This chapter is one of the most amusing to me. I had so much fun with this one. And yes, I'm forcing my obsession with the Greek/Roman antiquity on little Duo. I'm a classics minor, so shoot me. It means little Duo idolizes the Heroic age in the classical period. XP Though, from the tone of everyone's reviews, I think you guys will like this chapter as well. Just call it a hunch. I'll probably have a few more death curses for worse cliff-hanger too...
Warnings: Little Duo cuteness to the extreme. I swear, if he were my kid, I'd kill him. But he's not, so it's all good. And there's a cliff-hanger of a slightly different kind too. Also, very flat and underdeveloped bad guys. I had better things to do... Like make Heero more angsty... ::grins::
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai. I don't own it and make no claim to.
For the One You Love
A Gundam Wing Fanfiction
By: Memory Dragon
Chapter Six
It was pretty damn hard getting into the base unnoticed. I'll give the bastards that. But not impossible. And considering I make a living out of getting into places unseen... Let's just say they still didn't stand a chance.
Finding little Duo and Leyna was another matter. It was a piece of cake even. Kidnappers, yes. Terrorists, you bet. Babysitters, they ain't.
But they still out number me greatly. So, I'd like to get in and out before they notice what's missing. Then, set off a few... surprises that I left while waiting for an opportunity. But it's been hard to find a time when little Duo and Leyna are left alone.
Little Duo would have made Heero proud though. Heck, the kid's made me fell all mushy about it. He's scared out of his wits but he still protects his little sister. And to top it all off, he made it his top priority to piss off his guards with non-stop chatter. Spunky little kid. Reminds me of myself.
"Hey, mister. Do you know who Od-y-sseus is? He's my hero! Daddy told me all about him and how he fought the Tro-gin War and all those monsters. I bet if he were here, he'd kick your butt in two seconds. He's a king, ya know. And he had a son, just like me! Tel-Telmen- cus. I always forget his name, but he could kick your butt too! I bet when I grow up, I could too!"
Now see, here's Heero's first mistake. Naming the kid after me. The guard looks about to have a fit. So am I, but mine's of a merrier sort. It's all I can do not to roll over laughing. I couldn't have done it better myself.
Heero's second mistake was reading little Duo The Odyssey for a bed time story. He now knows better than to try and kill two birds with one stone. Just because he needed to refresh his memory on it does not mean to read it to his kids.
I watched this little scene for about an hour or so before I decided going unnoticed was not going to happen. And the guards seemed about to snap, as little Duo was now showing off his spelling skills. Starting with Odysseus, of course. I was about to drop down from my hiding place in the ceiling when the guy with the creepy voice showed up.
I didn't have to wait until he spoke to know it was him. It was obvious he was in charge. He also moved like a skilled thief. Besides, he has that creepy-voiced bad guy look about him.
I decided against moving out on the basis that my anger might... have some unfortunate consequences. Little Duo and Leyna shouldn't have to see that kind of thing so young. And I doubt I would have been able to cleanly knock this guy out like I had been planning for the other guards. Way too tempting to rip his lungs out.
Behind him was one seriously creepy bastard. I mean, this guy is leagues worse than voice-guy. Voice-guy at least looks semi-normal. This bastard is downright dearranged. Voice- guy actually had a nice exterior though. He had that whole 'dark and brooding' look going for him.
But that other guy... Paler than even someone from the colonies. Blond hair that was almost a shocking white. And his eyes... Those ice blue eyes weren't sane. He was almost ten times creepier than the voice-guy.
The guards greeted the two with a salute. The one in charge spoke, issuing commands. "The Preventor unit will be here before dawn. Prepare to evacuate. Mr. Cayer will take care of the children." Yup. Definitely the man on the phone.
The two guards nodded before running off. I began to get really uneasy. Especially when I noticed the crazy guy was reaching for his bag...
