Disclaimer: is in the first chapter. Don't bother me about it.

AN Alright, sorry about the two week wait (at least, I think that was two weeks) but I was attacked by a few plot-bunnies. Yes, it was a very painful experience, thanks for caring. And thank you so much for your enthusiasm! I'm still not sure exactly where the plot is in this, but it will probably end up being Duo-centric. And it probably will center on the adoption and the China trip. Also, please excuse my poor spelling. I know it's bad and I'm lectured on it almost every day. Just send me correct spellings (preferably of names) and I'll fix what ever needs it.

I'll let you read now.

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Chapter 2

Duo snuck into the Maxwell Church well after his curfew. He went through the backdoor, carefully skirting around any object that could give away his position if he knocked into it. It also helped that he had the kitchen layout memorized and he could move smaller objects out of his way with just his mind. The light switched on, and Duo was revealed in the sudden bright of the church kitchen. He had to fight the impulse to drop to the floor and hide.

"If you got back on time... you wouldn't have to sneak in, you know." Sister Helen scolded him, still dressed in her nun's habit. "Duo, why do we have to go through this every week? Your curfew is midnight, the Friday night party's end at eleven, and I know you like to spend time with your friends afterwards, and I respect that. But could you at least get in on time?"

Duo winced, guilt washing over him like a thunderstorm. "Gomen nansai, Helen nee-sama." He said quietly.

"And don't cut into Japanese when we're talking." Sister Helen sighed, walking over to the small table and pulling out two chairs, gesturing for Duo to sit down.

The long haired boy opened his mouth, only to be cut off once again.

"Nor can you speak in Chinese, German, Arabic or Sign-language." The nun added briskly, pointing at the still empty chair as if to say: "sit, or else." Blue eyes flashed.

The teen meekly sat down. "I'm really sorry, Sister Helen," Duo said sincerely, "but there was this killer meteor shower tonight and we lost track of time." He offered his most charming smile. Of course, his story was only a half truth. He and Heero had stayed behind for a bit after the others had left in order to meet their own curfews. But the meteor shower had been amazing to watch and being able for Duo and Heero to spend time alone together was something that was hard to find.

"Oh Duo," Sister Helen laughed, finally cracking. "I don't know what to do with you! Get to bed before any of the others wake up." She swatted at him lightly as he passed her.

With one final smile, Duo hurried out of the kitchen before Sister Helen could remember about the incident at school earlier that day that she had, no doubt, gotten a phone call for. The incident being the most recent Bathroom Incident. With what could be considered skill, but was probably just dumb luck - he made it up to his room without hassle and immediately flopped on his bed, ready to sleep the rest of the weekend away.

===

Heero's sleep was disturbed because of his phone headset going off right in his ear. No matter how often it happened, he still jumped in surprise and had to restrain himself from throwing the phone across his room to shatter like his previous headset. He also had a problem falling asleep without the head-set on, so every night, no matter how tired he was, he put on the phone head-set. Even if it meant being awoken by its shrill scream each and every morning.

"Moshi, moshi?" He yawned. He had nothing against answering the phone in his native tongue. There were only four people who called him on his private line, and each of them spoke Japanese either fluently, or well enough to engage in a fairly complex conversation.

"Ohayoo, Heero-san!" Quatre's bright voice said from the other end, sounding as though he had been awake for hours, which wasn't unlikely.

"Ugh," Heero muttered, rolling onto his back and burying his head under his pillow. "Nan-ji desu ka?"

"It's ten o'clock." His blond friend answered in a chirpy voice, still sounding way too cheerful for Heero's tastes. "We're going to head into the city for a bit of arcading this afternoon and maybe a movie later tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Who all is going?" Heero asked, finally reverting back into English.

"Just the five of us. So, are you going to come with us or not?" Quatre pressed, almost impatiently - which was nearly unheard of.

"Doko?" Heero asked finally, removing his head from under the pillow and abandoning all thoughts of going back to sleep.

"North Street." His friend told him. "Would you mind picking up Duo and Wufei? We'll meet for lunch at The Noodle, at twelve thirty, my treat."

Heero agreed and the two boys hung up. Half an hour later Heero had showered, dressed and was sitting down with his stepfather for a late breakfast.

