Living in the Shadows Chapter 3
Don't think for a second that I didn't know what was going on. I wonder if they know that I noticed their efforts; the way they watched me when they thought I wasn't paying attention to them, or the way they conviently found excuses to talk to me or walk to class with me. Living on the streets hones your instincts down to a very fine point, and quite frankly, my instincts were screaming at me. I always knew when I had an audience. I had too, on the streets if you weren't totally aware of your surroundings, then you were dead. Even when I'm asleep I am aware. They think that Heero has a hair trigger when he's sleeping; having more then once been woken up and instantly pointing a gun at the person. I'm worse, my sleep is always light, the slightest noise will disturb be until I get use to it. It took me forever to get use to sleeping in the same room with Heero for the sheer fact that his breathing was different. Normally by the first night I had memorized what all my surroundings sounded like; it was people that made me nervous. So, I noticed the sly looks Wufei and Quatre gave me when they thought I wasn't looking; those looks were inquisitive...they were memorizing and examining the things I did. . Good thing that the way I acted in school and around others wasn't how I truelly was. Though, I have a sneaking suspicion that they know that. How interesting. Entertaining, isn't it sister? I thought. I felt Nyx grin, Quite she purred. They honestly don't give you any credit, dear heart...do they think that we wouldn't notice them? Even Heero has been acting strange. Indeed, Heero had asked me where I was going last night; it had floored me. Heero barely spoke two words to me, much less inquire into my evening. I snorted. We need to figure out why they are suddenly so curious in me. I replied; Nyx nodded.
That night, when the others when for their weekly study group. Normally I had a basketball game I went to; but today, I decided to turn in from the game early. I walked up to my room and showered; a good hunter couldn't stink other wise the prey would notice...and we can't have that. After I showered and thoroughly dried my hair; I ghosted down stairs and out into the night. The night was warm having just a touch of winter on the breeze. I quickly walked over to the conviently open library window and glanced in. Damn...how convient...the guys were sitting right next to the window. I grinned. Don't you just love it when that happens, Nyx's smug voice purred next to my ear. The demoness appeared at my shoulder, one of her tiny hands wrapped in my hair. I gave her my best cheshier grin, Don't you know it. I replied. I croutched under the library window and listened, it took a while but I was finally able to filter out all the surrounding noise, and focus on the guy's conversation.
"You find out anything useful?" Quatre's voice asked.
"Doctor J replied, but didn't offer up any useful information. Only that Maxwell was from the L2 colony. He didn't have any information to offer, there's no mention of his history, his family anything." Heero reported.
"And there isn't any record of a Duo Maxwell anywhere. He is known as the Gundam Deathscythe Pilot and that's it. However there are dozens of Maxwell's, and a few of them were on the L2 colony." Trowa said. "Two families with the name, both middle class; there's no record of any of them having a missing family member."
"And the others?" Quatre asked.
"Only one other, a man known as Father Maxwell, he was in charge of a Church, as it happened the church also doubled as an orphanage. Ten years before our decent to Earth, the former Alliance and Rebels on the colony had a battle that wiped out the church. The tragedy, as the paper put it, as adiquetly named the Maxwell Church incident." Trowa said.
Silence greeted this statement. "Do you think...." Quatre said hesitantly, "Do you think that Duo was an orphan on L2?" There was a hint of fear and pity in his tone. I growled low in my throat. I hated pity. I was not ashamed of my past, all that happened there had helped me grow stronger thus allowing me to get where I was. Granted there were a few incidents in my life that I wasn't proud of, but I had accepted them and pushed them into the back of my mind.
"I hope not;" Trowa said softly, "I've heard nothing good about the L2 colonies, most of them were poor and over run with crime and sickness...there's even child prostitution on L2, and it's legal..."
"Oh, poor Duo..." Quatre whispered. I ground my teeth together, I could practically see the thoughts running through the blondes head. Now Quatre thought that he, Duo, had been a child prostitute. Nyx snarled softly on my shoulder. Foolish child, does he really think you would sink so low? I gave an annoyed shrug. Who the hell knew, knowing Quatre, he probably did.
"That's nonsense, Quatre and you know it!" Wufei growled; "I may not be very close to the baka, but I know for a fact that he wouldn't stoop so low!"
