Chapter one: Questions
Duo stared out into the endless abyss called space. How many years had it been since his buddy Death-scythe had been destroyed? He missed his bud, almost as much as he missed being called Shinkami, God of Death. He flopped back onto the grass and thought about Heero. Damn that guy, how he pissed Duo off. Duo wanted to talk to that asshole about a problem, and true to Heero's nature, the baka no yaro had just upped and disappeared. He missed that annoying WuFei, and all his other friends. Shinkami. The two simple syllables that made the word God of Death were so simple, yet so agonizingly... meaningful. Death gave you a reason to live. Death took you as it pleased. Being the God of Death was so much more than what people thought you were. But he wasn't the God of Death. Never was, and never would be. Duo stared into the sky. This twenty-fifth year of his life was the most boring and lonely year he had spent since the ending of the war. He sighed.
"Out! Out of my bar! I don't care who the hell you are, GET OUT!" Duo found himself sprawled on the outside of a bar, the bar owner yelling furiously at him. "I've gotta tell ya," he slurred, "I'm Shinkami. Watch what yer sayin' bud." "Yeah, and I've got a boyfriend!" The bar owner laughed. He slung his arm around a girl's shoulder. The girl looked repulsed and brushed the bar owner's hand off her. "Watch what you're sayin, dude. My buddy, Quatre Winner, is,"—Hiccup—"Bisexual." "Yeah, and I'm sure I'm a woman!" The bar owner sneered and pointed at his crotch. The girl who brushed the owner off looked even more repulsed when the owner tried to mimic thrusting behind her. She kicked the owner in the groin and strode over to Duo. Duo hiccupped and laughed as he watched the bar owner squirm in absolute pain on the ground. "Duo-kun, please, get up." The girl said. "That's Shinkami to ya." "Suck it up, you slob, get off the floor, or I'll kick you in the groin too." The girl said, changing her tone of voice. Duo's fuzzy memory remembered something but was mostly fixed on the "Kick" and "groin" part, so he got up, albeit a bit slowly and wobbly. The girl took his arm, put it around her neck and helped Duo. She pushed Duo into the back seat of her car and Duo fell asleep, happily curled up.
He awoke, naked, under a thin, satin-like sheet. "Oh Jesus! I'm naked!" Duo said, looking around for clothes. "Oh, you're awake." The girl's voice came. "Where are my clothes?" "In the wash. You puked on them." She walked into the doorway and Duo was surprised by the girl's face. "Heero..." "No. Not Heero. Heero was my older brother." "Heero has a sister?" Duo said, the followed by a "Was?" "Was. He's dead." "Dead?" "Dead." The girl confirmed. "That God dammed Son-of-a-bitch! Dammit! He said he would come back! He said he would go see Risha! He said he wouldn't die. Dammit..." Duo collapsed, wearily onto the bed he lay on. He hadn't cried in a while. "Why don't you cry? You'll feel better." "My mom told me...boys don't cry..." Irony, that he was using that phrase after ten years. The girl sat down besides Duo, who closed his eyes. "I used to think that, too. My master told me never to cry. But. I grew up, and after the war, things like that are unnecessary, unneeded." She got up. Duo started staring at her, starting with her head. She had long blonde-brown hair, dark blue eyes, similar to Heero's. His eyes trailed down her neck and he stopped when he realized that she was wearing an almost see through night-gown that fell down her body and emphasized her... "Yow!" Duo said, as his face was slapped. "Stop gawking, and change, dick head." She pointed to a pile of clothes on the floor and left Duo to gawk by himself.
Duo picked up the clothes and stopped in his tracks. It was Heero's clothes. The same damned tank that Heero also wore and... spandex??? She expected him to WEAR spandex? She had to be kidding, especially if he was near her and if she wore those translucent nightgowns. There was NO way he would wear this. Maybe she had jeans that he could wear. "Done yet?" Duo heard. "No. Do you have jeans?" "Check the dressers." Came the quiet, monotonic voice. "What's your name?" Duo asked. Silence. "I don't have one. Heero just called me Imoto." "Sister?" "Yes." "I'll call you Diana." "Diana." "You're like the moon. You're beautiful, but so untouchable, as if you were made of ice." "..." Duo put on the jeans, but didn't touch the shirt. It smelled too much like Heero for his taste, and Duo didn't want to remember that Heero was dead. He walked out and saw her cooking. She wore a red tank top and short denim shorts. She looked at him and asked, "Why aren't you wearing a shirt." "Smells too much like Heero." "..." She looked at him then turned her eyes back to the frying pan. "Who's Risha." "Heero's daughter." "She's dead." "WHAT?" "She died two days ago. Relena was assassinated and Risha was killed along with her mother." Duo shut up and put his head in his hands. The world was falling apart. First Hilde... then Heero, now the sweet innocent Risha? Risha... his godchild. The sweet, beautiful butterfly... "I was there. She died peacefully." "You—what? How do you know?" Diana gave him a glare, which was cushioned by the tiny light, which held some sympathy. Her look, on the other hand, said, "Don't ask." Duo stayed quiet. Diana walked over and turned on the news. "Today, there is a the funeral of Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. She and her daughter are being laid to rest beside some of her comrades of the war of AC 165. Chang WuFei, Quarter Winner, and Trowa Barton, each killed by bomb blasts set off the same time as Relena Darlain..." Duo stared blankly at the screen. They're dead... They... They... Arms enclosed on him and Duo leaned into the arms—and cried. How many more of his friends would die? Dammit, dammit! He leaned closer, the arms reminding him of something so long ago that he could not quite remember, the calm soothing voice that sung a quiet lullaby—"Hush now baby don't you cry..." Duo stopped crying, and lay there, content. He fell asleep in the arms and welcomed the darkness that gave him relief...
