A/N: HOORAY!!! Duo Special!! And, I'd just like to point out this was posted at 12:05 where I live, on 8/31! SO HA! I wanted morning people to be able to read it on my birthday...
Normal Warnings, which include minor/major Spoilers, depending on how good a detective you are, profanity, and...the normal stuff. Itty-bitty 5x2. Also, I've reversed Duo's past (IE, Maxwell Church Tragedy before Solo; thus, I changed things accordingly.) ALSO, Duo sounds a bit like our dear 'Fei-Fei at the beginning because he's been ever so idealistic in his youth, with Father Maxwell and all that. We're still going for the reversed past thing, remember? Yeah...anyway...MORBID alert! Gruesome if you're imaginative, and still nasty if you're not. And it's REALLY LOONG...
Disclaimer: If I DID own the boys, Duo would be wearing a black trench coat, combat boots, and little short shorts, Wufei would be wearing...well, his normal stuff, and Heero? Eheheh...let's just say chains are gooood.
Sea of Silence
SPECIAL 2
Duo
X----X
"Nobody just wakes up and decides, 'hey, I'll be a pirate when I grow up'. At least, if they do, they're an idiot and get killed by the first pirate they see. You just get pushed into it," Duo said with a shrug. "Me, I got more shoved than pushed. Fast, hard, and not very polite."
X----X
"You'll like the orphanage, I'm sure," Sister Helen said, holding the five-year-old's hand loosely. His long, unbound hair swished across her wrist again. "Now, what's your name?" Lonely violet eyes looked up at the nun.
"...I was always just 2...or kid..." he said, and clutched a strand of his hair tight in his small palm. "I miss them! I wanna go back!" The boy tore free from her grip, and began to run back towards the dock.
"Wait! Wait, Kid, come back," she said. In an act of desperation to catch the black-clad child, she hiked up her skirt and ran back up the road, gathering the crying boy into her arms as soon as possible. "Shhh...shhh...It'll be okay. I'm here with you..."
"Don't leave me too! Stay with me," the boy cried into her shoulder, and Sister Helen hugged him tightly.
"I'll always be here with you..." His watery violet eyes looked into her own green.
"So...so, really, you'll never leave? You promise," he asked urgently. She smiled like an angel.
"I promise. We'll be a pair," she confided, and the previously sobbing boy broke into a smile.
"Kitty called it a duo! We'll be a duo," he said. Sister Helen pulled his long hair behind his head. It was so pretty.
"Duo. That's a lovely name. Now, want to go down to the church with me? Father Maxwell's very excited to meet you," she said, and put the child down. He frowned.
"Father...Maxwell? Is he my daddy," the boy asked, and Sister Helen giggled.
"Is your last name Maxwell, then?" He broke into another smile, and pulled her back down the path.
"Sure! We're the Maxwell Duo! You're my sister, Father's my daddy," the boy began, in that rambling, half-coherent manner only a five-year-old can manage.
"So, Duo Maxwell, is that your name?" The boy frowned again, looking as deep in thought as a young boy can.
"Sure!" He picked up the pace. "Catch me if you can!" The boy ran down the hill, and Sister Helen sighed. He was a whirlwind of energy, and she was NOT.
X----X
"Duo, please pay attention," Father Maxwell sighed, and the violet-eyed boy's demeanor immediately switched to the compliant student. He wore a priest's collar and outfit on his six-year-old body. "It's my duty to teach you your moral obligations, and I take that seriously, even if you do not."
"Yes, Father," Duo muttered, hands clasped on the desk. "Please continue." Father Maxwell sighed, but submitted to his pupil's request.
"The utmost sin is betrayal, as we've already discussed," Father Maxwell began, and Duo nodded, hypnotized by his voice. "Betrayal is anything that twists the truth."
"Like lying," Duo asked, and Father Maxwell nodded, smiling.
"Exactly. Lying is one of the most common betrayals. Nowadays, people do it without even thinking about it," Father Maxwell said.
"That's why they'll go to Hell," Duo yelled out, excited as always when he got to condemn people. Father Maxwell shot him a stern frown.
"Duo! Not everyone goes to hell for lying," he said slowly. "Sometimes, when the lie is justified, or helps far more than it hurts, God will forgive the liar. But, that's no reason to go about lying back and forth. God is only lenient when we honor him." Duo nodded.