"If there was nothing else that he could do, Duo wouldn't have a choice, Wufei." Heero stated, matter-of-factly. Now Heero agreed with them? WUfei turned on Heero.
"Do you, honestly believe that Duo Maxwell, the self proclaimed God of Death, would allow himself to be used as sexual entertainment?" He snarled. Heero starred at Wufei with cold emotionless blue eyes. "No, Wufei, I don't think that. Duo is a thief, not a whore."
I grinned; Got it in one, Heero baby!
"HEY!" a voice cried behind Duo. Shit, company love, Nyx's voice confirmed. I glanced behind me, it was the night watchman. Wonderful, absolutely bloody wonderful.
"What was that?" Heero's voice asked. I could hear the chairs moving. Shit, shit, shit! What else could happen?! Suddenly I heard the sound of dogs. I could feel Nyx giving me on of those 'you had to ask looks'. Tucking my braid into my shirt, I sprinted from my spot behind the bush.
"Hold it right there!" the security guy yelled. Uh...no I don't think so. I thought; heading for the North wall. From there I could disappear into the woods, and circle back. Once I hit the shadows, then I would be safe. It was this damned open yard that was the problem.
Move faster sugar, Nyx said, I could just barely feel the light brush of her wings near my ear as she flew next to me. I gave a quick glance back...and swore vementally. Not only were there dogs on my tail, but so was Heero. Shit! I would rather have the dogs then the fucking Perfect Soldier! My foot slide on the wet grass, nearly ending it all there. Focus on escaping idiot! Nyx snapped, you are far better at disappearing then Heero ever could hope to be. Plus you have me. Just get to the fucking trees! Yes ma'am.
The ten foot wall the surrounded the school was suddenly looming in front of me. Without thinking twice, I leapt straight up, easily clearing the stone wall, leaving the dogs snapping at my heels in frustration. I didn't pause to savor my victory; Heero would be on me in seconds. As soon as my feet hit the ground, sprinted for the forest edge twenty feet away. I glanced back long enough to see Heero clear the wall, and come sprinting after me. Too late Yuy! I snickered, two more steps and I was in the forest. I paused in the shadows of the upper branches of a large pine tree. I watched as the Japanese boy came cautiously into the forest. I moved slowly, and silently. I could barely even sense his presence. I glanced at Nyx. She shrugged, he's a hunter babe, remember? He's been trained since he was a kid to hunt and kill. So it would be natural for him to be able to become silent. I watched, Heero was very close, as long as I didn't move, I shouldn't have a problem.
"I know you're here," Heero's voice whispered into the night. I froze, concentrating on keeping my breathing and heartbeat regular. "Why were you spying on us?" he asked, his voice as close as I've ever heard it to a snarl.
I smiled, as soft laughter began to build in my throat. I could feel the pulse of the night around me, it was intoxicating. Something seemed to uncurl in my belly, I no longer had any fear. I knew that I could disappear in an instant if I so wished; I didn't fear Heero, I knew that if it came down to a fight, I would win. Wait...I would win? That's nonsense, I would never be able to match the Perfect Soldier in hand to hand. Yet, the confidence that I could indeed, beat Heero, was not displaced. You could beat him if you choose to, Duo. Nyx whispered.
I no longer cared. I was having more fun then I had had in a long time. Finally, I may have found a worthy opponent. I knew suddenly, what was happening; who was waking from it's slumber. Shinigami was awakening; and he found Heero Yuy amusing.
