A/N- Hey this is my first fan fiction. I'm giving it a go, so please be gentle with me… I really like Gundam Wing and am a fan of yaoi.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and there is male on male reference here… or at least for later chapters. Mostly lime, but not lemon… yet.

Enjoy.

Haunted Memories

Part 1

-Sometimes I wish the morning will never come. First rays of sunlight shatter the darkness that veils the night before. -

The long neck bottle slowly slipped from slender fingers and clattered to the floor littered with countless other bottles and discarded items. Slightly intoxicated, Duo walked as carefully as he could in a staggered line from the small so-called kitchen to his tattered bed. Ruby-red liquid sloshed out of the cheap diamond-cut glass onto his hand and splattered on the floor.

Dim light from a small lamp on a scratched bed table flickered, causing the dark shadows to leap and dance upon the water stained walls. The room was tiny, but cheap-dirt cheap as a matter of fact. It was barely large enough to hold two single beds, the scratched bed table, what used to an overstuffed chair, a kitchen corner, and a door that led to what was supposed to be a bathroom. An occasional flash came through he window, but the traffic covered any sign of thunder. The pelting rain made the commercial lights take on an eerie glow. None of this mattered to Duo.

"How much do I have to drink to forget? Even just for a moment?" He cried out, his voice cracking. He took another drink to finish off the glass. Finally reaching his bed, Duo eyed the erratic pattern his short walk had created. He realized that his glass was empty. His free hand searched for another bottle on the floor by his bare fee. Finding it, he poured another full glass. "How much?" he asked the glass and half expecting it to answer him. The liquid was sweet at first then it burned-leaving his mouth and throat dry and burning. He needed more. Probably way too much more.

"Funny that life is like that. Sweet innocence that is burned away." A bitter laugh escaped from the young boy's lips. His head hit the thin pillow and some hard liquor splashed from the glass and landed on his bare chest dribbling onto the bed. The glass fell from Duo's hand onto the floor shattering into tiny pieces. The pieces scattered and sparkled in the dim light like long waiting unshed tears. The boy hardly noticed.

"It was my fault that everything went wrong. Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut? Why?" Duo yelled and threw the bottle across the room in a fit of rage. The bottle broke and the cold clear liquid ran down the wall. "Why?" cried Duo as he curled up into a ball. Hot tears trickled from his violet eyes.

A crash of thunder was followed by the electricity going out. Duo hardly noticed as he fell into a restless sleep. His long braid lay clenched in his hands as a welcoming comfort.

Explosions rocked the building and Oz troops scattered, running in all directions. He stayed hidden in a dark corner going unnoticed. Loose black pants, black shirt, and black hat kept him hidden quite well. Even his long braid was tied with a black band.

A cold metal object gleamed in his hand; the warning lights flickering off the thick red blood that dripped from the barrel. He ignored the pain that sent icy pains down his arm. The blaring sirens made him feel that he was going deaf. Three Oz soldiers stopped right in front of him.

"How many were there?" asked the man who seemed to be the leader of the three.

"Only two that we know of," answered one of the soldiers.

"Could be more," said the third.

"Find them and get the heck out of here. Take them to Trieze," said the leader. "Alive, if you can."

"Great, just great," Duo mumbled to himself. 'Heero is going to kill me. I'm the one who fell for that ambush. Now, we are stuck in here with the building going to pieces." The soldiers ran off in separate directions.

Duo came out of the dark corner and ran down the hallway crouched low with his gun pointed out in front of him. Death's smile played upon his face. 'Wait for me Deathscythe,' Duo thought to himself. He was quiet and almost blended in completely with the walls. Even though his breathing was clam, his heart was pounding. He turned sharply around a corner and came face to face with a half dozen guns pointed at him.

"Shimatta!" Duo yelled and backpedaled right into another gun. Soldiers came from what seemed like nowhere and surrounded him. Yells filled the air competing to be heard over the sirens. Shots rang in the air and Duo realized that it was him doing the shooting.

"Take him to Trieze. We only have five minutes before this whole place blows! An Oz soldier yelled. The gun dropped from duo's hand. He turned and punched the nearest soldier in the stomach and tried to push his way through. A sharp pain came from the back of his head and then all was black.

Insistent pounding at the door brought Duo slowly awake. He rolled over and a moan escaped from his lips from pain that wreaked through his body. He crawled out of his bed, barely making it to the bathroom, where he promptly threw up and somehow avoiding stepping in broken glass. The pounding on the door never stopped.

"Duo! Hey, Duo, come and open the door. I know you're in there, Duo. I can hear you in there," came a girl's voice Duo really didn't want to hear. It was just after dawn, with early sunlight filtering through the thin curtains. Something crashed to the floor outside the door, and he could hear a jingle of keys. "Duo, you better be decent. I'm coming in."

"Shimatta, Hilde, just open the door already!" Duo yelled as he stood. He threw water onto his face and rinsed out his mouth. He walked to the fridge as Hilde came through the door. Hilde watched Duo fill a large glass with liquor and grab a half eaten sandwich from the fridge.

