I smiled happily as I walked down the street, waving at everyone I saw. I wasn't an idiot, I knew they didn't know me, and I knew they didn't want to. That still didn't stop me. I still waved every morning, said hello every night, and smiled at everyone. I knew they talked about me, babbling to their psychiatrists about the poor fool who never stopped smiling.
I guess I don't really talk that much, especially for someone so cheerful. but I do like physical contact, so long as it isn't with the intention of hurting me. I'm not like other people, i'm different. I have my own mind, and I do what I want, not what I'm told. i've been in trouble with the police more times than I care to count.mostly for fighting.
My landlord says that if I get in trouble one more time, she's kicking me out of my apartment. Wouldn't that just suck?
I stopped short, my smile dissappearing as I neared my apartment. There were police cars surrounding the building, and cops were busting down doors to get in.
"Michael Johansenn, come out with your hands up!" I heard one of the men shout. the lady in the apartment next to mine screamed, and I did the only thing I could think to do at that point; I ran to help her. the police opened fire just as I got in front of the building, catching me in the side and back with more than one bullet. I went down like a log, my eyes wide with surprise as pain lanced through me.
Mr. Fletcher, from the building down the road, ran up to me, holding my head up as I stared at him with unseeing eyes. Fletcher looked up at the police, his eyes full of hatred as I bled in his arms. he was one of the few people who knew me for Duo, and not some punk.
"He's just a kid! He isn't even out of Junior High!" he shouted. I winced, his loud voice hurting my ears. "He had so much to live for." I raised a shaking hand and put it on Mr. Fletcher's chek, making him look down at me. a tear splashed onto my face as I smiled up at him.
"Do-don't cry, Mitch." I heard myself say weakly. "I-it doesn't suit you." I panted, my breath becoming short. Mitch's eyes widened as he looked at me.
"Duo." He said, his voice shaking. "Don't die." I shook my head.
"I lived my life, and I have no regrets." I said, closing my eyes for a moment. when I opened them, I was being picked up and put on a stretcher.
"Don't die, kid." one of the man near the stretcher said evenly. I looked up and was met with one dazzlingly green eye. the otherwaas covered by his dark auburn hair.
"To die...I think," I whispered. he leaned down to hear me better. "would be an awfully big adventure." his eye widened a fraction, and he smiled down at me.
"Trowa, we need to get him to a hospital!" an anxious voice said near me head. I winced and looked. this time it was a blonde staring at me. he had aquamarine eyes and a soft face. I smiled a little, closing my eyes.
"Don't let him die!" Mitch hissed, taking my hand. "I'm coming with to the hospital." I gripped his hand as hard as I could as pain took over my senses. I didn't make a sound, even as they stuck a needle into my arm.
"Duo!" I heard the lady next door cry. I lifted my head and smiled at her, waving gently. "Please don't die!" she yelled. I nodded.
"I take it his name is Duo. does he have a last name?" The blonde asked, a pad in his hand as he looked at Mitch.
"Maxwell." I gasped then watched as the blonde wrote it before unconciousness took over.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was laying in a hospital bed, covers pulled up to my chin, and I couldn't move. the blonde from the ambulance was sitting next to me, and Mitch was sleeping in a chair.
"Hey." I whispered, drawing the blonde's attention.
"Hey." he gasped, standing up. "Hang on, Trowa wanted to talk to you when you woke up." he said and walked out of the room. he returned a minute later with the green eyed boy, a smile on his face.
"He lives." he smirked. I chuckled weakly.
"Guess I won't get to go on that big adventure." I said. "How long until I can move?" Blondie looked at me.
"When you can move, then the pain will come back. aren't you worried?" he asked.
I shook my head gently. "I've been through worse and made it out fine. A few bullets are nothing. You wanted to talk to me?" Trowa nodded his head a little, ushering the blonde out of the room. "Why were you running into the building?" he asked me quietly, sitting on my bed.
"Mackenzie was screaming. She needed help." I said simply, my head lolling to the side. "How long have I been here?" I asked.
"Two days. How old are you?" he asked. my eyes widened impossibly when he said two days.
"You're joking, right? I can't be here! I don't have insurance, I don't have a job, I- i'm not even out of Junior High!" I cried anxiously, looking down at my hands, then back up at Trowa. "How am I supposed to pay for all this!?" I was panicking and I knew it.