Heero moved cautiously through the woods. His senses shrieked that there was danger near. It actually was the same feeling that he got when he was around Duo when he was fighting or pissed. Like there was something lurking just under the surface; something that was very dangerous. The was a light sigh from above him; faster then he could even form the thought; his instincts had grabbed his gun, snapped it up, and fired one shot at the sound. There was an eerie silence that spread across the forest. Then there was a distinctive snap, and the sound of a tree branch breaking. Heero glanced up, and could barely make out the form of a man falling with the branch. Again, instincts reacted, his mind already planning out his attack. Heero was on the figure before it fell. The figure was moving even as it fell, it went into a roll. It, he, Heero guessed, grabbed the Japanese boy's wrist, as he lunged at it, put his feet in Heero' stomach and threw him backwards using the momentum of the fall. Heero landed hard, on his shoulder, sliding for nearly a foot before coming to his feet. By then, the figure was on his feet. Heero froze. The figure before him seemed to be created from the very fabric of the night. He was dressed all in black, from head to foot. The tight clothing showed off the boy's lithe figure, and seemed to blend in with the shadows. He had long dark hair that blew wildly around his head, obscuring his face; and not making him appear the slightest bit femine. However, what caused Heero to freeze were the two glowing green orbs that starred out at him from the mass of swirling hair. Heero and the figure starred at each other for what seemed like hours, then dark figure smiled, gave Heero a wink, and disappeared into the shadows.
Heero stood in the forest, for several moments, trying to gather his thoughts. Then slowly he made his way back to the school; nursing his injuried shoulder.
I knelt in the middle of my dorm room, trying to calm my breathing. Heero just came over the wall, the others are going to meet him Nyx's voice said next to me. The tiny demon hovered in the air in front of my nose, looking at me with concerned eyes. "You ok, babe?" she asked, her voice was soft but clear in the silent room, it sounded like it should have been coming from a larger creature. "Not really." I whispered. She gave me a small understanding smile, "Get changed, and hide your clothes so Heero won't know it was you who kicked his ass." My mind was foggy, so I just nodded and did as my sister spirit told me. Five minutes later, I was laying on my bed propped up on some pillows with Nyx sitting on my kneecap. My head was clearer now, I could think. "Ok...so spill, what the hell happened back there?" I asked, I could feel fine tremors still going through my body.
"It's one of the reasons that I'm here." Nyx said softly. What? One of the reasons she was here? What was she talking about? "As you know, no one who spends as much time in the company of Death will come away from it unaffected. Some people go crazy, some withdraw. But a very few specific people, live through it; as you and your friends have." "You mean the others have little demons flying around them like you?" I asked, I knew there wasn't, I was just feeling a little bit defensive. Nyx glared at me. "Don't be an idiot, I know you're not one. The others don't have guardians like me. You happen to be kinda a special case."
"Right...." I said, not really knowing what to say.
"Just shut up and listen Maxwell." Nyx snapped, then in a quieter voice, "You are one of the very few people who have been in the company of Death pratically since birth. Because of this, you are different from your comrades. You came to the attention of my....employer I guess you could call them, after the death of your parents. However, all the normal guardians saw that a war was brewing, and knew that you would be a trouble maker; that protecting you would be next to impossible. So I volenteered. As you know, I am not an angel. I am a demon, a demon of death to be exact. I, while I can heal and do good things, am better at causeing death and destruction. It is what my previous life made me into. Anyway, due to the combine effects of being around me, and being a soldier; you are changing; adapting like you're life has forced you to always do, adapt to survive. If you weren't a soldier, or if you didn't have me, things might be different. I don't know. Some people won't change, some will. It's like the concept of survival of the strongest. In your case you're adapting to best suit your life now, at war..."
"What am I turning into then?" I asked, almost afraid to ask; yet also in the back of my mind, I knew the answer. After all, I may run, I may hide, but I never tell a lie...even to myself...
"You are becoming your namesake, Duo, love. You are becoming Shinigami; the god of death."
I lay on my bed for a very long time, not moving. My head was spinning. Shinigami? Me? I wanted to deny it, that I wasn't becoming a god of death, but in my deepest darkest part of my heart, I knew it was true, and I kinda liked the idea. I hadn't said anything to Nyx since she made her declaration. I felt a bit mad at her for keeping this from me. Though, I guess she was hoping I would be one of those that didn't change. Suddenly I wanted to cry. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was in shock, denial, stressed. Most of all, I felt suddenly very, very alone. "Nyx..." I whispered, calling my best friend and sister; no matter how mad at her I thought I was, she was all I had. Nyx had been sitting on the open window seal, starring out into the night. I could feel the pain she felt; she thought I would send her away when I finally thought everything out. She turned her head to look at me, her golden eyes were sad. I knew she was thinking about her past, all the pain of her previous life and the wounds that even after several centuries, had yet to fully heal. "Come lay with me, sister?" I asked, wanting nothing more then to feel her next to me. I suddenly wished furiously that Heero wouldn't come back, that way Nyx could take on her human form, and hold me like she had when I was a kid. Instead, Nyx did the next best thing; she shifted into a large black cat and curled up next to me. I turned on my side, and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me like a stuffed animal. It was almost laughable, the big bad god of death cuddling up to a black cat because he was lonely. "I would never send you away sister..." I whisper to her. Nyx nuzzled my cheek, "And given the choice, I would always choice you brother of mine, no matter how reckless you are." Nyx gave my nose a quick swipe with her sandpaper tongue, curled up, and started purring. I smiled, the first real smile I had done in weeks; and drifted off to sleep no longer feeling lonely.
