AN:

Thank you to all of my reviewers! I appreciate all your support and comments! Well, I'm sorry this chapter is extremely late and there's no excuse… but I HATE SCHOOL, TEACHERS, HOMEWORK, TESTS AND THE WHOLE LOT OF IT!

(blushes) Oppsies… I don't think I should have said that! Ignore the above comments…

Tenshi

Disclaimer: I OWN THE PLOT. The rest… (pouts) …is not mine, okay?

Chapter 13: To Die, or Not to Die…

"Is it possible to be dead, but not dead?" She asked, frowning, causing the two adults to be baffled and the child to giggle at their reactions to whatever her mother had said.

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"What do you mean, Shi?" Minako's wide eyes couldn't have widen anymore. "To be dead, but not? How could Duo be dead, but NOT dead? That's like impossible,…" and thus, her rants continued.

Hiiro continued to hold Duet, while she caught her balance. Chibi Chibi instantly stopped crying, and clutched Duet's leg like there would be no tomorrow without her. "What did they find?" He asked.

Duet shook her head and picked up Chibi Chibi, before facing Heero, eyes narrowed in frustration. "There wasn't a trace of blood where he was shot in Sank and she's wondering if either someone helped him or he turned to dust. She also said they'll be back tomorrow."

"They?" Hiiro questioned.

Duet smiled, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "Rei, Mako, Ruka, Taru and Mich. More family. Sets will back tonight, so I'll have to show you the rest of the mansion."

Hiiro raised an eyebrow, "Mansion?"

"Looks can be deceiving. This isn't a cabin. It's actually a mansion." Duet told him, then walked over to the TV, where she pressed the green round button, then the red square, then the blue triangle.

"Shiva," she murmured her middle and royal vampire name.

The entire wall that made up the family-living room shifted and began to form into a hallway. Room walls sprouted from the ground, forming rooms, furniture, windows, balconies and completing the once tiny cabin to an actual mansion.

"CHIBI!" Her daughter cried and demanded to be placed on the floor. Duet bent down and let her three year old daughter run down the hallway.

"SHEESH, Duet," Mina whined. "Next time warn me when you're gonna do that! I could've had a heart attack."

Duet rolled her eyes, though she was smirking at her cousin's reaction. Just then, Ami, rubbing her aqua-blue eyes, stumbled into the room. "What's going on, Duet?"

"We're expecting company, Ames. Tonight and tomorrow." She told her sister-in-law. "Rei said there wasn't a trace of blood where he was shot in Sank and she's wondering if either someone helped him or he turned to dust."

Ami gasped, "He might be alive?" Her soft eyes widen to form a round shape, filled with hope.

Duet nodded. "Something tells me he had someone help me. But that's just my sisterly instinct," she shrugged. "We're going to sing tonight, you'll join us, right, Ames?"

Ami nodded mindlessly. Duet smiled, but in the back of her head, she thought, 'Duo, you had better be alive. I'll raise you from the dead if you're not and then kill you personally for making Ames go through this agony. You had better be listening to this message too!'

"C'mon, girls, let's go SHOPPING!" Mina cried, thrusting her fist into the air.

Ami rolled her eyes, "Only you, Mi, only you."

Duet laughed and Chibi Chibi giggled and ran back to her mother's embrace.

Hiiro watched the scene from the kitchen, carefully studying the girls' antics.

"C'mon Hii-chan, let's go," Duet said and stuck her arm through his, making him jump slightly.

He grunted and looked down at the tiny silver-white haired woman, who was clutching his arm and holding her three year old girl with bright red hair. She tugged on his arm and the three; along with the other two females, hopped into Duet's black corvette with silver and violet flames. They took off to Juuban, where they had grown up together and spent most of their time together.