Gundam Wing

The Memories of Duo Maxwell

Chapter 2

By gametaken

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own any products, characters, and/or the other Gundam series.

Author's Note: CHAPTER TWO IS HERE! . ''''' Aren't you all so happy? BECAUSE I AM! (I just had my regular third cup of coffee with pop-tarts so I'm ready to go!) Saturday mornings are the best for typing! Sundays are good, too, especially because I don't have any homework for the weekend! Hahahaaaa! I'm so happy today I can barely type! No, I'm joking, of course I can type! Hahahahaaaa! Ok, let's get started! (Wow, I hope I'm this happy when I type up the second chapter for Cowboy Bebop – Angel Blues Chapter TWO!)

The man who looked like Duo stood before Hannah, who was clinging to the back of the chair like her life depended on it. The look on his face was one of confusion, yet Hannah could tell there was a tiny spark of recognition in his eyes.

That spark dimmed, though, like a solitary candle in a dark night, when he said, "You must be mistaken, kid, my name's Max."

Hannah's heart cracked as the words spilled from his mouth. "Max . . . ? Oh . . ."

"Sorry to disappoint you, kid. I must look like somebody you know, huh?" His name may have changed, but his smile was the same. No one could take that from him.

"Hey, I found the sugar, Max," said Lin, coming from the kitchen with a tray carrying three mugs. "Here, Hannah. I see you've met the idiot, Max, huh?"

"Hey, I am NOT an idiot," Max retorted.

"Sure, say that to the sugar," Lin said simply, handing Hannah a mug of coffee.

Hannah smiled, but the smile wasn't a happy one. "Thanks, Lin."

Lin raised a curious brow as she handed Max his coffee. "What's up, Hannah? You seem down."

Hannah shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Lin . . . Thanks for the coffee and for taking care of me. I-I have to go, OK? Bye."

With that, Hannah stood up, handing Lin her cup of coffee, and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait, kid," Max called out.

"My name's not 'kid'," Hannah retorted, her fists clenched, "its Hannah Maxwell." She turned around, hot tears welling in her eyes. "And, your name isn't Max! It's Duo! Duo Maxwell! Damn you, Duo!"

Before either of them could say anything else, Hannah turned on her heel and ran out. She didn't know where her feet were taking her, but she trusted them.

All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind.

How dare he leave me alone for a whole year while he's fooling around with some garbage dump chick! I thought he was dead!

She knew it wasn't fair to blame her brother for everything, but she didn't feel like being rash.

When finally her feet stopped, she looked around and saw where she was: She was in the park, her favorite place. She came here often when she was feeling down, and even more so when she found out her brother was "dead."

It was her way of coping with life's torment. Her breath quick and ragged, she walked over to the middle of the Park Forest, towards the biggest tree there. It was then that she realized that she left her boots at Lin's garage.

She looked down at her feet and saw that her black stockings were torn, a couple of her toes sticking out. Looking up she saw that huge oak tree standing strong before her.

There were several scars in the bark of his trunk where people came carving their names into the wood. He still stood strong, though, and his leaves were a rich, emerald green. He was very healthy.

She raised a hand to the brim of Duo's hat to turn it around, but her fingers only touched air. She gasped, her eyes wide open with fear, as she realized her worst nightmare; she lost her brother's hat, the one keepsake she had left of her beloved brother. It was now that she realized how tangible it was and her heart ached even more than before.

She held her hands to her chest and took in a deep, shuddering breath as she admitted her grave mistake. She walked forward to the trunk of the tree and raised her bare feet to the uprooted, tangled roots that protruded high above the ground.

Quatre always called her a monkey because of how well she climbed trees like this. Trowa said she belonged in the circus with him. She always laughed those remarks off and climbed everything she could.

Her hands gripped the rough bark tightly, her fingers fitting into the cracks and ridges of the bark. Her bare feet made it easier to grip and she was soon up in the branches.

She reached the first, thick branch and stood there, looking down. The ground was twenty feet below her, yet her special spot was higher, still. She reached up and grabbed the next branch. She pulled herself up and made her way higher and high until she was fifty feet above the ground. This was her special spot where she carved her name into the trunk of the mighty tree. Hers was the only name up this high, and, for some reason, hers was the only one that hadn't been healed over.

The wind blew strong up here and made her hair dance behind her in the wind. If she fell from this height, it would surely kill her. But she wasn't afraid of that ever happening. She felt more like a cat up in the tree, and that was a good feeling for her.

She replayed the day's events over and over again in her mind, going over everything that happened to her. Was she delusional from the fall on her head or was that actually her brother?

"Lin did say she found him in a pilot suit," Hannah said to herself. She sighed and took in a fresh breath of air. The air was so clean this high up, especially because she was in a tree. It smelled like fresh cut wood.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine her happy place where she went to calm her mind. Wide open fields with rolling hills covered with lush grass and flowers. On one of these hills stood a large oak tree, bigger than what you'd normally find. It was the only one in Hannah's happy place.