Heero moved quietly to his room. Him and the other pilots had stayed up late, discussing the appearance of the mysterious creature that Heero had followed into the forest. He still didn't know what it was; though, the thought continued to bounce around in the back of his mind that the figure seemed familiar. He quietly opened his dorm room door and walked in, hoping not to waking the sleeping Deathscythe pilot. Heero paused at the edge of his bed, which was across the small square room from Duo's. He looked at his teammate and possibly best friend. He blinked in surprise; Duo had his hair down. He was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts, his blankets were kicked down to the end of the bed. Duo was turned on his side, a small smile curved his lips. What was he thinking, that made him smile so sweetly? Heero wondered. The boy looked peaceful, his nightmare abandoning him for the night. Heero smiled; then he noticed that one of Duo's arms was wrapped around something large and fuzzy. Heero crept silently up to his friend's bed, the black ball moved. Two bright golden eyes starred at him. Heero gapped, a cat! Heero took a step back, startled. When had Duo gotten a cat? The olden eyes creature starred at Heero, and he could have sworn that the damned cat was laughing at him. Then the cat yawned largly then laid it's head back down, wrapping it's fluffy black tail around it's nose. Queitly Heero turned and climbed into his own bed, very confused, and having the strangest idea that the cat insulted him some way...
~*~
Review please.....let me know what you like and what you didn't....all comments welcome...however flames will be laughed at so I wouldn't even bother....
Don't think for a second that I didn't know what was going on. I wonder if they know that I noticed their efforts; the way they watched me when they thought I wasn't paying attention to them, or the way they conviently found excuses to talk to me or walk to class with me. Living on the streets hones your instincts down to a very fine point, and quite frankly, my instincts were screaming at me. I always knew when I had an audience. I had too, on the streets if you weren't totally aware of your surroundings, then you were dead. Even when I'm asleep I am aware. They think that Heero has a hair trigger when he's sleeping; having more then once been woken up and instantly pointing a gun at the person. I'm worse, my sleep is always light, the slightest noise will disturb be until I get use to it. It took me forever to get use to sleeping in the same room with Heero for the sheer fact that his breathing was different. Normally by the first night I had memorized what all my surroundings sounded like; it was people that made me nervous. So, I noticed the sly looks Wufei and Quatre gave me when they thought I wasn't looking; those looks were inquisitive...they were memorizing and examining the things I did. . Good thing that the way I acted in school and around others wasn't how I truelly was. Though, I have a sneaking suspicion that they know that. How interesting. Entertaining, isn't it sister? I thought. I felt Nyx grin, Quite she purred. They honestly don't give you any credit, dear heart...do they think that we wouldn't notice them? Even Heero has been acting strange. Indeed, Heero had asked me where I was going last night; it had floored me. Heero barely spoke two words to me, much less inquire into my evening. I snorted. We need to figure out why they are suddenly so curious in me. I replied; Nyx nodded.
That night, when the others when for their weekly study group. Normally I had a basketball game I went to; but today, I decided to turn in from the game early. I walked up to my room and showered; a good hunter couldn't stink other wise the prey would notice...and we can't have that. After I showered and thoroughly dried my hair; I ghosted down stairs and out into the night. The night was warm having just a touch of winter on the breeze. I quickly walked over to the conviently open library window and glanced in. Damn...how convient...the guys were sitting right next to the window. I grinned. Don't you just love it when that happens, Nyx's smug voice purred next to my ear. The demoness appeared at my shoulder, one of her tiny hands wrapped in my hair. I gave her my best cheshier grin, Don't you know it. I replied. I croutched under the library window and listened, it took a while but I was finally able to filter out all the surrounding noise, and focus on the guy's conversation.
