Wow! So much response! What can I say other than…thank you. I am honored you all chose to spend your time reading this!

Special thanks to everyone who reviewed: DarkAvalon, Hikaru, dk-joy, ahanchan, memine, lolly sister, jess-eklom, Lestat'sLover (Take a midol already! Sheesh!), Meg-of-the-Moon, Shinotenshi (Cute name), xxkurenaixshixx (giggles. Funny response…), Pretty Drowned Rat, Ellen, Foxy-Comic-Death, and Ink 2.

Very special thanks to Hazardess, who reviewed chap 4 sometime after I had checked my e-mail. Forgive me for missing you!

Wow, I was really surprised at how many people seemed to feel sorry for Terry! I guess it's about even with people who want to rip her head off for daring to touch Heero's property though…(Yes, I said property. Duo belongs to Heero. But, Heero belongs to Duo in turn, which makes it all right. Erm…this is the way my mind works…) Truthfully, I was considering waiting until next week to post, but I got so many reviews that I decided to move my lazy tail.

Warnings? No, I don't own it. I am not getting paid. Sigh. And gas prices are so high! Other warnings? Language. Yaoi (although not much at the moment…). Scary pink bunnies…

Perfect World

Chapter 6

Z

Susan looked up from whatever she had been doing as Duo slammed in through the kitchen door, all huffy and home much earlier than either of them had expected.

She made a comment on it, concerned. She asked if everything was all right, and Duo wasn't sure if he would rather laugh, cry, or break something. Maybe all at once…? But that would be kind of crazy, wouldn't it?

"Terry thinks she's my girlfriend." He said finally, plopping down into a seat at the table across from her and sighing heavily. "What are you doing?" He asked, taking in the small yellow box and neat piles of magazine clippings splayed out in front of his fake mother.

"Trying to find a recipe for Sunday dinner." Clearly sensing he didn't want to talk about his date, she returned to her task. "Do you know what you're wearing to church? Give it to me and I'll iron it for you."

"Figures you'd be a church goin family." Duo groaned, scrubbing his hands through his hair and feeling suddenly very tired. "Hell."

"What?"

He cleared his throat and grabbed a pile of clippings, shuffling through them. "Where do you…I mean we…go?"

"There's a little Baptist place nearby we've been going to for years." She answered, sounding as if she was shocked that he didn't at least remember that. "Don't…" She hesitated. "Don't you go to church?"

"I kill people." He snorted. "So…no."

"Oh…" She didn't know quite what to say about that. She did, however, seem rather saddened by his answer. "Well…"

"I don't suppose you would mind trying somewhere else?" Duo suggested hopefully, brightening at a sudden idea.

"Somewhere else?"

"If you don't want to, I could go alone, even!"

"I wouldn't want you going alone…" She mumbled. Finally she gave a decisive nod. "All right, we'll go to your place this time, Sam."

"Really?"

"Anything you want, honey. We've always supported your right to make your own decisions."

"Thanks…"

"And as long as we're talking about your right to make decisions," Her eyes hardened with resolve, which she tried to hide by going back to her work. "Why don't you tell me about your lover?"

She tried to make her voice light, but Duo could hear the waver. The fear, the verging tears.

"Listen, Susan, you don't have to…"

"No." Her voice grew slightly stronger. "No, I want to know. So tell me…how did you meet?"

"Well…we fought together during the war."

"Oh?" She asked, trying without much success to sound casual.

Duo frowned, considered claiming sleepiness and making an escape, but then stubbornly decided to continue. She had asked, after all. Stupid…imaginary…

"Yeah. But we've only been together maybe half a year, I think? Course, I wanted him the first moment I saw him, but the same can't be said from his position. He claims it was the same, but I know I kinda annoyed him…"

Z

They had both been completely silent for nearly half an hour now, and Duo was getting a bit antsy. Yet he couldn't bring himself to speak; Susan was too close to tears, and he couldn't bear to make women cry.

"How could you have so much violence in your head, Sam?" She asked in a soft, terrified whisper. "How could you have so much pain and death and…and…" She shook her head, refusing to look at him. "My little boy could never talk like that. He could never…"

"Well…I'm sure you and Tony raised Sam real good. He probably never had a need for anything else…" This was insane. They weren't real. Why…

Why did he feel so guilty?