"I'm paying, Duo." I snapped my eyes up to look at Mitch.
"Why?" I asked simply.
"Because you didn't die." I sighed and looked down, biting my lip. "I had your belonging sent to my house. you'll be staying with me for a while, until you find a new place." "How old are you?" Trowa asked again.
"Fifteen." I said distractedly. "I'm staying with you? Why'd she kick me out?the cops weren't there for me!" Mitch shook his head.
"She said you were too much trouble, and she didn't want you in her building anymore. and, I'm sorry, Duo." he sighed. I looked at him seriously, making him squirm. "She took your.." he trailed off, looking at my neck. I paled, my breath catching in my throat.
"No." I whispered, shaking my head. "She wouldn't." "You couldn't make the rent, so..." he looked at me.
"So she took my cross. Stupid bitch!" I snarled, a tear rolling down my face as I grit my teeth, wishing I could kill something. "She can't do that, can she?" I asked, looking at Trowa. "She can't take my stuff just because I was late on the rent, can she?" I knew I sounded desperate, and I knew I looked like a child, but what she did was wrong.
"Not really." Trowa said, looking down. "But with your criminal record, she can just say you stole it from her." he said. I nodded, then brightened up.
"My cross, it says 'to duo, love Sister Helen.'" I smirked. "Her name isn't duo, so it's not hers!" Mitch smiled enigmatically. Trowa nodded a bit, stannding up. I watched his face carefully as he walked out of the room.
"There's some guys from the police force here to see you." he whispered, then closed the door behind him. it opened a moment later to reveal to men. one was short and looked japanese, the other was of obvious chinese descent.
"Heyas." I said, my voice going weak. "I'd stand up and greet you properly, but im afraid I can't." "Duo, the medicine they gave you should have worn off by now." Mitch said, surprise evident in his voice. I smirked.
"It did, which is why I can't get up." I explained. the japanese man looked at me uncomfortably. "Are you the one who shot me?" I asked. he nodded. "Good aim." His head snapped up to look at me.
"What?" he asked incredulously. I chuckled.
"Good aim." the chinese man stared at me for a minute, then whispered in his partners ear.
"Aren't you mad?" he asked.
"What are your names?" I asked in return, smiling gently.
"Wufei." said chinaman. he nudged his partner.
"Heero." "Okay. first, im not mad. second, I won't hold a grudge. third, can someone get a doctor or a nurse? my nose feels funny." I complained. Heero and Wufei looked at me like I had six heads.
"You took three bullets to the side, have no painkillers, and you're worried about your nose!?" Mitch demanded. I laughed, which set off a small coughing fit. when I was done, I looked up at Mitch with a crooked smile on my face.
"Why not? I'm not as fragile as you all think. I'm not just that weird kid who says hello to everyone even though he doesn't know them." my breathing became shallower as I looked at Mitch. "Just, if I die, make sure I've got my cross back from that bitch." I whispered, my head rolling to the side as unconsiousness claimed me again.
my P.O.V
Heero stared at the prone figure on the hospital bed. "He might die, and he's worried about a cross?" he demanded finally. Mitch nodded.
"He's had that cross since I met him." he said shortly. "and he may not be mad, but I am, Duo is like a son to me, and I will never forgive you for shooting him." "Oh blow it out your ass, old man." a sneering voice said as a girl with short blue hair came walking into the room. Mitch stared at her.
"What?" he demanded incredulously, his eyes wide.
"You'll forgive him before the week's out, and you know you will. If Duo doesn't hold a grudge, you know you can't." she turned to heero and Wufei. "Nice to meet you, I'm Hilde Schbeiker. pleasure." she said curtly, then plopped into the chair that trowa had vacated, holding Duo's hand. "Heya kid, I came to see you like I promised. The kids miss you, so you better get well and come see them. they sent you some presents, but they were dangerous, so I couldn't bring them in. Don't give the nurses any trouble, be nice to the doctors when they give you shots, no throwing needles at visitors, and you aren't allowed to give full bedpans the gift of flight. especially not in the direction of doctors and staff members. you've got a room at the orphanage if you need it, and i'll come see you in a few days if you haven't broken out and run away." hilde laughed softly, running a hands over Duo's forehead and moving his bangs out of his face. she stood up then smacked duo on the cheek lightly. "And no throwing tampons at old people." she chuckled a bit and kissed him lightly on the lips, smiling fondly. "Later, kid." she whispered, the walked out of the room.