"So, lying is bad, except when it's for the greater good," he asked, face twisting in contemplation. Father Maxwell's patient smile returned.
"That's correct. Lying is a horrible thing. It deceives, which is one of the utmost betrayals. It's a dirty thing to do, too," he added. "And the greater good must be much, much greater than anything you can probably imagine. Like, the world, for example." Duo giggled.
"How could betrayal help the world, Father, if it's so dirty," he asked.
"Because, the world is not a clean place to begin with," Father Maxwell said apathetically. "I doubt it'd notice a little more muck on its surface."
X----X
"Duoooo! C'mon, get outta the tree! It's my turn," Michael whined, and the seven-year-old chuckled.
"I don't think anything's going to change in half an hour," Duo shrugged, rebraiding his long chestnut hair. It had been caught in the branches a year ago, and Sister Helen had braided it for him. Ever since, he'd kept it. "Besides, you're too short to make it up here! The cloud'll go away if nobody's watching it!" He, of course, knew this was a lie, but Duo was fascinated by the approaching white cloud floating along the ocean surface.
"Whaddaya think it is," Michael asked, screwing up his face to watch the speedy blur skim across the water. Duo shrugged.
"It kinda looks like a piece of Father Maxwell's fancy white paper," he said. "Maybe we oughta go ask Sister Helen?"
"Why's it just sitting out there," Michael prodded. Duo didn't respond, intent on finding why the cloud had suddenly stopped moving. "Duo? What's the cloud doing?" It had stopped right in front of Port Lynn, the city on the island that was just a bit away.
"I'm gonna go see," Duo finally said, and hopped down, black clothing shifting with his practiced movements. "Go ask Sister Helen if she knows what it is. Don't worry, I'll be back in an hour at most."
"...Don' do anything funny, Duo," Michael finally said, looking as wary and hesitant as a six-year-old could. "Don' do that thing you did to Pauline." Duo's violet eyes darkened.
Pauline. She'd tried to molest Jake, one of the younger boys in the orphanage. It was only by chance Duo had walked into the room to get his bible for class with Father Maxwell. Without knowing what he was doing, Duo had blasted her off her feet and sent the noblewoman sprawled against the wall, whimpering. Jake had run out crying, and Duo had had to be pried off her quivering lifeless body, still pummeling her with both his power and small fists.
Pauline had never woken up. Duo preferred it that way.
"I'll try," he said, and ran off towards Port Lynn.
As soon as he reached the small bridge to town, he realized his mistake. The city was burning; every wooden edifice was adorned with red flames licking the summer sky. Women were screaming, men were yelling, and the children...
Duo realized there were no children.
He froze on the dirt path. This had been a mistake. Duo was going to die, and it was nobody's fault but his own. Shit. He was going to die, and never get to ask Father Maxwell to forgive him, to never hug Sister Helen again...
A woman ran screaming towards him, fire rotting her flesh away in a reeking inferno. Duo was still frozen. Oh, God. There was no sense in this! Where was the forgiveness Father Maxell had constantly preached? Where was the justice, the truth, the...the light, for God's sake?!
The woman collapsed in front of him, and Duo found himself wondering if she'd done anything to deserve this sort of death. Had she been a whore? A drug-dealer? Or a friendly neighbor, mother, and wife?
His violet eyes narrowed. There was no sense in this.
He walked forward, straight over the still-burning corpse, and into the fiery hell. If there was a God, like he'd been taught almost all his life, where was he in this? The boy in priest clothing decided to search for anything to stop the nightmare. Past burning barns with horses shrieking inside, past men and women cut open and left to die...after a while, he wasn't even looking.
"I'm looking for the reason," Duo yelled out to the heavy air in the town square. "Where's the cause?" He found himself walking in a circle around the burning statue of a ship's wheel. "WHERE'S THE JUSTICE?!"
He stopped his circle as soon as his eyes latched onto the now-burning white building he called home.
Panicked, Duo ran towards his orphanage, his church, his family, barely dodging the flames and dead in Port Lynn.
