Colony L2- 8:45 PM- April 17, 198 A.C
"Alright, Hilde, I get your point! But I'm not a little kid- I can stay up as late as I want to!"
Duo Maxwell bounced up from the couch and pressed the 'Off' button to the TV, watching as the screen picture faded to black. Hilde was in the kitchen, putting away the leftovers from dinner into the fridge, still berating him.
"I know you're not a child anymore, but you're not fifteen either, Duo! Your work as a space salvager and a delivery man pays the bills for this place, I just don't want you falling asleep when working or anything!"
Duo turned toward Hilde, his braid swinging behind him as he moved, leaning against the table and watching Hilde with an eyebrow raised.
"Listen, Hilde, I promise you, if I was tired, I would go home and sleep rather than be caught sleeping on the job! 'Sides, I have my own place now, you'd think I'd risk it over something as stupid as staying up late?"
Hilde put the leftovers' containers in the fridge and shut the door. "I know you Duo... you'd never do anything like that..." A mischievous smile lit Hilde's face. "Risking your life, or beating up bad guys, or flirting with soldier girls, that's more your style, isn't it?"
"Shut up, Hilde!" said Duo, but he was grinning as he flung a dishcloth from the sink at her. Hilde laughed and shrieked as the wet cloth hit her in the face, slid down and hit the floor. She grabbed it and started rolling it up in a rat's tail, her eyes glinting at Duo. He caught on right away and cringed in fear, backing away.
"Oh crap!!" Duo bolted, running quickly and jumping over the couch as Hilde chased after him. She was fast, but the man known as Shinigami was an expert at evading anyone or anywhere. He twisted, dived and slid away, finally being cornered in- where else- the corner of the laundry room.
He tried to scrabble out of the window, but Hilde was right behind him. Before she could hit him, he heard something... it sounded like rusty metal parts being moved around... the junkyard!
Quickly Duo put a finger to his mouth and motioned for Hilde to keep quiet. She saw the seriousness on his face and set the dishcloth on top of the washer, figuring she'd get him back later. They crept outside through the window until they were in the yard. Some of the spare parts and metal had been clearly moved around by someone.
Footsteps were heard, coming closer toward them! Duo and Hilde ducked behind a large pile of scrap metal, and through one of the rusted holes Duo could see was there.
It was a kid, about eight or nine years old, wearing a tattered and patched black leather jacket, a blue baseball cap, jeans and sneakers, pushing a half decent motorcycle toward them. Duo recognized the engine- it was one from an old Harley-Davidson that had been scrapped and dumped near the junkyard. Duo had wheeled it home, eager to take it apart and use the engine, but he never had the free time to. The kid's voice, a girl's voice, was heard, singing in a low whisper:
"There's a lady who's sure, all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven..." The singing stopped. "Damn, what's the next lines…"
"Hey! What do you think you're doing??" Duo stood up and ran toward the girl, who stopped dead in her tracks and looked up. Moving swiftly, he tackled her to the ground. The girl reached into her jacket pocket and flicked a switchblade open in front of Duo's eyes, but a foot came down and pinned the girl's wrist to the ground. Hilde stood over her, eyeing the knife in the girl's hand. The girl dropped it and Hilde reached down and grabbed it, flicking it shut and putting it in her pants pocket.
Despite her predicament and being caught, the girl grinned cheerfully. "Wow… never thought there were guards 'round here! You guys hiring?"
Duo's eyebrows narrowed as he stared down at the girl. "Listen, kid, I don't know who you are, but you're in deep trouble! You broke in here, steal my parts, threaten me with a knife-"
"And a partridge in a pear tree!" laughed the girl, still grinning. Duo looked up at Hilde, their expressions the same. Was this kid crazy?
Like quicksilver, the girl pulled herself out of Duo's grasp and tried to run away, but Hilde pressed her foot harder against the girl's wrist, making her yank her arm wildly, trying to pull free. After a struggle the girl slumped, tears making their way through tight shut eyes as she realized she was caught. Hilde's expression softened, but Duo shot her a warning glance as he bent down and grabbed the girl's shoulder, not gripping it to hurt her, but making sure she couldn't run away. The girl opened her eyes, the tears drying quickly and she stared as Duo looked at her intently, studying her appearance.