"You find out anything useful?" Quatre's voice asked.
"Doctor J replied, but didn't offer up any useful information. Only that Maxwell was from the L2 colony. He didn't have any information to offer, there's no mention of his history, his family anything." Heero reported.
"And there isn't any record of a Duo Maxwell anywhere. He is known as the Gundam Deathscythe Pilot and that's it. However there are dozens of Maxwell's, and a few of them were on the L2 colony." Trowa said. "Two families with the name, both middle class; there's no record of any of them having a missing family member."
"And the others?" Quatre asked.
"Only one other, a man known as Father Maxwell, he was in charge of a Church, as it happened the church also doubled as an orphanage. Ten years before our decent to Earth, the former Alliance and Rebels on the colony had a battle that wiped out the church. The tragedy, as the paper put it, as adiquetly named the Maxwell Church incident." Trowa said.
Silence greeted this statement. "Do you think...." Quatre said hesitantly, "Do you think that Duo was an orphan on L2?" There was a hint of fear and pity in his tone. I growled low in my throat. I hated pity. I was not ashamed of my past, all that happened there had helped me grow stronger thus allowing me to get where I was. Granted there were a few incidents in my life that I wasn't proud of, but I had accepted them and pushed them into the back of my mind.
"I hope not;" Trowa said softly, "I've heard nothing good about the L2 colonies, most of them were poor and over run with crime and sickness...there's even child prostitution on L2, and it's legal..."
"Oh, poor Duo..." Quatre whispered. I ground my teeth together, I could practically see the thoughts running through the blondes head. Now Quatre thought that he, Duo, had been a child prostitute. Nyx snarled softly on my shoulder. Foolish child, does he really think you would sink so low? I gave an annoyed shrug. Who the hell knew, knowing Quatre, he probably did.
"That's nonsense, Quatre and you know it!" Wufei growled; "I may not be very close to the baka, but I know for a fact that he wouldn't stoop so low!"
"If there was nothing else that he could do, Duo wouldn't have a choice, Wufei." Heero stated, matter-of-factly. Now Heero agreed with them? WUfei turned on Heero.
"Do you, honestly believe that Duo Maxwell, the self proclaimed God of Death, would allow himself to be used as sexual entertainment?" He snarled. Heero starred at Wufei with cold emotionless blue eyes. "No, Wufei, I don't think that. Duo is a thief, not a whore."
I grinned; Got it in one, Heero baby!
"HEY!" a voice cried behind Duo. Shit, company love, Nyx's voice confirmed. I glanced behind me, it was the night watchman. Wonderful, absolutely bloody wonderful.
"What was that?" Heero's voice asked. I could hear the chairs moving. Shit, shit, shit! What else could happen?! Suddenly I heard the sound of dogs. I could feel Nyx giving me on of those 'you had to ask looks'. Tucking my braid into my shirt, I sprinted from my spot behind the bush.
"Hold it right there!" the security guy yelled. Uh...no I don't think so. I thought; heading for the North wall. From there I could disappear into the woods, and circle back. Once I hit the shadows, then I would be safe. It was this damned open yard that was the problem.
Move faster sugar, Nyx said, I could just barely feel the light brush of her wings near my ear as she flew next to me. I gave a quick glance back...and swore vementally. Not only were there dogs on my tail, but so was Heero. Shit! I would rather have the dogs then the fucking Perfect Soldier! My foot slide on the wet grass, nearly ending it all there. Focus on escaping idiot! Nyx snapped, you are far better at disappearing then Heero ever could hope to be. Plus you have me. Just get to the fucking trees! Yes ma'am.
