"It really is beautiful from down here." Mako jumped startled at the sudden voice that chimed from behind her. "Gomen-ne, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just from Earth the moon and stars don't look like a graveyard." She turned to him. His sapphire blue eyes were so liquid, so haunting. He was showing her compassion and kindness. "You friend Usagi has been worried, she thought you died." Duo continued.

Mako's eyes widened at his words. "You know her?"

He smiled. "She teamed up with us a while ago, and now she's having to beat both Quatre and Trowa off with a stick. They both are in love with her."

Mako's mouth stood agape. "I was wondering what had happened to her, we lost track of each other after my mission in Siberia failed." Mako finished sadly, then a twinge of pain hit her in her gut. Siberia reminded her of her fatal liaison with Treiz, the one that had resulted in a pregnancy as well as a broken heart. Duo seemed to notice her abrupt change in demeanor cause he asked her, "Daijoubu?"

She felt tears threatening to spring into her aloof eyes. "Iie, I'm fine. I just had a bad experience back in Siberia."

Duo's eyes bore into hers; they held a look of concern. "What sort of thing happened to you? Your hands are shaking," He pointed down at her trembling hands gently.

"I ran into Treiz." Mako said glumly. With this one statement Duo's eyes widened in diameter. "He conned me into a romance with him, that was until he dumped me for Unne." Mako told him.

Duo looked sympathetic and frowned. "Gomen-ne, but you don't have to worry about that around here."

She smiled gently at him. "Doomo arigato, I like the braid by the way."

Duo smiled at this. "Yeah? Most think it's pretty weird, but I like it, even if it does get stuck everywhere." Mako laughed, her own long hair blowing in the wind slightly. "So is this what you do when you're not fighting?" She asked with interest.

Duo grinned at her. "I'm usually hanging out somewhere, but yeah I do have to come to Howard a lot. For some reason I'm always the first one to get shot at."

She found herself smiling at him. "Where is Usagi-chan?"

Duo pointed in a southward direction. "She's on the next colony, the way I hear it, there's going to be a major battle there against Oz. She's really one hell of a fighter."

Mako snickered. "Yeah that's cause she thinks it's a waste of time to focus her energy on men."

Duo's eyebrows shot up. "Nani? She's never had a boyfriend?"

Mako shook her head. "Well, not yet. She was always on my case for being a maneater." Duo's mouth stood agape.

Mako found herself giggling. "I am NOT a maneater, she just made it seem that way because I was always complimenting a hot guy." Duo looked amused, and Mako couldn't help but sneak another peek at his impressive and very attractive profile. His long tan braid flowed freely in the slight breeze. He looked very good in the current red leather, which was not Duo's usual attire. He was usually docked exclusively in black, but today he'd made an exception.

"How about a bite to eat?" He asked her casually. She was startled at the sudden question, and a bit timid. She still wasn't entirely healed from her fiasco from Treiz. She saw him looking at her hopefully and decided going out to get something to eat would be relatively harmless. "Hai, Duo. I am hungry." She followed him off the dock, to see a white truck standing there. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nani?" He looked at her sheepishly.

"Are you even licensed to drive?"

Duo gave a nervous laugh. "Iie, I'm not, but that doesn't ever stop Heero or Trowa so why it should stop me?" Mako began to sweat nervously and made sure her seat belt was fastened securely before Duo revved up the engine.

"I take it you are afraid of my driving?" Duo observed.

Mako blushed. "Maybe a little bit," she admitted honestly. He did do her the favor of only going ten miles over the speed limit, but she still felt she could keel over from a heart attack at any moment.

"That's not driving, that's suicide!" Mako growled after she'd leaped out of the passenger side.

To her surprise Duo busted up laughing. "If you think I drive like it's suicide, then you haven't seen Trowa or Heero behind the wheel."

She sighed. "No, and if they're worse than that I don't want to." He offered her arm while sustaining a roughish wink. He led her into a restaurant and Mako glanced casually at the menu before her.

