Heero POV
When we got back to the room, Duo showed me to the door, somehow I had missed it, that led to our bathroom. I wasn't surprised to find that Haven also had indoor bathrooms. I showered first, then Duo. We both dressed and got into bed in an uneasy silence. I could tell Duo was nervous about showing me his memories and I was a bit worried about what that meant. Did he not want to share them with me? But... why?
"Duo, you know, you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to," I told him, although I didn't really mean it. I was a bit offended that I had shown his my memories, but he didn't want to show me his. I guess he picked up on my annoyance, because he smiled and took my hand.
"It's not that I don't want to show you," he told me, "It's just that... I don't know... I don't want you to see me any different because of my past. I... ah Hell, let's just do it."
And with that he connected us, plunged us into our link and his mind.
So, Duo said, once we were linked, what do you want to know?
Duo's memories were shown exactly as mine had been, the multicolored half spheres on the walls of a vast cavern, though his spheres came in many more colors and shades than mine had.
What do you think I need to know? I asked, uncertain of what to ask. I couldn't just say, "Prove to me that you're not a rich aristocrat and I'm not some lowly street urchin," now could I?
We should probably start with Solo... Duo didn't even manage to finish his sentence before the memory sucked us in.
Instead of bouncing from memory to memory, like my mind had, Duo set his memories up in chronological order, so that I would get a brief overview of his past. Instead of seeing whatever memory Duo called upon, we would see the main events of Duo's life and some of the smaller ones in between, but all in order.
We ended up in a small back alley in a city that I did not recognize. The buildings were all two or three story and the streets were paved so the coaches would ride more smoothly. However, it was a dirty, smelly place. There was garbage in the streets and even the buildings were in need of repair.
This is London, Duo told me, I used to live here, but...
I boy with long, tangled blonde hair and ripped clothing walked down the street. He walked like he owned the entire world, though he was only about nine. Another boy, much smaller, only about six with short hair too caked with dirt to tell the color, tumbled out of an old crate and up to the feet of the older boy. The younger boy instantly got up and backed up a step, ready to fight or run.
"Ey, there," the older boys said with a thick English accent, "Wat's the meanin of this? Ye can't jus hit somebody then not say a word to 'em!"
"S-sorry," stuttered the younger boy.
"Well, 'at's more like it. Now, seein' as how ye scuffed me boots, I think ye owe me a bit o' money," the older boy said, sneering. The younger boy seemed to get angry, he frowned and growled, "I don't owe ye nothin'!"
The other boy smirked wider, then grabbed a hold of the younger's shirt. The younger pushed with all his strength and managed to knock the older over with a surprised grunt, then took off down the alley. The older instantly pushed himself off the ground and just barely managed to catch the small boy, grabbing him by the collar just before he would have ducked into a sewer drain too small for the other boy.
"Well now," the older boy said as he tossed the younger boy into a corner and blocked him in, "you seem to have a bit of spirit. I like you. Wa's yer name?"
The small boy only shook his head.
"No name, eh? 'At's alright. I guess ye ain't got no parents either. Well, I'm Solo, so I guess that'll make you Duo. If ye wanna tag along with me ye may be able to get a meal once in a while, ye don' look like ye've eaten in a bit. I'm a pickpocket by trade, I kin teach ya all my tricks. Wa'd ya say?" the boy asked, his smile real now.
"I-I'd like that."
"Well that's the first thing that's gotta go," Solo said, pulling Duo to his feet and leading him out of the alley, "Ye gotta stop being so timid or people'll take ya for all ye got. It's all 'bout attitude, kid..."
More memories followed; Duo playing with Solo in the mud. Duo learning to pick pockets. Solo finding Duo an old, broken yo-yo and fixing it for him. Duo and Solo picking up other kids. Dancing in the rain. Stealing from barons to mercenaries, from princesses to bar maids.
There were also memories of nights spent cold and hungry, huddled in a doorway or under a box. Beatings from soldiers and others who caught them pickpocketing. Days that they went hungry. Days that the other children died from the sickness that seemed to prey on them. Finally, a memory with only Duo and Solo, Duo holding onto Solo, and Solo holding onto life. I watched as Duo saw the light fade from his only friend's eyes, then saw him get up and walk away without another word.
From there, Duo stowed away on a boat where he met a man named Howard who agreed to give him passage for working in the kitchen. Duo got off in France and, in three years, traveled through Germany, Poland Belarus, and finally to Ukraine.
