Chapter IV

Duo giggled at the street-seller, who openly flirted with her. She wasn't complaining- everything seemed so bright today, so cheerful. And the man wasn't so bad looking anyway. Nothing could dampen her mood, as she all but skipped down the street, purple hair-ribbons fluttering, matching her glowing eyes. Her hair, now down to her waist, was worn in it's habitual chestnut braid, flying out behind her.

She slowed down as she neared the Rau'Raychi gang warehouse-come-headquarters, wanting to savour this moment of happiness. She was safe from harm; the gang tattoo, displayed brazenly between her shoulder blades beneath a sheer top protected her from anything from thieves, to muggers, to rival gang members, even to policemen. The Rau'Raychi clan were well known as being vicious and merciless, killing anyone for a high enough price.

Even before the warehouse came into view, she knew something was wrong. There was a distinct lack of the animals which usually hung around the area, cared for by the gang, and used as guards. Indeed, there was a distinct lack of anything, really, except silence, emptiness, and…the smell of burning?

Instantly, Duo's terror increased tenfold. What could have happened? Had there been a fight involving fire arrows? Surely not- she would have heard the yells. So what had happened?

As she turned the corner, the stench of smoke hit her like a punch in the face. She struggled for air, feeling slightly lightheaded. She recalled Shepf's words; 'With your initiation into the Rau'Raychi comes various gifts. For instance, if you can't breathe because of a particularly strong smell or substance in the air, imagine a bubble around your head. You should be able to breathe more easily.' She obeyed the advice, and almost immediately felt her airways unblock.

She opened her eyes, the 'bubble' also allowing her clear vision, and once again gasped for air, though this time from shock. How could this have happened? What could have gone wrong?

In front of her, where the warehouse had once been, there was now a gutted wreck, smoke billowing from it in thick streamers, sending a smoke signal into the sky. She hadn't noticed it when at the market because the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction, thus giving her no sign of the disaster.

Duo picked her way through the wreckage, tears in her eyes as she mourned for her home, and probably foster family- what if they hadn't gotten out in time? What if they had been trapped in the wreckage, and had died there? The possibilities were too horrible to contemplate.

All around her, all she saw were damaged things from her childhood; from chairs to rugs, nothing was left untouched. Finally, she found what she had been searching for.

Shepf.

Or rather, the dead body of Shepf. The older girl was very obviously dead, hair in disarray, limbs too loose for mere unconsciousness, skin underneath the fur deathly pale, as could be seen where patches of the fine black hairs had been pulled out, and the skin beneath bloodied from the same liquid that now matted the remaining fur, gleaming wetly in the now faint light. She had not gone down without a fight, though- the bloodied teeth and claws were testament to that.

Carefully and respectfully, Duo turned the body over onto it's back, to reveal a dagger thrust into the heart. It would have been a quick death, but that provided little comfort for the girl, as she saw the evidence which confirmed her fears. What could she do now? She wept over the body, tears staining her cheeks, a far cry from her mood little less than twenty minutes ago.

After five minutes of this grief, she straightened up, wiped the tears away, and resolved to sort through the wreckage once more.

At last, she came across an untouched piece of paper, half-hidden under a collapsed beam. She picked it up, and squinted at the words; she never could read Shepf's writing, and this was definitely it. Thankfully, however, the penmanship was reasonably neat, as if the hybrid had taken extra care.

It read:

Dear Duo,

If you are reading this right now, I'm dead. Rather unfortunate, but that's the way things are. Now read carefully- this is the only copy of this letter there is.

First off: We aren't who you think we are. There's no time to explain exactly who we are- it would take an entire essay- but suffice to say, we're not of this world. And I'm not just talking about the hybrid thing, either.

To put it simply, we're part of a bigger thing, which is controlling your world. We know what's going to happen (or at least hope we do), and it needs to happen. Therefore, we have a couple of instructions:

Go to the Maxwell Church. They'll take you in. Don't say you're a Rau'Raychi, or even a member of a gang- play the innocent, and pretend you're just a street orphan.

Never admit you're a Rau'Raychi- to anyone. Take 'Maxwell' as your clan name, and keep 'Duo' as your given.

At the back of the Maxwell Church, there's a small disused chapel. Behind a panel on the front right pew, there's a small compartment. Inside, there are various things we want to give you, such as clothes and a couple of trinkets.

Hidden under my wings are a breast binding and artistic make-up. You've pretended to be a boy before- now you've got to do it again.

Trust us, there are good reasons for what we're asking you to do.

Finally, something slightly cryptic, which you'll understand in time:

'Three times your life must be destroyed by fire. Twice, it has been done. Once more remains.'

This all sounds odd, I know, but trust us, alright?

Love always,

Lainn'Shepf Rau'Raychi (Solo)

And the rest of the Rau'Raychi clan

Duo stared at the letter, taking in all that had happened in the past half-hour. She hurried back to Shepf, and upon lifting the leathery wings, found that there was indeed what was promised under her wings.

She frowned at the chest binding for a minute, then gave an odd smile. She knew she had to do.

Later that day, a small chestnut-haired boy, with the most brilliant amethyst eyes, was taken in by the Maxwell Church, and took on the family name of 'Maxwell'.

A year later, the church was burned to the ground by OZ soldiers, and Duo Maxwell was taken by Doctor G to become the Gundam pilot 02.

All things which end must have a beginning.

END STORY