The ten foot wall the surrounded the school was suddenly looming in front of me. Without thinking twice, I leapt straight up, easily clearing the stone wall, leaving the dogs snapping at my heels in frustration. I didn't pause to savor my victory; Heero would be on me in seconds. As soon as my feet hit the ground, sprinted for the forest edge twenty feet away. I glanced back long enough to see Heero clear the wall, and come sprinting after me. Too late Yuy! I snickered, two more steps and I was in the forest. I paused in the shadows of the upper branches of a large pine tree. I watched as the Japanese boy came cautiously into the forest. I moved slowly, and silently. I could barely even sense his presence. I glanced at Nyx. She shrugged, he's a hunter babe, remember? He's been trained since he was a kid to hunt and kill. So it would be natural for him to be able to become silent. I watched, Heero was very close, as long as I didn't move, I shouldn't have a problem.
"I know you're here," Heero's voice whispered into the night. I froze, concentrating on keeping my breathing and heartbeat regular. "Why were you spying on us?" he asked, his voice as close as I've ever heard it to a snarl.
I smiled, as soft laughter began to build in my throat. I could feel the pulse of the night around me, it was intoxicating. Something seemed to uncurl in my belly, I no longer had any fear. I knew that I could disappear in an instant if I so wished; I didn't fear Heero, I knew that if it came down to a fight, I would win. Wait...I would win? That's nonsense, I would never be able to match the Perfect Soldier in hand to hand. Yet, the confidence that I could indeed, beat Heero, was not displaced. You could beat him if you choose to, Duo. Nyx whispered.
I no longer cared. I was having more fun then I had had in a long time. Finally, I may have found a worthy opponent. I knew suddenly, what was happening; who was waking from it's slumber. Shinigami was awakening; and he found Heero Yuy amusing.
Heero moved cautiously through the woods. His senses shrieked that there was danger near. It actually was the same feeling that he got when he was around Duo when he was fighting or pissed. Like there was something lurking just under the surface; something that was very dangerous. The was a light sigh from above him; faster then he could even form the thought; his instincts had grabbed his gun, snapped it up, and fired one shot at the sound. There was an eerie silence that spread across the forest. Then there was a distinctive snap, and the sound of a tree branch breaking. Heero glanced up, and could barely make out the form of a man falling with the branch. Again, instincts reacted, his mind already planning out his attack. Heero was on the figure before it fell. The figure was moving even as it fell, it went into a roll. It, he, Heero guessed, grabbed the Japanese boy's wrist, as he lunged at it, put his feet in Heero' stomach and threw him backwards using the momentum of the fall. Heero landed hard, on his shoulder, sliding for nearly a foot before coming to his feet. By then, the figure was on his feet. Heero froze. The figure before him seemed to be created from the very fabric of the night. He was dressed all in black, from head to foot. The tight clothing showed off the boy's lithe figure, and seemed to blend in with the shadows. He had long dark hair that blew wildly around his head, obscuring his face; and not making him appear the slightest bit femine. However, what caused Heero to freeze were the two glowing green orbs that starred out at him from the mass of swirling hair. Heero and the figure starred at each other for what seemed like hours, then dark figure smiled, gave Heero a wink, and disappeared into the shadows.
Heero stood in the forest, for several moments, trying to gather his thoughts. Then slowly he made his way back to the school; nursing his injuried shoulder.
I knelt in the middle of my dorm room, trying to calm my breathing. Heero just came over the wall, the others are going to meet him Nyx's voice said next to me. The tiny demon hovered in the air in front of my nose, looking at me with concerned eyes. "You ok, babe?" she asked, her voice was soft but clear in the silent room, it sounded like it should have been coming from a larger creature. "Not really." I whispered. She gave me a small understanding smile, "Get changed, and hide your clothes so Heero won't know it was you who kicked his ass." My mind was foggy, so I just nodded and did as my sister spirit told me. Five minutes later, I was laying on my bed propped up on some pillows with Nyx sitting on my kneecap. My head was clearer now, I could think. "Ok...so spill, what the hell happened back there?" I asked, I could feel fine tremors still going through my body.
"It's one of the reasons that I'm here." Nyx said softly. What? One of the reasons she was here? What was she talking about? "As you know, no one who spends as much time in the company of Death will come away from it unaffected. Some people go crazy, some withdraw. But a very few specific people, live through it; as you and your friends have." "You mean the others have little demons flying around them like you?" I asked, I knew there wasn't, I was just feeling a little bit defensive. Nyx glared at me. "Don't be an idiot, I know you're not one. The others don't have guardians like me. You happen to be kinda a special case."