"You can have your fun, but keep it under an hour." FUN?! Hell no! "I want them dead before we leave." Leyna started screaming.
I would have strangled the man then and there, had not little Duo spoken up. "You can't kill us! Mommy's really important and Daddy won't let you! Besides, you didn't call for ransom money or anything yet! You're not doing it right!" Damn. Can't shed blood in front of those two. Wait a sec... I still have several bombs left over...
A smile crept onto my face as I formulated the plan.
The evil-voice guy just laughed. The insane guy smiled wickedly as he unlocked the door. In a thin, raspy voice he said, "This isn't a story, little boy. We want your mommy and daddy to suffer... and your deaths will make them suffer..."
I think not!! In a swift motion I fell from my hiding place in the ceiling and knocked out evil-voice with a single blow to his head. The insane fellow barely had time to turn around before I delivered a punch to his gut. "Who..."
I smirked, as he fell to the floor. The God of Death, of course, and your death is near at hand. It's a pity that neither of you will be awake for that bomb to go off. This sort of death is much too clean for the likes of you.
Time to get little Duo and Leyna out. I turned to the cell to find little Duo hovering protectively over his sister, trembling slightly. "It's okay. I've come to get the two of you out of here." Hm... Maybe.. "Your daddy asked me to look out for you." There was a slight chance I could still pull this off. If I could just get Heero to believe in ghosts...
"Wh-who are you?" Aw... He's so adorable like that, trying to look fierce while being scared. Like a miniature version of his father. The girls are going to go nuts over him when he hits highschool.
Assuming I stop sitting around thinking about it and get him out of here. Jeeze, old age must be making me more spacey... And I couldn't help a small laugh at his bravado as I opened the door and kneeled down next to him. "Nobody important." I said, reaching behind him to pick up the still screaming Leyna. Little Duo was silent while I calmed her down.
Finally, she stopped screaming and went back to her usual quiet and angelic self. In a way, she was the exact opposite of little Duo. It made Relena all the more sure that it was my fault little Duo was so talkative.
Her finger safely in her mouth, she looked over at her older brother. Who was still silent. The lack of questions was beginning to bother me... But I still have to set the bomb. Worry about that later...
I ushered the two of them out of the cell before tossing the two unconscious bodies in. Setting the bomb to exactly twenty minutes, I re-locked the door and pocked the key. "Alright, you two. Let's get you back home to your par-"
"You're Od-y-sseus, aren't you?" I looked down at him, baffled. I'm wha? How'd he come up with that one? But he looked at me in complete awe as he went on. "You said your name was nobody, just like Od-y-sseus did to that cy... That monster with one eye!"
Oh! I get it now! I gave a brief chuckle before picking up Leyna and shaking my head. "Not quite. But you gotta be quiet when we sneak out, okay? Just as quiet as Odysseus when he escaped under the sheep. The smallest noise and the bad men will come back."
Little Duo's eyes widened. Then he nodded seriously after gulping once. I took his hand and we moved down the hallway.
It just as hard sneaking out as it had been sneaking in. Even though little Duo and Leyna were on their best behaviour, everyone was rushing about trying to evacuate. Well, they would soon find themselves buried under this warehouse-turned-into-base. But the other bombs would only go off when I hit the switch and we're a safe distance from this place.
In the fifteen minutes that have gone by, we've managed to get a good length from the bomb I set in the cell. In fact, I've half a mind to sit here and wait till it blows... That way less of a chance of people would notice us.
Whispering encouragement to little Duo all the way, we moved on. About two more minutes...
Suddenly, a figure rolled out in front of us, gun aimed straight at me. I moved protectively in front of little Duo before I realized who it was.
I... Crap! What's he doing here?!?!
Heero nearly dropped his gun when he recognized me. Damn... It wasn't supposed to happen like this!! He stood up slowly, his arm had an almost unnoticeable tremble as he lowered the gun.