Peoples' names were carved into the trunk, partially healed over, yet Hannah's was still looking fresh, even though she carved it there five years ago. The skies were dotted with thin clouds that floated in the air like cotton.

It was quiet; the only sounds heard were that of the wind, the rustling tree leaves and grass, and the long, flowing river behind her. These small, natural noises were interrupted by another small, unnatural noise.

Someone was calling her name.

"Hannah . . ."

She ignored it, continuing to lie on the large branch in the oak tree, in her happy place.

"Hannah," the voice called again. It was a familiar voice, the voice of a man Hannah knew, but whom? She closed her eyes tighter, trying to shut out every other sound to listen for that familiar voice.

"Hannah!"

Her eyes jerked open at the abruptness of the last call. It was Wufei, she knew it. When she opened her eyes, she saw it had gotten darker. How long was she up there, in her happy place?

She looked down and saw Wufei and Quatre standing at the trunk of the tree, way down low. "What are you two doing here?"

"We were on our way to see Heero about some business about a couple of hours ago," said Quatre with that kind smile of his. "What are you doing all the way up there?"

Hannah sighed and said, "Just trying to sort my mind out." She slipped down from branch to branch, slowly making her way closer to the ground, and when she got to the last branch, she crouched low on it, gripped it with her hands, and swung down.

She landed nimbly on all fours, the cool ground hitting her bare feet with a shock. She stood up straight and looked at Quatre and Wufei. Wufei let out a low whistle.

"How the hell do you do that?"

Hannah shrugged and said, "It's a gift. Was I really up in that tree for two hours?"

Quatre waved his hand in a so-so manner and said, "More like three hours. Heero asked us to look for you while he worked on Duo's Gundam – Ah, oops!"

He quickly covered his mouth with both hands, realizing he spoiled the surprise. Wufei shook his head with a sigh. "Nice going, Quatre."

Hannah laughed. "Don't worry, you guys, I already knew Heero was fixing up the Death Scythe. I used to stay up watching him work late at nights." Hannah's eyes glazed over as she looked back on that memory.

Then, at the thought of her brother's Gundam, she remember the man, Max, who looked like Duo. Should she tell Wufei and Quatre? Yes, she should. She looked up, the misty glaze in her eyes gone and replaced with a serious and stern look.

"You guys, I think I found Duo," she said bluntly.

Quatre's normally happy face fell as a sad expression took its place. "Hannah, I'm sorry, but Duo's gone," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders as he tried to reassure the child. Wufei looked away, not wanting anyone to see his crestfallen expression.

Hannah shook her head, her braids dancing behind her. "Uh-uh," she said, determinately. "No, he's not, I swear, I saw him today! Honest, he's at that old junk yard!"

"Hannah," Quatre said firmly, shaking her shoulders slightly. "Duo is dead, Hannah. We didn't find any trace of him after the explosion. There's no way he could've survived that!"

Hannah had had it with their stubbornness. Why wouldn't they listen to her? She knew what she saw, and it wasn't some guy who just looked like Duo.

"Listen to me, Quatre! He got amnesia and was found, a year ago, by this lady named Lin who owns the junk yard! She said all he could remember was the name Max!"

Wufei returned his gaze to the fuming child, but it wasn't a sad gaze. This one was filled with anger and annoyance. It was fierce and his gaze matched the tone of his voice when he said, "Hannah, do you know how ridiculous you sound!"

He grabbed her arm tight, yanking her away from Quatre's comforting touch, and stared at her fiercely. "Would you listen to yourself, Hannah, there's NO way Duo could've survived that! You're only disgracing his name by spreading such lies!"

Hannah closed her other hand into a fist, clenching it tight, and swung a quick punch at Wufei. To her surprise, it actually hit him. He let go of her arm and put a hand up to his cheek.

He couldn't believe that this child, the one he's come to know so well, would strike him. He turned his gaze back to Hannah and Hannah could see that his lip was bleeding.

She didn't care. The only thing she cared about was getting them to believe her when she said her brother was alive. "Listen to me," she said through clenched teeth. She was seething at their ignorance. "Why would I lie about something like this? I'm not hallucinating, you retards, I'm telling you the truth! If you don't believe me, I'll show you my goddamn self!"

She turned sharply on her heel and ran in the direction of Lin's garage.

"Hannah, wait!" Quatre called, running to keep up with the child. Wufei ran ahead of him, nearly catching up to Hannah. She was too fast for him, and she wouldn't allow herself to slow down. She had to show them what she saw.

"Hannah, damn it, WAIT!" Wufei was getting pissed off at this kid. He thought she was in denial and, as soon as she saw some guy with a braid, she automatically thought it was Duo and went off making up some wild story about how he survived. It was the pained fairy tales of a broken hearted little girl.

There it was; Lin's junk yard. "Just a little bit further," she urged herself. She ran along the gate towards the rip in the fence where she crept in, calling out Lin's name. "Lin! Lin, it's me, Hannah! Duo! Duo, come out!"

"Hannah, stop," Quatre cried out. What was going on with Hannah? Why was she acting so strangely?