"Boy." Odin Lowe acknowledged him before turning back to his newspaper and otherwise ignoring him.

The dark haired teen didn't even bother to say anything and polished off his cereal before getting up. "I'll be out all day." He said gruffly to the man before turning on his heal and making his way to the door. He slipped on his sneakers and headed for his car - just back from the repair shop.

He stopped at Wufei's house first and ended up spending the twenty minutes he was there in conversation with Wufei's mother while his friend finished his morning martial arts training with his father. Then, it was off to the Maxwell Church and Orphanage for Duo. It took nearly an hour and no less than five small children to wake the boy up and get him ready to go.

"Jeez," Duo complained, tying off the end of his trademark braid in the back of Heero's jeep. "Could you be any more impatient?" He finished with his hair and leaned forward just far enough to rest his chin on Wufei's shoulder, just to irritate him.

As was expected, Wufei shoved him off with a scowl and said something derogatory in his own native tongue - Chinese.

"Ah, Wu... that wasn't very nice!" Duo teased. "And if you're going to insult me... do it in a language I *don't* know."

The Chinese boy glowered and opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment, they pulled into The Noodle's parking lot and he found his lap occupied by a familiar brown cat with green eyes.

"Trowa," Duo grinned from the backseat, launching himself out of the car before leaning over the passenger door and scooping up his friend, scratching behind his furry ears.

Next moment, Trowa Barton appeared in Duo's arms and was unceremoniously dropped on the pavement because of the sudden addition of weight.

"Warn a guy before you transform like that next time!" Duo pouted, lowering a hand to help his friend back to his feet.

Trowa laughed and accepted the hand. "Come on," he said with a warm smile. "Quatre's already got us a table."

The Noodle was a small shop that not many Gundam High students knew about. It was relatively quiet and, as the name suggested, served mostly pasta. It was arranged almost like an inside-outside cafe, old fashioned street-lights standing next to tables, small white fences separating the diners and guests. The tables and chairs were made of either sculpted metal or woven wicker branches, which ended up giving the shop a very quaint look.

The boys all trooped inside to sit at their regular table, greeting Quatre as they sat down. The blond boy grinned at them all and handed out menus. The waitress that always served them approached the five teens, already carrying their usual drinks.

===

"I can't believe you two cleared the final level of Dance Dance Revolution ...on the first try!" Wufei muttered, glaring at Heero and Duo. Said boys were currently adding their names to the very short list of high scorers.

Duo finished his own name and jumped down with a grin. "You're just mad because I wouldn't dance with you." He laughed, taking no offence from Wufei's words what-so-ever. They'd been best friends since the second grade, why get mad over something so stupid?

Quatre grinned at them before turning to Trowa. "Why don't you ever play the games, Tro?" He asked. "Don't want to ruin your image or something?"

"Dammit! Stop reading my mind!" Trowa laughed, giving his friend a light smack on the shoulder.

"Sorry," Quatre said without loosing a beat. "The quiet ones always have the most interesting thoughts."

The group of five burst out laughing, knowing that Quatre would never tap into their thoughts unless he was given permission first. It was one of their unsaid rules. They would never use their gifts to hurt each other. The fact that they had such gifts was a secret to them and they did their best to keep them as such. This was another reason why they kept apart during the most of school hours. If one of them was found out, the others weren't likely be affected.

Once, during the sixth grade Trowa accidentally shifted into a form similar to Heero's to attempt to mimic the stern expression his friend constantly wore. He succeeded in offending Heero (and Duo, for they had just started dating at that time) and being seen by somebody else at the same time. They had later vowed never to do that again because they didn't want to hurt each other.

"What time is it?" Duo suddenly shouted over the noise of the arcade, looking nervous. "I told Sister Helen that I'd be back before four because it's my turn to cook dinner."

Trowa checked his watch and blanched. "Three-fifty eight." He informed his long haired punk of a friend. "I'm sorry to say that your ass will soon be fried."

All the color in Duo's face seemed to drain away. "Oh man, they're going to kill me..." A glint crept into his eyes. "...unless Wufei would be willing to do me a favor..."

Pleading violet eyes shifted to his oriental friend. "Fei..?"

