Author's Note: Hey! I'm not sure what to say about this other than, try not to take it too seriously. I knowI didnt. (;;) Yeah, uh.... the first chapterout of I'm not sure how many. Enjoy!

Bright Morning

by Onions make me cry

Oh, what a beautiful mornin',
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way.
Chapter 1: Oh What a Beautiful Morning
Hilde sat hunched over the kitchen table, paper littering the wooden surface as she sat scrutinizing the bills. Duo could never be trusted to deal with money, however much the girl wanted to share the burden of the job, and so she'd sent him packing earlier that morning. Her braided friend was much too softhearted for the task, and would, no doubt about it, pay their employees bonuses they hadn't earned yet. They were, after all, just a Scrap management. Where did the money come from? Air? In addition, Hilde had made Duo swear to keep their finances entirely legal, and as far as she knew, her friend's fingers
had stayed out of bank accounts that didn't belong to them, even when necessity could have warmly welcomed such a transaction. No, if they were going to make it now, here at the beginning of so much possibility, they were going to do it honestly. They would do it right.

"Hmmm… carry the two, three thousand, four hundred-- oh– oh, shit." Heaving a great sigh, Hilde threw down the pen she'd been holding, and leaned back in her folding chair. Numbers, it seemed, were to be her new great enemy. No mission she'd ever shared had been as frustrating as this. Already, the violet-haired girl could feel a migraine coming on, building slowly behind her eyeballs, and burning it's way down the sides of her skull.

Where WAS Duo? Come to think of it, he hadn't been around all day. What was he doing that was so important? Or… Hilde grinned a little sarcastically, a perfect mirror image of the braided boy… maybe it wasn't important, whatever he was doing. Maybe it was just scavenging.
He still did that, sometimes. Like the magpies that tattooed his shoulder. No other animal was as clever, or as identifiably similar to her charming friend than the magpie. The tattoo had been a wise decision. After all, what did Duo have to fear now of identifying
marks? Though, that braid may have been enough of a tip-off to anyone who may have been looking for him. Hilde wondered why the boy had taken such a long time to come to the tattoo.

"What are you doing, Duo?" Hilde mused out loud, eyes going distant as she paused to contemplate her recently restless friend.

"Sausage, cheese, gum, cigarettes, floss, rising rolls, shoelaces, a bottle brush, thread, canned yams, wheat bread…"

Duo grinned charismatically at the cashier as he, one by one, stuffed the aforementioned items into his jacket. "you won't tell, will you, Mary?"

The girl smiled, a ridiculous, melting sort of look, and shook her blonde curls so they fluttered a little from side to side. "Uh-uh. But you promised you'd call me, okay? Remember? You said on Thursday."

"I'll remember! I'm hurt! How could I forget someone as pretty as you?" Duo ran a few teasing fingers down the sides of the girl's cheek, and gave her a quick, dry kiss on the cheek, heaving at the effort of leaning over the counter with a jacket full of food. "Wait for my
call, huh?"

Mary smiled shyly back at Duo's retreating figure, and watching with love struck eyes, followed his path out of the store and onto the street.

"Bye, Duo!"

Smiling to himself, and shaking his head, Duo walked shamelessly away. It was in the little things, that the braided youth still found amusement. Because, God knew there wasn't very much satisfaction in this simple life. Or, at least, there wasn't anymore. What world was it that Duo was coming into where sweet talking a girl out of a few dollars of food brought such joy? Peering covetously for a few moments down into his jacket of stolen goods, the braided youth amused himself with thoughts of a real meal. Hilde had been looking a little peeked recently... maybe these oranges would cheer her up.

At last settling on a neutral expression, Duo began his stroll down the crowded street.

(Duo POV)

Take a little journey with me.

Walking in a crowd is easy. I'm always easiest in the company of strangers. Go figure, huh? A universe full of people to know and love, and I'd rather just see them. They're comforting, you know? The way you never see the same face twice.

They, other people that is, don't recognize me, (thank the fucking lord) for who I really am. And I'm happy as a clam to keep it just like that. Hilde and I are quite comfortable where we are, thanks. I like my skin how it is-- still attached to the rest of me. And also,
you know, they couldn't deal with the truth. These people are happy to look past me. They couldn't handle knowing who I am, or, more specifically, who I was. Who I most intimately was, until recently. For Gundam Pilot am I no more. No no! Now is a life of menial labor. Duo my boy, the ordinary life is calling your name! Sweet, blissful ordinary nothingness. Nothingness full of public service ten thousand rungs below on the ladder of life from where I once stood. But whatever. I mean, everything's always been shoots and
ladders for me anyway, so, what's one more bad roll?

Have I rolled badly?