In those years, Duo got more and more desperate. Food was harder and harder to come by and I saw him eat things that the dogs wouldn't touch. I saw him steal, get caught, and get beat hundreds of times. I watched him jailed and waiting for the executioner, only to escape at the last minute. I watched as he sold himself, since it was the only thing left to sell.
The men who took Duo made Barton and Dekim seem gentle. Many times I saw Duo fall and wondered if he would be able to get up, though I knew that he had or he wouldn't be alive today.
It was in the Ukraine that I finally saw Duo collapse, too cold and hungry to even bring himself to care about his life. He was in a small, rural town with enough food to go around, but very little in the way of riches. I knew Duo would probably not have gone that way had he not been chased out of the last town.
Duo lay down under a tall evergreen tree at the edge of town, the branches nearly hiding his form. The night was cold though the wind was clam and I think Duo was finally ready to die that night. He had been sick for a long time and he was finally ready to admit that he wasn't going to get any better without help.
Duo was so tired that he didn't even hear the footsteps as they approached the tree, but he did feel the hand on his ankle, pulling him from the safety of the branches. Duo lashed out, managing to get his foot loose, and tried, to run, but only managed to take a few steps then collapse again. Then man came up behind him and lifted his light form in his arms. Duo was too weak to fight, so he just lay limp as the man carried him away.
These were Duo's memories, so I couldn't see what happened after that, since Duo fainted, but I did see Duo awake in a warm bed in a small room. Duo looked around just as a woman in a black outfit bustled in. Duo backed up against the wall, his stance defensive, but the woman would have nothing of it.
"Get back into bed! Are you mad? Get under the covers, you'll catch your death," she said, putting the astonished Duo back under the covers. "What were you doing out on a night like this anyway? Your parents must be worried sick."
"I don't have parents," Duo told her, coming back from his shock.
"Oh? That's odd. Father Maxwell usually keeps a good eye on the children around here. Where do you come from?"
"England."
"My that's a long way. Who brought you here?"
"No one."
"But you couldn't have come alone."
"I stowed away on a ship. The captain let me work in the kitchen for food."
"And from there?"
"I walked."
"All that way? Where are you trying to go?"
"No where."
"Well then, you can stay here."
"What is this place?"
"This is the Maxwell orphanage. My name is sister Helen. The man that carried you in last night was Father Maxwell."
"What do I have to do?" Duo asked, suddenly wary.
"Well, all the kids have chores, and you'll have to take lessons in reading and writing from me, and you'll have to listen to Father Maxwell's sermons, but that's about it."
"How often do we eat?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Food, do you feed us?"
"Of course we do! Breakfast is at six, lunch at noon, then dinner at six again."
"Six what?"
"Six o'clock, of course."
"When's that?"
"Early in the morning and late in the afternoon," another voice interrupted from the doorway, "I doubt he knows to tell time, Sister."
"Father Maxwell, how long were you standing there?"
"Long enough. So tell me, boy, what's your trade?"
"Trade what?"
"Trade as in what do you do for a living? How do you get money?"
"Any way I can."
"Have you ever stolen? Don't lie to me, I detest liars."
"I've stole. Had to, to eat."
"I won't have you stealing anymore. There's no need to steal anything here, we have enough food for everyone."
"I don't steal for anything but to keep my belly from rumbling."
The man smiled and turned to the nun, "Then you had better get him something to eat, Sister. I need to check in the other children. Oh, by the way, what's your name, boy?"
"Duo."
"Duo what?"
"Just Duo."
"Then from now on, you'll be Duo Maxwell. Welcome home, Duo."
Even as I watched Duo's memories, I could see Duo getting attached to these people. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen became the parents he had never had. The other children became the children of Solo's gang that neither he nor Solo had been able to protect. The Maxwell Orphanage became his first real home. And Duo became the happy little boy that he had never been.
Duo had some of his happiest time thus far in that place. Memories of snowball fights with the other children. Of always being full and having a warm place to sleep. Of Sister Helen singing to him and Father Maxwell teaching him about God's love. Sister Helen trying to cut his hair, then hugging him and crying when he told her about Solo and how it was his reminder of him. Sister Helen taught Duo how to braid his hair instead. Duo was happy at the orphanage, living as close to a normal life as possible.
Sister projected that Duo was about eleven when he first arrived, and they let him choose a day to become his birthday. Duo celebrated his twelfth and thirteen birthday at the orphanage before anything unusual happened.
