you, it just keep getting better, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you by my side forever and ever. Every little thing that you do baby I'm amazed by you…"

In the manor, Heero is staring out his bedroom window. Relena comes up behind him and puts her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulders, "I'm actually starting to miss his jokes."

"You know he only says stupid things like that because he doesn't want us to be sad."

"I know.  Heero, I have a confession to make. I was actually starting to wish that Duo would leave."

"Relena," Heero turned to face her.

"Well okay after that whole Hilde thing I felt bad for him and we gave him a room."

"More like a wing."

"Yeah, well for the past year he hasn't gone out, unless he's going to shoot hoops. He spends half the day walking around in his pajamas eating cereal, and he doesn't do anything on his own unless you tell him to."

"Oh that's just not true. He stopped listening to me… no he's never listened to me. He often leaves on his own just to come back completely out of it and pass out on your couch. And just to set the record straight he eats a hell of a lot more than cereal."

"Okay I don't want to hear about Duo vomiting on my couch," she said walking to the window.

"No Duo doesn't throw up."

She turned and sat on the sill.  "Why do you always stand up for him?" 

"He's not here."

"So when you argue do you stand up for me?"

"We don't" Heero said thoughtfully

"Oh that's a lie I've seen you argue, okay well fight."

Heero walked over to her, "Never about you." 

"Really," she said matter-of-factly.

Sliding his arms around her waist, "No he knows I'd kill him if he ever said anything bad about you." Before she could protest again he ended this argument by kissing her.

In a clouded "forest" Duo is kissing Minako against a tree. "It's almost time Minako," came a voice from behind Duo. Minako waved over Duo's shoulder. Setsuna shook her head and turned back fumbling with her keys. "Minako come give me a hand will you." Minako finally pried herself away from Duo, smiling she walked over to Setsuna. "Here hold these," Setsuna flung them at Minako who caught all but one. Minako picked it up, she looked at the latch, but she couldn't figure out how the key came off. Trying to put it back on Minako panicked when Setsuna called her over to the portal. She didn't know what to do so she shoved the key in her sweater pocket. Minako ran over to Setsuna who had grabbed Duo and was asking him exactly how he came to be in Minako's time. Duo explained as best he could, and Setsuna kinda nodded her head saying, "Hmm."  "Interesting." Duo wondered if she was even really listening, but decided to just continue telling the story anyway.

"So you know how to get him back to A.C. 200 right?" Minako said stopping this

"Oh absolutely, since our calendars match up, it was the fall solstice in both years, so I'm going to send you back today, so it'll seem like you've been gone for 3 days."

Duo nodded, "Okay."

Setsuna said, "Now, it works better if you open the door, because you know exactly where you want it to open. So I just need you to take hold of a key and think wholeheartedly of where you want to be."

"Uh, that could be a problem."

"Why's that."

"I don't want to leave."

"Oh Duo, you have to, you don't belong here. You could severely alter the future just by being here."

"I know, but that doesn't mean, I want to go back just yet." Duo put a hand on Minako's cheek and she blushed. She wrapped her hand around his and then kissed his palm and began to sing,

"Open that door

Our time remaining starts ticking

Open your eyes take a good look

Give me your last kiss and walk away"

By this time they didn't even notice if Setsuna was there. Duo kissed her as if he'd never see her again. Then Minako continued to sing what came to her heart.

            "The Truth is my heart screams stop

Till it tears the strongest wind to shreds

But the road splits here

Our fate, the stars decide

The white road you chose

Your future ahead

Keep walking"

Duo wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace…

            "The ocean rises

            Winds gust

            It's a little cold

            But run

            I will never forget

I love you so much

It pains me

But I'll stay right here

And stare at the desert dawn"

With that Minako placed Duo's hand on the keys, and kissed him ever so slightly on the lips

            "Open that window and your time starts ticking."

The time portal opened behind them

            "Remember the last kiss I wanted with your eyes open that night."

Duo kissed her again, and for the last time.

            "The truth is my heart is crying

            Till the sky above drains itself

            But the road splits here.

            Our fate, the stars decide"

And she let go of his hand

            "The Blue road I chose

            My future before me

            I will not forget"

Duo started to take a step back his other hand still on the keys and Minako's

            "The morning dawns

            People start moving

            It's a little frightening

            But walk away."

Duo nodded and released his grip on her, with a tear rolling down his cheek he walked in to the portal

            "Don't forget me

            I love you so much it pains me

            But I'll stay right here and stare at the desert dawn."

With these final words she saw Duo smile, and the portal closed behind him. Minako sank to the ground dropping the keys and cried. Setsuna knelt down, picked up the keys, placed an arm around Minako's shoulder and let her cry.

"It's all right Minako."

Minako slowly smiled and got up saying out loud, "It's so all right, maybe too right, a goddess smiles, come to light."

Setsuna didn't ask, she simply took Minako to her apartment and told her to get some sleep. Minako did return to her room. She sat at the head of her bed, and hugging her pillow with her knees she simply stared blankly out the window at the stars. Artemis came in and sat at her feet, not saying a word.

            Duo walked out of the portal, he was just outside the front gate of the manor. He looked back, only to see that it was already gone. "Our fate the stars decide…" Duo headed inside. He walked right past Heero and mindlessly headed to his room. 

"Hey Duo, where have you been?" Heero followed him.

Duo flopped on his bed as if exhausted, and replied, "playing basketball." Then he turned away from the door, but he didn't close his eyes, he just stared blankly at the wall. When Heero left realizing Duo wasn't going to talk tonight, Duo rolled back over and continued to stare at the floor emotionless.

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Author's Notes:

First I want to mention that the lyrics to the song Duo sings to under the tree come from 'Amazed' By Lonestar.    Why it is that Duo knows 21st Century country songs… I don't know.  Perhaps it was just coincidental that this song and the words in Duo's heart were the same… or perhaps…the sappy love songs of today play on the oldies station in the After Colony years.

The song Minako sang was 'Route Venus' one of the Minako Image Songs… This translation I took from my "Scout Guide." All the songs that have been at the beginning of each segment have been Image Songs too.

The story of Duo's past I got from reading his Episode Zero.

The title for this fic 'a destiny equal to the gods' came from somewhere in my English Lit book… I could go and find it but that might take days… and well I want to post this post haste. Anyway, the meaning behind having a destiny equal to the gods is that no matter what the gods did they could never find true happiness… and if they did destiny would come along and take it away. And that seems to sum up the majority of my Mina/Duo fic.

You all asked for a Christmas Present… Well how about a Yule present….I can't wait for Christmas Day.  Happy Holidays. Thanks for the reviews. I love feedback.

This is the end of the first chapter of my rather lengthy Minako and Duo story. Mind you this one chapter was way too long to post as one so… I broke it down into four parts. But by no means in the story over.  You will have to wait for the "second chapter" though because I'm in the process of altering it.  And well editing it for its fanfiction.net debut…either that or I'll have to up the rating. Hmm…I'll have to think about that.

Well anyway. Clearly I think the next Chapter will have to be Romance/Angst… but then again… who knows where I've taken them.  Let me know what you think of this one. And whether or not I should continue posting the following chapters as part of 'a destiny equal to the gods' or if I should post them separately?

Thanks a bunch,

Mina Maxwell