"Daddy!" Little Duo jumped out from behind me, running to his father. "Daddy! Did you come to rescue us?!" Heero just stared in shock, not even acknowledging little Duo's hand on his sleeve.
I gulped and laughed nervously. Well... Guess it's out now. No way he'd believe I was a ghost... "Hey, buddy. Long time no see..."
"Over there! I heard someone talking!" Crap!! They found us! I turned back to face the voices just as the bomb exploded, making the whole building quake.
Duo stumbled backwards. He used the hand that wasn't holding Leyna to steady himself against the wall.
The building's shaking woke Heero from his shock. He held little Duo close to him, covering him in case the ceiling came down. The little boy cried out, clutching at his father's shirt in fear.
It was over soon though. Heero looked around again, adjusting his glasses. Duo was still standing there. He was still there. It wasn't a dream.
Duo was alive... but that was impossible...
Duo was about to say something when a bullet flew past his head. Ducking quickly, he made his way over to Heero, thrusting Lenya into her father's arms. Vaguely, Heero noted a small limp in Duo's pace and how much older he looked. "Duo-"
"Go!" He said forcefully. Picking up the gun Heero had dropped during the small quake, he fired a few shots before turning back to Heero. "Get outta here! I'll cover you!"
"But-"
"The kids, Heero! Get them out of here!" Duo fired more, taking careful aim. Little Duo's tears reminded Heero of his original mission. Taking one last glance back at Duo's older form, he pulled his children away from the fighting.
They weren't too far from the entrance. Everyone was so caught up in the fighting and explosion that no one saw Heero and his two children slip out. They were a safe distance away when the building when up in flames.
Duo...
Closing his eyes against the wetness that threatened to overcome him, he held Lenya tighter and squeezed her brother's hand.
Memory: Yes, I freely admit to being slightly evil with that cliff-hanger. Probably more than slightly, but hey. I'm just special like that.
Reviewers: Once again, can't thank Skyschneckschen, elizanicolequinzi, crazywolfgrrl, Pocky, camillian, Crysania Fay, Bunch-o-Nuts, and me enough. The reviews certainly did make me feel better. Sky, I was wondering if that song would play. Love the Route L version. Takuto's such an angsty little bishie. ::grins:: Elizani, I believe I have actually, it was just so long ago I can't think of which ones of hers I've read...
Crysania Fay, Duo not have his braid?! Blasphemous. Of course he does. :D And his eyesight's fine. He would have mentioned needing contacts (I think Duo would get contacts, unlike Heero). But one of your and me's comment brings me to my question for all of you guys.
«Question for reviewers» Now, I'm just curious. What kind of fans are you? 1x2? 1xR? Completely different combinations I won't delve into at the moment? This question goes for every one who reads this fic. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not the most canon writer. The whole reason I decided to actually write this fic once I got the idea for it was all those silly 'purists' who would be ticked off by it. You guys know who I'm talking about. Those people who insist that there is only one correct pairing, be it straight or homosexual. So I'm wondering what everyone's preference is. Do I actually have any Relena fans out there (not that I'm expecting many of those, but I think having one reading this would be kinda cool...)? Don't be shy now! Just because I've stated that I dislike Relena, doesn't mean I don't respect those that like her. So in your reviews, please state your favourite character/pairings. l8r guys.
P.S. No amount of begging will make the next chapter come out sooner. A week is a week. ::smirks:: I happen to like milking my suspense. Besides, my cliff-hangers are no where near as bad as the one Fullmetal Alchemist left me with last week... Damn, only one more episode to go...
Quote of the Chapter:
"I'm glad I was born,
because I exist for you.
I live with pain
as I fight with fate.
Even if you're far away,
whoever you may be with,
I have
only one wish:
your happiness."
--Translation from In My Universe, There is You, Hotohori image song from Fushigi Yuugi (Come on now. With all the love triangles in that show, you didn't expect me to go through this fic without quoting at least one song...).