Title: My Name Is Shinigami
Author: Avel
Summary: "I hate you." He growled venomously, eyes glinting as he stared into fiery violet eyes. Watching as a feral smile edged its way across the other's face. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not afraid of you." He allowed a predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he read the other's unspoken challenge "You should be." 1x2
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing… words cannot describe the disappointment.
Pairings: 1x2, past 5x2
CD Player:Artist: Neverending White Lights
Album: True Parallels Act: 1 Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies
Most inspiring song(s): Angels & Saints
Artist: Trust Company
Album: The Lonely Position Of Neutral
Most inspiring song(s): The Fear
Chapter Two: The Beginning
As I gazed out the window of the shuttle heading from Colony L4 to San Francisco, California, I couldn't help but reflect on the last week that had seemed to rush by in a blurred haze. Heero had announced to the group that we would be taking our departure and would be heading to Earth. The moment his words registered the fact that our group was now officially separating, it seemed to heighten the awkwardness of our situation.
When do you get so attached to people who are relatively strangers? Was it just the experience and the turmoil of the war that had brought us together, that had created the bond we all shared? Or was it the gradual comfort that grew from coming into contact. I remember our stay on the Peacemillion, when we had actually become a group, worked together, combined our skills and won the war.
You can't just give up those experiences, and as much as we all would like to deny it, except for maybe Quatre, we got to know each other to a deeper degree than just friends. We knew how each of us worked, our style of combat, our habits, and our individual strategies, etc. These guys were family, and deep down it hurt that I was now leaving them. Maybe I just wasn't meant to have one…I paused, bringing myself back to reality.
I turned to take in my surroundings; Heero was to my right, taking the middle seat in the three-seat aisle, and to his right seated in the outer chair, was our other roommate. Inwardly I was thrilled when Heero had told me the day before our departure that Trowa had requested to tagalong with us. What a fine threesome we'd make once we got situated…I immediately tensed as a shaded figure walked down the aisle past us. I admit I was jumpy, but so were the other two, this ride had been nothing but tense since we had loaded our luggage above our heads on the shuttle. We were all on guard and weary of strange stances and awkward behavior, something that we had had to be alert for the entire time we had been at war.
These habits were definitely going to die hard. I watched as Trowa's hand momentarily flinched as a waitress bumped his shoulder slightly, this was going to be interesting. I turned my gaze to Heero, his eyes were closed and he was sitting rather stiffly, but his lips were relaxed. I continued to stare, knowing full well he was aware of it. I eyed him closely unconcerned with what I was doing. He was pretty handsome, if he smiled, he'd be gorgeous. There was no doubt about that. He had an impeccable physique, lightly tanned skin, dark unruly hair. And the sexiest blue eyes, I noted as he stared back at me. Well I was done with my game and gave him a winning smile as I swiped the small complimentary pretzels he had left untouched on the open tray.
He looked at me oddly, blinked twice and smirked. I looked past him to see that Trowa had found my win amusing, a small smile gracing his lips, as he continued to read a book. I let a small smirk of my own show, as I let my head fall back against the seat, headphones secured, as I selected a song and played it while opening the small bag of snacks and munching mindlessly. As I half listened to the fast paced rhythm of a metal band, I drifted in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the ride finally jolting fully awake when Heero nudged my shoulder, signifying that we had reached our destination.
We headed out, grabbing our luggage and quickly hailed a taxi that brought us to a relatively neat little apartment complex, a bit closer to the docks than to the inner hustle of the city. To sum things up, it wasn't Quatre's mansion. But that suited me just fine. I wasn't too comfortable in places that screamed money, and from the looks of things I was willing to bet that my roomies felt the same.
The rooms were vacant and unfurnished, we had packed our sleeping bags, and a couple mats were purchased shortly after we had dropped off our luggage at our new apartment. It was a modern three-bedroom apartment, so it was relatively spacious, at least for our needs. I felt a little awe struck as I wondered around the rooms, no one had claimed the bedrooms yet, and there was one bathroom with an adjoining shower. I wasn't able to grasp how this entire situation felt so surreal. My life had been filled with war and death, the constant adrenaline that never stopped. What was I supposed to do now? How was I expected to adjust to an everyday normal life?
We were teenagers in appearance, but not very many men had seen and gone through what we had. We had lost our youth, our innocence, and our ability to live the lives of average seventeen year olds. Trowa however was an estimated eighteen, which legally made it easier for us to obtain necessary essentials. But then again, we all had a habit of obtaining necessities illegally. Like I said, habits die hard.