There's a strange idea. Huh. Where'd that thought come from, anyway? I should be happy, right? Shouldn't I be? I have every right to happiness. I mean, I served my time. I still carry my name, I have a sweet little setup with a beautiful woman and a lucrative business,
and I'll never cut my hair, so shouldn't I be pleased? You know, this is like striking gold for me. I'm lucky! Like, lottery lucky. I'm the luckiest sonovabitch this side of the sun. So… what's so god damn important that I haven't got?

I'm walking down the market sidewalk now, my jacket all full of the stuff I slid past Mary. Poor naive little kid. Cute as pie, but gullible like you wouldn't believe. Well, that's luck. Sorry, Mary. A man's gotta eat. Okay, maybe 17 isn't quite a man, but I'm way fucking
closer to maturity than most adults I've met. And I'll bet I'm man enough for you, huh, little girl?

What is it about me, Mary? Why do you look at me like you do? With those big liquidy ocean eyes, like I'm drowning. It was that look that made me notice you, just so you know. Those delicate, dark eyes, so much like someone else's I once knew. Someone I'm almost entirely sure I loved.

Maybe you're what's missing from my life, little Mary. Pretty little thing. You're a poor substitute for the real figure, for what I really want, but the blue eyes staring out at me from behind your tidy little curls are somewhat of a comfort. They aren't as cold, or nearly as
cruel as the original, but then again, the soft lines of womanhood have smoothed away the rougher edges of what a man's would have. Like his. Him. The other. (And he had so much of me. And I think I had some of him. Or at least, I thought I did. Even today I can never really be sure.) He was the original source, though. The real fucking McCoy.
Nobody loved him more than me. He was a genius. Brilliant beyond his time. And now, he's totally and completely gone. Fucking bastard disappeared into nothing like a candle snuffed by the wind. Huge mystery. Never answered. The greatest question of all. Where does the famous Heero Yuy go after the end of the grandest adventure of his life? Into death, apparently. Anywhere not fucking here. I don't know... I can relate, I guess.

But whatever. I'm losing myself in the montage. Enough of guilting myself into depression about loves lost, and never found again. This is a new world. Shouldn't I be happy? Don't I have every right to be? Hilde says I should be. We went out together last week and celebrated
our freedom by getting me a tattoo. I like it… magpies, man. Smart fucking birds. And thrifty as hell, is for sure. They're also a comfort. Like the faces around me, moving down the street.

What time is it, anyway? I've stopped wearing a watch. Maybe Hilde'll be worrying.

(General POV)

The chill of the crisp air blew daggers into the tiny kitchen as Duo entered, and immediately the boy could hear Hilde's blistering curses as her paperwork flew up from the table.

"Damn it, Duo!"

Shooting his business partner a sheepish grin, Duo shrugged an apology and settled the front of his jacket down on the counter. "Sorry, Hil'. Look, I brought food!"

"You payed for it, right?" the girl eyed Duo suspiciously, gathering paper.

"Of course! I always pay for everything! I'm an honest gentleman, and not a fucking penny lesser." The braided boy unzipped his jacket, and a shower of boxes, cans, and loaves fell across the counter's plastic surface.

Hilde quirked an eyebrow. "Where's your receipt? And why isn't that stuff in bags?"

Duo's face fell a little.

"Duo!"

"Sorry! Sorry Hilde, Jesus. I'll pay next time."

"You were sweet talking that girl at Mr. Wrennard's place again, weren't you? What's her name? Nancy? Manny?"

"Mary." Duo supplied.

"Well don't do it! Are you really going to call her? You'll only end up hurting her feelings when she finds out you wouldn't touch her vagina with a ten foot pole!"

At that, the braided boy exploded into a fit of stifled laughter.
"I'm serious, Duo!" Hilde admonished, and sat primly again at her position at the table. "You've got to tell that girl the truth."

"I can't believe you just said that word!" The boy was lost behind a forest of white teeth and shaking bangs. Still laughing, he slumped against the edge of the counter.

Hilde's expression soured, and she leaned back in her chair to lock Duo with a sarcastic glare. "VA-GI-NA. What are you, six? You've got to tell that girl."

"Yeah, I know I know. Okay, I'll do it later." Waving a hand at the purple-headed woman, Duo's laughter began to taper off.

"When?" Hilde questioned sternly.

Duo's smile disappeared. "You know what? You're a sheep, Hilde. Gay gay gay gay gay… yak yak yak yak yak… All the fucking time! What does it matter who I have sex with? Don't get all patronizing on me, Hilde, because I'll retaliate. So quit bugging me, square? Do you want to eat or not?"