"...killed her! He killed Lady Pauline, and now the demon's after the whole damn town," a voice yelled out, and Duo noticed the small crowd surrounding the Maxwell Church and Orphanage. "That brat's always been trouble! Only the devil could have purple eyes like that!" An angry roar went up from the twelve people, and Duo heard the steady screaming from inside the building.
"Please, no! They're only children! How could you blame them for this," Sister Helen began, and made for the barred, jiggling door, only to be whacked in the head with a rock. She fell down hard, green eyes still open in surprise.
"Helen," Father Maxwell yelled out, and was barely held back from the door and Sister Helen by the mob.
"Let her burn too! The whore..." Duo's hands clutched into fists.
"No! Please, God, let the children out! He's not in there," Father Maxwell yelled, and as he ran for the locked door, a knife went straight into his chest. "G...God!" He fell.
Duo had never been so angry in his life. The screams had all but died down now, and both Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were undeniably dead, unless your neck was really supposed to turn that way.
Duo stood up from his hiding place in the bushes, grinning.
"The demon! He's alive! Kill him," the leader yelled, but not a one moved, from the glint in Duo's violet night eyes.
"I'm not a demon," Duo said, smiling, and brought his two fists up. He willed the pain to collect in his closed palms, and his grin broadened. "I'm the God of Death." He opened his hands, and shoved.
They fell to the fire-lit ground, screaming like nothing he'd ever heard, even in that night of terror.
Duo didn't move. He stood, barely outside the burning, lifeless skeleton of his home, and wept.
X----X
The next morning, he was woken by a whistle.
"Good God, what happened here?" Footsteps.
"Beats me. We were still trying to put out the fires in the treasury. Never knew it'd catch that fast," another voice said, verbally shrugging. "This is worse than even in town!"
"God, there must be at least twenty kids in there..." the first voice whispered, and Duo couldn't help but whimper.
"Hey! Solo! One of 'em's alive," the second voice yelled out, and four feet pounded towards him. He looked around, trying not to cry. God, he could still smell it.
"Kid, you alright," a young man asked, and he looked into worried brown eyes. "Who are you?"
"G...god of death..." he stammered, holding in tears.
"Shinigami," the second voice asked, and he nodded. He was Shinigami.
"So, Little Death, what's your name," the young man asked. The boy swallowed.
"I...I was Duo M-Maxwell," he stammered again. Oh, it hurt.
"Well, Duo, I'm Solo, and you're the only one left alive on the island," Solo said factually. "So, that means you're the sole benefactor of an entire lode of treasure." The man behind the blonde gasped, and began to stammer. "Eran, if you've got an objection, I'll kill you." The stammering stopped.
"I have nowhere to go...?" the boy looked into Solo's eyes, and the older man smiled.
"You can come with me. I'm only fifteen, but I'll take care of you, kid," Solo said, and picked the seven-year-old up. "Ever been on a pirate ship?"
X----X
"HOLY SHIT," Duo yelled, and all eyes on deck looked up at the eleven-year-old pirate hanging from the Crow's Nest. "Oi! Solo! We got a major wreck to the northwest; looks like a military crash." The blonde captain cursed as Duo rappelled down the mast to his adopted big brother.
"Survivors?" Duo shrugged.
"Maybe. We gotta go check," Duo said. Solo nodded grudgingly, and the helmsman made the correction even without a command.
The wreck was chaos. The two ships had rammed into each other, and it looked like almost everyone was dead.
Almost, as in one person was still alive.
Duo scampered over, as the smallest crewman, and as soon as he prepared to yell, a sword flew by his head.
"Damn it," a voice cursed, and Duo ran forward to see a disgruntled-looking boy leaning tiredly against one of the fallen masts. "Just kill me, already!"
"HA! Kill you? What a waste of a survivor," Duo chuckled, and helped the boy to his feet. He looked about twelve, and the tattered remains of a military uniform graced his figure. "Now, come on over before the rest of the ship explodes." The boy frowned at him.
"You're a pirate," he stated. Duo blinked from the bluntness, and finally gave him a strange look.
"Well, yeah," Duo shrugged. "Would you rather we just left you? It'd be a waste, alright, but hey, whatever makes you happy." The boy frowned some more.
"I'll come, but I will not support your actions," the boy said, and Duo was almost tempted to punch the pompous bastard.
