Here is the next part to the story. I am going to hopefully update every week. I think I can handle that. Anyways, I am still hoping for reviews… but hey, whatever floats your boat. I don't think there are many people reading GW anymore. Anyone for any ideas on pairings? But it wouldn't happen any time soon mind you… I haven't even gotten to a main part in the story yet.
Street Smarts Chapter 1: Bumping into old friends
This here is where it all began for him. Where Shinigami took his first breath and Duo Maxwell became his official name. Here lays the Maxwell Church Ruins. The pieces of rubble and broken stained glass give off an ominous glare from the falling sun. It isn't dark yet but will be soon. It feels like a finally closing to everything that had happened here. He no longer feels any sadness for those who lost their lives that day. He knows it was in no way his fault that it happened. It couldn't have been. Besides that, if he were to feel guilty about everyone who has died around him, he would need his own special room in a mental hospital. With very padded walls.
Nope, he doesn't feel any sadness for them. Just a deep ingrained pity. Not for the people who have died, no, the dead have no use for that. But pity for those who don't understand the loss of life that happened here, especially the loss of life in children. The children could have become famous later in their lives. Or could have had children that could have been famous, whether a famous Doctor or Artist. No matter what, the universe could be missing some very special people and no one would know. No one could know, if they did, they might have not been so many deaths in this universe.
Pity is that's all he can feel for those people. They don't deserve anything more then that. In the back of his mind he also wonders why the ruins are still here… maybe someone thought that it would be a good reminder to people about the preciousness of life.
Or maybe they just don't want to spend money to clean it up.
What pathetic lives everyone here has.
He turns his back towards the ruins and his braid whips around him with the artificial wind form the colony. It looks like it is giving the last salute to those who have lost their lives for nothing. He pulls his coat closer to him while the biting old tears into his skin. It was slowly getting darker and he didn't feel like being stuck in the bad part of L2 at night. He puts his hands inside of his pockets briefly regretting the fact that he forgot his gloves in his temporary apartment. Nothing he can do about it now. Just that he is going to have to deal with the cold for a while now. He sighs in loss. Not just for the gloves but for everything really.
There doesn't really seem like there is much for him to do. He helps win two wars and create temporary peace for as long as it can last… then what? Really what much else is there left? Yea, there was that salvage yard for him with Hilde for a while, but what type of life is that for a thief and killer? Talk about a waste of skills. No one would hire a butcher to cut a salad for someone.
So here he is… again. Back to the streets, except with a lot more money in his pocket. All that cash that he got from the old doctors and the pretty pretty princess for helping save the world form the evil maniacs in his many bank accounts that he had saved up for backup if he would be stuck on the streets again. That did happen so he is pretty set up for a while. But he couldn't figure it out… What the hell to do with all this money? He has all the basics that he needs to survive well. He has enough money to have shelter, enough for 3 meals a day, and some comfort. These used to be his main worries when he was on the streets before, and now, he has no worries for that at all. He is just really bored. There doesn't seem much use for money besides all that. What's the big deal with it? Why does everyone seem so keen on getting more money? Do they even know what to do with it once they have it? He then wonders what Wufei's plan is for his own new-found-riches.
Duo refuses to just give away money, yea, there may be people who need it more, but if they are living on the streets they need to learn how to survive on their own, and not just to live off of people giving away their money. Not everyone is going to do that all the time. It won't teach them anything and they would just spend all the money in a few hours anyways.
He carefully walks back to his apartment taking short cuts through different ally ways, all the while keeping his senses alert to any problems that might appear. After a while he starts to feel a prickly sensation at the back of his neck that alerts him to someone following him unnoticeably. It's a feeling that has kept him alive on any number of occasions… and now, to figure out the best way to deal with it.
He continues to walk normally without showing that he knows about someone following him without even a pause in his steps.
He can 1: Keep walking and be ready for any type of attack that's coming and react accordingly when the stalker pops up. He feels for his gun to make sure it's easy to grab and pull out.
He can 2: Lose his watcher by taking some other back alleys and work it fast so that the watchers wouldn't even have time to catch up with him. He was after all a Gundam Pilot. You need to be able to run fast in order to survive, although that was always a skill he had even before becoming a Gundam pilot.
3: Find out where the watcher is located and jump them instead, then interrogate them about why they are following him. He carefully looks below his bangs to see if he can spot a shadow around the walls and roof of the buildings around him from the falling of the sun.
Or 4: Just ask why he/she is following him around the back alleys of L2 and what their death wish is. It would make everything so simple and less problematic.
Or maybe a mixture of them.
Alright, he has his solution, now he just has to confront his stalker about it.
He quickly takes the next turn into another alley way and stops at the corner, his braid coming to the front of him so if he was ambushed it wouldn't be used as a leach. He waits to see the shadow of his stalker and sees it slowly coming out from the side of the trash dumpster. He pulls out his gun quickly and aims it toward his ex-follower.
"I know your there and that you have been watching for a while now, if you wish to keep your pathetic life, you will come out now and put your hands where I can see them so I don't have to feel trigger happy." He noticeably turns the safety off of his gun.