Heero and Wufei stared after her for a minute, then looked at Mitch, who was barely containing his laughs. "Has he ever done any of that stuff?" Wufei asked.
"Every single one of 'em." Mitch snickered. "He's particularly fond of throwing bedpans full of toilet water at doctors when they try to give him shots. and breaking out of hospitals, though he enjoys breaking into them more, just for fun." he said, laughing out loud at the look on Wufei's face.
"Really now?" Heero chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the motionless figure of Duo on the bed. As if sensing his scrutiny, Duo's face scrungched up in discomfort, and he started tossing and turning, moaning uncomfortably. he kicked the sheets off of himself, revealing the black hig hugger pants that he was wearing since he got shot. his bare chest was bandaged heavily, red leaking through the white gauze. He cried out in pain and shot up into a sitting position, his eyes wide with fright. he was breathing heavily, his bangs matted to his face.
"Hilde!" he gasped, holding his side tightly. he looked at Mitch. "She's hurt, dying." he said. Mitch nodded and ran out of the room, leaving Duo staring after him. He winced after a moment and fell back, his eyes emotionless. "And shinigami strikes again." he whispered. Mitch came back into the room a few minutes later, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Sh-she's dead, Duo." he said. "Bullet to the chest. f-from.."
"From Zechs." Duo finished for him, his voice cold. he swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring Mitch's pleas for him to stop. "He's gonna pay." he snarled, pulling on a silk black shirt that buttoned up the front. he left the front open. "He's gonna fucking pay."
Heero stood in front of him, blocking his path. "Get back in bed." he ordered.
Duo looked at him in disbelief. "who the hell do you think you are!?" he demanded. "You don't know me, you have no right to order me around." he said, proceeding to push heero out of his way, much to the japanese boy's surprise.
"Duo's stronger than he looks." Mitch said quietly, following Duo out of the room. "It's best not to make him angry. Zechs knew that." he sighed and went to the front desk.
"Duo Maxwell. some kids dropped off some presents for me earlier." he said curtly. "I want 'em." the secretary hesitated. "Now." she stood up and pulled out a box. Duo opened it and pulled out a long black trench coat and shoved something into it. he put a sheathed sword between his shoulder blades, the straps going over his shoulders, he put on heavy black construction boots, placing two small daggers in each one, arm sheaths on his arms, the daggers following, a knife in his hair, and a scythe hung off his hip. he pulled the coat on, a whole new set of weapons concealed in it. he grabbed a crossbow out of the box, hanging it next to the scythe, ninja stars on his necklace, pepper spray in his shirt pocket, and twin swords on his left hip. he pulled the last thing out of the box and smiled, hanging the shotgun on the inside of thecoat and placing the black cap on his head, sunglasses resting on his nose and concealing his violet eyes. he pushed the box back to the secretary. "I'm checking out early." he said in a cold voice. Heero and Wufei stared after him as he walked out of the hospital.
"He's at his house, Shini!" a redhaired man said as he walked into the building. Heero and Wufei snapped to attention, saluting the captain. "At ease. How long before he was supposed to get out?" Treize asked, turning to Mitch.
"A week more, then Four weeks at least for recovery." Mitch sighed.
"Go after him, and call me when he's done." Mitch nodded and ran into the rain after Duo. "That kid's too old for his age." Treize sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"What do you mean?" Heero asked.
"He's been through worse than any kid his age should have to." Heero gulped and walked into the rain, following the boy at a distance as he walked through the rain, not blinking.
duo P.O.V
I stopped in front of Zechs' house, my blood boiling. He's going to pay for killing Hilde. We'll kill him nice and slow.My mind hissed in my ear.
Nice and slow. He'll wish he never met Shinigami. I swore to myself, my eyes flashing dangerously. I knew Treize had ordered Mitch to follow me, and I could sense Heero as well. I checked my shotgun for silver ammo and sighed when I only found one silver bullet. the rest were regular.
"Dammit." I hissed, putting the gun back in place. next, I pulled out the crossbow and checked the tips of the arrows; silver tipped. perfect. everything else was silver, it would hurt him at least.
