Duo's Child

Chapter 2

As the next morning shined in threw the windows, Uno woke up alone, but yet she didn't feel it as she used to. Sitting up and stretching, she looked back down to the stuffed doll that Duo had given to her that night before. She picked it up and stared at it, then lay back down and stared at the picture on the ceiling above the bed. Without extra glances at the two, she quickly hugged the stuffed Deathscythe and got out of bed.

She checked the bathroom to see if Duo was there, but found an empty darkened room. Figuring he'd be in the other rooms, she opened the door and closed it behind herself, wandering about to the room where she hoped Duo would be.

"Hey Uno; morning sweetie!" Duo smiled looking over his shoulder to see a yawning clone walk slowly up to them. She hugged the doll even more.

"Duo…isn't that the Deathscythe Doll Hildie gave you for your birthday in regards of missing the actual machine?"

"…Well…yeah. But Q', look at how cute she looks hugging it tightly." Duo opened his arms for her to sit next to him. He lifted her up and allowed it to happen.

"Well…does she know what it means? That doll?"

"Not yet…I'll tell her when she gets older." Duo played with her braid as she snuggled into his side more, yawning as she snuggled. "Cutie."

"Duo," Began Heero walking into the room. "Hildie called earlier…she may stop by later today to give you your marshmallows."

"Alright!" Duo shouted, obviously telling Wufei that Hell's awaken as he roamed into the room in his usual standard way.

"Duo…it's ten in the morning. Not too loud until you're outside for good." Wufei leaned on the wall once again and looked at Uno curled up next to Duo. He couldn't help but actually smirk at the sight.

"Uno…" Quatre walked up to her as she sat up. "Do you know what that doll is?"

Uno shook her head as a five year old, Duo imitating her, tossing his braid around.

"I like that! Wee!" Duo said as he began flipping his braid around.

"Well…before I tell you…do you believe in God?" Quatre asked Uno seriously, kneeing in front of her.

"…Uh, uh." Uno shook her head like a little five year old would be answering 'No' softly. Duo's eyes widened, remembering this sequence.

"No?" Quatre was shocked, and yet again speechless. Trowa stepped in and stopped, seeing Quatre's shocked expression and Duo's wide eyes.

"Then…what do you believe in? If you say there's no God?" Quatre glanced at Trowa then back to Uno.

"Shinigami."

"…Uh…" Quatre glanced at Duo. "Duo…you sure you didn't tell her—"

"No way Quatre! She's the one who said it just now!" Duo's eyes were big, remembering when he answered with the same exact word at that age.

"She…believes in the God of Death?" Trowa walked to the other side of the couch and sat down, watching the scene.

"Uno…" She looked up to Duo. "Why…exactly? I mean, why do you believe in Shinigami? Is it because of me?"

Uno stared at him for a few second, trying to think of what he meant by that question, but simply shook her head again.

"Alright…that's good. Because I—"

"Shinigami cuz I never saw God, but mommy and daddy die." Uno, with her childish eyes, stared directly into Duo's.

"Uh…" Silent, Duo said nothing. He knew where this was going.

"Um…Uno?" She turned to Quatre. "Did you actually see your parents die?"

"…"

"…I see. So you never really seen death then? Have you? Then why do you believe in Shinigami? You never saw it actually happen." Quatre looked at her as she looked down, hugging the doll even tighter. Duo rubbed her back a little.

"…Too much blood."

"Huh?" Quatre and Duo snapped into her reality and realized that she had seen her parents die.

"…You saw…when?" She looked at Duo, pondering.

"Uno…when did you see you're parents die? How if I might add." Heero sat down on the couch, off the end of Duo.

"Geese Heero, she's only a little girl, think she knows that much and would want to remember it too?"

"Hm…" Heero looked away from Duo after that point and back to Uno.

"Well Uno…did you know Shinigami means 'God of Death'?" Asked Duo; aiming at the doll she hugged ever so tightly.

Uno shook her head slightly, still looking at Duo.

"It does…and that doll you're hugging right now," Duo took the doll from her and faced it to her. "Is Shinigami; the machine that killed as the God of Death."

Uno's mouth dropped a little at that point. Wufei, who was reading a book by now, suddenly became less silent, but still kept his nose in the binding.

"There you go Maxwell. Scare the girl to where she hates the fact that you're him."

"Wufei…" Duo gripped his fists; beginning to think Wufei was correct until Uno grabbed the doll out of his hands and squeezed it in a hug again. Duo watched this action take place and smiled.

"Looks like you were wrong Wu. She still enjoys it." Duo wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side again, another hug. Wufei slammed the book shut and looked at Duo.

"The name's Wufei! Get it right Maxwell!"