"Whatever. I saved your life, so get," Duo said, and helped him across to the pirate ship. "Name's Duo Maxwell! Over there's Cap'n Solo, my big bro." The boy looked at the two doubtfully.
"You two aren't related," he stated, and Duo gave him a hurt look.
"Well, gee, thanks for rubbing it in," Duo grumbled, and Solo walked over.
"Welcome aboard. I assume First Mate Duo clarified things to you?" The boy gaped at Duo.
"FIRST MATE?! He's got to be ten years old," he said incredulously.
"And he's been on my ship for four years. He's eleven, and my little brother," Solo stated. "Now, ya stayin' or what?" The boy blinked at the momentary lapse in grammar.
"Hey, we introduced ourselves," Duo said, crossing his arms. "Duo, Solo...angry, muttering boy..."
"Chang Wufei," the boy finally said, and both Duo and Solo slung an arm around him.
"Welcome to pirate land," Duo said cheerily, and Wufei frowned, black eyes almost slits now, as the two siblings started laughing.
"I have a feeling I'll regret not dying..."
X----X
"Ohhhh, Wuuuuuflllessssss," Duo's sing-song voice wafted through the air, and Wufei visibly cringed. "C'mon, 'Fei! We got the day off!" Wufei frowned at the braided boy.
"You're twelve years old, and live on this ship. With me. What could you do on a day off," Wufei demanded, and Duo shrugged with a smile.
"Go to the orphanage," he stated, and Wufei's face was immediately blank. "Oh. You too?" Wufei nodded, and Duo slung an arm around him. "No worries! Solo'n me are orphans too! We're all one happy family!" Wufei smirked.
"Dysfunctional, but happy." Duo grinned.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it! It's the crazy that makes it fun," he said, and turned his head to the grumpy blonde man at the helm. "Oh, Sooolooo! We're going out to pillage!"
"Finally! Wouldn't know what to do with a ..." he trailed off into muttering, just like any other time his younger 'siblings' went into town. He constantly fretted about their safety, although he passed it off as being an angry teenager stuck chaperoning pre-teens. "We're off at three!" Both nodded. Of course, Solo meant three am. No decent pirate left before midnight. Well, decent pirates didn't really exist, but hey.
Duo grabbed Wufei's hand, and pulled him into the crowded dock. Occasionally the enthusiastic twelve-year-old would point at something, explain it, and move on, but Wufei wasn't really paying attention any more. He was just enjoying the feel of land under his feet and watching Duo's braid whack people accidentally as he bounced up and down.
"And this is where Solo threatened to kill me if I ever ate so many cupcakes at the same time again," Duo yelled, pointing to a baker that visibly shuddered at the sight of Duo. "He was sooo maad...It was great! And then, over here's whe-" The violet-eyed boy was cut off by a boy slamming into him.
Wufei instinctively grabbed his shirt, only to stare into very angry, very feminine dark blue eyes.
"Get out of my way," she yelled, but Duo was already bristling.
"Like you have any right to boss me around, missy! Bumping into me for no reason...sheesh! Back in my day, kids had more respect," Duo began, but the girl had to stop and get off the floor she was laughing so hard.
"You...you're only a little kid-! Bahahahah! Talkin' like an old guy! Ha-HAHAahahahah," she said, and Wufei had to catch her when she fell down again, laughing so hard. Duo, however was busy blushing.
"Like you're one to talk, miss wearing-a-corset-for-no-reason," he grumbled, and the laughter was immediately over.
"That was harsh," she stated.
"It was supposed to be, you...! You...! STUFFER," Duo yelled, and the girl gasped.
"You listen here, Mr. Acting-So-Old! I do NOT stuff! I ENHANCE," she yelled. "Oooh, boy, you're gonna wish you'd never messed with Hilde Schbeiker!" Duo smirked.
"Heh. Oh, yeah. I'm real scared. What you gonna do, go tell your parents and get me...what," Duo asked at the downright seething glare he was receiving.
"You know damn well I don't have any parents," Hilde snarled, and Duo's face immediately softened.
"Geez, sorry, beautiful," Duo muttered. "I didn't know. Us too." She looked doubtfully at the two boys. "Hey! Why don't you come meet out brother? He'd love ya!" The girl shook her head, looking down.
