Objective perspective:
2. Shinigami's humanity.
T: miracles of miracles I'm actually updating only a little after the first post, though you'd better not get used to it as I'll be distracted for a few weeks with Dark Tower 7. The boys are not mine, though I wish I could own Duo and protect him from the nasty things! Warnings remain the same as previous chapter with the addition of a mild language thing and spoilers should you not have viewed the episode Grief stricken Quatre or have no idea of what I'm on about when I say the word Peacemillion.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
We ended out not in a colony but a large white ship, which, from the communications exchanged between ship and pilot, I learned, was called Peacemillion.
Once we were docked I had both the difficulty of levering myself from the ball I had folded myself into and of actually clambering out of the Gundam itself now that it was vertical.
The latter had an easy solution for the lighter weight Duo, for there was a small cable at the front of the cockpit that he grabbed onto and which then, through a series of mechanics and pulleys, lowered him gently to the floor; a system that was clearly designed with the slight counterbalance of the pilots in mind.
Assessing the situation I eventually clambered as best I might down the machine, while ignoring the twinges in my muscles and attempting not to scuff up the paintwork too badly.
Eventually I was on solid ground and assured now of my safety Duo took a moment to remove the rest of his suit.
Beneath the blue/grey material was a slightly modified priests outfit that I was a little surprised to see before I recalled his surname.
Maxwell.
It brought forth a faint image of something I had seen before I had lost Michale, an image of flames and the sharp negative of a cross amid that bright light.
I wished to ask Duo about the image, wished to have it clarified in my head yet somehow I understood that Duo would not be able to help me. That the mask of Shinigami had taken whatever had occurred that day and pushed it far inside the boy.
"Well we can't stand around gathering dust I'm afraid, Lana and so if you follow me I'll introduce you to the family."
"Family?" I enquired as I fell into step behind him,
"Silly I know, after all theirs no blood ties between us, but somehow through the battles and the politics that's what we've become.
"Dad's a little pissed by the way what with mum being elsewhere, so ignore him should he cross our path." Though he said this last with as much sincerity as his jokers mask would allow there was something in his eyes that even I could not define.
We immerged a few moments later onto the bridge of the ship, which was manned by a mix of soldiers and presided over by an elderly gentleman in a brightly patterned shirt.
He seemed little surprised by my presence and though he chastised Duo for letting me live I could see the slight smile on his lips.
"Mrs Snow, it is a pleasure to finally meet the woman behind the mechanics." He said as he extended his hand.
"Thank you...Mr?"
"This is Howard, Lana, though I like to think of him as Gramps." Duo supplied, "The others bellow deck?"
"Yes, though I think it might be an idea to let me warn Heero about this rather than you springing it on him, Duo."
"Gramps chill, I'll handle Dad if the necessity arrives. You just take care of getting the scythe all fixed up for the next stroll will you?" He enquired before he led us into a small elevator.
The living quarters on the ship were arranged in the typical manner, separate rooms adjoined by one long corridor with a larger meeting room/ cafeteria at its end. It was for this space that Duo headed, a purpose to his step that was intriguing.
"Duo!" This contented exclamation came from a small blond boy sat with three other lads to the far corner of the room.
"Quatre, Trowa, Wu-fie. Glad to see you're still all up and about." He flashed an empty smile and I saw Quatre's face fall just a little before the blond noted my presence.
"Forgive me, Madam, but I did not notice that you were there. I am Quatre Rababa Winner and may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
"Certainly, I am Lana Snow, Mr. Winner."
"Lana's going to be staying with us for a while, Quatre." Duo supplied before he looked to me again and said, "Quatre's the mother hen of the group, though he's my brother along with the other two sat with him.
"Trowa's the silent one with a lack of style in the hair department and the other's wu-fie."
"Yuy will not like this one bit, Maxwell." Wu-fie supplied
"Yuy can dislike it all he wants Lana is staying."
"And why precisely do you believe that she is so important?" The last came from behind us, each syllable cold, precise and perfect.
Turning I was greeted with a boy who had most likely never been anything more than a soldier, for his eyes were nothing more than emotionless things utilised in assessing the threat of a target.
"Heero." Duo said, the name uttered with such an odd mix of emotion that caused the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.
"I will not repeat the question, Maxwell."
"Didn't you read the brief, Heero? She's a top grade designer on par with the loonies that built our Gundams and perhaps better than they are because she knows all about buildings as well.
"We can use that knowledge to better complete our missions and who knows perhaps it'll even save our worthless hides one day."
"It is insufficient reason for allowing her to live, Maxwell. She is an important member of the enemy team and they shall wish her back, will search relentlessly until they find her."
"But they won't, Heero, because she's become a threat to them. Enough of a threat so that they aloud us to find her so that we could do their dirty work for them.
"She's no more an enemy than you or I, Heero because she has been forced to work for them, because they are keeping her little girl hostage." This last was uttered in the lower tones of Shinigami and looking to Duo I saw that his face also had fallen behind that mask.
"You are weak, Maxwell and you have aloud that weakness to become a liability to all of us." And with that Heero was gone, wu-fie following a little after him.
"Well that went better than it could have." Duo remarked, the edge of humour in his voice doing little to dissolve the tension.
"I know that you did this for the right reasons, Duo, but he may have a point."
"Hey don't you go all we must do what we must for the good of the mission on me, Quatre. Heero has to understand that sometimes it's the choices we make under the pressure of emotions that are the best choices."
"And you have to learn that Heero's still in the dark when it comes to emotions, that his life has been a hard one." Quatre responded.
Duo shook his head at that and as his eyes dulled just a little my suspicion was confirmed. Shinigami had taken away the pain of his past, had taken away the shadows of whatever had happened back there and synthesised it into anger and hate.
Yet still Duo could recall the past and recalling without the pain was somehow worse for him than recalling with the pain.
This would explain his need to gather a family close, a need to find emotional warmth and support in the company of others.
Yet there was no explanation for his wish to humanise the machine known as Heero, or for the anger the machine posing as a boy fired in Duo's heart.
There was a mystery here that ran deep and I found that I wished to clear it up, wished to pull away Duo's masks and allow him to grieve, as he should. Indeed this wish was so bright in my heart that it almost outshone my desire to find again my daughter.
Lyanna was safe, after all, while something told me that should things continue as they are not only Duo but also the fate of mankind itself would be under threat.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
T: Well a short and almost plot less chapter but I hope the drama makes up for that! As I said previously it may be a while before the next update and so I apologise in advance!
RR please. Thank you