"This is all junk food, you know the stuff that will have me weighing 300 pounds." Mako groaned.

Duo cocked an eyebrow. "What are you kidding, with your figure, you'd look good no matter what. I happen to like cheeseburgers, being as I am American." Mako shook her head in a very amused fashion; she'd admit she was already becoming highly infatuated with him. She was no Amazon who was determined to wipe men from the face of the Earth, but she was no idiot either. After what she'd gone through with Treiz she wasn't going to jump headfirst into anything. Besides, he hadn't even indicated he was interested, for all she knew he acted this way around all women.

He appeared to notice she was thinking, his next question addressed this, "Is there something you need to talk about, Mako?" Her throat suddenly felt very dry and had the texture of cotton. "Are you single?" She blurted out. She mentally slapped herself; she had not meant to word it like that at all.

She saw a grin appear on his face. "Hai, I'm single. Anata?" She knew she really ought to flee from this question, it was her fault she'd started this.

"Hai, I'm single to." She affirmed.

He seemed to relish this fact. "Which is surprising considering not only your physical looks, but the kind of person you are. A guy would be lucky to have a girl like you with him." He glanced and locked eyes with her. Mako felt herself once again blushing in his presence. "Arigato, Duo." He smiled at her again as they proceeded to order.

She finally caved in and ordered a strawberry milkshake, her favorite.

"And who was lecturing me on eating fatty foods earlier," He chuckled as he waved a fry in mid-air.

"You're going to take somebody's eye out with that thing," she scoffed back.

He popped the fry into his mouth. "Well you were, saying this was the kind of food that gets someone fat."

She half-smiled. "That's because it is, but due to your evil influence I decided I might as well indulge myself."

He finished off the last of his fries. "I do happen to like you a lot." He offered out of nowhere.

She was a bit startled. "I do like you to." She chose her words carefully. He paid the tab and offered her arm again as they walked near the bay area. "I know you've got concerns about not wanting to get involved with me too early, so I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want." His blue eyes stared into her hazel ones, their height difference was apparent at this point. But Mako was more concerned with the depth of his eyes. She was searching them, looking for sincerity, and she saw it in bountiful amounts reflected in his eyes, such haunting beautiful eyes.

She managed to find her voice. "It's not that." She answered him and continued. "I'm just afraid, but it's not because of anything you've done."

Duo picked up on where she'd left off. "You just need to know if you can trust me? You need to know that I mean what I say and that I won't hurt you?"

Mako looked up at him surprised, considering they hadn't met but a few days ago. "Hai. I'm sorry it's so hard for me to trust." He tilted up her chin until she found herself lost in those haunting eyes again. "Don't worry Mako, I tend to prove all that to you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. She felt her barriers coming down in spite of herself. The upgrades and repairs to Deathscythe were finished within the week. Mako had been dreading it; she'd been so happy and content with Duo's company. He uplifted her and made her laugh. She needed that so much right now, and her raging crush on him remained and his on her. He was just being very slow, very gentle, and patient with her. He wanted her to see she could trust and rely on him before he tried to pursue it further. "Are you leaving?" She asked him mournfully.

"I have to," He sighed. "I have missions I have to fulfill, I have to end this war at all costs." She turned away feeling immense sadness beat at her chest, like a second emotional death. He touched her shoulder gently and said her name so softly; it felt more like a caress. "I can find you. When I can, I will find you."

She turned to face him, his eyes bearing into hers. "Can you promise me that?" He touched her face very softly. She closed her eyes, enjoying it. "I can't promise you, but I can promise if I'm still alive I will find you somehow." Duo offered softly.

She wanted to tell him she wanted more than friendship out of all this. "Duo, can we be more than friends?"

He smiled so gently. "Hai, we can, and I want us to. I'll never hurt you." He said if very softly. "

I believe you." Mako said. She threw her arms around him and even dared to give him a soft kiss on the lips. He kissed her back.

"Don't worry I'll be okay." Duo assured her. She watched him as he left. She had no idea where to go.