Something you should know about my world is, it's full of vampires, werewolves, and other such creatures. Zechs was a vampire, and I was Shinigami, the executioner. when there was a rogue vampire pack, or a vamp killed more than four people and the police couldn't handle it, they called me. not that anyone knew that except the ones who called and me. I was also an animator, I brought back the dead. yeah, morbid, I know, but it was what I was good at.
I walked up to Zechs' door and kicked it in, not bothering to knock. I pulled the shotgun and searched the house, room by room. he wasn't there. I cursed and jumped out the third floor window, landing near Mitch, who held his jaw and pointed to another house. I let out a loud string of curses and phrases that would make a sailor blush and ran to the house. sensing where he was, I jumped, landing on the second floor window sill. there he was, in the kids' room.
I opened the window and grabbed Zechs' hair, flinging him out the window. he fell to the ground and lay there, staring up at me for a minute, he got up when I landed next to him. I glared heavily, knowing I was scaring the shit out of me. I put the shotgun down and flicked both my wrists. daggers dropped into my waiting hands. I took aim and let them fly, sending them into the blonde man's shoulders. I smiled, making him pale.
"Can you play with death yet, Zechs?" I asked coldly, pulling my 9mm out of my coat, aiming it at his heart.
"D-don't kill me, Duo!" he pleaded. "I'll be your slave!" he whispered. I shook my head, my face blank of all emotion and fired. I watched impassively as the bullets ripped in and out of him , lighting his nerves on fire. I pulled a knife from my pocket and held it at his throat.
"Tell me why, Zechs." I said. "S-she was." he stammered.
"Tell me why, Zechs!" I said it louder, pushing the knife into his skin. the feel of the silver in the blade burning him made me feel sick, but I had to know. "Was she in your way!?" I let my executioner mask slip a fraction, showing the anger and hate I felt for him, pulling the knife away to reveal the cut and bubbling flesh where it had touched. "She was cheating on me!" Zechs cried.
Bastard!My dark side screamed.
She was cheating on him!? that's why he killed her! leaving all those kids alone again!? I pulled my sword from my back and held it to his throat. "She wasn't cheating on you." I growled.
"S-she got phone calls from guys at night!" he cried, tears rolling down her face.
"She works with men, asshole!" I snarled, stabbing him in the gut with one swift movement. I closed my eyes for a milisecond before slicing his head off, thus killing him. "She was doing work." I whispered again, stabbing his body over and over again. "She was doing her work!" I screamed, plunging my sword into his chest one last time before I collapsed onto my knees crying.
Boys don't cry. I whispered in my head.
you deserve to cry a bit.I couldn't believe it, that dark voice that told me to kill was telling me to cry. I heard Mitch talking on his phone as hands took my sword out of the corpse. I bit back another sob and stood up calmly, showing no signs except for my tear stained face that I was affected by this whole thing in any way and took my sword from Heero, cleaning calmly on the corpse's shirt and placing back in it's sheath. next came the knives, sliding back into their holsters. I picked my shotgun up off the ground and put in back in my coat, followed by the 9mm. I placed the knife in my pocket and sighed.
"Ninmu Ryoukai." I whispered, turning to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Heero asked me, his voice even.
"to tell the kids that they have nowhere to go." I said emotionlessly.
"She took care of them?" I nodded. "Send them to the new Maxwell church. I know a pastor there. they built and orphanage next to this one too." I stiffened, nodding curtly. I turned to look at Heero, my eyes showing thanks.
"I will. Thank you." that was all I said, but his eyes lit up when I said it, and a small smile shone on his lips. I made my way towards the end of the street. "Tell Treize that Zechs Marquise was executed at 7:14 pm on Friday the thirteenth, 195 A.C. by Shinigami." I said as I walked away. I could picture him staring after me, shock written on his face. I knew he thought I was weird, and I knew he thought I was an abomination, but I was too tired, and in too much pain to feel insulted. Hilde was dead, her death avenged, and I was walking down the street, my side bleeding profusely. I felt dizzy, but I would never admit that. I still had to tell the kids. I'd stay with them that night, then take them to the Maxwell church and go find a new house. Maybe i'd take Zechs' house. it was paid off, and was legally mine. I would have to scour every surface with scalding water and burn all zechs' things, but I could live there if I needed to. I turned the corner and collapsed onto the ground, the world spinning. my mind vaguely registered strong arms picking me up, despite my weak protests that I was fine, and concerned blue eyes looking at me before everything went black.