One Week LaterSurprisingly enough the adjustment to our new living situation was a quick transition. We did our own things, hardly saw each other for the most part of the day, and at precisely six on the dot we would decide on dinner. Of course that's just summarizing, the actual days were a set routine. I'd get up around eight, just in time to see Trowa off and I'd finish off some eggs and an apple before lounging back on the couch we'd acquired earlier this week, with my laptop. I had been pretty open with my job search and had landed a rather well paying job as a web design engineer and as a professional hacker. Of course the latter wasn't something I put on my resumes. Quite simply I was a stay at home worker with my own set hours and a lot of spare time.
At ten, Heero would leave to some unknown place, which I have yet to figure out. He has a similar routine to mine, he has a stay at home job, but for the amount of hours he leaves, I suspect that he may have another job that I'm unaware of. Trowa was the only one of us to actually obtain a job outside of the apartment. Surprisingly enough, he was working at a local nursery. Who would have thought our Trowa would be a gardener? Mind you it wasn't a high paying job, therefore he had taken on a couple other side jobs including, being a waiter at a high-class Italian restaurant, becoming a dog walker, and my favorite, Starbucks employee.
However this was only temporary until he earned his teaching credentials, once he was a certified teacher, he had intentions of working as an acrobat and aerialist instructor at a pricey circus school. If you could call it that, it was pretty much open to anyone and the fees for the classes, in my own opinion, were outrageous. But if it meant that it would help Trowa pecuniary, I was all for the eager students to spend lavish amounts of money per session.
Today started out like the last four, and as I browsed through the few items of clothing I possessed, I decided to check out the city. I took my set of keys and grabbed a worn leather jacket and made my way out of the apartment. Outside I was met by the refreshing cool of the shade cast from all the surrounding buildings. It was fairly calm out, but as I ventured past a couple blocks, I was soon just another person added to the hustling crowd. Rushing by in every direction were people of all ethnicities. Frequently, I would slide by small coffee places, set on each turn I made. People awaiting the crosswalk lights to change were often holding a coffee cup in their hand. Either that or they were sporting earplugs and headphones, or a cell phone.
In these areas, there was only the sound of cars, talking, small eateries, etc. The tall buildings causing each noise to increase, bouncing off the walls and carrying for long distances. It was filled with filth and trash, and occasionally an unmoving body of a homeless person sprawled out against the wall. It was all a familiar scene, and it reminded me of back home in L2. Living on the streets, I was well aware of all these familiar sounds, smells, sights. It was odd finding myself back in these sorts of surroundings, having spent the last couple years fighting a war; I had never really paid attention to the places I had been situated in.
After about an hour and a half of visually marking areas, and making myself acquainted with closer areas around our apartment, I turned back and began to back track home. It was still relatively cool, but the sun was lit in several areas as I passed crosswalks and some uphill slopes. San Francisco, I noted as I hiked up yet another sidewalk, definitely had one major difference from L2, it had so many uneven, ups and downs, that it really did work the muscles in my legs. After awhile I hit the more familiar, and level sidewalk, leading back to our apartment. I judged the time to be around 11:30 am, so I stopped by a tiny open pizza place and purchased a slice of cheese pizza and ate it fairly slowly as I completed the journey back.
Opening the door to the apartment with a slight jingle of the keys, I walked into the living room/kitchen checking for any sign that one of the guys was home. Finding it barren and lifeless, I headed down the hall and into my room. It was the second room down on the right, passed the bathroom situated on the left. Trowa had claimed the first bedroom closest to the living room. Heero had situated himself down the hall in the last bedroom, which was on the left side of the hallway. And I was content with my room, which I had yet to decorate. The room was barely furnished, consisting of a bare mattress laid in the left corner up against the wall on the floor with a plain white down comforter spread on top of it. Not too far from the end of the mattress was the walk in closet, small but very convenient. We had all purchased lamps for our bedrooms, and I had placed mine in front of the outlet, which happened to be in the middle of the back wall next to my bed.
