Disclaimer: I do not own gundam wing.

Thank you all for reading. I'm really surprised at how well this story is going, it's had over 364 hits so far and that's great!

Please those reading this story, please review, I really enjoy the comments and a lot of the input.

LadyMeko: Thanks yep something is going to happen really soon, but not in this one yet the next chapter will be the most eventfull, and after that the action will begin to build. i actually can't wait to write the missing chapters and I'm getting very close to them.

Note: As you read this it may seem that your reading the same information as you did in chapter 2 this is mostly just to reacp and also do add a bit of Duo's perspectives on that day. Well please enjoy!

Chapter 6: Duo's Thoughts.

Outside the Perventer's Headquaters

The sky was darkening quickly, as the temperature began to drop. Duo looked up and admired the patchy sky. He loved it when he could see both the stars and the clouds, they seemed to remind him that life isn't always spectacular or as perfect as the stars look from space. Walking slowly he contemplated what he heard Heero say earlier.

How could OZ be after him? He had basically settled down and was planning on staying that way. Although he did have to admit he wanted to fight the girl. It would have been a welcomed feeling. He stopped walking and imagined how he would manage to defeat her. 'Haaa I probably wouldn't have had a chance.' He sighed and turned the corner he hadn't even noticed he reached. Although he was one of the five gundam pilots it had been over three years since any of them had seen any form of battle.

The wars were over three years ago. He was 19 now and really just wanted to act like a normal guy his age. Unfortunately he wasn't normal or average. The other pilots always felt he would be the first to adjust and to fit in. Sadly they were too busy to even notice him pulling away from the people around him. Fitting in is not a very easy thing for him. Sure everyone seemed to like him but lately he just hasn't been in the mood to be surrounded by friendly people.

Noticing the chill of the air was starting to bother him, he pulled his coat tighter around him. 'Good thing the Perventers give their people good clothing, if it wasn't for this liner I would have frozen two weeks ago.' That was probably the worst day he'd ever had, and he knew before hand that it wasn't going to go well. He remembered waking up and thinking Heero was going to get them killed on their mission (if it could have been called that).

Heero tried to get them in closer to the hanger they were supposed to look at; but OZ had gotten in the way. 'I thought they were gone for once, but no they just can't give up. At least they're a familiar enemy, but still it was a shock to the both of us.'

Heero had tried to keep out of sight but they really needed to get inside to survey what was really going on. Unfortunately once they had entered a piece of the ceiling came down right next to them. 'We both froze, heck I think this time Heero was actually scared. But we were overconfident and they saw us.'

After they had managed to get a foothold, things went down hill. They had somehow gotten out of the hanger before it had completely collapsed and ran down an alleyway with a shower of bullets following on their heels. 'I have to admit they weren't as bad as they were during the wars, these guys were a challenge and a pain in the ass.'

Once they had turned the corner they had reached a dead end. Both looked around frantically but decided there was only one thing left to do. Make a stand, but where? Heero pointed to the metal dumpster they were next to.Unfortunately Heero had also been shot in the arm at that very moment.So they quicklylunged behind it as bullets flew past their ears.

"Man they were good shots." Duo mumbled. Heero kept them busy by shooting back while Duo got stuck bandaging up his friend's right arm. Then something odd happened. Heero distinctly heard four gunshots and watched as they hit each of their targets between the eyes. 'He was so worried he asked me if maybe Trowa or Wufei were out here as well, but I knew they weren't.'

The alleyway was shrouded with silence as the gunfire and shouting ended. Heero counted the bodies silently to himself. ' There were five,which i had killed, but there were three more i just can't figure out from where or how they got hit.'Luckily the third of the mysterious kills, according to Heero, had a clue. Embedded deep into his chest was a long knife.

Duo shuddered just remembering that knife. It was almost as long as his forearm, but it was extremely light. Duo remembered holding and dropping it thinking it would be heavier than it really was. Now that very knife was the only clue to who owned it, and how they managed to throw it. Unfortunately it didn't have any information on it. The fingerprints didn't match to anyone on their databases and it was long enoughto slice with, except that wasn't how it as used. So naturally they had decided it was thrown and with a lot of force, so a man had to have thrown it, a very big man.

Duo sighed and pushed all thoughts of that day to the back of his mind. He'll have to figure that out later, first he had to get to the market to get the ingredients so he could cook dinner. Just thinking of making food lightened his mood.

NearAMarket

After buying all his ingredients he grabbed a bus to the ship docks. He owed Howard a visit, and maybe he can manage to get the middle aged man to tell him somethingabout the girl. Butbefore he could think of a way to approach Howard with the questions he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye.

"Damn! Why of all places is he here." He muttered trying to move in a way that the blonde in the back of the bus couldn't see him. But before he could move to sit, he was noticed.

"Duo? What are you doing here? Don't you live in the other direction?" Duo winced at the question.

"Huh?" He spun around "Heh, I owe Howard a visit." He rubbed the back of his head as he laughed nervously. He might as well tell the truth. "What are you doing here Jock? Don't you have a place?" Jock looked down sadly.

"No, not exactly. I just stay where I work I guess." He laughed. Duo didn't like him at all; he was trying to deceive him again. "Looks like we'll be getting off at the same stop then." Duo frowned, sensing it Jock looked out the window.

Both stood silently looking in the opposite direction and waited for the bus to stop. Luckily it wasn't too long 'Yes now I can get away from him. The sooner the better.'

Practically leaping off the bus Duo made sure to walk as far away from theother manas he possibly could. He was relived to see him head straight for the barracks, where the mechanics stayed when they weren't at sea or were too busy to go home.