"Sister Helen!" Duo yelled, racing up the stairs to her room.
"Duo! Whatever's the matter?"
"Sister I'm-I'm changing! I took a bath this morning and-and my body's different!"
"Oh. Oh! Duo, I think we've talked about this before. When a young man begins to grow up his body starts to change. It's all a natural part of puberty."
"Yeah, but...!"
"I think this would be a better discussion for Father Maxwell..."
"But Sister I don't think I'm changing right!"
"Duo, I know it's scary for your body to be changing the way it is, but it's nothing to worry about. When I started..."
"No! No, that's not what I mean! It's... I... Sister," Duo said turning around and pulling his pants down, "This is not normal!"
"Oh! Duo... Is that a tail!"
"Yes!"
"Why didn't you say so! Something's got to be done about that!"
"Gee, ya know, I never thought about that. Here I thought all boys grew tails when they got older."
"Duo this is no time for sarcasm. Father Maxwell! Father Maxwell, come here at once!"
"Can I at least pull my pants back up?"
"No, Duo, you have to let Father Maxwell look at that."
"Man, this is so embarrassing. Hee, that had a double meaning. Get it? Bare a-..."
"Duo, this is no time for crude jokes."
"Sorry Sister."
The sound of footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
"Sister," came Father Maxwell's deep voice, "Is something the matter?"
"We've been having a bit of a... problem up here I needed you to have a look at."
"Duo! Pull your pants up! Duo... Is that a tail?"
"Can I pull my pants up now?"
"Duo, is this one of your pranks?"
"I'm wondering if someone didn't prank me. Why the heck would I pull a prank that involved me having my pants down for an unknown amount of time?"
"Are you sure it's real?"
"Yes it's real. Hey, don't touch it! Ouch! It does not come off, thank you very much!"
"It's a little short but it might be... No, it couldn't be."
"Be what?"
"Duo, are you certain you never knew your parents?"
"I think I'd remember a thing like that. No, I never knew my parents."
"What do you think it is, Father?" Sister Helen implored.
"It's possible that Duo is one of the creatures of Europe, I think they're called demons now. I suppose it's nothing to worry about; there's nothing to do about it anyway. We'll just keep an eye on it and see what happens. Now, Duo, I do believe you have some chores to do."
Duo's tail steadily grew in, and then his wings. His tail could be hidden easily under his clothes and, though his wings could be pressed against his body so that he looked almost human, it was only a matter of time before he messed up and someone learned his secret. The village was a small, backward little place that had lived by the same traditions for many generations. When the villagers learned of Duo's secret, they were neither kind nor accepting about it.
Even though Duo continued to cause problems for them, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen tried to help Duo to adjust to his new body. It didn't help matters that his large black wings frightened some of the children or that it was hard for him to keep the sore and growing wings tucked away for long. Sister Helen made special shirts for Duo, tailored to let his wings out, and Father Maxwell helped to stretch the wings so they wouldn't be so sore.
Still it wasn't enough to keep the villagers from fearing. No matter how much Duo tried to be the same person he was before his wings had grown, and no matter how hard he tried to earn their trust, the villagers feared and hated him. Eventually, they took action.
Duo had taken to hunting in the woods for rabbits and other game during the winter. It had been found that he was a much better hunter than the other children, so he was allowed to go into the forest and hunt for any small game. It had been a bad night, Duo hadn't caught a thing. Wearily, he trudged back to the church.
As he neared the church, he saw something odd over the treetops. The sky was brighter than it should have been, like there was a light shining...
Duo raced back to the church, but it was too late. The building was on fire, nearly burnt to the ground. Ignoring the flames, Duo rushed inside to search for any survivors. Room after room held disappointment. Only the half burnt bodies of the other children were there. Father Maxwell's body, still asleep in his bed, had been burnt to the waist, so only his torso was anything more than blackened bones. Frantically, Duo raced up to Sister Helen's room.
Sister Helen was still alive, though barely. Her arms and legs were all burnt and bleeding, but she was still breathing. Duo grabbed her and flung her over his shoulder, then raced out of the collapsing building.
I don't think Duo ever noticed it while he was trying to save his friends, but his own body was being horribly burnt. His hands had been singed and the skin was falling away from his fingers, his feet were blackened with hot ashes. Parts of his clothes had caught fire and burnt away, leaving gruesome trails of blackened skin. Duo never even noticed, he was so fixated on getting everyone else out.