Wufei sighed and nodded - not being able to take the perfected puppy eyed expression. "Let's do this in the bathroom, nobody will see us there."

He almost didn't get his words out before Duo grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards said bathroom. The other three followed, Wufei didn't use his gift very often so they didn't get to see it much. It was a rare treat and the fact that Duo could talk him into it spoke a lot about their friendship.

Once the boys were sure that they were alone, Wufei placed one hand on his friends shoulder and asked if he was ready. Duo skipped over to Heero and placed a farewell kiss upon his lips, before returning to Wufei's side. After the confirming nod, both Wufei and Duo disappeared.

Three minutes later, Wufei popped back into the bathroom, looking very disoriented. Duo wasn't with him.

"I don't understand why you don't like being able to teleport," Quatre sighed.

"Because doing it is hard and arriving in a completely different location is confusing." Wufei muttered, swaying slightly in fatigue.

"You wouldn't feel so bad after teleporting if you did it more." Heero said gruffly. "It's like when I was learning how to fly, start slow and don't push yourself too much until you're stronger."

Wufei gave him a dirty look before promptly collapsing. Trowa caught him and without saying anything the three other's decided to take their friend home and call it a day.

===

There was a group of five girls at Gundam High that Duo had kindly dubbed: "The Stalkers". He had named them as such because the group of girls did exactly that. They stalked. Ironically, there was one stalker for each of the five boys. But, unlike the boys, the stalker girls did not like each other. They were just as different as each boy - and thought exactly like the cliques they dwelled in.

Stalking, was in fact, the only thing that they had in common. It was actually rather funny. The girls had altered their entire personalities to somewhat match the clique each boy was in. Be it prep, jock, punk or what not.

It wasn't often that a rich girl went jock, or a smart girl turned punk.

===

Heero sat in the very back of his first period Literature class, taking notes on his lap-top computer. Heero had discovered in his freshman year at Gundam High that certain people were given extra privileges, and used that to his advantage.

Thus, his being able to have a computer in class.

"HEERO!" A high-pitched whisper said from the seat in front of him. "What did you think of the book we were supposed to read over the weekend?"

The half Japanese student looked up, cobalt blue eyes narrowed in annoyance at the cheerleader who was grinning at him.

"Hn." He answered before turning back to his notes.

Even after the grunt of rejection, the cheerleader didn't take the hint. She kept gushing mindless words at him, while Heero continued to ignore her. This went on until the bell rang. But even that didn't deter her.

"Do you want to do something tonight, Heero?"

"I have practice."

"After that, silly!"

"I have work."

"..." The girl fell silent, waiting for the rest of Heero's schedule to be revealed to her.

"I'm meeting some people for a study session, and then I have my language classes at nine. I won't be home until eleven."

"Do you have any free time?" She asked shrilly, now following him down the hallway.

Heero stopped walking and turned to level a sharp look at the cheerleader. "No, Relena. I don't have very much free time during the school year."

Relena Dorlian sighed but didn't question him further. Even she was smart enough to know when to back off. Heero nodded curtly to her before once again heading towards his next class.

===

"Yo."

Duo looked up with an unreadable expression on his face. It looked to be a cross between trying not to laugh - and shock that somebody was willing to use that word in public.

"Good morning, Hilde." He said with his typical happy-go-lucky smile.

The girl, Hilde Shubeiker, flopped down in the seat next to Duo with a sigh. Her chains and gaudy necklaces and bracelets clinked against each other loudly, the sound grating against Duo's ears. He was tempted to use his powers to make the noise stop, but Hilde was most likely used to the noise and would notice if it abruptly ended.

The girl snorted at Duo's math homework. "Why do you bother to do that stuff?" She asked.

Duo gave her a look that said quite clearly: "why do you think? I want to get out of this dumpy town." But otherwise didn't answer.

Hilde noted his look and rolled her eyes.

===

"Capital of Washington?"

Wufei sighed and spouted off the answer without looking up from his Physics book. "Olympia." He turned the page and continued reading before turning to his assignment and answering a question.

"Another name for Ping-Pong?"

The Chinese boy finished his sentence and put down his pencil. "Table Tennis. Meilan, can I do my homework now?"

"Not until I prove that I'm smarter!"