Howard's Shipyard

Duo wandered around fora while, tryign to come up with where Howard would be at that time. Nothing really came to mind so he wandered more until he heard something fmailiar.

"Duo!" A hearty voice called.

Instinctively Duo froze and looked around but found no one. 'Okay I heard him but where is he?' Duo then looked to the boat a few feet from where he stood, and noticed a tall red haired man waving at him. Duo waved back and waited for him to reach him.

A few moments later the taller man made his way to Duo. "Phew that's a long walk they really shouldn't have made the damn dock so long!" Duo smiled at his joke.

"Ben, I thought you would be inside with your wife?"

"Heh, yeah know I did too, but she decided to kick me out." He answered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"What did you do?" Duo laughed.

"I looked at her funny." Ben sighed, "She's really stressed out right now."

"What happened?" Duo asked concerned.

"Oh nothing major, just that I've been teaching our son a few things she feels aren't appropriate, and Ray wasn't much help either." Duo looked more closely at Ben.

"Who's Ray? I've never met him." Ben made a face and laughed.

"Do you want to met he..erm him? 'He's' coming here in a month or so if things are running smoothly." Duo was sure there was more to this Ray guy from the way Ben just answered. So letting curiosity get the best of him Duo nodded.

"Why not, I was planning on coming in that day to see what's going on. Oh yeah do you know if I could talk to Howard?"

"No problem. He's probably in the hanger right now! Come on it's this way." Ben ran waving in the direction to an old hanger.

Once Duo reached the hanger he stopped a moment and looked up at it. He remembered this hanger the most, since this was where he had kept Deathscythe during the war. Just looking at it from where he stood braught back so many memories, somes he was more fond of than others.Sighing heavily he decided not to linger and pushed his way through the door, only to nearly walk into Ben.

Ben took one look and slumped his shoulders. "Oh man I forgot you were carrying all that, I should have helped. It must have been a pain walking here with your groceries!"

Duo shook his head as he smirked. Ben was always one to get over excited, even more so than Duo himself. "No it's okay, it was nothing, I don't mind lugging it around with me. Besides I get lots of time to figure out what I'm going to make, I still don't know." Ben looked at him for a moment.

"How about stew you've got enough in there to make it for a week or so with the way you eat."

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Ben waved his hands out. "Sheesh ever since the wars ended you've been really jumpy, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah" sighed Duo. "I just… need to get a life like everyone else my age."

"Why?" Ben smiled. "If you had such a bor…I mean normal life you wouldn't know anyone here. You wouldn't have a job as secure as you do now. You'd be bored." Ben crossed his arms and sighed, "I don't think you could have a normal life even if you tried. Duo you need to look at it from another angle. If you had such a normal life, you would be like everyone else. If life was normal and the wars were still going and you grew up normal, do you really think you'd be alive today?" Duo looked down and sighed.

"Hmmm… Lets go find Howard. I bet he'll make you feel better." Ben looked up at the ceiling for a moment before walking down the hallway sighing. Duo seemed really down but he couldn't even get him to smile, at least not like he used to.

Both young men walked down the corridor to the window that hung over the inner part of the hanger.

"Man this place has changed!" Duo was surprised. It looked so neglected from the outside but from the looks of it Howard had been doing a few renovations on the inside.

"Yeah it's an improvement that's for sure, but right now I'm more concerned about the machinery." Ben placed his hands in his pockets and nodded towards the door to the left. "Well let's get down there! I bet Howard will be glad to see you."

"Hmm… yeah." Duo sighed as he placed his groceries on the counter. Ben wasn't so sure if Duo was really okay. He seemed so far away, deep in thaught or something.

Both walked down the stairs, Duo looking the building from top to bottom and Ben with a wide grin on his face. "This should get him to at least come here a few more times before he gets bored with it."

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh nothing just thinking out loud." Ben smiled.

"This is amazing. Half of the walls were completely replaced!"

"Glad you like it! It's thanks to Ray that we've managed all this." Duo looked at Ben with total astonishment.

"How can one person come up with enough money for this?" Ben looked at Duo with a sad look.

"It's better I not tell you." Ben sighed. Tellign Duo the truth would be a very big mistake for both Ray and Howard.

Duo was now really confused. 'What does this mean, what could this guy have done that's so bad?'

Standing beside a consol was a man in his early forties looking down at a screen. He wore a tacky Hawaiian shirt that just didn't fit with the surroundings. Smiling Howard turned from the consol and looked at Ben. "So you found him?"

Ben smiled and pointed a few feet behind him where Duo stood looking up at the new Taurus.

"Like what you see?" Howard smiled.

"Wow that's amazing! How long did this take you? I left only five or six hours after you got the papers." Duo looked at Howard. "I thought you were running out of money?"

"I was!" Howard answered smiling, "but I had some help from a close friend."

Ben smiled and bent down to Duo's level "Ray" he whispered.

Duo looked more confused than earlier, "Ahh! I don't get it!" He waved his hands around. "It..it makes no sense, who is this Ray guy." Howard raised his eyebrows and looked at Ben. Now Duo knew there was something really going on.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on here or what?" Duo looked annoyed and sent Ben his best death glare.

"Hey man I didn't do anything, you'll just have to have some patience." Duo's glare faltered.

"So Duo, you want to tell me what's going on now or are you just going to shoot death glares at Ben?" Howard said trying to lighten Duo's mood.

"Eh? Uh sure and I have a few things I wanted to ask you too!"

"Good well let's go to the office, and you can tell me all about it."

TBC...

A/N: Wow Ben is a ball of energy. He's a pretty great guy, you'll have to wait though to see more side to his personality.

Poor Duo he seems down in the dumps doesn't he?

Please review.