It was easy to see when Duo laid the woman down that Sister Helen was not going to live. The burns had fully engulfed her lags all the way up to her middle, her blood poured from beneath the burns and pooled on the ground. Duo, however, would not give up. I was starting to realize how painful it must have been, to lose everything and everyone, not only once, but twice.
Duo ripped off the remains of his shirt and wrapped them around the nun's legs. He was about to call for help, when she stopped him.
"Duo, love, it's no use," she said calmly.
"Don't say that! We'll get some help, you'll be alright."
"I wish it was that easy, little one, but I'm not going to make it."
"No! No, I won't believe you! You can't die! You can't! I won't lose you too!"
"Duo, just because I'm gone doesn't mean I'll leave you. Didn't you listen to any of Father maxwell's sermons? Silly boy, I'll watch over you when I'm gone. I'll always be with you."
"But... but I'll miss you. Please don't go."
"Don't worry. We'll meet again. I promise you. Now, Duo, you have to go... leave this place..."
And with that, she faded away, the light fading from her eyes. She sighed, and breathed no more.
From the look in his eyes, I could tell Duo was in a state of shock. I wasn't sure if this was actually part of his memory, or our joint minds recreating what must have happened. Duo stood, her blood still covering his body, and stretched his wings. He gave two strong flaps, then leaped into the air and flew away.
I won't say his flight was graceful, since it was the first time he had ever flown, but he flew until he had nothing left, traveling hundreds of miles until he crossed he was deep in the forests of Russia. When he landed, all he could do was collapse in the snow, unconscious.
I don't doubt that, without his demon powers, duo would have died that night. No normal person could have survived sleeping outside in the cold with horrible burns like those. As it was, the burns healed, but left horrible scars on his arms and legs. Duo began to wear only long sleeves and pants, usually black, in mourning for those lost in what came to be called the Maxwell fire.
Duo continued to wander, never staying anywhere for too long. He became something of a bounty hunter, killing anything from people to monsters for a price. He kept getting stronger and stronger, until he was taking on feral dragons. People started to know him as the man with a smile on his face and a knife in your gut.
It was another two years before Duo met up with Treize. Duo was on a wild path; he looked for trouble and sticky situations. I held my breath thinking, "That's it, there's no way he can get out of this one," too many times to count during those memories, an irrational thought since Duo was here with me now.
Duo skills and strengths increased until he was to the point where even I, at my prime, would have had a difficult time defeating him. His name was widely known, but not feared since he usually left good people alone, the only ones that were afraid him were the scum-bags of the earth, the shifty under lords and such. People knew how powerful a demon he was and avoided him, but people didn't flea when he came.
Duo had noted in his memory that it was three months to his designated sixteenth birthday when he signed up to guard a traveling noble on the way to one of the outposts. The war in Russia had caused death and famine everywhere, thieves and murderers had a hold over the entire kingdom. Most of the former leader's knights had abandoned their posts, allowing all kinds of mythical monsters into the cities. Because of that, there was always some town that would pay a sum for Duo to get rid of whatever monster was plaguing them. However, most of the towns were poor, so working for a noble payed a lot more than working for the poor towns and villages. It also impressed Duo a bit that this noble, whoever he was, had sought him out, instead of just hiring whatever men came. Of course, the noble didn't come in person, he sent two of his guards to find Duo and present him with the offer. 200 gold pieces, 100 now and 100 upon safe arrival.
"I see your lord is a shrewd business man," Duo had commented to the two men.
"Our lord is quite clever. Now what do you say about the offer?"
"Ah, why the hell not? I've got nothin' better to do. Lead the way, oh mighty guardsman."
Duo didn't actually meet Treize until they were already well on the way to the outpost, instead he stayed with a few other mercenaries that were also in the same deal. The path that led to this outpost was riddled with monsters and marauders. As the journey progressed, the other fighters showed themselves to be more and more inept. A few died, and more deserted. Of course, there wasn't anything Duo couldn't handle, but it was plain to see that he was getting annoyed by his fellow fighters uselessness.
"Man," Duo said, traveling behind the dirty caravan, "Ya think they could at least get rid of the thieves if I have to handle all the monsters. A gorgon! Who the hell ever heard of a gorgon being this far north? What the hell, she goin' to see her aunt or somethin'? Man!" Duo paused to see a small thief pull a shiny, golden object out of the wagon. The thief spotted Duo and took off just as a large man opened the door of the wagon and stepped out.