Duo stared out into the endless abyss called space. How many years had it been since his buddy Death-scythe had been destroyed? He missed his bud, almost as much as he missed being called Shinkami, God of Death. He flopped back onto the grass and thought about Heero. Damn that guy, how he pissed Duo off. Duo wanted to talk to that asshole about a problem, and true to Heero's nature, the baka no yaro had just upped and disappeared. He missed that annoying WuFei, and all his other friends. Shinkami. The two simple syllables that made the word God of Death were so simple, yet so agonizingly... meaningful. Death gave you a reason to live. Death took you as it pleased. Being the God of Death was so much more than what people thought you were. But he wasn't the God of Death. Never was, and never would be. Duo stared into the sky. This twenty-fifth year of his life was the most boring and lonely year he had spent since the ending of the war. He sighed.
"Out! Out of my bar! I don't care who the hell you are, GET OUT!" Duo found himself sprawled on the outside of a bar, the bar owner yelling furiously at him. "I've gotta tell ya," he slurred, "I'm Shinkami. Watch what yer sayin' bud." "Yeah, and I've got a boyfriend!" The bar owner laughed. He slung his arm around a girl's shoulder. The girl looked repulsed and brushed the bar owner's hand off her. "Watch what you're sayin, dude. My buddy, Quatre Winner, is,"—Hiccup—"Bisexual." "Yeah, and I'm sure I'm a woman!" The bar owner sneered and pointed at his crotch. The girl who brushed the owner off looked even more repulsed when the owner tried to mimic thrusting behind her. She kicked the owner in the groin and strode over to Duo. Duo hiccupped and laughed as he watched the bar owner squirm in absolute pain on the ground. "Duo-kun, please, get up." The girl said. "That's Shinkami to ya." "Suck it up, you slob, get off the floor, or I'll kick you in the groin too." The girl said, changing her tone of voice. Duo's fuzzy memory remembered something but was mostly fixed on the "Kick" and "groin" part, so he got up, albeit a bit slowly and wobbly. The girl took his arm, put it around her neck and helped Duo. She pushed Duo into the back seat of her car and Duo fell asleep, happily curled up.
He awoke, naked, under a thin, satin-like sheet. "Oh Jesus! I'm naked!" Duo said, looking around for clothes. "Oh, you're awake." The girl's voice came. "Where are my clothes?" "In the wash. You puked on them." She walked into the doorway and Duo was surprised by the girl's face. "Heero..." "No. Not Heero. Heero was my older brother." "Heero has a sister?" Duo said, the followed by a "Was?" "Was. He's dead." "Dead?" "Dead." The girl confirmed. "That God dammed Son-of-a-bitch! Dammit! He said he would come back! He said he would go see Risha! He said he wouldn't die. Dammit..." Duo collapsed, wearily onto the bed he lay on. He hadn't cried in a while. "Why don't you cry? You'll feel better." "My mom told me...boys don't cry..." Irony, that he was using that phrase after ten years. The girl sat down besides Duo, who closed his eyes. "I used to think that, too. My master told me never to cry. But. I grew up, and after the war, things like that are unnecessary, unneeded." She got up. Duo started staring at her, starting with her head. She had long blonde-brown hair, dark blue eyes, similar to Heero's. His eyes trailed down her neck and he stopped when he realized that she was wearing an almost see through night-gown that fell down her body and emphasized her... "Yow!" Duo said, as his face was slapped. "Stop gawking, and change, dick head." She pointed to a pile of clothes on the floor and left Duo to gawk by himself.
Duo picked up the clothes and stopped in his tracks. It was Heero's clothes. The same damned tank that Heero also wore and... spandex??? She expected him to WEAR spandex? She had to be kidding, especially if he was near her and if she wore those translucent nightgowns. There was NO way he would wear this. Maybe she had jeans that he could wear. "Done yet?" Duo heard. "No. Do you have jeans?" "Check the dressers." Came the quiet, monotonic voice. "What's your name?" Duo asked. Silence. "I don't have one. Heero just called me Imoto." "Sister?" "Yes." "I'll call you Diana." "Diana." "You're like the moon. You're beautiful, but so untouchable, as if you were made of ice." "..." Duo put on the jeans, but didn't touch the shirt. It smelled too much like Heero for his taste, and Duo didn't want to remember that Heero was dead. He walked out and saw her cooking. She wore a red tank top and short denim shorts. She looked at him and asked, "Why aren't you wearing a shirt." "Smells too much like Heero." "..." She looked at him then turned her eyes back to the frying pan. "Who's Risha." "Heero's daughter." "She's dead." "WHAT?" "She died two days ago. Relena was assassinated and Risha was killed along with her mother." Duo shut up and put his head in his hands. The world was falling apart. First Hilde... then Heero, now the sweet innocent Risha? Risha... his godchild. The sweet, beautiful butterfly... "I was there. She died peacefully." "You—what? How do you know?" Diana gave him a glare, which was cushioned by the tiny light, which held some sympathy. Her look, on the other hand, said, "Don't ask." Duo stayed quiet. Diana walked over and turned on the news. "Today, there is a the funeral of Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. She and her daughter are being laid to rest beside some of her comrades of the war of AC 165. Chang WuFei, Quarter Winner, and Trowa Barton, each killed by bomb blasts set off the same time as Relena Darlain..." Duo stared blankly at the screen. They're dead... They... They... Arms enclosed on him and Duo leaned into the arms—and cried. How many more of his friends would die? Dammit, dammit! He leaned closer, the arms reminding him of something so long ago that he could not quite remember, the calm soothing voice that sung a quiet lullaby—"Hush now baby don't you cry..." Duo stopped crying, and lay there, content. He fell asleep in the arms and welcomed the darkness that gave him relief...