Once a Lifetime By: Nuriko & Jess

Chapter Four; Heero POV:

There's nothing to do. Idle is not something I was trained to be so I very much dislike when there's a lull in missions like there is now. Well, at least that lull is coming to an end. All that's needed now is for Duo to wake up from his nap and get his Deathscythe ready.

Speak of the devil... Duo actually got up early from his afternoon nap... But there's something different. Does he actually look... contemplative? Yes. The baka actually looks like he's deep in thought rather than just spacey. Apparently, this peek behind the mask that is Duo's Grin catches me by surprise because I'm now tangled on some of Wing's internal wiring. Serves me right for not having closed the panel when I finished my tweaking.

I put the wires back in place and hit my head on my way back up to sit in my very comfy, very remodeled pilot seat. Who said I don't have a frivolous side? Bumping my head on that panel caused me to turn on the audio feed between Deathscythe and Wing. I swear, Duo was posing as a distraction and this sort of thing just cannot be tolerated. I sigh and reach over to turn off the audio link when I hear Duo's voice on the com-link.

"I can't." Why did Duo's voice sound like that? It sounded small and fragile...whom is he talking to any way and what can't he do?

"That wasn't nice of him to say I was gonna be marrying Relena. That pink hazard can stay as far away from me in that department." So he really was listening. Could have fooled me. Surprisingly though, I agree with the description... 'Pink Hazard' has a nice ring to it.

"One of these days, I wish he could share just one of the many flashbacks of our life. Then maybe he'd ease up on me some. I'll only be able to take so much more before I either ask for another partner or turn and walk out without a second thought."

What?

This is too weird even for Duo. Is he really as delusional as I thought? I really don't want to have to report the idiot. Sure, he's annoying beyond belief and a chatterbox at that, but who is supposed to replace Duo? None of the other pilots have his skills and I had enough trouble 'breaking him in' and whatnot and I don't feel like doing it again.

"Yeah, right Maxwell, and the Princess of Pink will show up at your doorstep and tell you she's backing off. Keep dreaming and it might get a little easier." Okay, enough. I don't like the way his voice sounds right now and I don't intend on listening to any more if his dribble. There is no room for distraction and I have to make sure I didn't break the audio dials when I hit my head.

"Are you finished?" I ask as I turn on the video feed. Call me what you will, but I had to know why his voice sounded like it did when he was talking to himself. I guess I sounded colder than I intended because he seemed to wince at it before plastering that infamous smile on his face. So much for the peek behind the grin. Still... there's something off....

"Almost, 01. Just have to make certain my stealth mode is in working order and we can get moving. I take it you've just been waiting on me these last few minutes."

"No. . .I was adjusting things as well," He's been crying. Duo never cries, at least not when he's awake and never with actual tears. By the look on his face, he knows I've been knocked off balance, but I'm not sure why that is any more... Is it because he thinks he has flashbacks of other lives that directly involve me or is it because he's been crying and I was a reason for it? I thought I'd never hurt an innocent again...Duo might be a gundam pilot like me, but he somehow still feels like an innocent.

"Oh, then I'll finish things as quickly as possible so that you won't have to wait on little old me, 01. 02 out for the moment." He cut the link. He never cuts the link like that on me. Obviously he was in a private moment and I unwittingly invaded upon it.

I sigh and look over my controls to see that I haven't messed up any more circuitry and lean back in my chair. All is well in my little sanctuary. Why is it that I have such a fascination for angels... more precisely, angel wings?

Not many people know this, but I was actually very juvenile and temperamental when my gundam was made. I wanted my gundam to have giant angel wings. I wanted them to be beautiful and... I don't know. I wanted them to be special. After a while, people - the ones working on Wing- started calling him 'the Winged Gundam' then it got shortened to 'Winged Gundam' and finally was dubbed 'Wing Gundam.' That was the only time J allowed me to be infantile. I guess it was because it had to do with my 'vocation' and 'tools of the trade'... the only other thing I was ever given was my laptop. Again, it was meant for my job, so I guess it doesn't really count.

I yawn... Duo's taking a little longer than I thought he would. Maybe a catnap isn't such a bad idea. I lean back in my nicely padded seat and relax. He'll wake me when he's ready to go.

--------- Dream ----------

Bat wings. Large black bat wings. Attached to them is a chibi-looking Duo, complete with chestnut braid. He's talking but no sound is heard.

Black bat wings. This time, they're attached to a human-sized Duo, laughing at something. Duo takes his hand and they fly over the earth.

Violet eyes flash. Faces begin to come into focus before fading into the darkness. Each face was beautiful and pale. The eyes all-varying shades of violet and amethyst. The hair always a varied shade of chestnut: in a bun, in a braid, in a ponytail, loose and cascading down the face's blurred body.

Sometimes the faces looked too feminine to be Duo, other times, too masculine. Over and over the faces changed, over and over the bodies morphed, but still... one thing remained the same...

-------------End of Dream------------

"Oi! Heero, are you ready or what?" Duo had activated the vid-link and was looking at Heero with an expression he couldn't place.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes, Hee-chan!"

"Don't call me that." Why does that nickname always give me goose bumps? I try to remember why my dream was so disturbing, but everything's so hazy now. Why black bat wings? That's all I remember... that and violet eyes. Was I dreaming of Duo? I shake my head. Maybe his dementia is contagious and I've just contracted Duo's disease.

At the moment all that is unimportant. There's a mission at hand.