"Guards!" the man bellowed, but Duo was already off, chasing the boy into the forest. Duo easily caught up to the boy and cornered him against a large rock.
"Alright, kid, just gimme what you stole and I'll let ya go," Duo said slowly. Even I noticed that this boy, with dark, shoulder-length hair and dirty clothes, resembled a younger version of Duo. It was plain to see that he had been thrown off guard.
"Yeah right! Like I'm going to believe you!" the boy panted, then threw the trinket, which turned out to be a golden goblet, and took off running when Duo turned to get it. Duo picked up the cup and easily ran the panting boy down again, this time grabbing him by the shirt and holding him in the air. The boy kicked and tried to break loose, but settled down when he saw that he was helpless. He even began to shake.
Duo glared and opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again and glared some more. Finally, he drew something out of his coat and thrust it at the boy, dropping him to the ground. As he left, he growled back at the boy, "And learn to breath when you run!"
It would have ruined Duo's image if the boy had noticed him hiding behind a tree and making sure that the boy saw what Duo had given him. Duo smiled the first real smile I had seen on him since the Maxwell fire when the boy opened the small pouch and pulled out several gold coins.
The tall man, who I recognized as a younger version of Treize, was waiting for Duo when he returned.
"Did you get the goblet?" he asked.
"What's with all the fancy names? It's a cup. A big fancy gold cup. And, yeah, I got it."
"Where's the thief?"
"I let 'im go."
"You what?"
"It was a kid, prob'ly stealin' to survive. I let him go, got it?" Duo said, his tone defensive. You could easily read the shock on Duo's face when Treize smiled at him.
"Yeah, I got it. I'm Treize, the new ruler of Russia. And you are?"
"Um.. Duo. Duo Maxwell, your highness."
"Duo, I've been watching you and I'm impressed. What would you say to working for me to improve the capitol city?"
"Improve how?"
"Right now there are plenty of monsters to be dealt with, we seem to have an invasion of goblins and quite a few harpies picking off my subjects. After that I could use your street-smarts and talents to round up some of the orphans who refuse to go to the orphanage that is being set up."
"Alright, sounds noble enough, but let me warn you, if I start to see you goin' corrupt, I'm outta there, got it?"
"Of course. Now why don't we talk more about this in my coach?"
Duo was hired by Treize that day and became one of his most trusted friends, but it took a long time for Duo to fully trust him, or anyone else for that matter. It seemed that Duo had been alone for so long that he had learned to distrust people and it was unnerving to see the man that had been so open with me being so closed off with others. Eventually, Duo did come to trust Treize, Quatre, and the others, but it took a lot longer than I had expected, though I understood why. It went a long way to help their friendship when Quatre got Duo to talk to him about the fire, after seeing the burns Quatre hounded Duo until he confessed. It did a bit more when Treize had Master O heal the scars, since they still hurt Duo both physically and mentally.
Duo's job was first to destroy monsters, then become the first official dragon slayer, which had an official ceremony in which Treize presented him with a ancient scythe. Duo later retired as a dragon slayer to become the sole member of the Night Force, though he was still called to destroy monsters and dragons from time to time.
Then, of course, there were memories of me. It was odd, seeing our first meeting through Duo's eyes. It was weird to be with him as he defeated the dragon then sat down in the grass, injured. I tensed along with him as something rustled in the bushes, though I knew that it was only me. Upon seeing myself, I was shocked at how skinny I was. I hadn't remembered being that ill. No wonder Duo hovered constantly when we first met, I looked like I was about to die.
Though there were many snippets of memories about me, I didn't get to see nearly all of Duo's memories. That would have taken far too long, plus there were things that I knew Duo wanted to keep to himself, just as there were things I had kept to myself. Seeing Duo's memories was like reading a book; I saw enough to get the idea of the plot, but not every detail of every day. That would have taken far to long. As it was, we didn't even get to see Duo's full memories of our time at Haven. I wasn't too disappointed, though, because I already had one half of those memories.
I think that's about it, Duo told me and severed our connection. I was a bit disappointed, I liked being one with Duo, but I understood how vulnerable that had just left Duo, so I settled for cuddling with him as we fell asleep.
It was an odd twist of fate that I found myself going into his nightmares that night to calm him instead of the other way around. Odd... and comforting.