"Wow, who would have figured you would be back here out of all places. I even remember you, who could have possibly forgotten such a braid. I'm surprised that you haven't grown out of it yet." His ex-attacker replies while slowly coming from behind the trash dumpster and casually crosses his arms around his chest to show that he is not going to pull out a weapon on him. He has short manageable brown hair that is suitable for the colony's screwed up weather system and that doesn't need a lot of time to fashion in order to be presentable. He has a normal body type, not to fat but not to skinny either. His eyes are an inconspicuous brown color. He looks like every other person Duo has bumped into... almost. What he does have is a dark deepness in his eyes that only another street person would be able to notice. It is something that says that he has been here on the streets for a while and has yet to find another way of living. But he still isn't someone anyone would recognize if you were walking down the street.
"Who are you?" Duo replies defensively. He automatically distrusts anyone who would talk about his hair like that. The largest reason is because if this guy knew him, he would know that he would be tempted to shoot anyone who would talk about something that is so close to him.
"Why don't you put the gun back and we can catch up on old times. I never thought you would the type of person who would shoot a person who hasn't attacked first," he states back to the man as he see as a braided idiot.
"Normally yes, but you have been following me since I stepped in the alleys after the old church. Forgive me if I seem a little paranoid. Now, tell me who you are and where you have seen me before so I can know if I have to shoot you or not." He aims his gun more exact to the man in front of him so he can know he is ready to shoot him if necessary.
"I am insulted, I always thought I had a memorable face, even though you haven't seen me for at least close to a decade, I sure as hell remember you." He acts insulted and places his hands at his waist acting like Duo should have known better.
"I guess I just have a more memorable face then you do. And put your hands back. I really don't feel like killing anyone today." Duo replies seriously. "I have had a very bloody long day and if you keep at it like this I will end up killing you with no regrets."
This time his stalker actually is insulted and he re-crosses his arms around his chest.
"Fine I will give you a hint, even though you don't deserve one for being rude to my magnificent self."
Duo just rolled his eyes at this guys modesty.
"I called you ugly and told you that you stink…"
Duo raises an eyebrow at him.
"Come on!" he replies desperately, "you tried to beat the shit out of me because of that. You can't possibly tell me you don't remember me after that."
Duo starts laughing as he pits the safety back on his gun and puts it away because he can see that he is a non-threat. Stress seems to be released from him as he gets into a more casual stance. He is definitely a non-ex-Ozzy.
"Oh man," he continues to laugh, "From my memory I did beat the shit out of you, at least I beat you up as much as a 12 year old could. You only got a few punches in. You're Zack, right?" Duo asks thinking he is pretty close.
"Its Jack you dumbass." His ex-nemesis replies with a pouts and puts his head up in the air acting like he is superior then everyone else, "from my memory I actually broke your nose."
"It was a little swollen but no where near broken. I think that is wishful thinking on your part."
"Well, why don't you invite me to your current shack, if you have one, and you can give me a warm cup of coffee and we can catch up on old times, and how much we used to love to beat each other up."
"Why don't we got to a coffee house to do all that and then you can tell me the real reason why you're following me. No offense but I still don't trust you. For all I know you may be wanting to get revenge for all that we did to each other. Mind you, I wouldn't mind a little revenge myself for that comment on me stinking."
"Alright, alright, you win you paranoid bastard. But your paying, I am sure that if you can afford a custom made gun, you can give me a cup of Mocha… just for the record though, I was only following you because I wanted to be sure you were who I thought you were, I didn't want to make a fool of myself asking you if you were someone I thought you were."
"That didn't make any sense, and you have yet to say who you think I am." Duo stated the obvious.
"I am that stupid eh? You're that person everyone called The Maxwell Demon… I think you used to call yourself Duo if I am not mistaken."
"You are not mistaken. I am still Duo and people now call me Shinigami."
"Shinigami, eh? That's sounds like a type of demon."
"Well, I guess you can say the God of Death is a demon, but that is kind of an insult that I might end up shooting you for if you say that again," the self proclaimed Shinigami threatens.
"Shit, damn, you are really trigger happy there. I am surprised that there isn't a reward out for you head now."
"Well, there was but that is neither here nor now," Duo explains to Jack, "Why don't we talk and walk at the same time, and if that's to difficult for you to do you can just walk, because its almost dark and I would really hate to have to deal with any type of gang in the middle of an alley way who would think we would be an easy target because we look like 2 innocent looking bystanders. So, shall we?"
"You are a real demon with words." Jack states.
"Yes, many people have said that… now… let's go." Duo starts to feel pretty antsy about this situation now.
"Okay okay, hold your horses oh god of paranoia. I know the perfect place just around a few corners here. Its open 24/7."
"Yes well, paranoia is actually what has kept me alive all these years. Now lead the way oh King of Annoyances."
"I wonder if there is a God of Annoyances and if you would be called on if there is."
"Start walking before I actually do decide to you anyways."
"Yes sir!"