"No. I gotta get going; see you around?"
"We're leaving tonight," Wufei reminded Duo, who nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Hey! Tell you what! Consider yourself part of our family! Solo, Duo, Wufei, and Hilde," Duo said, slinging an arm around the girl's shoulders. "I'll come find ya some time, okay? We'll go have---OOO! Bread! You know, the just-cooked kind that gets all toasty when you bake it, and then it's fluffy, but crunchy? Mmmmm..." Even Wufei was close to drooling.
"I like that idea right now," he said, and the three ran over to the panicked baker, who screamed at the sight of three hungry pre-teens swarming his cart.
X----X
"GOD, Duo, you can't just keep adopting people," Solo yelled, and Duo did his best at looking meek in the corner. "Did you even check to see if he's in the military? Or ANYTHING?"
"We lost SEVEN PEOPLE," Duo yelled back finally. "He can sail! He's good; DAMN good, as we've both seen!"
"DUO! Do you NOT understand he could have KILLED you?! God, Duo! Just listen to yourself! He can't be seven people, no matter how good he is," Solo yelled back. "He might have killed you!"
"What, and you're different," Duo snarled, violet eyes fiery as Solo's brown widened. "Yeah, I know it was you guys! I KNOW! I know you killed them! I FUCKING KNOW YOU KILLED ME!" Solo let his hair get in his eyes, but Duo brushed it away. "Damn it, Solo! I KNEW, and I'm. Still. HERE."
"Duo...I..." Duo cut his adopted brother off with a wave of his hand.
"Just don't even try any more. Like you're one to talk about adopting people. I thought you'd understand, damn it! You adopted ME, for crying out loud! What's the difference between a homeless orphan, and a homeless acrobat," Duo asked, and Solo's brown eyes met his fiercely.
"Try about ten years, and a whole lot of guilt," Solo snapped, and walked out the cabin door, slamming it behind him.
X----X
"We're coming up on a ship," Duo yelled down, directing it meaningfully at Wufei, who rolled his eyes. The two brothers hadn't been speaking for a month now, and it was about ready to drive the whole crew insane. "Merchantman." Duo smirked. "It's the Redwater, all right."
Solo nodded. "Wufei, Prepare the ram," he muttered, and Wufei did as he was told. Finally, his brown eyes snapped back up to Duo. "Duo, get your ass down here. No tricks today." Violet eyes burned at him.
"Yes, Captain Solo," Duo stated, and rappelled back down to the deck, tossing the spyglass to Trowa, who climbed up after him. "So, what do you want me to do, O wise leader?" Solo glared at him.
"Cut the shit, and guard my back," he finally said. Duo saw straight through that, though. Solo always worried about him on the more heavily armed ships; merchantmen usually had five swords a man, at least. The fighting would be fierce.
"I'll be fine," Duo finally said, but Solo's lips quirked into a smile.
"That's what you said last time, right before you nearly drowned."
"Heeey, I was just a kid!"
"You're thirteen. You're still a kid."
Duo pouted. "Nobody loves me!"
Solo pulled his younger brother into a hug, catching Duo off guard. Solo never hugged anybody. Sure, he'd carry you and sling an arm 'round you whenever he wanted, but hugging?
"Be careful, okay," Solo whispered, and Duo hugged his guardian tight.
"Awww, don't worry 'bout it, So," he said. "We've done this lots before. And come on! We're Solo and Duo! Nothing can take us!" Solo chuckled softly.
"Just...just don't be an idiot for once, alright? And I really am sorry...for, you know..."
Duo was silent.
"Hey, c'mon, Shinigami," Solo said, and let go, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "No need to get all mushy on me. Wufei?"
"MUSHY?! Where the hell have you been the past three minutes, Mr. Tender Embrace? Now, let's go kick some ship a-hey! Fei," Duo began to yell as his best friend grabbed him and shoved him into Solo's room. "Wufei! Put me down!"
"We already discussed this, Duo," Wufei said, and grabbed some rope. "It's safest; Solo and I knew as soon as we saw the Redwater, this would be happening."
"Well, why the FUCK don't you let me go out and fight, damn it?! Get that th-mmmghph," Duo yelled, and Wufei put the gag in. "MMMMMRRRGGFFFFF!!!"