Hannah reached the rip in the gate and pulled it back in a rush. In her rush, the fence scratched at her face and ripped her clothes. She crawled through the opening and made to run for the hanger door when she was stopped by Wufei's strong grip.

He held her arms back as he pinned her to the ground. "Hannah, what has gotten into you? You're in denial, Hannah! Your brother's dead!"

Hannah struggled against Wufei's grip, but to no avail. "Lin! Duo! Come out! Please! Please come out . . . !"

Tears welled up in Hannah's eyes and threatened to spill out in a flood. Where were they? Why weren't they answering her?

Quatre caught up to the two and looked sadly down at the child. "Oh, Hannah," he said dismally.

There was the loud and abrupt sound of a gun shot being fired into the air. Quatre and the struggling pair gasped with a start at the sudden sound.

"Hey, what are you perverts trying to do to her!" cried Lin, pointing a shot gun at Quatre and Wufei, an angry look in her eyes.

There, Hannah thought. There was her proof, standing behind Lin with an iron baseball bat swung over his shoulders. His expression was just as angry.

Wufei and Quatre gaped at the man who looked like Duo and Wufei's grip loosened. It loosened enough for Hannah to wriggle free of his grip. She got up and ran to "Max," embracing him in a warm hug.

"I found you," she said, the tears finally spilled from her eyes.

Max looked down at Hannah and placed a reassuring arm around her shaking shoulders. "It's OK, Hannah. Everything's going to be fine."

Lin advanced with her shot gun and said towards Wufei and Quatre, "Yeah, but not for the two pedophiles here! You two are sick!"

A vein popped up over Wufei's head. "WE ARE NOT PEDOPHILES, YOU CRAZY BITCH!"

Quatre laughed nervously and said, "Wufei, watch your language! We don't want to get the nice lady with the gun any angrier!"

"I should shoot you two right now, but I know the guys in prison hate pedophiles worse than anything in the world, so they'll take care of you for me," Lin said with a malicious smirk.

Hannah gasped and ran to Lin's side, grabbing her arm. "No, Lin! They're not pedophiles! They're my friends, Wufei and Quatre!"

"Friends!" Lin said incredulously. "What kind of friends chase you down in the middle of the night and pin you to the ground?"

"It's a rather long story," Quatre said with a goofy smile and a wave.

Wufei had enough of this. "We weren't chasing her down to commit crimes! We were trying to stop her!"

"From what?" asked Max as he raised a brow in curiousity.

The anger filed out from Wufei as he looked back at the man who looked like Duo. "From finding you . . ."

"She was right after all," Quatre said.

"I told you," Hannah cried, looking back at Wufei and Quatre. "It's him, Duo!" She pointed to Duo, tears spilling freely from her eyes. Still pointing, she looked over at "Max." Her hand shook as she said, "It's you, big brother. Y-You're m-my big b-brother, Duo. (sniff) Not Max, OK!"

Max's expression was crestfallen. This girl was in pain, and it was obvious as she stood there, her finger pointing at him, her whole body shaking, face stained with ever falling tears. Was she right?

"Duo," Hannah repeated. "Y-You're Duo . . . alright? You got it! Duo! You're D-Duo . . ." She bit her lip, wanting to fall in a heap on the ground. But she knew that if she did, she would stay that way for the rest of her life. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears.

She heard a hollow "THUNK" as Max dropped his bat. The next thing she knew, her shaking hand was held in that of her brother's. She opened her eyes and was greeted with a warm embrace from the man who looked like Duo.

He held her shaking hand tight in his own and wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders. His embrace was warm against Hannah's cold self. It was tight and comforting and Hannah longed for this embrace ever since she first lost her brother.

Max leaned his cheek on her head as he hugged her, eyes closed. "Your brother, Duo . . . me . . . Did . . . Did I cause you this pain? I didn't mean to make you cry."

Hannah's heart broke again. He still didn't remember. She looked up at him, still held by his strong embrace. She looked into those familiar blue eyes, her own blue eyes still edged with tears.

"I don't remember anything," Max continued, "From when I knew you as my sister . . . I wish I did, Hannah, honest. If I really am your big brother – the one who's been causing you this pain – I want to try to remember it. I want to remember everything. But most of all," he said, slightly tightening his grip around Hannah's shoulders for a bit, "Most of all, I want to remember you."

"Duo," Hannah started, but she lacked the words to finish.

"If I caused you so much pain, I want to fix it. Please, help me to remember so I won't hurt you any more . . . Hannah."

To Be Continued . . .

Author's Note: Guess what . . . ? . . . TA-DAA! That was chapter TWO! Can't you guess? PLEASE be honest with what you think about it! I want this one to be somewhat of a tear jerker. I nearly cried typing it! I was imagining that last scene in the junk yard in my mind, and it's just so sweet to me! ' I just wanna cry! Please tell me if you cried or if you thought you were close to crying. nn I had to lighten up the mood a tad bit with Lin calling Wufei and Quatre pedophiles. I just wanted to see Wufei's reaction. Please review! If I get some reviews on this chapter, I'll hurry and upload the third! 