I was feeling slightly dizzy, and decided that I probably didn't have enough fluid in me to keep me hydrated. Shrugging it off, I placed my jacket on a hanger inside the closet and decided to go back into the living room and get some water. I had just passed the bathroom, when I heard a noise resonate from inside it. I spun around, eyes narrowing on the open doorway. From the angle I was in I couldn't see much, other than the light switch, everything else was too dark and hidden from view. I quietly walked to the door and prepared myself for an attack, remembering that San Francisco had a large amount of burglaries. I flipped the light on as I took in the room, the stall to the shower was slightly ajar, and so as I made my way fully into the bathroom I checked behind the door. Clear. I strained my ears for any sound of breathing or for the familiar click or removal of a safety of a gun. I took a defensive stance and opened the shower stall. Empty.
As I was mentally confirming that the bathroom was in fact clear, I heard the door to the bathroom slam shut. The force of the slam causing me to jump in surprise, while the sound in the silent apartment imitating the discharge of a gun. The pounding of my heart inside my chest momentarily deafening me, I was completely thrown off guard, staring at the door and then running toward it pausing slightly to take in the fact that there was someone in the apartment, and that someone had been able to get past me. The fact that I hadn't been able to hear that person was what caused my blood to run cold. I listened intently, there was nothing; just like before. I mentally cursed myself for not paying enough attention to my back. This person had had a perfect shot at me, had he been intent on murdering me, I wouldn't have even known what hit me. Fuck.
But I had been so sure the sound had originated from inside the bathroom. How the fuck had the bastard got past me? Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, so much so, that I was trembling in place. I took a glance at the bathroom to see if there had been anything along the lines of a recorder that could have been planted to distract me. The counter was bare, the floor was clear, and the stall was empty other than the necessary toiletries. I was preparing myself to go out and investigate, feeling pretty confidant that this person wasn't armed with a gun from my earlier observation. As I took a deep breath to steady myself, I caught a flash of something in the mirror in my peripheral vision. Turning to look at it more clearly, I felt my body grow weak. A single yellow post it note was placed on the glass surface of the mirror, simple neat print, same as before. I read the note carefully feeling a sick dread in the pit of my stomach, Stay Away.
Memories of the note back at Quatre's mansion came flooding back to me. It was official. I was being stalked and threatened but the question was who was threatening me? And what did he want me to stay away from? And more importantly, how the fuck had he broke into the apartment AND Q's mansion? I was about to take the note off, when I remembered that there could be fingerprints, though it was a slim chance considering the skills this person had displayed so far.
"Who the fuck, are you?" I growled lowly, barely above a whisper, I turned back to the door and had just reached the handle when it opened. This time I did give a sharp curse and would have slammed my fist in the person's jaw had I not recognized Heero's green tank top first.
"When did you get in?" I asked shakily and then continued in a more demanding tone. "Did you see anyone run out of here, or the building?"
"No, why?" Heero's tone was serious, eyes narrowing as they took in my disgruntled appearance.
"Someone was in here." Before turning toward the mirror, the note was still there. "They left me a note."
"What the hell do you mean someone was in here?" Heero demanded, turning around before gruffly telling me to retrieve my gun.
I entered my room, scanning to make sure it was clear, before retrieving my gun from underneath the pillow, I rejoined Heero a moment later, he had stayed behind as back up.
"The door was locked when I came in." He stated quietly.
"Same." I replied.
"Did you make contact with him." He asked.
"No, he managed to keep himself hidden until I was clearing the bathroom, he had a direct shot at me from behind—which is why I assume he's unarmed. He slammed the door shut so I wasn't able to get a look at him, or see if he was armed."
"You didn't hear him?" Heero seemed surprised.
"He's good." I confirmed.
"You didn't hear me come in." Heero reminded.
"I was distracted." I answered calmly as I he positioned himself behind me, I took the safety off the gun and moved forward, toward Heero's room.
"Keep an eye on the hallway." I whispered softly. He nodded briefly.
I signaled a countdown with my fingers: one, two, three. I opened the door swiftly and took aim at the corners, before aiming behind the door. Empty. I gave Heero the okay, and returned to the hallway. Next we turned to Trowa's room, I positioned myself on one side of the doorframe, while Heero took the other, I opened the door and aimed the gun for any form out of the ordinary. After clearing Trowa's room, we covered the remainder of the hallway swiftly and quietly, as we hit the living room I entered first, directing the gun toward the corners of the room once again, then made my way to the counter in the adjoined kitchen. Resting against the corner of the counter before closing in.
"Clear." I stated.
"How did he lock the door?" Heero asked momentarily.
"How did he get into—" I stopped short.
"Get into where?" Heero eyed me suspiciously jaw clicking sternly shut before narrowing his eyes dangerously in realization.