"Wu-man!" Uno smiled her tight smile and Duo smirked.

"…No…Nataku!" Wufei paced out of the room through the door and was sure he slammed it shut. Duo busted out laughing.

"Ha, ha! You go, Uno!" Duo hugged her tight, laughing uncontrollably. "Now Uno's gonna' be callin' Wu that from now on!"

"Oh Duo…"Quatre stood up and sat on the love seat where Trowa now sat. He shook his head slightly at the stupidity Duo gave off. Uno kept on smiling a normal smile, trying to suppress her laughter from Duo's.

"This is the next Shinimegami!" Duo hugged her once again as Uno smiled, looking at Heero and noticing his death glare. She stared at it for a few minutes, studying it when the doorbell rang, kicking her back into reality.

"Uh oh…" Duo glanced over to Heero, who now was standing and waiting to see who it was before fleeing in the halls. "Looks like we got ourselves another invader."

"She usually brings bad luck." Heero stepped back, aiming for the point to hop the couch and make a run for it. "For the past several visits, she nearly cost a war to happen."

"Duo…it's for you." Quatre saw Heero nearly on the verge of collapsing on the couch.

"Oh…she's early." Duo mentioned before glancing at the clock and noticing the time. "Then again…it's already one…damn—I mean…dang!"

Duo shut his mouth, almost forgetting Uno's listening ears as he stepped towards Hildie at the end of the hallway.

"Duo."

"Hey babe, what's up?" Duo pecked her on the cheek and side hugged her, giving her the usual 'public greeting'.

"Nothing major, but I stopped by to ask if you still were up to seeing that new horror flick, 'Keepers of Death'?" Hildie sworn into his eyes, the way she knew to win him over, however, Duo had plans he couldn't and wouldn't break.

"Sorry babe, but I can't."

"Duo! You promised me last week!" She tried again with her eyes, hoping she'd change his mind.

"Well, I had something very important come up, and—no, you're eyes aren't working on me for this one, sorry babe."

"Duo…what's more important than spending some free time with your girlfriend?" Hildie, who was now practically shouting, hadn't noticed someone tugging at Duo's arm. "The war's are over now, so what else could you be doing here?"

"Well I—"

"Duo?" Uno tugged again.

"Hildie…meet Uno." Duo knelt down to face Uno and turned her to Hildie. "This is my new friend whom I'm raising."

Hildie looked down and almost thought she was seeing things. Duo usually wasn't serious about kids and 'where did this come from', was probably the only thought floating around in her head at that moment. She blinked her eyes a few times and then realized that since the image of the little girl didn't go away, that she also looked almost exactly like Duo. Then she noticed Deathscythe in her hands, the doll Hildie gave Duo for his sixteenth birthday.

"Uno…say 'Hi' to Hildie. She's my girlfriend." Duo winked at Hildie, trying to cool her off.

"Hewwo." Uno yawned after she spoke, barely covering her mouth. She then turned back to Duo.

"What is it sweetie?"

"I'm hungwy."

"Duo…she's—"

"Cute, ain't she?" Duo smiled and faced Hildie with the biggest grin on his face.

"But…is she really your—"

"No! No, no, no. I found her on the streets during that rainstorm we had…yesterday it was. Yeah, yesterday we took her in. She's only five years old and she's lost her parents to the White Fang war we fought in when she was three and a half. I had to take her in. Even Quatre couldn't bare to see how the war made more orphans like myself." Uno hugged Duo and he lifted her up.

"…Well…she does look like you. Did you make her braid for her?"

"Yup, she loves it. She even loves wearing my old orphan clothes! But I don't have much of it left. The church didn't really have much unharmed after the destruction. This and another outfit is all I have left."

"Well...how about, in place of the movie…" Hildie began, wishing she had the day with Duo all by herself. "We go to the mall and get her some clothes."

"Great idea Hildie! You can help better than I can anyways!" Duo cheerfully smiled at her.

Hildie at first was on the verge of weak-friendship with Uno, but when she saw Uno and Duo talk to each other like a family, it hit her that Duo had something more to him than what looked.

"You hungwy?" Uno nodded. "Wanna' git somethin' to eat?"

Uno nodded like the age she was, the braid flipping through the air.

"Yeah?" Nodded again, Uno rubbed her eyes as well. "And another bathe?"

Uno shook her head.

"No? Well then you can't get new clothes." Uno frowned, Duo played with her on and on, knowing how little kids didn't like to bathe very often. Hildie was watching and couldn't help but smile and giggle at the site. Duo with a child, about near the age of what would be their own, which she was pondering about even more. Duo glanced at Hildie and continued talking silently to Uno.

"No? Yes? You sure? How about you give Hildie a hug, hmm? Okay?" Duo stepped over to Hildie, allowing Uno to half hug her and return to Duo. Duo smiled.