Wufei sighed, finally looking up into the almost black eyes of Meilan Long; he looked ready to yell at her. Then, abruptly changing his mind, he turned back to his work and began reading for the next question.

"The science of plants?"

"Botany."

===

Quatre looked up from his conversation with one of his "rich friends" with a frown. Usually the soft spoken boy could tolerate the presence of anybody, but there was something about Dorothy Catalonia that just rubbed him the wrong way.

"Were you hanging out with that prep again?" The blond haired girl demanded, pointing across the room where Trowa was listening to the latest gossip.

Two aqua colored eyes rolled before Quatre composed himself again. "Trowa and I are childhood friends, and if we spend time together, what's it to you?"

Dorothy huffed, clearly at a loss for an answer. "Because it makes you look bad to spend time with scum!"

"Excuse me?!"

Surprisingly, the shout didn't come from Quatre, but across the room where Catherine Bloom was now standing and death-glaring the rich girl.

"The only scum is you high-classed rich freaks!" Catherine defended Trowa with a sweep of her hand.

Quatre's aqua orbs met Trowa's amused green ones across the room and he immediately opened a link between the two of them.

Me thinks that we were spotted over the weekend. We don't stand out that much do we? The blond asked with a long suffering sigh.

Trowa's mind sang with laughter. Actually... yes. Didn't you ever wonder why each of us have our own stalkers? There's just something about us, I guess.

Something about them indeed. Quatre sighed, closing the link with a regretful air. Yes, he knew that all too well. It had started on their first day at Gundam High, at the activity fair. Heero had rushed for the sports center, Duo attempted to turn himself invisible, Trowa went to examine the student council, Quatre wanted to see the different clubs and Wufei hadn't been there at all. He remembered how easily they had been sucked into different groups, and how those groups rejected each other. The first few weeks at Gundam High for the five friends had been tense before they worked out their schedules together. It had taken a lot of patience on all of their parts before they found a system that fit.

Duo would arrange lunch meetings. They would study and do homework together each night, either at Quatre's or Wufei's or Trowa's house. After studying they had their nightly language course - in which they taught each other different languages. On Friday nights they either hung out on the cliffs or at Heero's, and Sundays were spent either at the Maxwell Church and Orphanage or anywhere else they could find.

That wasn't to say that they didn't have lives outside of each other. Duo and Heero had jobs at The Shack. Heero and Wufei had after school activities. Trowa usually had some reason to stick around after school with friends, and Quatre was always meeting his sisters somewhere. They had lives outside of each other, and that's why their lives had been, and still were, so hectic.

===

"So... what language is it tonight?" Duo asked absently, most of his attention focused on the random objects that he was levitating across the room.

"We're going to focus on Sign-language tonight," Trowa answered, searching around the room for his text book. The text book that was currently hovering just over his head, curtsey of Duo.

Heero stretched out, flexing his wings slightly after having them trapped inside his flesh all day. The tips of his wings brushed lightly against Duo's arms in a teasing touch. A few stray feathers drifted to the floor, disappearing just before they touched the ground. "Good," he said, "we haven't done that one in a while."

Wufei and Quatre nodded, before the former suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to Duo. He was successful in causing his friend to lose his concentration and let all floating objects hit the ground.

The sign-language book thumped on Trowa's head, causing Duo to be on the receiving end of a death glare.

This was another ritual between the five boys. They had learned early on that each of them knew a different language because of their various backgrounds. So, each night they got together to share that knowledge. Heero taught them all Japanese, Duo taught them German (which he had learned at the orphanage), Trowa knew sign language, Quatre was fluent in Arabic, and Wufei grew up speaking Chinese.

Not only were they all multilingual by the fifth grade, but it gave them extra time to be themselves. They usually met up in Quatre's house, because he had almost an entire wing of the Winner mansion to himself. But sometimes it varied depending on different factors. Like, when Heero got the Chicken pox, or when Wufei got his tonsils out. It changed accordingly.

After about ten minutes of relaxing, they finally settled down to learn a little more sign language. Trowa really was an excellent teacher.

Much later that night they all returned to their own homes and fell into bed. And the week had only just begun.

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AN A chapter is worth a thousand reviews, but I'll settle for whatever. Preferably a few hundred or so. ^__^

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