"But your eyes, Sam." She shuddered. "You're eyes are different. They're an old man's eyes…they're so…"

"You gotta grow up fast where I came from, mom." He said softly, feeling his own emotions swell. She looked up at him in surprise at the use of the "m" word and he shrugged helplessly. "There's no such thing as a real person. Everyone looks like I do; everyone's seen just a little too much – even the civilians. So many people had to grow up in filthy alleys eating garbage…so many died, nameless there. And the ones that survived envied them when they watched the cleaners come to take their bodies, because at least they were being touched…because no one would touch the live ones…they smelled to bad; no one wanted to see the children under the dirt and stench…"

"Sam…"

"Duo. Just say it once. Please."

Refusing to look at him, she stood and began to gather her recipes. "I think it's time you got to bed, Sam. We both have a busy weekend in front of us…"

"Susan…Mom."

She shuddered. "Good night, Sam."

Z

"Did you know this was what he had in mind?" Tony hissed, not taking his eyes from the black clothed priest standing before the congregation.

"If you're asking if I knew this was a Catholic church, Tony, then no. I didn't."

He shot a glare past her at their son, who sat with his head leaned back against the back of the pew and his eyes closed as if in sleep. "He isn't even paying attention!"

Susan hesitated. "But I haven't seen him this peaceful since before the accident…"

Tony Hunt settled back uncomfortably, clenching his fists and biting back his complaints. He was not the type of man who was comfortable with the ideas of others, and by the time the service was finally over he was more than ready to be done with the place. Almost impatiently he nudged Grace, who had fallen asleep as children so often do.

"Come on, sweetie, it's time to go." He whispered, voice just barely tainted with his anger at his son. He turned briskly to his wife as his daughter stirred and blinked owlishly up at him. "Let's go." He hissed in Susan's ear, taking her by the elbow and leading her out into the crowd making their war slowly toward the doors.

Sam leapt up after them, bounding through the crowd without a care as to who he jostled and apparently unconcerned with how rude it was to appear to be so eager to leave. Aaron took his time in following, stretching his arms out lazily above his head.

By the time the family reached the doors, Sam was already there, talking excitedly with the amused-looking priest.

"It was so great, father Maxwell!" He was saying enthusiastically. "Just like when I was growin up. I swear, I almost cried. Just a little, you know?"

The priest laughed warmly. "Why Duo, I imagine you - ."

"Sam, we're leaving." Tony interrupted, taking a firm grasp on the boy's wrist.

The fragile, almost feminine boy twisted out of his grasp with ease. "Not yet, ya bastard; can't ya see I'm talking here?"

"You must be young Duo's father." The priest smiled, extending his hand to the now very irritated Mr. Hunt. "How nice to meet you at last. I am father Maxwell."

"He raised me." Sam interjected proudly. "Right here in this very church!"

Tony blanched, cold fear settling deep within the pit of his belly as it did every time he was forced to look at the evidence of his son's recent bout of mental illness. Why couldn't they just ignore it? Why couldn't Sam just…take something…and be Sam again? The boy's shyness and unique nature had been a little annoying at times, but now he was sorely wishing for his dorky, quiet, sweet little boy.

A long silence stretched as he glared at the priest and ignored the offered hand as the dazzling smile on Sam's face slowly began to fade.

"Well, he did." The chestnut haired boy grouched quietly to himself.

Susan cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Father…Maxwell, was it? We simply must have you for dinner sometime. I just know our Sam would enjoy it."

"Susan!"

The priest's eyes sparkled as he let his hand drop, resting it instead on Sam's shoulder as Tony fought the urge to grind his teeth. "Perhaps sometime. Yes, that would be nice. In the meantime, I do hope you will allow Duo to come and visit me; I do so enjoy our little chats."

"Just let them try to stop me!" The small brunette said defiantly.

Something was tugging on his sleeve and he glanced down into the sleepy eyes of his only daughter.

"I'm hungry." She complained with that wonderful tactlessness of children.

Scooping her up into his arms, Tony gave the priest a falsely apologetic smile and slipped past, making his way to the car at last. Sam followed, walking backwards and swearing to do everything within his power to come back and he grinned broadly at the dark clothed man.

What in hell was wrong with the boy?