"This person left you a note in Quatre's estate?" He asked.
"He took the note, I was unable to confirm if it had been a figment of my imagination or hard evidence." I stated.
"Where is the note?" Heero asked coldly.
"Bathroom mirror." I responded softly.
He turned back and disappeared into the bathroom, reemerging minutes later.
"What does he mean?" He demanded.
"I have no idea." I answered tiredly, sinking into the couch wearily.
"What did the other note say?" He growled in annoyance.
"The same thing as this one." I sighed in frustration.
There was a long awkward pause as Heero stared at me while I stared at the door.
"I'll start securing the apartment." Heero informed me, but before he left he gave a second glance at me. "How much sleep have you been obtaining?" He questioned.
"Not enough." I answered curtly. I was pissed, who the hell wanted to mess with me?
"Your room is secure, you should get some rest." Heero added abruptly. I guess that was his way of expressing concern, honestly I knew that I wasn't tired, but I felt that I should at least humor him. Therefore I complied.
Once I was in my room the situation hit home. I had been being watched and followed for the last several weeks to my knowledge, for who knows how long this had been going on for? Fucker. I sat on my comforter, and ran through the events of the last couple weeks, trying to jog my memories for anything odd or abnormal. I clenched my fists tightly as I fumed in silence.
I'm sure Trowa will be thrilled with this bit of news. I felt my lips move in a cold smile. This was just what I needed. Here the war had just barely ended and already my attempt to lead a normal life had been thwarted. I let myself fall back on the bed.
"Duo?" I felt someone grasp my shoulder and shake it firmly. I felt weighted down, and it took me a while to force my eyes open. Where was I? The hallway? When the hell did I get in the—
"Duo, are you alright?" I met Trowa's concerned gaze. I nodded briefly but the movement caused me to fall back. Trowa caught me instinctively and brought me back up into a sitting position, scooting me back a bit so that I'd have the wall to support me. He rested his hand on my forehead for a few seconds.
"You don't have a fever." He stated calmly, "Duo, have you had any water today?" He asked gently.
"I don't remember." I answered honestly. "Ask Heero." I replied sluggishly.
"He isn't here." He looked at me oddly.
"What?" I asked surprised.
He was supposed to be securing the apartment. Trowa should have already been informed of the break in, and the note, and—Wait. Reality hit me like a brick. Hallway. Water. Trowa. It all made sense. I remembered going down the hall to get water, it was only natural that I must have passed out due to dehydration. Who knows how long I had been out for, if Trowa was just now getting in. So it had all been a dream? Well, damn.
I looked at Trowa who was looking at me perplexed.
"I was going to get water." I replied sheepishly, watching as his expression relaxed. I gave a reassuring grin as he nodded at me once, before standing.
"You stay here, I'll go get you a glass."
As I watched his retreating back, I inwardly felt foolish. This was getting absurd. I made up mind at that moment that there had never been a note and there never would be. There was no stalker either, because it was highly improbable, besides who would want to stalk me anyway? Lastly, and most importantly, I resolved to buy some Tylenol pm. One thing was for sure; I needed sleep badly.
A/N: I'm sorry to everyone who has waited for an update. My illness has greatly affected my mentality and my concentration. Well this was a wild card chapter, started one way, went the other, that sort of thing. Hope you all enjoyed chapter three, this story is going to get very interesting.
On a completely different note, I felt like the stupidest writer for misspelling my own title. Really (points finger accusingly), you guys have to tell me when I do stupid stunts like that!
Comments: For my 6 reviewers!Goodbye.Unfaithful.: Misleading aren't I? Well this doesn't answer your question. This is just another reason you'll have to continue reading. Glad you enjoyed.
Dark-lil-devil: Thanks, and I am truly sorry for taking so long to update. Hope this made up for it?
Tatsu Satsuki: I'm really happy that the story was able to portray that type of reaction. Hopefully you'll continue reading!
Elysianwinter: Shinigami is what Duo proclaims himself to be in the series. It is not a set character. Shinigami in Japanese is the combining of two words 'shi' and 'gami'. 'Shi' which means to die combined with the word 'gami' or God translates Shinigami (in English) to God of Death. Hope that helped, and I apologize for the wait.
Chrosis: Well, I assure you the long wait was not meant to spite you. I don't think this chapter was what you were expecting, but I hope you continue reading.
Kami-Crimson: I hope it stays good, and I made it longer and more suspenseful in compensation for the wait. Enjoy.