"Duo, we love you. That's why you're tied to the bed. Trowa and I will look after him, I promise," Wufei said, and after a moment of hesitation kissed him gently on the forehead. "I'll be back."
"MRRRFFFFFF," Duo yelled, but Wufei was too good at those damn knots.
As soon as their ship crashed into the Redwater, Duo was knocked unconscious.
X----X
"Duo! Come on, already! I don't want to be the only one crying," Hilde was moping again, and Duo was right along with her.
"I can't believe it's been three years," Duo whispered, hugging his adopted sister close.
"Hey, hey, it's alright," Hilde whispered. "I'm sure he's still watching you."
"I didn't even get to say goodbye. They all just...die," Duo said, crinkling the paper in his hand further as the Deathscythe rolled through the waves that had once been home to the Battle of Redwater, the only battle Captain Solo, the infamous pirate, had ever lost. And it had cost him his life. "I could have helped..."
"No you couldn't," Wufei muttered, standing a respectful five feet away from the siblings. "I tied you up, and would have kept you out no matter what." Duo nodded, numb.
"Not everyone's dead," Trowa added. "You've got us." The three nodded, and Duo gave them a tired smile.
"Thanks, guys. Now let's get out of this weather; I have a bad feeling about this storm," he said, and Hilde giggled.
"I'm going to stand right on the rail, just because you said that," she muttered. Duo grinned.
"And I'll laugh when you fall in," he said. "Unless you're drowning; then I'd probably jump in and die, too."
"Damn it, Maxwell! You're morbid enough already; let's not bring Hilde into it," Wufei grumbled, and Duo couldn't help but ruffle his hair.
"Awww, you really care," he said, but there was that momentary dim in his black eyes. They both knew it was over. "Alright, I'm done." Duo threw the crinkled piece of paper into the rolling waves, along with one silver coin.
"I was wondering how long the flotilla would be staying in one place," Hilde murmured. Duo just grinned, basking in his friend's company, and the company of his four pirate ships.
"Well, I've never been one to keep fate waiting," Duo sighed, and the four migrated to their posts as the wind picked up.
-X----X-
A/N: Bad ending, I know. But, look! Reader responses!
Shinigami88220: Ummm...okay then...Glad you like the story!
Mistress Koishii: YOU ROCK! Yaay! Beta! Anyway, the name's gonna be clarified Ch. 10. Big, long paragraph about the Mythology of Atropos. Spiffy, ne?
Myca/Taylor Mercury: Keen, eh? Yeah, I've never been one to go for the predictable route...You just wait for this one thing that's gonna happen! HA! I'm so excited...(BTW, Quatre WILL be appearing in a pirate hat! I agree; that'd be SO CUTE!!)
Mlaine: Beta! YAAY! Umm...Duo's the prince...? Oh well! Glad you loved the chapter! Same birthday as your little brother? COOL!
Windy River: As always, I try.
SnakeMistress: (bows) Thank you, thank you...
Meliza Mac: Very, very true. I'd never thought of it that way...Pirate, prince. Pirate, prince. Hmm...It's funny you should bring up the engagement. That's next chapter!
Hikaru: Sorry, but no. I wish Heero was his first, but...to put it politely, 'things happen'. I mean, it's a fact Duo had a pretty bad childhood; I'm figuring there's no chance he'd be able to make it to 17 as a virgin, as depressing as that sounds. And oh yes, 1x2 action is DEFINITELY coming up soon. I'm an addict.
Camlillian: You know, Trowa's job was actually thought up out of the blue. I had no idea what to make him.
TrenchcoatMan: The spoiler I referred to would NOT have revealed who the prince was. I mean, come on, how would Duo know anyway unless he remembered the moment he was born and shipped off? But, hey, I forgive your momentary absentmindedness. It's understandable; I probably should have explained...or not...Oh well! Duo Special! Yay!
Spellhorn: YAY! I concur with your exuberance upon the return of Hilde/Atropos. She's my favorite girl in GW, after Une. Bipolar people are just fun. Plus, she almost blew up Relena! Hooray!
See? Don't you love me now? Okay...now that that's over...
THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!!! 75 special still in place...So, if you review (HINT HINT), please choose between Wufei, Quatre and Heero. Thanks much!