Z

Tuesday afternoon, the school's authority figures finally figured out that he had not gone to one of his classes in…well, several days. As his punishment, he was to have detentions after class for the remainder of the week.

Big fuckin deal.

At least, that was what he had thought. Until he had learned that the first of the school's exchange students would be arriving on Friday at precisely 3:25 pm.

"Come on now, I'm only trying to show my school spirit!" Duo begged as he doggedly followed the assistant principal down the hallway. He was pretending to be allowed to attend the girls' volleyball game being held during final period.

"School spirit?" He snorted. "When you don't attend class. This makes sense to you?"

"Come on, have a heart!"

"Keep this up and I'll ban you from all school activities, Hunt."

"What can I do to prove myself?" He asked, tone pleading. He had a small recorder in his pocket just in case the man said something inappropriate; that had happened before – and proven very useful – but he doubted the round, balding man beside him had it in him. "I know. Let me be the mascot! I can…what is our mascot, anyway?"

"Hunt!"

"Or I can be a cheerleader!"

"A cheerleader?"

"Yeah! Anything, man! Except, you know, something humiliating like school ambassador society or something."

"Samuel Hunt, you are in the ambassador society."

"Me? No, you're pulling my leg!"

"You are Sam. And you were rather good at it – before all of this…nonsense." He stopped, looking angry. "It was very irresponsible of your family to endanger a fine academic mind like yours at something as common as a ball game!"

"I truly hope I can one day return to myself, sir." He answered with false solemnity. "I'm sorry for skipping class, but everything is just so confusing! I…I'm frightened, sir."

The principal's expression softened.

Bingo.

"I'm not a bad guy, sir. And you know I'm no delinquent. Please, tell me something, anything I can do to prove myself to you! I…I want to get better…sir."

Z

Aaron sighed heavily as he turned his test paper over on its face, hiding the blaring red 72 written just below his name as if the teacher had taken a particular pleasure in writing it. Stretching, he glanced over at his brother's test, pleased to see that, for once, Sam's paper was covered in angry red marks just like his own. At the top was a large, thick 47.

But it was marked out and beside it…beside it was a 95.

He leaned forward, snatching the paper from his twin's desk and staring at it.

"Guess Susan will be proud, huh?"

"How did you do this?"

"What? Make an A? Guess I'm just smarter than you, man."

But you missed over half the problems!"

"Oh that!" He gave one of the wild, insane grins that Aaron had been forced to endure ever since his brother had gone insane. "The principal had a little talk with my teachers about my grades. No sense in letting my GPA be ruined just because I'm taking a vacation into the land of the less-than-sane, now is there?"

"But…"

"That's right, imaginary bro. I could answer every question Cheese and still make a good grade. Man. Must suck to be you, huh? Must be hard to live up to my shadow. You poor, poor boy. Good thing you don't exist, huh?"

"Sam…"

The bell rang and Sam sprang to his feet. He complimented their teacher on her dress as he eagerly left the room.

"Sam, your homeroom is the other way!" Aaron hissed, quickly catching up to him. Other students were hurrying to their own homerooms, eager to have role taken so they could then file into the gym for the game.

"Not goin."

"You can't skip again!"

"I'm not. I'm leavin for the spaceport." He answered breezily in a tone that said clearly that he thought Aaron was an idiot.

"The spaceport? But…"

"Someone's gotta welcome the new exchange students."

"The Ambassador program? They're still letting you do it? But you're…"

"Yeah, I never said it was a good decision on their part." He shrugged. "Anyway, Susan's comin to pick me up and we're gonna meet the guy's host family at the 'port and welcome him to our fair colony." He rolled his eyes. "You gotta take the bus home – did I forget to tell you? Oh, and fix Gracie's after school snack for her." More cheerful than Aaron could remember seeing him since his bout of insanity, he playfully spun the lock on his locker, grabbing his jacket from inside. "You might as well get used to it – I'm gonna have three other trips like this after this one…"

"Sam…Sam!"

Whistling, his twin breezily pushed open the school's front doors and strode out into the sunlight.

Z

To Be Continued

Not that long; only about seven pages, but I had to stop here because of pacing. Sigh.

Gee. I wonder who Duo's going to pick up? Hmmm.

The more of you who review, the sooner you'll get to find out!