"Duo…I have an idea. How about we go out and get something to eat, for her as well…my treat."

"Really Hildie! Alright!"

"I'm treating her…I had trouble affording for you last time."

"Aw, c'mon Hildie, I'm hungry too!"

"Very well Duo…you can join too." Hildie smiled, once again loosing to the God of Death.

"Alright!" Duo hugged Uno once again, happy that he had his girlfriend and 'child' making friends. "Hey Hildie, guess what babe, Uno here is going to be the next Shinimegami. Ain't that right, Sweetie?"

"Duo…" Hildie couldn't help but smirk. "What if there's not a war by that time?"

"Well…we wouldn't know now would we? And besides…before she came into the room, Quatre and I agreed that each of us, Wufei too if we could get him too, teach her a little of each of us 'til she gets all she can from every one of the Gundam pilots."

"And what about Zechs? And Noin?"

"…We'll try them as well…that is if we can find them." Hildie shook her head, hearing what Duo has planned for little Uno.

"Wu-man!" Uno tight smiled, showing Asian features, however, none were really there to be shown.

"Te-he! She's taking that over while I just call him Wu!" Duo did his smile and caused Uno to giggle. "You know, I even taught her to read last nigh as well. For her age, she's learning pretty darn fast. She's already read all of 'The Little Train'; of course with errors in it, but at least she's trying! That's why her speech is off. But we first found out she couldn't speak when she said 'Wu-Fay'."

"Wufay." Uno hugged Duo's neck.

"See!" Duo smiled as Hildie shook her head.

"So you're serious about her Duo, I mean…you know."

"As if she were my child." Duo said seriously, which Hildie has only heard once before as he was asking for her hand in a relationship, not yet engagement. Hildie's eyes silent 'awed' at this as Duo kept his stern face, telling Hildie he wasn't lying and that he had already felt something for Uno that moment and before.

"Hildie, since I saw her pushed down in the middle of the street in the rain by the storeowner, I felt pity on her. But when I found out that the battle we fought in again the White Fang had killed her parent that she's seen die, and change her beliefs into Shinigami, I literally fell to take her in as mine."

"Duo…" Hildie's voice trailed off, noting Duo's seriously stern but yet calm and soothing voice rests her sorrow and make her cry; however, she kept it in. "Duo…why don't you adopt her then?"

"I don't have the money too. And if I ask Quatre, he'd want part in it, but I feel the pain she has cuz' I had been down that very same road that she's traveling down now." Uno laid her head on Duo's shoulder as he adjusted his arms with her; she was resting her head on his shoulder and hugging the stuffed Deathscythe as if she were about to fall back asleep, the warmth of his arms calming her body and relaxing her.

"I mean, look at this. She's been asking for a hug almost every chance she gets, and it's all because she had never had anyone give her love before."

"Duo…what if I help pay."

"What do you mean…help pay?"

"I will lend you the money as long as you give me some share into this. Raising a child, whether it's a boy or a girl, will take both a mother and a father to do; the mother to teach her basic skills for house and love, and the father to teach her skills of fun and work; education along with it."

"Hildie…are you saying—"

"She'll live with you, but I get help in raising her as well. And when you may need time alone or when I see that you may do, I'll take her in for a while, you know, as a parent would."

"Well…she's still becoming Shinimegami."

"Yes…you and the rest can teach her all she needs." Hildie had to smile at that; she knew Duo wouldn't be able to hold out that long, though it was longer than when he asked for her.

"So…you're seriously going to help me? We're not even married and you're willing to help me take on the care of a child. Are you sure Hildie?"

"Well…Duo, if I didn't, and still wanted to, think of how I would have a hard time trying to cheer you up when the law and government takes her away from you because you don't have legal custardy on her. I would be downhearted…but you, trust me Duo, you'd never see her again if you didn't and they found out."

Duo smiled and stepped in for a kiss. "Thanks babe. You're a life saver."

"Duo." Hildie blushed, rubbing the backside of her hand on Uno's face.

"A Cheery Life Saver." Duo said in remark to cheer her up.

"Duo…good grief." Hildie couldn't help but laugh, it was worth it. "Look at that, she's asleep again."

"Hm…guess she didn't have enough before." Duo began to walk to his room but stopped when  Hildie placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Duo…it's the fact that someone's actually holding her and loves her." Hildie kissed Duo on the lips, pressing her saltiness against his and being sure they don't wake Uno.

"…Get a room will you." Wufei rolled his eyes as he walked by to his room. Duo wanted to flick him off, but couldn't due to holding Uno.

In replacement of that, Hildie whispered in his ears. "Let's get ready and I bet she'll be awake by then."