The girl sighed, and dropped her forehead into her palm, unable to argue. She was hungry. They both were. Obviously, her tax work had been working her, instead of vice versa, and suddenly, with the sun streaming weakly in through the smudged kitchen window like dirty butter, she looked wracked.

Seeing the weariness in Hilde, Duo sighed and pulled up a chair next to her. "Come on, Hil! Let's get dressed up. We'll go out for a night on the town! Just the two of us. We'll go dancing."

"Dancing?" she chuckled a little.

"Yeah! Dancing. And I'll buy the drinks."

A ragged little grin managed to peek it's way through Hilde's exaggerated exhaustion, and she let her tension go.

"Only if I get to pick the club."

In less than an hour, both friends were dressed in their evening's best, and out on the street again-- Ready for a little desperately-needed recuperation time from the "ordinary" life.

Night folded around Hilde and Duo like a dark blanket of chill. The streets in which the friends walked were still only a little wet from an earlier rain, but the pair chose to weave in-between the sidewalk puddles anyway, like children could be seen doing under the watchful
eye of day. A thousand miniature puddles of sky reflected the grandeur of space, and in wake of the dancing they'd been doing, a silence was kept between them out of tiredness. Long ago the two had tangled their fingers together, and the braided boy weaved back in forth in the front, Hilde trailing a line of purple behind.

Those walking past gave the boy and girl pleasant looks. Young love is grand! Their eyes would say. But they had no idea of the circumstances. Hilde watched them with a muted disappointment, knowing that they would never know what she knew. At least, not about Duo, anyway. Her friend had a special, friendly air about him, and so he attracted smiles. But the passerbyers would never wonder at why he didnt kiss his beautiful girlfriend, or stroke her hair, or point out constellations over her shoulder. From the outside, it was impossible to tell where her companion's loyalties laid.

"…Duo..?"

Hilde was the first to break their quiet-- an occurrence in and of itself strange to the girl, despite their weariness. Quiet and Duo had never been friends, and she found it strange that her companion wasn't immediately possessed to fill up every available moment of peace with a vomit of commentary.

"Hmm?" more of a pleasant grunt than an answer.

"You can tell me anything, you know."

A moment was taken out of Duo's walking to turn his head and waggle his eyebrows questioningly at the girl behind him. Even now, a kind of blandly ignorant charm hovered at the corner of the boy's half-smiling lips. "Huh? Whats up?"

Hilde frowned, then hesitatingly continued. "I know… that, you've had to make certain sacrifices with the end of the war, but… you just… You seem strange. Different."

"What do you mean?" he frowned comically. " Man, you're the strange one, Hil. Cooped up like a chicken in that house all day tossing numbers back and forth. Your head is gonna explode! I can see it coming- Headline news... Girl suffers deadly boredom aneurysm- Very dangerous! Possibly infectious." Duo laughed, and strung her along a little quicker. Hilde, in the meantime, couldn't dismiss her discomfort.

"Errr… well, I don't blame you for taking your time to adjust, but, it's just that- I mean, that is to say… is something wrong? You can tell me! I swear to God to keep anything you tell me a secret! We're supposed to be friends…" Trying to peer into Duo's face was provingdifficult. He was avoiding her gaze now. "Are you still upset about Hee-"

"Don't."

Hilde flinched at the harsh command-- one that demanded immediate recognition. The silence crept back up between them again, only this time with a distinctive bitterness. Duo let go of Hilde's hand and turned his back to her, though they still continued down the street together.

"Don't talk about that. Just… Let me let it die, alright?" His voice was muted by the angle.

"Duo…" The girl made to touch his arm, but as her fingers brushed across the fabric of his jacket, she could feel the muscles beneath flinch a little. "… Did you ever have him? Like you wanted?"

The answer was half-grudging. "…No. Sometimes… I liked to think that I did, but now I doubt I really ever knew what he was thinking. And anyway, He's gone now. Off to fuckall knows where, and probably never to return again, so in the long run it never really did matter what I thought. So drop it."

Sighing a little, Hilde at last held her peace. The disappearance of a one Heero Yuy had a profound effect on many people, but somehow, walking down the sidewalk in the shadows of the surrounding night, she very much doubted that anyone was more severely effected by Heero's absence than the boy so few steps ahead of her--Though no torture in hell would ever make Duo own up to that fact. He was too proud.

Hilde spent a few more moments staring regretfully at Duo's back, watching the shadows dip in and out from the collar of the black jacket he wore, before the boy himself turned around too with a regretful eye. It was obvious that Duo disliked being so brash, and
that he was sorry. Hilde accepted her friend's silent apology, and leaned into the crook of his arm as he slung an elbow around her neck. They were the best of friends after all, now at this new beginning.

Tomorrow was a new day. For tonight, they'd let the shadows lie alone.