"Right...." I said, not really knowing what to say.
"Just shut up and listen Maxwell." Nyx snapped, then in a quieter voice, "You are one of the very few people who have been in the company of Death pratically since birth. Because of this, you are different from your comrades. You came to the attention of my....employer I guess you could call them, after the death of your parents. However, all the normal guardians saw that a war was brewing, and knew that you would be a trouble maker; that protecting you would be next to impossible. So I volenteered. As you know, I am not an angel. I am a demon, a demon of death to be exact. I, while I can heal and do good things, am better at causeing death and destruction. It is what my previous life made me into. Anyway, due to the combine effects of being around me, and being a soldier; you are changing; adapting like you're life has forced you to always do, adapt to survive. If you weren't a soldier, or if you didn't have me, things might be different. I don't know. Some people won't change, some will. It's like the concept of survival of the strongest. In your case you're adapting to best suit your life now, at war..."
"What am I turning into then?" I asked, almost afraid to ask; yet also in the back of my mind, I knew the answer. After all, I may run, I may hide, but I never tell a lie...even to myself...
"You are becoming your namesake, Duo, love. You are becoming Shinigami; the god of death."
I lay on my bed for a very long time, not moving. My head was spinning. Shinigami? Me? I wanted to deny it, that I wasn't becoming a god of death, but in my deepest darkest part of my heart, I knew it was true, and I kinda liked the idea. I hadn't said anything to Nyx since she made her declaration. I felt a bit mad at her for keeping this from me. Though, I guess she was hoping I would be one of those that didn't change. Suddenly I wanted to cry. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was in shock, denial, stressed. Most of all, I felt suddenly very, very alone. "Nyx..." I whispered, calling my best friend and sister; no matter how mad at her I thought I was, she was all I had. Nyx had been sitting on the open window seal, starring out into the night. I could feel the pain she felt; she thought I would send her away when I finally thought everything out. She turned her head to look at me, her golden eyes were sad. I knew she was thinking about her past, all the pain of her previous life and the wounds that even after several centuries, had yet to fully heal. "Come lay with me, sister?" I asked, wanting nothing more then to feel her next to me. I suddenly wished furiously that Heero wouldn't come back, that way Nyx could take on her human form, and hold me like she had when I was a kid. Instead, Nyx did the next best thing; she shifted into a large black cat and curled up next to me. I turned on my side, and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me like a stuffed animal. It was almost laughable, the big bad god of death cuddling up to a black cat because he was lonely. "I would never send you away sister..." I whisper to her. Nyx nuzzled my cheek, "And given the choice, I would always choice you brother of mine, no matter how reckless you are." Nyx gave my nose a quick swipe with her sandpaper tongue, curled up, and started purring. I smiled, the first real smile I had done in weeks; and drifted off to sleep no longer feeling lonely.
Heero moved quietly to his room. Him and the other pilots had stayed up late, discussing the appearance of the mysterious creature that Heero had followed into the forest. He still didn't know what it was; though, the thought continued to bounce around in the back of his mind that the figure seemed familiar. He quietly opened his dorm room door and walked in, hoping not to waking the sleeping Deathscythe pilot. Heero paused at the edge of his bed, which was across the small square room from Duo's. He looked at his teammate and possibly best friend. He blinked in surprise; Duo had his hair down. He was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts, his blankets were kicked down to the end of the bed. Duo was turned on his side, a small smile curved his lips. What was he thinking, that made him smile so sweetly? Heero wondered. The boy looked peaceful, his nightmare abandoning him for the night. Heero smiled; then he noticed that one of Duo's arms was wrapped around something large and fuzzy. Heero crept silently up to his friend's bed, the black ball moved. Two bright golden eyes starred at him. Heero gapped, a cat! Heero took a step back, startled. When had Duo gotten a cat? The olden eyes creature starred at Heero, and he could have sworn that the damned cat was laughing at him. Then the cat yawned largly then laid it's head back down, wrapping it's fluffy black tail around it's nose. Queitly Heero turned and climbed into his own bed, very confused, and having the strangest idea that the cat insulted him some way...
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Review please.....let me know what you like and what you didn't....all comments welcome...however flames will be laughed at so I wouldn't even bother....