"Nice clothes, Duo," Hilde remarked with a smile. She set the bag of groceries on the counter and took her jacket off. Duo was barefoot and bare-chested with a pair of loose black pants. The past couple weeks had taken a toll on his already thin body.

"Hey, you said decent-not fully clothed," Duo said between mouthfuls. Hilde gave him a wry smile and started to clean.

"Duo, I thought you were going to stop drinking?" Hilde asked. Duo walked to his bed kicking bottles and clothes out of his way, his body and head competing to protest the loudest.

"I can if I want to," Duo said grumpily. He laid down carefully trying to ignore the pounding in his head. Hilde saw him wince.

"Have a nice hangover there?" Hilde asked sarcastically. "Why do you live like such a pig?" she said disgusted. Duo smiled at her with a dulled sparkle in his violet eyes.

"So you have an excuse to come visit a loser like me," he answered, smiling and ever cheerfully sarcastic.

"You wouldn't be such a loser if you get on with your life," Hilde said harshly. She dropped a pile of dirty clothes on his face and stalked away.

"Hilde, why do you even bother?" Duo said seriously. He closed his violet eyes and sighed. Hilde walked over to the bed and gently sat next to Duo.

"Because I miss the Duo who was always happy-go-lucky and didn't blame himself for a war that he should have had nothing to do with," Hilde said softly. The countless empty bottles and dark circles under Duo's eyes gave her the impression that he hadn't been sleeping well. "You have to forgive yourself, Duo. Put your mind to rest." Hilde stood up to get a glass of water.

"It was my fault-all my fault. My mind nor God will let me be forgiven," he said fitfully. "Why can't I just forget?" he asked nobody in particular. Hilde emptied a small package of powder into the glass.

"Here Duo, drink this," she said handing him the glass. He took it and drank half the glass, the drug taking affect immediately

"Just go to sleep Duo," Hilde said softly. She kissed his forehead lightly and covered him up. Fragments of words and sounds came from Duo, but he was soon quiet. Hilde stood and quietly cleaned the small apartment.

"At least he'll awake to a clean room and a refrigerator free of alcohol, but full of food," she said with a smile on her face as she closed the door on her way out.

Duo awoke slowly to realize he wasn't in his bed. An irony taste filled his mouth and pain wreaked through his body as he was knocked to the floor roughly. His hands and feet were tied, but with all the pain and noise he hardly noticed.

"Trieze will be waiting for you. And if you think this was bad, I almost feel sorry for you," an Oz soldier sneered at him. The metal floor was cold to Duo's hot skin. His black preacher's outfit was torn, but he still wore his gold cross around his neck. His mouth was destroyed, but without a broken jaw and at least one rib was broken.

"Tell him I'll be ready and I'll try to greet him with the greatest of courtesy," Duo's voice dripped with sarcasm. The soldier delivered a vicious kick to Duo's stomach, cracking another rib.

"Hey, Trieze said alive," came a second voice.

"He said if possible," the fist spat. "Oh well, you're not worth it." The cell door was shut and darkness enveloped the metal room. A violent coughing fit overtook Duo and a spray of blood soon covered the floor around his mouth.

"Are you ever quiet, Maxwell," came a slightly arrogant voice from the back of the cell.

"Wufei?" Duo asked weakly.

"Yeah, baka. Keeping your mouth shut is a lesson that would be well learned," answered the young Chinese boy.

"Well, we weren't taught that on L2," Duo said with a small laugh. "Soo, what's the plan for our escape?"

"Don't have one," Wufei said regretfully. "Unless a miracle happens."

"Ok, miracle," Duo shouted to the room, "come and happen so me and Wu-man can go free." Wufei rolled his eyes realizing that he would waist precious energy trying to get the loudmouth American to shut up. A loud explosion suddenly rocked the Oz base, surprising Duo and Wufei. Duo smiled broadly, as broad as he could anyway with a busted mouth. Footsteps could be heard outside the cell door.

"There's our miracle," Duo said, his spirits lifting.

"We wouldn't have needed one in the first place if you would have listened," Wufei said sharply. A scuffle outside their door silenced any further comment from Duo. He pushed himself into a sitting position by leaning on the wall. He filled with hope. The door opened, flooding the small room with blinding light.

"Well, Heero Yuy, finally decided to come and save our sorry…"

Heero stumbled as he was shoved into the cell. His green tank top was in shreds and blood ran down his face from his brow. Seeing this, Duo was shocked speechless, which did not happen very often. His jaw dropped and he felt as if he swallowed a rock twice his size. The time stood still as the door slammed shut once more leaving them in impenetrable blackness.

Duo quickly sat up, this time in his own bed, gasping for breath.

"Damn it," Duo cursed tossing the blankets to the floor. "Will they ever stop?" he stomped into the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was just pas seven in the evening. He opened a cupboard and realized that there was nothing but wholesome good for you food.

"Hilde!" Duo screamed angrily as he slammed the door shut. He muttered curses that were colorful even for him as he looked in the fridge and found that all the alcohol was gone. Hilde had even found the ones he had hidden under the sink. It was going to be a long night…