Chapter 2

Heero's heart nearly stopped as he met the gaze of the being in the tree. "D-duo! Duo!" he exclaimed, his knees buckling beneath him. Duo slithered down the tree and in through the window, his crow companion staying perfectly still except for the occasional flapping of wings to balance itself. The three other pilots in the room gasped, totally unprepared for the sight of a dead comrade crawling in through the kitchen window.

Duo stood silently for a moment, taking in his friends' startled expressions. Suddenly, the crow on his arm, which had shifted up to his shoulder, cawed loudly and nipped his ear, bringing him out of his trance of nostalgia. "I am only here because a new threat is coming to Earth and the remaining colonies. This threat is like nothing we've ever faced before. It comes in the form of a small boy of about five. This boy's heart is dark, the perfect haven for evil. You will know him by his angel-white hair and abyss-black eyes. He is more dangerous than you can fathom. He is Evil Incarnate." the dead pilot declared, moving slowly to the center of the room. "Many will call him the Second Coming of the Christ and follow him willingly into Hell. Some will be slain for their nonbelief. Some will be converted to the cause. The few who remain will be led by you four and myself. We will be known as the Renegade, Extermination, Eternity, Demons. REED for short. Stupid name, I know, but you can blame Sally for that; she came up with it. It will be our mission to destroy the child and his followers. I'm afraid we have no choice in the matter. This is our ultimate destiny." Duo extended a hand to his fallen lover, pulling him up slowly. Once Heero was vertical again, the braided teen pulled him into an embrace.

Hot, salty tears burned in Heero's eyes. "Duo, you know I would follow you to the ends of the earth, no matter how foolhardy the mission. I'm nothing without you." he whispered into his dead lover's ear. Duo smiled into the crying boy's hair. "Hush. Save that kind of talk for the bedroom, Hee-chan. That's nothing the others need to hear." he whispered, petting the darker-haired boy playfully. Heero drew back a bit and Duo swooped in for a quick kiss. "Death is no fun without a lover like you." Duo whispered against Heero's lips before pulling back and away from him.

During Duo and Heero's moment, Quatre had retreated into Trowa's arms and Wufei had moved off to embrace himself longingly. "Okay, I definitely missed something. I knew T-man and Q-chan were together, but who's got the Wu-man all hot and bothered?" Duo asked rather loudly. The crow pecked him hard in the ear. "Ouch! All right, all right, I'll leave him alone! Geez, Kasei, I've really got to teach you how to be nice!" Duo screeched, clapping a hand to his wounded ear and sending the crow fluttering off to perch on the back of a chair. Quatre giggled into his hand and Trowa cracked a lopsided grin. Wufei put a fist to his mouth and blushed profusely. Heero snorted amusedly. "If you must know, I'm with Treize and I haven't heard from him since he went on his most recent mission a month ago." Wufei muttered, disappearing into the living room.

Once Wufei was out of sight, Duo started cracking up. "Uptight, snobby brat Wufei with loose, sown-to-Earth swinger Treize! Is that even possible? Well I guess it's true what they say that opposites attract! Geez, I never saw that one coming!" Duo said between laughing fits. Quatre couldn't control the slight case of the giggles he'd developed. "I know! We weren't expecting it when we found out either!" the blonde pilot said, leaning further into Trowa. Trowa snickered quietly. "Shut up, he'll hear you!" he pleaded quietly.

Once Duo recovered from his shock, he excused himself and walked into the hallway separating the bedrooms. Suddenly, he turned around. "Kasei!" he called. The crow flew from his perch on the kitchen chair to Duo's forearm. Then Duo ducked into his old bedroom. There, he sat at his old desk and wrote a quick note.

Yusei

I've told them the mission and they seem to accept it.

Are you sure it was the right thing to do?

Should I stay here, with them, or do you want me to return?

Write back quickly.

May your heart continue to beat with the strength of a thousand men.

Duo

Duo quickly rolled up the note and tied it to Kasei's leg. Then Duo opened the window and gave Kasei orders to fly swiftly and ensure that Yusei wrote back as soon as she read the note. Duo closed the window behind his companion and prayed that Yusei would forget her penchant for procrastination and send her reply quickly.

Duo sat on the edge of his old bed. After a tense moment, he lay back with a sigh. He knew he was in for a long, tense night. He only hoped that Heero would provide as much comfort as he had when Duo had been alive.

A/N: I had to add some humor and IC-ness (IC In-Character), otherwise Duo would have beaten me stupid. Also, we'll receive a visit from this mysterious woman named Yusei next chapter. I think you'll like her. Until she starts hitting on Heero. Then you'll probably hate her. I have an interesting image in my head of what Yusei looks like. I'll tack two challenges onto the end of the next chapter: an "Origin of Yusei" fanfic contest and a Yusei art competition. Winners get recognition on the end of chapter 4 and speaking parts as REED mercenaries later in the story.