Her clothes were dirty with dried mud, grease, oil, the jacket leather aged and peeling in places. The hat had fallen off, revealing dark brown hair that seemed to flow down her back. There were patches where tears used to be on her clothes, though the holes in her jeans were abundant, and the sneakers were a few scuffs shy of being thrown away. Her face was equally dirty, and she looked scrawny for her supposed age. But it was her eyes that were captivating… crimson colored eyes, a deep red, like nail polish or blood…
'She looks like a street kid… was she planted here, though? It all depends what she tells me…' Duo spoke to her in a calm voice. "Look, we won't report you to the police. But you should know it's not right to take what doesn't belong to you-"
"Yeah, right, and it's right for kids to be homeless and living on the streets? I don't think so! Besides, what if you were starving? You'd need food, wouldn't you? Or would you die trying to be good and eating leftovers out of a dumpster when others were finished with them?" She flashed him a wide-eyed look, her garnet-jeweled eyes staring into his amethyst eyes.
"Are you hungry?" Hilde suddenly said.
"Huh?" Both Duo and the girl looked toward Hilde, who had removed her foot from the girl's wrist and was beside the bike, looking sincerely at the girl.
"We have plenty of leftovers- we had pizza tonight. Most kids like pizza, don't they? C'mon, what do you say? You can tell us how you got this motorcycle, okay?" Hilde smiled at the girl, whose eyes were wide.
She turned toward Duo and looked up at him with a pleading look, not unlike that of a puppy begging. "Can I? Is it okay? I'll tell you about the bike, honest!"
"I don't see why not…" Duo stared as the kid sprang up, grinning.
"Alright! Thanks mister!" Then the girl stopped laughing, eyeing the two strangers in front of her thoughtfully and grinned. "You both seem like you're nice enough. Besides, you didn't shoot at me or anything, so you don't seem too bad!"
Duo smiled ruefully. This kid was pretty smart, street-wise, and had a sense of humor as well. "She reminds me of me when I was that age," he thought to himself.
The kid ran over to Hilde and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, whatever your name is! Thanks a lot!"
Hilde's breath was taken away at the force of the girl's hug, but returned it. "Thank you, whatever your…wait, where's…" Hilde put her hand into her pants pocket, where her wallet, her pen and the switchblade were. The girl grinned mischievously as she opened her hands up. There was the wallet, the pen, the switchblade and another thing- Hilde's watch!
Hilde looked at her wrist in shock as Duo laughed out loud. "Looks like we have a little pickpocket!"
The girl handed the wallet, pen and the watch back, pocketing the switchblade. "Sorry about that. I won't take anything, but I like having my knife with me."
Hilde smiled, still flustered at the girl's skill. "It's not the first time something like this happened. Duo took me out on a date once, played a prank, made me think I left my wallet at home- he had it the whole time and used the money to pay for dinner and a movie!"
The girl laughed as Duo looked innocently toward Hilde. "Hey, Hilde, c'mon! I paid you back for it, didn't I?"
"Only after I threatened to leave you at the movie theatre, since it was five blocks from here!" Hilde retorted.
Duo shrugged, smiling as the memory came back. "You didn't do it after I ran to the flower shop and bought you those violets, though…" Duo turned toward the girl, who was smiling at them. "Okay kid, you can stay with us for a while. Now my name's Duo and she's Hilde, as you know. What's your name?"
The girl's eyes seemed to glow with an inner light as she replied. "My name's Raphael!"
Duo's eyes widened, the smile fading away. 'It couldn't be…'
The girl continued speaking, not noticing Duo's expression. "My real name is Rubi. Spelled with I, instead of Y. At least, that was what they called me on the street. Cause of my eyes, you know?"
Duo held the girl by her shoulders, his eyes grave, looking into her own as he spoke to her. "Rubi, I want you to tell me…who told you about this place? Who gave you the name Raphael?"
The girl named Rubi narrowed her eyebrows in thought, her eyes shutting as she tried to remember. Then her eyes opened, again, this time with the light of remembrance in them.
"It was some guy… had a 'shroom cut, a scar down his face, and a really long nose. Said he was a professor, named G. Said to use Raphael as a secret name. He told me if I did and found someone named Duo, I'd be safe… it was a while ago, though. Is that okay, Duo?"
Duo let go of the girl and stood up, a grim smile on his lips. He looked at the girl, the smile on his face shifting to a more sincere once. "Fine by me, Rubi. We can talk after you've had something to eat."
Hilde came up to them, offering her hand to Rubi, who took it. Duo watched as she led the girl inside, chatting like they were lifelong friends…He shook his head. This was the one with the name of Raphael, the angel of healing? And was Professor G still alive? What was he planning for this girl?